Many fans may be focused on day two of the festival in Curragh, as it will feature four Group One races with a prize purse of more than £2 million on its card. With that said, the opening day does have two significant races of its own.

Leopardstown will host the Irish Champion Stakes and the Matron Stakes, which will be hotly contested by a range of high-level horses from Ireland and from overseas.

Here, we will preview the two main events on Day One of Champions Weekend by looking at the leading favourites for each race.

City Of Troy expected to dominate the Champion Stakes

In the headline event of the day, the Epsom Derby winner City Of Troy is expected to comfortably run away with victory. The horse is offered as a 5/2 favourite in the betting odds for the Irish Champion Stakes, and the betting calculator can be used to understand the odds and potential returns across all the Champions Weekend markets this year.

City Of Troy has already won emphatically at Newmarket and Sandown this year, as well as Epsom, and it would be a surprise if Leopardstown is not added to the list following the Champion Stakes.

The opening day of the Champions Festival should serve as another step in the horse's preparation for the Breeders Cup Classic in November as it works towards becoming a true champion of the world.

There is a strong set of opposition that will be bidding to cause an upset, though. Last year's Champion Stakes winner Auguste Rodin is amongst the group of expected frontrunners

in the odds offered at 7/2 to win again. He has had a strong year so far, having already won the Prince of Wales' Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Economics also has the potential to halt City Of Troy's progress, the horse has won all of its 2024 races so far, which is ideal for entering one of Ireland's biggest events.

Porta Fortuna is the Matron Stakes' favourite

The Matron Stakes is a race that is exclusively for fillies and mares, and it attracts the world's best to compete.

In the odds ahead of the event, the pick of the bunch is predicted to be Porta Fortuna, who is offered at 7/4 to win the second-biggest race of the day. The filly enjoyed an immense 2024 summer of racing, with wins in the Coronation Stakes at Ascot and the Falmouth Stakes at New Market on the board.

The successive win is what has made Porta Fortuna a big favourite for the Matron Stakes, although two other horses should provide a big threat.

Fallen Angel is certainly a realistic potential champion in the event, having impressively won the prestigious 1,000 Guineas at Curragh in May.

Opera Singer also has a recent win to its name from the Qatar Nassau Stakes in the British Champions Series and could build on that in Leopardstown.

Ultimately, the favourites for each of the two big events on day one have earned their statuses due to their impressive form for the year so far. Fans could see them build on their success or could see dramatic upsets unfold on one of the biggest Irish racing days of the year in September.