Aidan O'Brien laid out the plans for his battalion of runners ahead of Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh in September.
Now in its sixth year, the Longines Irish Champions Weekend will feature six Group 1 races and record prize-money. The feature race on day one at Leopardstown is the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes. The master of Ballydoyle nominated Magical as his main hope for the feature on day one of Champions' Weekend.
There will be no Enable to block her path this time around as Magical has run into the superstar twice in the last year. She finished scond to Enable in both the Coral Eclipse this summer and the Breeders Cup Turf last November.
Magical
Speaking at Ballydoyle this morning, O’Brien said: “Magical has had a break since her last run and the plan is for her to either go to the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown with or without a run. We also have Circus Maximus, Japan, Anthony Van Dyck and Sir Dragonet as possible runners.”
Elsewhere on the Leopardstown card, O'Brien has won the Matron Stakes twice in the last three years. This year, O’Brien added: “For the Coolmore Stud Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes, we are looking at Hermosa and Just Wonderful while Mount Everest could be one for the Kilternan Stakes.
Hermosa is heading for the @coolmorestud Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes on the opening day of #LICW19@IrishChampsWknd pic.twitter.com/jOrSkITY6O
— Irish Champions Wknd (@IrishChampsWknd) August 14, 2019
“Lancaster House will go for the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes and Never No More is also a possibility there. Lope Y Fernandez and Toronto are two possible runners in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.
Day Two
The Ballydoyle trainer gave an update on his runners for Day two of Longines Irish Champions weekend, where he has had massive success. Notably in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes.“At the Curragh on day two, we are looking at maybe running Armory, Arizona and Royal Lytham in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes while Love could go for the Moyglare Stud Stakes.
“Both Capri and Kew Gardens are potential runners in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger while in the Group 1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes we have Ten Sovereigns and Fairyland as possibles. We are looking at the Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes for Pink Dogwood and Fleeting.”
Ireland’s champion trainer is also the leading trainer at Longines Irish Champions Weekend with 17 winners including the likes of Gleneagles in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes, Minding in the Moyglare Stud Stakes in 2015 and Order Of St George in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger in 2015 and 2017.
With the array of talent on display this morning, he will surely be adding plenty more to that list of winners at this year's renewal.
