'He had a majestic Curragh record' - 5 top memories from Irish Champions Weekend The Irish Champions Festival takes place at Leopardstown and the Curragh this weekend, with two days of outstanding action in the offing. The Irish Champions Festival first took place in 2014 and it has become a real focal point of the season, attracting top performers from Ireland, Britain and France. We are looking back at some of the best races that have taken place at the Irish Champions Weekend. Golden Horn - 2015 Irish Champion Stakes Frankie Dettori won the Irish Champion Stakes for the sixth and final time on Golden Horn. The John Gosden inmate had won the Epsom Derby and the Eclipse that summer and was second in York's Juddmonte International behind Arabian Queen. He got up by a length to defeat Ballydoyle filly Found at Leopardstown but did so after veering badly right in the closing stages, impeding Free Eagle — who finished third for Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen. Dettori had to survive a trip to the stewards' room but Golden Horn kept his race and would show his quality again to win the Arc at Longchamp a few weeks later. Almanzor — 2016 Irish Champion Stakes A celebrated French winner in the big race in 2016 as trainer Jean Claude-Rouget landed a deep renewal of the Champion Stakes. The pre-race talk was all centered on Epsom's Derby winner Harzand and Oaks scorer Minding, but it was French raider Almanzor who took the showpiece race at Leopardstown. In a star-studded race featuring eight individual Group 1 winners, the French Derby hero, who went off a 7/1 shot, saw off the challenge from Dettori on Found, with Minding settling for the bronze medal. Order of St George — 2017 Irish St Leger Order of St George had a majestic Curragh record, with five wins and two seconds in seven starts at the Kildare circuit. Aidan O'Brien's colt was a top stayer on his day and had figures of 121 in three runs in the Irish St Leger. His final start at this meeting in 2017 saw the son of Galileo taking on eight rivals and he led them a merry dance, winning in style from Torcedor by nine lengths. Pinatubo — 2019 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes The Curragh was awash with emotion on this Sunday afternoon as Pat Smullen Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland took place, with Smullen in attendance and the likes of AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Joseph O’Brien all riding in the race. Earlier, the Charlie Appleby-trained Pinatubo cruised home by nine lengths with William Buick on board in the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes for a truly scintillating Group 1 success. The Shamardal colt was unbeaten at two, winning the Dewhurst at Newmarket on his next start, but would only win once more, the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville in July 2020, after finishing third behind Kameko in the Pandemic-delayed 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on his comeback. Auguste Rodin — 2023 Irish Champion Stakes Auguste Rodin was a Jekyll and Hyde performer in his Classic season in 2023. He bombed out in the Guineas at Newmarket as favourite but responded to win the Epsom Derby when upped in trip. He added the Irish Derby in workmanlike fashion but again flopped at Ascot in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes, leaving his doubters with plenty to say. Aidan O'Brien got him back and then some for the Irish Champion Stakes as Ryan Moore's partner came home strongest to nail Luxembourg, Nashwa and King Of Steel in a bunched finish to what was, at the time, the fifth-fastest official time this century in the Champion Stakes.
