Delacroix stars in BC WAYI Irish Champion

Stellar three-year-old Delacroix remained perfect at 1 1/4 miles in Saturday’s Irish Champion (G1), giving trainer Aidan O’Brien a record-extending 13th win in the Leopardstown feature.

The son of Dubawi and Hall of Famer Tepin booked a free ticket to the 1 1/2-mile Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), but a trip to Del Mar is at the very least uncertain. O’Brien, who previously sounded disinclined, deferred to the Coolmore principals for any decision-making about his future. 

The other Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners on the Irish Champions Festival opener appear unlikely to venture out West as well. O’Brien’s Benvenuto Cellini, now the favorite for the 2026 Derby (G1) after romping in the Champions Juvenile (G2), is expected to stay in Europe. 

British shipper Fallen Angel secured a Filly & Mare Turf (G1) spot in the one-mile Matron (G1). But she has British Champions Day in view, making it questionable whether she would wheel back in two weeks for the Breeders’ Cup. 

Irish Champion (G1)

The hot favorite in the build-up to the Irish Champion, Delacroix, was the subject of a raceday drift up to 2-1 across the pond, but the market uneasiness proved unfounded. The ground, which had been soft, dried out to the good-to-yielding zone that suited him well.

Christophe Soumillon was called up to replace the injured Ryan Moore aboard Delacroix, and the Belgian ace rode the colt as if he’d known him all his life. Although Delacroix broke alertly, Soumillon eased him back once stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro sped forward to set a genuine pace. Delacroix settled into a comfortable rhythm in the latter part of the field, trailed only by Anmaat and White Birch.

Soumillon deployed Delacroix’s turn of foot at the right time. Beginning to advance on the far turn, he adroitly steered to the inside of Mount Kilimanjaro, swinging into the stretch and kicked away. Anmaat rallied, but he could never get closer than three-quarters of a length.

Delacroix, who paid $4.30 stateside, clocked a strong time of 2:04.69. According to irishracing.com, he ran 5.40 seconds faster than standard in the prevailing conditions.

Royal Champion, who stalked early, kept on in a one-paced third. Next came Hotazhell, White Birch, Japan’s Shin Emperor, Zahrann, and Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Delacroix sports an overall mark of 11-6-4-0, with his only unplaced effort being a troubled, non-staying ninth in the 1 1/2-mile Derby at Epsom. Runner-up in the Champions Juvenile on this card a year ago, he scored his first stakes win in the Autumn (G3) at Newmarket and just missed to Hotazhell in the Futurity Trophy (G1) at Doncaster.

The homebred bay is 4-for-4 at 1 1/4 miles, including the March 30 Ballysax (G3) and May 11 Derby Trial (G3) here, and his last-gasp swoop over the older Ombudsman in the July 5 Eclipse (G1) at Sandown. Delacroix was exiting a belated second to Ombudsman in the 1 5/16-mile Juddmonte International (G1) at York, where a strangely-run race may have contributed to his margin of defeat.

Matron (G1)

Matron favorite Fallen Angel had a tussle with Ballydoyle’s Exactly, but the Karl Burke filly ultimately prevailed by a half-length. Improving on her close second in last year’s Matron, the Wathnan Racing colorbearer was scoring her fourth career Group 1 victory. 

Fallen Angel was well placed in a tracking spot by James Doyle, flanking Exactly to her inside. As they launched their bids down the lane, Exactly briefly outpaced the favorite. Yet Fallen Angel kept finding to assert in 1:38.93.

Longshot Atsila got up for third, followed by Cathedral, Cercene, Queen of Thunder, January, Sparks Fly, Duckadilly, early leader Vera’s Secret, and California Dreamer.

Burke was completing a quickfire double in the Matron, having sent out the progressive Convergent to capture the CMG Group (aka the Kilternan) (G3). 

The near-misser in the German Derby (G1) last out, and previously third in the Chester Vase (G3) to dual Derby winner Lambourn, Convergent put it all together in convincing fashion here. The Newtown Anner Stud homebred covered 1 1/2 miles in 2:35.45, leaving favored Al Aasy behind in fifth. 

Burke was completing a quickfire double in the Matron, having sent out the progressive Convergent to capture the CMG Group (aka the Kilternan) (G3). 

The near-misser in the German Derby (G1) last out, and previously third in the Chester Vase (G3) to dual Derby winner Lambourn, Convergent put it all together in convincing fashion here. The Newtown Anner Stud homebred covered 1 1/2 miles in 2:35.45, leaving favored Al Aasy behind in fifth. 

Champions Juvenile (G2)

Delacroix wasn’t the only son of a Breeders’ Cup heroine to win well at Leopardstown on Saturday. Stablemate Benvenuto Cellini is out of Newspaperofrecord, who dominated the 2018 Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). 

By Frankel, and thus a full brother to Group 3-placed stakes scorer Giselle, Benvenuto Cellini was last seen landing a July 14 maiden at Killarney. The blaze-faced chestnut was expected to vie for favoritism with stablemate Montreal, a course-and-distance maiden conqueror, but he was scratched on veterinary advice. 

In Montreal’s absence, Benvenuto Cellini was hammered into odds-on favoritism in what became a one-horse race. Soumillon, who switched to him from Montreal, engineered a straightforward trip. After tracking front-running Hardy Warrior, Benvenuto Cellini imposed his will by five lengths in 1:42.35 for the mile.

The remaining trio finished in a heap for the minors. Hardy Warrior held second by a half-length from longshot Nil Bua Gan Dua, who nipped A Boy Named Susie. 

Benvenuto Cellini paid $2.90 while improving his resume to 3-2-1-0. A homebred for Coolmore and Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, he is also co-owned by Westerberg.

Del Mar didn’t appear to be in the calculations for O’Brien, who mentioned Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy on Oct. 25 or alternatives in France.

O’Brien and Soumillon collected a total of three wins on the banner day, beginning with another odds-on favorite, Diamond Necklace, in the Ingabelle S.  The Curragh debut winner hit top gear late to score handily by 2 1/4 lengths, negotiating seven furlongs in 1:28.24.

From the first crop of Coolmore stallion St Mark’s Basilica (hero of the 2021 Irish Champion for O’Brien), Diamond Necklace is the latest classy performer out of the blue hen Prudenzia. The $1.84 million Arqana August yearling purchase is a half-sister to Group 1-winning globetrotter Magic Wand, 2013 Irish Oaks (G1) heroine Chicquita, French classic-placed Philomene, and the Group 3-placed Enemy and Je Ne Regretterien.