NEWS: NO OTHER trainer or jockey can match Michael Kinane's record in the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes and the six-time winning rider looks like teaming up with the veteran Lord Admiral in Saturday's Leopardstown highlight.
The seven-year-old is an intended runner against Duke Of Marmalade and New Approach in the Champion if ground conditions don't get too soft and although he is a general 33 to 1 shot, Lord Admiral will bow to no one in terms of track experience.
Saturday's race will be his 23rd start at the Foxrock course, where he has won three times, and horse and jockey will be hoping to take advantage of any slip ups by the big two in the betting.
"I've been speaking to Charles (O'Brien) and he says Lord Admiral is an intended runner. He just wants to monitor the weather during the week. The horse wouldn't like it very soft," said Kinane's agent, John Shortt, yesterday. Kinane first won the Champion Stakes on Carroll House in 1989 when the race was run at the Phoenix Park and followed up on the Michael Stoute-trained pair, Cezanne (1994) and Pilsudski (1997).
Two Aidan O'Brien-trained champions, Giant's Causeway (2000) and High Chaparral (2003), were then added to by Azamour four years ago.
The 13 times former champion jockey has also picked up the Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes ride on the Mark Johnston-trained Nahoodh who disappointed in France on her last start.
Before that, however, the grey filly landed the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in convincing style.
Duke Of Marmalade is a general 1 to 2 favourite to score a sixth Group One victory in a row this season on Saturday and he will again have the services of his stable companion, Red Rock Canyon, as a pacemaker.
Both King Of Rome and Zulu Chief are other Ballydoyle "possibles" to run in the Champion Stakes while the fifth O'Brien entry, Henrythenavigator, remains on target for Sunday's Prix du Moulin at Longchamp.
No overseas horse has won the Champion since Grandera emerged best for Godolphin six years ago and Henry Cecil's Multidimensional is one of two cross-channel possibles along with Traffic Guard from Jane Chapple-Hyam's yard.
The most notable absentee from the Champion Stakes after Monday's forfeit stage was the Irish Derby runner-up Casual Conquest who could now wait until next month to run again in the English Champion Stakes.
"We worked him on very soft ground on Monday and I thought he didn't handle it quite that well. It was fast when he won the Derrinstown and after looking at the race, and taking into account the mixed weather forecast, I thought we would miss Saturday," his trainer Dermot Weld said yesterday.
