Churchill and Order Of St George head stellar line-up at Longines Irish Champions Weekend

Churchill will feature in the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday at Leopardstown, whilst Order Of St George will run in Sunday’s Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh.

This spectacular two-day event of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend is now firmly established as a ‘must-attend’ Festival on the UK and Ireland racing calendar. As well as being one of most glamorous meetings, it is also one of the richest on the international racing calendar with prize money exceeding €4.6 million.

With that brings the best horses, jockeys and trainers in the world for ten Group races that are lined up including five Group 1 races run at the two legendary Irish racecourses of Leopardstown and The Curragh.

In many respects, both days of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend have their own individual personalities; Leopardstown being a green oasis of 226 acres in the suburbs of Ireland’s capital, in contrast to The Curragh, set among spectacular countryside of heathers and foliage. One thing both venues have in common is the quality of the racing and talent that is on offer over the next two days.

The big feature race at Leopardstown on Day One – Saturday – is the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes – currently the highest-rated turf race in the world – in which dual 2,000 Guineas winner Churchill heads the runners.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien will seek his eighth win in the Group One race with the horse, who was runner-up to Ulysses in last month’s Juddmonte International at York. O’Brien also saddles Cliffs Of Moher, runner-up in the Derby at Epsom, and Secretariat Stakes second Taj Mahal.

The British challenge is headed by Martyn Meade’s Eminent, who will be ridden by Frankie Dettori.

Earlier, O’Brien will hope Winter – winner of the English and Irish 1,000 Guineas – can claim a fifth consecutive Group One triumph in the Matron Stakes, one of five Group races and two Handicaps each valued at €150,000 on an eight race card worth a total of €2.3 million in prize-money.

Sunday will see the action switch to the historic venue of the Curragh racecourse, the home to all five Irish Classic races, which will see three Group 1 races on the eight-race card.

Pride of place is afforded to the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, the final Irish Classic of the season, where last year’s winner, Wicklow Brave, will take on Order Of St George and Dartmouth – owned by Her Majesty the Queen.

Order Of St George will bid to get revenge on Wicklow Brave when the pair clash again after O’Brien’s horse finished second to the dual-purpose performer, trained by Willie Mullins, in last year’s race. The two are the stand-out horses among the ten declared for this year’s contest, alongside Dartmouth and fellow British-trained horses Western Hymn, Lord Yeats and Mount Moriah. The Jessica Harrington-trained Torcedor will be among the remainder carrying Irish hopes, along with Benkei, The Tartan Spartan and Twilight Payment.

Order Of St George is favourite to win the race and his stablemate Gustav Klimt is in a similar position to land the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes earlier in the afternoon.