Jane Mangan’s William Hill Blog: Irish Champion Stakes Day Preview

William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan previews Saturday’s action from the Leopardstown, Irish Champion Stakes Day.

Leopardstown, Saturday

We start in the Ingabelle Stakes (1:10pm) where I like Chantez for Ger Lyons and Colin Keane. She was very good over course and distance last month to beat Indigo Dream. I think she is open to further progression, and I like her breeding. I think she’s up to putting up to the Ballydoyle battalion.

Saturday is a big day for William Haggas and Tom Marquand, before the pressure of Economics hits later in the day, I think they have a great chance with Maljoom in the Solonaway Stakes (2:15pm). He was beaten less than a length and a half in the Sussex at Goodwood and he was third at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne – this is strong Group One form. He wasn’t quite good enough in the Juddmonte last time, but this is a drop-in class, and I think he will be hard to beat.

The Matron Stakes (2:50pm) is a fabulous race this year and I think the three-year-olds have a hold on this race, eight of the nine last winners have been in the Classic generation. Porta Fortuna is a rock-solid favourite, and I think she is underappreciated for her form, so I’m going to side with her here. I think she’s improved massively at three and she can come out on top of this deep renewal.

The race of the weekend is the Irish Champion Stakes (3:25pm). It’s one of the best races in Europe and this year’s is no different. Economics heads the market and he’s my idea of the winner here. He is yet to contest a Group One, but the handicapper has given him a rating a pound below Auguste Rodin, who’s won six Group Ones. He is yet to prove his true top level calibre, but he has demonstrated his brilliance in the Dante at York and on his comeback at Deauville. What a tremendous race we must look forward to.

The Petingo handicap (4:35pm) is a tricky puzzle, 23 runners over a mile and five furlongs. I fancy Nurburgring for Joseph O’Brien here; a 150-rated hurdler and he has good form on the Flat. The mark of 90 on the Flat is workable and I think he is ahead of the handicapper here. I also like the look of Willie Mullins’ Spasiba here. He was eye-catching over two miles at the Galway Festival and should relish a strongly-run test around a bend at Leopardstown with Seamie Heffernan in the plate for team Closutton.

Next is the Sovereign Path Handicap (5:10pm), I think Dunum is coming back to form at the right time here, he was second last year off a mark of 101 and he runs off 100 here. He has been improving gradually this year and ran well in Listed company last time, despite the high weight I think he can run well in this big-field handicap.