Motivator Cut As Rain Arrives At Leopardstown Derby winner trades at 12-5 on Betfair as conditions come rightAs the rain arrived at Leopardstown on Friday morning so too did the money for Motivator in The Irish Champion Stakes betting market and he is now a clear second favourite behind the John Oxx trained Azamour.There has been much speculation about whether the Epsom Derby winner would line up at Leopardstown at all, with the colt´s trainer Michael Bell stating that Motivator was ´highly unlikely´ to run on ground faster than ´good´. However, as predicted by the Irish Met Office, a band of heavy rain hit the track early on Friday morning and triggered a betting move for Motivator which saw his price contract to a general 9-4 behind the main Irish flag-bearer and King George winner Azamour who is a general 11-10 shot. Azamour´s price has lengthened even more dramatically on Betfair, where he was freely trading at a stand-out 2.7 (17-10) on Friday morning as traders anticipated the price move for the second favourite and the possibility of good to soft ground on Saturday.The rain will also be welcomed by Dermot Weld´s team as they prepare Grey Swallow for Saturday´s showpiece and his price has also shortened dramatically from 11.0 (10-1) to 7.5 (13-2) on Betfair and even shorter in some places. Betfair´s Irish spokesman Eoin Ryan commented; ?Punters had been keeping their powder dry up until today as the uncertainty over Motivator and Grey Swallow had a massive impact on the prices but now that Michael Bell´s rain dance has worked they are piling into the Derby winner and Grey Swallow too. The way this market is trading now I wouldn´t be surprised to see Motivator go off favourite on Saturday, amazing when you consider he was backed at 16-1 with us on Monday antepost´ Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown, Saturday Sept 10th 3.55pm. Betfair Bet: 2.7 (17-10) Azamour, 3.4 (12-5) Motivator, 7.5 (13-2) Grey Swallow, 7.5 (13-2) Oratorio, 17.0 (16-1) Alexander Goldrun, 27.0 (26-1) Norse Dancer, 37.0 (36-1) Ace, 150.0+ BAR
