O’Brien sets stage for Delacroix–Ombudsman showdown in Irish Champion Stakes
Aidan O’Brien alongside Mark Crehan and Delacroix, one of his many potential runners for this year's Irish Champions Festival. Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Aidan O’Brien is relishing, even encouraging, a potential rematch between his star performer, Delacroix, and old rival Ombudsman in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, the highlight of the Irish Champions Festival, which takes place on September 13 and 14 in Leopardstown and the Curragh, respectively.
There have been hiccups along the way in his career, most notably the non-event that was his Epsom Derby effort, but Delacroix was at his brilliant best when getting up late to deny Ombudsman in the Coral Eclipse at Sandown.
However, when the pair renewed rivalry in the Juddmonte International at York, the tables were turned in emphatic fashion as John and Thady Gosden’s Godolphin colt stormed clear to win by upwards of three lengths.
O’Brien admitted to being unconcerned by the nature of the defeat as the race, he felt, didn’t work out in his colt’s favour, and he is already looking forward to the third leg of the trilogy.
“We’re very happy with him and everything has gone well since York,” he revealed. “We’ve always thought he was a good horse and I don’t think the ground matters to him; he’s very happy on quick ground and happy with an ease in it too.
“York was a bit of a non-event for him, really, but he’s very fresh and we’re looking forward to Leopardstown.
“Hopefully Ombudsman will come. Sheikh Mohammed is probably the greatest sportsman we’ve ever seen, and I know our men will be delighted, so we’d love him to come. Then it will be a proper race.”
In a bid to prevent a repeat of York, where the pacemaking Birr Castle was all but ignored for much of the journey, O’Brien will run a pacemaker, should one not travel with Ombudsman.
“We’ll try to run a pacemaker if John doesn’t run a pacemaker, and we’ll make it very straightforward,” he added. “The pacemaker will go on and Delacroix will follow him. Ombudsman can follow Delacroix then if he wants. We’ll let them turn into the straight and see what happens. It’s very simple really. For the race and for everybody, we want it to happen. Win, lose or draw, we’ll be delighted.
“Put the pace on and let nobody have any place to hide. The horses that want to go forward will do that, and the ones who want to follow can follow. Into the straight, you’ll find out very quickly. That’s what we’d all love to happen. You want to find out once and for all.
“I know from listening to everybody that there are a lot of people in Ombudsman’s camp. Come on, we’ll see! Get them all together and we’ll find out. I think it’s great for people to have an opinion - we can’t all think about things the same. I’d say there’s more in Ombudsman’s camp than Delacroix’s camp at the moment, but we’ll find out.”
In the case that something unforeseen kept Delacroix from the Irish Champion Stakes, Pretty Polly and Nassau Stakes winner Whirl could step into the breech, but she has preferred options in France, with the Prix Vermeille as a potential precursor to a Prix de l’Arc bid.
O’Brien has been utterly dominant in the juvenile division this season and while he has plenty of options for the Group 2 KPMG Champion Juvenile Stakes – a race he won most recently with Diego Velasquez in 2023 and with Auguste Rodin a year earlier - it would seem he is particularly excited about the prospect of unleashing Montreal once again.
The form of the Sea The Stars colt’s Leopardstown maiden success has taken quite a few knocks, but he did win by eight lengths, and has clearly been showing the right signs in his home work since.
“Montreal was very impressive at Leopardstown when he won a maiden last month,” he said, his tone of voice suggesting much more than the words themselves.
“Benvenuto Cellini, who won at Killarney, is a possible for this race too. New Zealand - another Frankel horse who won at the Curragh - is in the mix too. We’ve also got the option of Action, who won at the Galway Festival, and Isaac Newton, who won at Glorious Goodwood.”
At the top grade, for the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, Coventry Stakes winner and Prix Morny runner-up Gstaad is the standout but, again, will likely have stable company.
“He will love stepping up to seven furlongs,” O’Brien asserted. “He went to France for the Prix Morny last time and that probably arrived a little bit early for him - he came back heavier than he went. He’s going to be very comfortable at this trip.
“The original plan was for him to go to Curragh for a stiff six furlongs [in the Phoenix Stakes] and True Love was due to go to Deauville for the Morny, but they had to swap around. The way it worked, it didn’t suit either. True Love would have been better on a quick six furlongs, whereas Gstaad would have preferred the stiffer six. That’s the way it was.
“Italy is also a strong possible for the National. He ran well in the Acomb at York, and he probably got back a little bit. He was still a bit immature mentally, but we’re happy with him since.”
The Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes is a race O’Brien won last season with subsequent Irish 1000 Guineas winner Lake Victoria, and Composing looks a natural successor. There is an uncomplicated quality and class to her, and with four runs and three consecutive wins under her belt, her winning run will take some derailing.
Said O’Brien: “She is a very straightforward, honest-to-God filly. She doesn’t mind making her own running and you have to follow her because she stays. She’s a good filly who won very well the last day in the Debutante Stakes. This is the plan for her.
“Beautify won the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh back on Irish Derby weekend and she couldn’t run since because she’d have had penalties in other races as a result. She’d be very happy stepping up to seven furlongs and could run here as well.
“We’ve also got Precise as a possible. She won at Goodwood the other day. She might go or might wait.”
Understandably excited about a weekend which also includes the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, the Bar One Racing Flying Five, and the Coolmore America Justify Matron Stakes, amongst many others, O’Brien made a universal appeal to the racing world to come and compete at Ireland’s Flat extravaganza.
“This weekend has changed Irish racing totally, because it’s the perfect time of year with the perfect races at the perfect tracks - but we want the best horses there. We want them from everywhere.
“Wherever you are in the world, the tracks will fund you and help you to come. Everyone needs to know that - ring up the tracks and they will assist you to come over. We’re very happy to get beat, but we’ll do our best to win, as we always do.
“All the jockeys, trainers and owners want to be there. Come to it, see it, feel it, have a great time. If there’s anything any of us can do for you, let us know and we will do it. We want as many international runners as possible because that makes it for everybody and grows interest around the world. It’s from now on that the travelling roadshow starts.”
