The scheduling of Saturday week's Qipco Irish Champion Stakes looks set to allow Ryan Moore an opportunity to ride in both the €1.25 million Leopardstown highlight and fill in the final St Leger blank in his cross-channel classic CV on the same afternoon.
The most valuable race of Irish Champions Weekend is to revert to a 6.45pm start after the decision to move the Champion Stakes forward by an hour provoked criticism a year ago.
Part of that was because a rearranged 5.45pm off time at Leopardstown prevented some high-profile jockeys riding in Doncaster’s Ladbrokes St Leger before crossing the Irish Sea in time to ride at Leopardstown.
This year’s Leger is due off at 3.45pm and while making Leopardstown’s other Group 1 feature, the Coolmore Matron Stakes scheduled for 5.35pm, might be a squeeze, no problems are anticipated for jockeys with commitments in both the Leger and the Champion Stakes.
“Last year was a one-off in that there was an awful lot of overnight rain forecast and we wanted to give the horses in the Champion Stakes first opportunity to run on the outside track and get the best of the ground,” Leopardstown chief executive Pat Keogh said on Sunday.
“We got some stick for that, and also some praise. But we did it in order to give the top horses in the top races the very best of the ground. This time the Champion Stakes reverts to being the second last race and jockeys will definitely be able to ride in the Leger and make it to us in time,” he added.
Injury
Ryan Moore missed out on the 2015 Champions Weekend due to injury, but returned to action after a almost a month on the injury sidelines on Friday and is in line for the Leger ride on the hot favourite Idaho.
The Leger is the sole blank on the Englishman's classic roll of honour in Britain and Idaho is a general evens favourite for Doncaster after an impressive victory under Seamus Heffernan in the Great Voltigeur at York.
Moore memorably won the Irish Champion Stakes on The Great Gatsby in 2014, but what his ride is likely to be on Saturday week is undecided.
“We’ll probably have a few in the Champion,” Aidan O’Brien said on Sunday, before describing the superstar filly, Minding, as a “possible” for the mile and a quarter highlight.
