High times for O'Brien as Chaparral edges it

Racing Champion Stakes reportHigh Chaparral emerged from his box a little stiff yesterday morning but it was his Ireland The Food Island Champion Stakes rival Falbrav who was entitled to feel sore.

Only a neck separated the two horses at the end of Saturday's thriller, an advertisement of the winner's versatility and courage for sure but just as clearly, proof that the English raider was desperately unlucky.

Darryll Holland had spent the run-up to the race complaining about the Leopardstown authorities watering to suit one horse: afterwards he had the frustrated air of someone who knew there was really only one man to complain about.

Holland's talents are obvious from his second position in the jockey's table in Britain but on Saturday he found the sort of Leopardstown traffic problems that normally only apply to the nearby M50.

Hampered down at the back, he ran Falbrav into the heels of Alamshar on the turn in and then proceeded to get into real trouble.

Falbrav was the one horse still on the bridle early in the straight but as Michael Kinane committed High Chaparral past Moon Ballad, the Luca Cumani-trained runner had nowhere to go and a long time to get there.

That Holland elected to try to pass on Kinane's inside said much about his state of mind after such a nightmare passage and his subsequent objection to the winner was never going to pay off in the stewards' room.

If the jockey was obviously unhappy, trainer Luca Cumani was less so but the frustration still lingers. "He hasn't really had a race and has finished on the bridle," Cumani said yesterday. "He was by far the best horse in the race and should have won with a clear run. But that's racing unfortunately."

Such definitive statements have a habit of biting back and certainly Aidan O'Brien indicated that possibly even better is to come from his dual-Derby and Breeders' Cup winner.

The Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, a race O'Brien has yet to win, was nominated as High Chaparral's next target if he emerges unscathed from the impact of Leopardstown's quick ground.

O'Brien was in France yesterday but his wife Anne-Marie reported: "High Chaparral was a little stiff this morning and we won't know for certain about him for a few days. But Aidan was happy with him today."

Michael Kinane, winning a record fifth Champion Stakes, excelled yet again on the colt and predicted: "He idled a bit towards the finish and can go on from there. It was a hell of a good race. The problems Falbrav had through the race had nothing to do with me."

Encouragement could also be taken from the contest by the connections of Islington and Moon Ballad but the favourite Alamshar was a bitter disappointment.

Yesterday trainer John Oxx reported that the horse was physically fine and added: "He has run a good race over what is probably not his ideal trip. With a clear run up the straight he would only have been beaten three quarters of a length or so but he wasn't quite as sharp as usual."

The Irish Oaks winner Vintage Tipple was beaten half a mile out and the Paddy Mullins team were still in the dark yesterday about her poor effort.

Mullins's wife Maureen said: "She came home and ate up and is her perky self this morning. She was scoped afterwards and was perfect. Nothing has come to light and it looks like she did a Sonia O'Sullivan on us!"