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.
