Leopardstown has racing spotlight to itself for opening day of Champions Weekend

Leopardstown has Saturday’s racing focus to itself for the start of Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

In sad circumstances prompted by the death of Queen Elizabeth, day one of Irish flat racing’s €3.9 million showpiece event kicks off in a singular spotlight due to Saturday’s cross-channel racing being cancelled as a mark of respect.

It means the final Classic of the English season, the St Leger, will be run on Sunday as part of a nine-race card at Doncaster.

That reshuffle means a clash with Sunday’s Curragh leg of Champions Weekend while the Arc Trials at Longchamp will also compete for the international focus.

Gerry Thornley: Danger of mental scarring for Leinster following latest gut-wrenching final defeat

---

Grayson Murray’s sad passing casts a pall over the PGA Tour

---

Michael Murphy: Convoy pictures frame Donegal’s growing belief in the message

---

Owen Doyle: Extra-time yellow card for James Lowe was a huge call – and a harsh one

---

In contrast all eyes will be on Leopardstown when the ninth renewal of Champions Weekend begins.

With unrestricted crowds for the first time since 2019, as well as an international audience, much of which will be able to bet on the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s world pool, the scene is set for the event to deliver worldwide on its brief of boosting the sport’s domestic profile.

Tragically though it takes place in the aftermath of the death of 13-year-old Jack de Bromhead.

It is not just the Irish racing public who will find it impossible to not have Henry and Heather de Bromhead’s child to the forefront of their thoughts this weekend.

After Wednesday’s heartbreaking scenes at the teenager’s funeral, there could hardly be anything more poignant than if the De Bromhead team enter the winner’s enclosure with any of their seven weekend runners.

They include the outsider Jason The Militant in Sunday’s Comer Group Irish St Leger. Two other Group One outsiders, Honey Girl and Star Girls Aalmal, line up in Saturday’s Coolmore Justify Matron Stakes.

In a stellar programme featuring half a dozen Group One races in all, Saturday’s €1 million Irish Champion Stakes is the most valuable and perhaps fascinating contest of all.

Brief hopes the outstanding Baaeed might line up quickly fizzled out but his formline will be tested as Mishriff, runner-up at York last month, renews rivalry with the top French three-year-old, Vadeni, in the big race off at 3.45 and live on RTÉ and ITV.

The pair clashed in July in the Eclipse at Sandown when Vadeni emerged on top by a neck with Mishriff enduring a luckless passage at a critical point.

On the face of things, it is easy to argue the admirable five-year-old English-based star can turn that around simply with better fortune in running.

Nevertheless, Vadeni did ultimately look to win a little authority and his five-length French Derby success on soft ground looks significant given the likely going at Leopardstown.

Officially soft ground on Friday is ironic given the heatwave conditions that have applied for most of the summer, but it’s an irony the Mishriff camp may not appreciate more than most.

One of the unknown quantities of the race is Luxembourg, Aidan O’Brien’s big Classic hope of 2022 who missed out on the summer action due to injury.

A comeback win in a Curragh Group Three last month was, at best, workmanlike, but connections appear satisfied the Camelot colt can finally start to deliver on his potential.

Another puzzle for punters is Onesto. The French hope with the Italian name is a first runner in Ireland for trainer Fabrice Chappet and strictly on form has plenty ground to make up on Vadeni from the Prix du Jockey Club.

Since then, however, he has won a Group One over a mile and a half at Longchamp and Chappet is convinced this drop in trip won’t be a problem.

Onesto could never get into the Jockey Club on the back of a wide draw and prior to that looked very quick at the finish of the Prix Greffulhe.

He is coming into this comparatively under the radar but a testing mile and a quarter on easy ground could honestly suit Onesto, and at reasonable betting odds too.

It has been a long 111-day wait but Homeless Songs finally makes her long-awaited return to action in the Matron.

Dermot Weld’s filly exhibited real brilliance to rout her opposition in May’s Irish 1,000 Guineas but hasn’t been seen since due to going conditions being too quick.

Recent rain has been welcome for the Weld team although there could be a concern about very soft ground blunting her speed.

If it does, then the older English filly Saffron Beach will be an even more formidable opponent, while a mile around a bend will help Ballydoyle’s hope Tenebrism last out the trip.

Cut in the ground should be no problem to another Weld hope, Dude De Sessa, who may prove a different proposition since he last ran in the Paddy Power Stakes given the recent general turnaround in overall stable form.