Laurens runs a career best
Karl Burke’s ‘horse of a lifetime’ produces a surprise win, while the Irish Champion Stakes ends an exciting rivalry
Longines Irish Champions Weekend, Leopardstown Racecourse, Ireland
THERE was some cracking racing at Leopardstown during the Irish Champions Weekend on Saturday, 15 September. A surprise came when Karl Burke’s terrific filly, Laurens, the French Oaks winner, became the first horse in five outings to lower Alpha Centauri’s colours when beating her by three-parts-of-a-length in the Matron Stakes.
It appeared Laurens had galloped the sting out of Alpha Centauri’s turn of foot, which has carried her to four stunningly impressive wide-margin top-level victories. But inside the last furlong, Jessica Harrington’s filly appeared to take a false step and was afterwards found to have injured her off-fore fetlock. A strong candidate for “Horse of the Year”, Alpha Centauri was retired the following day after a chipped bone was discovered.
Either way, they are two great fillies. Although her style of racing suggested Laurens would be even better over a mile-and-a-half, she ran no race in the Yorkshire Oaks. Here she was allowed to get into that relentless rhythm of hers.
Of course, the victory — a career best — was slightly overshadowed by Alpha Centauri’s injury, but she is nevertheless the horse of a lifetime for Karl Burke, who added the Group One Flying Five with Havana Grey at The Curragh a day later, and owner John Dance.
A RIVALRY ENDS
THE QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes was a strong contender for “Race of the Season” after John Gosden’s grey colt, Roaring Lion, under Oisin Murphy, got up a few strides from the line to beat his old adversary Saxon Warrior.
Their rivalry has been one of the defining themes of the last 12 months and, in six starts against each other, the score is now three wins for Roaring Lion (the Eclipse, International and Irish Champion) to Saxon Warrior’s two (Racing Post Trophy and 2,000 Guineas). Neither colt got the trip in the Derby.
Alas, that is also the final score as Saxon Warrior injured a tendon in the race and has been retired.
With Deauville sent off with front-running instructions, the race was set up for Saxon Warrior, whose turn of foot took him several lengths clear of Roaring Lion in the straight.
Winning jockey Oisin Murphy has never lacked confidence, but now a regular Group One jockey, he is putting his experience to good use, too. He did not panic and, though his mount was leaning in to Saxon Warrior, he got there a couple of strides before the line to win by a neck.
John Gosden, who watched the race on his phone in a lay-by on his way home from Doncaster, pointed out how well Ballydoyle had set it up for their horse.
“We were wide throughout, wide into the straight and there wasn’t much pace,” he said. “The runner-up was very valiant.”