WIN SOME CHURCHILL
O’brien is relying on star colt to end his wait
DUAL Guineas winner Churchill is the clear favourite to bridge a six-year gap for Aidan O’brien in next Saturday’s QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes.
Remarkably, the Ballydoyle trainer hasn’t won the centrepiece of Irish Champions Weekend since So You Think struck in 2011.
However, with the line-up still unclear for the Leopardstown contest, Churchill is the clear favourite as he looks to bounce back from two defeats.
On his last start the Galileo colt ran an honourable second to Ulysses in the Juddmonte International at York.
That was Churchill’s first try at 10 furlongs and his trainer expressed himself happy with his star colt’s effort.
O’brien believes that his charge will improve from that York outing and all indications are that Churchill is likely to head to Leopardstown.
The biggest threat could come from stablemate Highland Reel.
This globe trotting four-year-old will be making his third appearance in the Champion Stakes.
In 2015 he had to settle for fifth behind Golden Horn while last year he finished seventh to Almanzor in one of the best flat races ever run in Ireland.
Aside from the main event, O’brien looks to hold an especially strong hand in the other four Group 1 contests on Champions Weekend.
Firstly, the brilliant three-year-old Winter will surely take all the beating if she lines up in the Matron Stakes.
So far this season the striking grey has notched up four Group 1 triumphs and it would be a major surprise if she were to meet with defeat.
Order Of St George looked on excellent terms with himself when winning a well contested Curragh Group 3 in fine style last month.
That effort sets him up nicely for the Irish St Leger which he won in 2015 before meeting with a shock defeat behind Wicklow Brave last year.
In the Moyglare Stakes, O’brien’s stunning array of juvenile fillies look impossible to oppose.
The trainer has a similarly strong team to call on in the National Stakes but the Michael Stoute-trained Expert Eye is a huge threat.