Aidan O’Brien stole the show once again in Saturday afternoon’s St Leger Stakes, with the tenacious display from Scandinavia handing the trainer a ninth success in the Doncaster Classic.
The Ballydoyle maestro was also among the winners on home soil, with four victories at the Irish Champions Weekend festival. However, O’Brien didn’t enjoy the level of dominance many predicted in the signature events.
Kicking off at Leopardstown on Saturday and concluding at the Curragh on Sunday, this high-class fixture featured six Group 1 events – only two of which fell to an Aidan O’Brien-trained runner.
Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes – Delacroix Delivers in Style
| Pos. | Horse (SP) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delacroix (2/1F) | Aidan O’Brien | Christophe Soumillon |
| 2 | Anmaat (4/1) | Owen Burrows | Chris Hayes |
| 3 | Royal Champion (18/1) | Karl Burke | Clifford Lee |
With €1.25 million up for grabs, the feature event on Saturday invariably attracts a stellar field of middle-distance talent. Such was the case ahead of the 2025 edition of the 1m2f Leopardstown showpiece.
With anticipated rival Ombudsman not taking up this engagement, O’Brien’s Delacroix was the one to beat on ratings. The three-year-old had taken a knock when second to Ombudsman at York, but he oozed superstar potential when mastering that rival at Sandown. Sent off as the 2/1 market leader, the Dubawi colt faced a field including 2024 Champion Stakes winner Anmaat, Japanese ace Shin Emperor, and rising star Zahrann.
The mount of Christophe Soumillon delivered in fine style. Sitting quietly in midfield, Delacroix rediscovered his ability to accelerate off a strong pace to put the race to bed in the blink of an eye. Anmaat gallantly narrowed the gap to just under a length at the line, but Delacroix’s electric burst of speed proved decisive. His trainer summed it up best when stating in the aftermath:
“He did the same in Sandown, he’s just so quick. In two strides it was over.”
Coolmore America “Justify” Matron Stakes – Fallen Angel Makes It Four
| Pos. | Horse (SP) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fallen Angel (9/4F) | Karl Burke | James Doyle |
| 2 | Exactly (10/3) | Aidan O’Brien | Dylan Browne McMonagle |
| 3 | Atsila (25/1) | Donnacha Aidan O’Brien | Gavin Ryan |
Three-time winner Aidan O’Brien sent two into battle in his bid to join John Dunlop atop the all-time Matron Stakes trainer’s table. Exactly arrived on the back of a slightly unlucky outing in the City Of York Stakes, while January had filled the runners-up position in her two most recent Group 1 outings. Both brought strong form to the table, but neither had scored at the top level. In contrast, Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel arrived seeking a fourth Group 1 victory.
Turning for home, Fallen Angel was making heavy weather of reeling in leader Vera’s Secret as Exactly launched an ominous challenge towards the far side. However, once headed by the O’Brien filly, Fallen Angel responded tenaciously for James Doyle, digging deep to get back up and score by half a length. With three wins from four starts, the four-year-old seems to enjoy her trips to the Emerald Isle but will head to the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket for her next assignment.
Comer Group International Irish St Leger – Al Riffa Powers Clear at the Curragh
| Pos. | Horse (SP) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Riffa (3/1) | Joseph Patrick O’Brien | Dylan Browne McMonagle |
| 2 | Amiloc (2/1) | Ralph Beckett | Rossa Ryan |
| 3 | Al Qareem (12/1) | Karl Burke | Clifford Lee |
Following Scandinavia’s heroics on Saturday, punters were keen to support Aidan O’Brien to record a famous St Leger double. Second in the 2024 edition of the Doncaster version, Illinois started as the 15/8 favourite in a competitive line-up.
Following a fierce gallop set by Karl Burke’s Al Qareem, there was nowhere to hide as the race began in earnest in the straight. With Illinois fading out of contention, Amiloc took up the running at the two-furlong pole and briefly looked like the most likely winner. However, Al Riffa sauntered from midfield to join the action and produced a power-packed finishing effort to storm four lengths clear. Next step, Flemington, as the rising star of the staying division, bids to hand Joseph O’Brien a third Melbourne Cup victory.
Moyglare Stud Stakes – Precise Hits the Target
| Pos. | Horse (SP) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precise (11/2) | Aidan O’Brien | Ronan Whelan |
| 2 | Beautify (9/1) | Aidan O’Brien | Dylan Browne McMonagle |
| 3 | Venetian Sun (5/2) | Karl Burke | Clifford Lee |
With 10 previous wins, this was always one of the more likely prizes to head to the O’Brien trophy cabinet in 2025. As such, it was no surprise to see the dominant handler record a one-two in the juvenile fillies’ event. However, the finishing order was a little different from that predicted by the betting market.
Attempting to make the running in the face of a strong headwind ended the claims of market leader Composing. With Karl Burke’s unbeaten Venetian Sun failing to reproduce her Prix Morny form, it was left to the O’Brien second and third string to fight it out. Beautify got to the lead first but had no answer to the late thrust of Precise, who flew home down the outside to score by a widening margin of just under a length.
Now a Group 1 winner, O’Brien suggested that a US excursion may be next on the agenda for Precise.
“That was a ‘win and you’re in’ for the Breeders’ Cup and she’d love that fast ground out there.”
Bar One Racing Flying Five Stakes – Arizona Blaze Justifies Egan’s Call
| Pos. | Horse (SP) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona Blaze (11/2) | Adrian Murray | David Egan |
| 2 | Nighteyes (16/1) | David O’Meara | Daniel Tudhope |
| 3 | Bucanero Fuerte (9/2) | Adrian Murray | Colin Keane |
Heading into the big sprint at the meeting, Amo Racing and Adrian Murray already had eight previous stakes wins at the Curragh. In the well-fancied Bucanero Fuerte and Arizona Blaze, the owner/trainer combo had an excellent chance of making it win number nine. The problem for David Egan lay in deciding which horse to ride.
The market suggested Egan had made a mistake in overlooking Bucanero Fuerte, who boasted four wins at the track, including the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. In contrast, Arizona Blaze was zero from four in Group 1 company and had finished only eleventh in the Nunthorpe Stakes last time out.
Bucanero Fuerte led at the two-furlong pole, but it soon became clear Egan had made the right decision. Moving alongside his stablemate, Arizona Blaze found an extra gear to forge clear for an impressive one-length victory. Following this breakthrough success, the three-year-old is another who is booked for a trip to Del Mar.
Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes – Zavateri Edges Gstaad in Thriller
| Pos. | Horse (SP) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zavateri (15/2) | Eve Johnson Houghton | Charles Bishop |
| 2 | Gstaad (10/11F) | Aidan O’Brien | Christophe Soumillon |
| 3 | Italy (7/2) | Aidan O’Brien | Ronan Whelan |
With Classic winners Dawn Approach, Gleneagles, and Churchill all featuring on the recent roll of honour, it often takes a special horse to claim the National Stakes. Ahead of the 2025 edition, Aidan O’Brien’s Coventry Stakes winner, Gstaad, was deemed the most likely to add his name to that list.
In the end, Gstaad came close to rewarding favourite backers, mastering his two stablemates, Joseph O’Brien’s North Coast, and Godolphin challenger Saba Desert. However, the fly in the ointment arrived in the shape of the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Zavateri. Tracking Gstaad throughout, the Without Parole colt lay down the gauntlet at the two-furlong pole. The pair then engaged in a pulsating battle to the line. Heads up, heads down as the winning post approached, with Zavateri timing it right to score by a head.
In winning the National Stakes, the youngster became his trainer’s second Group 1 winner, following Accidental Agent in the 2018 Queen Anne Stakes. Could a Classic tilt be on the cards in 2026? 16/1 before the race, Zavateri is now as short as 10/1 for the 2,000 Guineas.
