RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:AN IMMEDIATE reaction to Cape Blanco's devastating success in Saturday's Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes was to wonder what kind of horse the recently retired Harbinger must be and also what kind of wonderful country Ireland could be if we could only roof it.

Of course the latter point has been pondered for centuries. But in racing terms, the dangerous unpredictability of the Irish climate was displayed with a vengeance at Leopardstown where after a week of watering, heavy showers on the morning of the big meeting fundamentally altered the state of the going.

A total of 6mms of rain left the going still officially “good to firm” for the first race but it was quickly changed to “good” and even that seemed to veer towards the optimistic as jockeys returned after the second race describing the going as definitely on the slow side of good.

The result was a surface which crucially dampened the prospects of the odds-on favourite Rip Van Winkle and left his stable companion Cape Blanco to make all the running and lead home a Ballydoyle one-two that earned Aidan O’Brien a record sixth victory in the Group One feature.

Only a short head separated Beethoven from Twice Over and another Ballydoyle Champion Stakes clean-sweep. But on a day where O’Brien also saddled Lillie Langtry to win the Coolmore Matron Stakes and completed a four-timer in total, there was also a tangible reminder of the horse that wasn’t there.

In handicapping terms, Cape Blanco’s five-and-a-half-length victory at the weekend pays a huge compliment to Harbinger who beat the Irish Derby hero by a devastating 11 lengths in July’s King George. Injury has since put paid to Harbinger’s racing career and instead he will soon be on his way to a stud career in Japan.

But it could be dangerous to take that form too literally. If we do, Cape Blanco’s progress is such that by the time this season ends, we could face a scenario where on figures Harbinger might just be the greatest runner ever to look through a bridle.

Certainly O’Brien’s suspicion that a mile and a quarter rather than a mile and a half is Cape Blanco’s optimum trip seemed to be borne out at Leopardstown. Yesterday the champion trainer emphasised the point again despite Cape Blanco being cut to 8 to 1 for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

“The Arc is an option for him but we’ve always thought 10 furlongs is his best trip,” he said while giving the chestnut son of Galileo a clean bill-of-health after his exertions the previous day.

“He ran so well in the Irish Derby and the King George but it was courage that got him there.”

With that in mind, Cape Blanco’s galloping style, especially over a mile and a half, and even more especially after a speed duel at Ascot with the Epsom Derby winner Workforce, could have left him vulnerable to a true stayer like Harbinger. He certainly appeared a different proposition on Saturday as Séamus Heffernan cut out a strong gallop that had all bar Rip Van Winkle in trouble before the turn-in. Johnny Murtagh held on to Rip Van Winkle’s stamina for as long as he could but ultimately the favourite did well to nab second.

“Rip is a miler who gets a mile and a quarter. Cape Blanco is a mile-and-a-quarter horse who just about gets a mile and a half,” summed up their trainer.

“The ground had gone a bit slow for Rip. If we had known earlier in the week that the ground was going to be like this, we probably wouldn’t have run.”

The vagaries of the Irish weather, and the predictive assistance of the Met Office in relation to a watering policy left Leopardstown’s authorities in a difficult position, but they rejected accusations that they may have over-watered the track on the run up to Saturday’s action.

“That is completely untrue,” said the racecourse manager Tom Burke yesterday. “Six mms would do that to the ground.”

O’Brien also yesterday described the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day as a possible target for Lillie Langtry who received what the trainer described as a “masterful ride” from Murtagh to nail Spacious by a neck in the Matron.

No such dramatics were required in the Kilternan Stakes where Await The Dawn ran away with the mile contest. Juliet Capulet made most of the running to land the fillies juvenile maiden under the trainer’s son, Joseph.

Fame And Glory to miss warm-up for Prix de l'Arc

THE PRIX de l'Arc de Triomphe favourite Fame And Glory will go straight to Longchamp on the first Sunday in October and miss out on a warm-up run at the Paris track this weekend, writes Brian O'Connor.

"He won't be going to the trial (Prix Foy) and the plan at the moment is that he will go straight for the Arc," trainer Aidan O'Brien said yesterday.

Fame And Glory is currently a 5 to 2 favourite for the Longchamp spectacular in which he finished seventh to his old rival, Sea The Stars, last year. The son of Montjeu is a dual-Group One winner already this season and returned from a break to win the Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh last month.

O'Brien confirmed that both Midas Touch and Joshua Tree remain on course to run in this Saturday's English St Leger at Doncaster and is also set to be represented in the Irish St Leger at the Curragh on the same day.

"Lady Lupus and Flying Cross could go to the Irish Leger and plans for Doncaster are the same with Midas Touch and Joshua Tree," he said.

Today's action at Roscommon could see a valuable victory in the mile-and-a-half fillies maiden for Askeria who may be benefited by the change in ground conditions.

The half-sister to Azamour and Arazan started favourite at the Galway Festival on fast going and could finish only fourth to Dance On By. That one's stable companion Tootsie Wootsie is involved this evening but Askeria can be a different proposition now.

Bible Belt wasn't beaten far over the course and distance on her debut and can step up for the experience in today's opener. Treasure The Cross should be a major player in the 10 furlong handicap.