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O'Brien Holding All the Champion Stakes Aces
08/09/10
With a likely field of no more than eight starters for Saturday's Group 1 Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes, it looks as though Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O'Brien could saddle as many as five of the runners for Leopardstown's top class mile-and-a-quarter contest, writes Elliot Slater.
Following the news that Godolphin's Cavalryman is almost certain to take up an alternative engagement in Germany, and with the Clive Cox-trained Poet unlikely to run unless there is significant rainfall, O'Brien may be responsible for more than half the field in an event he has won five times in the last ten years, most recently triumphing with Dylan Thomas in both 2006 and 2007 as he continues to dominate Irish racing.
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Coronation Cup winner Fame And Glory and Juddmonte International hero Rip Van Winkle both head the O'Brien challenge, although there is some confusion as to whether will be allowed to take on each other head-to-head. Betting firms on both sides of the Irish Sea are divided as to which of the pair might be directed elsewhere, and until news breaks to the contrary, both remain at the top of the ante-post list and the pair are most people's betting tips. Irish Derby winner Cape Blanco might also take his chance along with recent Desmond Stakes winner Beethoven, while it is assumed that Black Quartz is in the race as a pacemakers for his stable companions.
The British challenge is likely to be reduced to two, headed by Henry Cecil's Coral Eclipse Stakes winner Twice Over, who failed by just half a length to peg back Rip Van Winkle in a memorable tussle at York last month, whilst highly progressive front-runner Sea Lord has been supplemented into the race at considerable cost, and Mark Johnston's charge is certainly not without hope of causing an upset.
Making up the field is Dermot Weld's classy Famous Name, conqueror of Steinbeck over nine furlongs at Leopardstown last time out in the Meld Stakes and another not there just to make up the numbers.
