Over two years of effort is set to pay off for Leopardstown when the Japanese star Shin Emperor clashes with some of Europe’s best in Saturday week’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.
The Irish Champions Festival’s €1.25 million highlight will see Aidan O’Brien field a power-packed squad, topped by last year’s winner Auguste Rodin, in his attempt to win the Champion Stakes for a 13th time.
Bookmakers rate William Haggas’s progressive three-year-old Economics as the biggest threat to more Ballydoyle dominance, but an intriguing unknown factor will be the rare Japanese challenge.
Japan’s top trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, is preparing Shin Emperor for the Champion Stakes en-route to a tilt at next month’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
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Bought as a yearling in France for €2.1 million, Shin Emperor is a brother to Sotsass, who himself finished fourth in the 2020 Champion Stakes at Leopardstown before landing that year’s Arc. His last run was when third in May’s Japanese Derby. Prior to that Shin Emperor was fifth in their equivalent to the 2,000 Guineas.
The only previous Japanese runner in the Champion Stakes was Deirdre, who finished fourth to Magical in 2019.
Yahagi has been to the forefront of Japan’s international success in recent years, winning big races in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Australia. His Forever Young was third in this year’s Kentucky Derby, while last year he also pulled off Japan’s first ever wins at the Breeders’ Cup.
A maiden Arc success, however, remains Japanese racing’s top international target and Shin Emperor is currently based at Chantilly, from where he will be prepared for his next start at Leopardstown.
“The Irish Champion Stakes is one of the most prestigious races in Europe and it attracts really top quality horses. Shin Emperor was third in the Derby so I want to test him against these top-class European horses,” Yahagi explained to media in Japan last week.
As low as 10-1 in some ante-post lists, Shin Emperor will be joined in Dublin by his stable companion La Familia, who will take her chance in the Group Three Kilternan Stakes on the same card.
Their presence is a boost for Leopardstown officials, who waived entry fees as part of their attempts to lure raiders from Japan. At May’s initial stage €4,000 was the Champion Stakes entry fee. It cost €22,500 at the July stage and there is a €75,000 supplementary option next week.
Although it’s relatively small money in elite racing terms, Yashagi commented: “The people from Ireland have been contacting me for two or three years and this year they took away the entry free so that’s a big reason why we chose to go there.”
Leopardstown’s chief executive, Tim Husbands, said the entry incentive was perceived as a sign of their seriousness in attracting Japanese involvement.
“I’ve been going over, whenever I’ve had the opportunity, to meet Japanese trainers, both in Japan and in Dubai. So we’ve been courting them for two years plus,” Husbands said.
“We’ve had to work really hard to try and find the right narrative and try and find the right reason as to why they come and try their luck. We’re delighted that Mr Yahagi and his team have decided to come over. One Japanese horse has run at York in the whole of the summer, and we’ve got two running, so it’s great to see the commitment to Ireland,” he added.
Leopardstown will host a nine-race programme for the first time as it once again features on the lucrative Tote World Pool. The Curragh also staged a nine-race card on Irish Derby-day during the summer.
Auguste Rodin is set to be joined by his stable companions Luxembourg, runner-up last year, and Los Angeles.
Auguste Rodin, a son of the Japanese superstar Deep Impact, will try to become just the third horse to win the Champion Stakes back-to-back. Dylan Thoms managed the feat in 2006-07, while Magical followed up her 2019 victory a year later.
O’Brien has indicated Ryan Moore will maintain his partnership with Auguste Rodin despite the presence of this year’s Irish Derby hero Los Angeles in the field.
Monday’s action is at Roscommon where Joseph O’Brien, successful with Wigmore Street under a vintage Moore effort in Saturday’s Cambridgeshire at the Curragh, sends eight runners.
Two of them are at either end of the weights scale in the opening two-year-old maiden and Raven Darkholme’s featherweight could see her go one better than at Galway when running wide off the bend.
O’Brien’s Rosso also looks a major player on Monday’s card, while the maiden hurdle winner Prairie Angel will hope to exploit an official mark of 62 in the concluding handicap.
The Piltown trainer was out of luck at Kentucky Downs on Saturday night when Stromberg could manage only sixth to Bellum Justum in the lucrative Grade Three Nashville Derby. Frankie Dettori rode the Andrew Balding-trained winner.
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