Irish Champion Stakes runner-by-runner guide: Eight line up in a stellar contest The Group 1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes is the main event in Leopardstown on Saturday, with €1.25 million on offer and it's set to be a fascinating contest with a select eight-runner field lining up. Aidan O'Brien has dominated this contest with the Ballydoyle trainer having won six of the last seven renewals with Auguste Rodin (2023), Luxembourg (2022), St Mark’s Basilica (2021) and back-to-back with Magical (2019 and 2020). He saddles three runners this year in Constitution River, Hawk Mountain and Lambourn. The English challenge is strong, however, with Item and Almaqam travelling over, along with Wimbledon Hawkeye. Here is a runner-by-runner guide to the feature race of the weekend. Get 80 in Free Bets to spend with BOYLE Sports this weekend Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1) Leopardstown, Saturday 12 September 5.00pm | 1m 2f | €1,250,000 (winner takes €725,000) | Good | 8 declared Almaqam (GB) 5yo, 9-9, Draw 8, OR 125 Ed Walker / Kieran Shoemark 9/2 A 5-year-old for Ed Walker and Kieran Shoemark who was only touched off by a short head in the Juddmonte International in York and lines up at 9/2 off the back of it. Hotazhell (GB) 4yo, 9-9, Draw 1, OR 116 Jessica Harrington / Shane Foley 20/1 Won a Group 1 in Germany in July for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley, beating today's rival Wimbledon Hawkeye into third and comes here fresh, having his first run after off a 48-day break. Lambourn (IRE) 4yo, 9-9, Draw 6, OR 119 A P O'Brien / D P McDonogh 50/1 Former Derby winner and the outsider of the field at 50/1, hasn't run for 49 days and his recent form figures (3054) don't suggest an obvious bounce back into form is imminent. Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB) 4yo, 9-9, Draw 7, OR 115 George Scott / C Soumillon 16/1 Won his most recent start at Deauville in August and seems to have thrived on his two starts abroad for George Scott; Christophe Soumillon takes the ride having partnered last year's winner, Delacroix, to victory in this very race twelve months ago. A Boy Named Susie (IRE) 3yo, 9-3, Draw 2, OR 117 Donnacha O'Brien / Oisin Murphy 7/1 Representing Donnacha O'Brien and ridden by Oisin Murphy, he won a Group 3 last time by 5 lengths at the Curragh but has been beaten by Constitution River on three occasions. He's a 7/1 chance. Constitution River (FR) 3yo, 9-3, Draw 3, OR 123 favourite A P O'Brien / R L Moore 13/8 Short-priced favourite on the back of a hugely progressive campaign. Things didn't quite go his way last time, when he could only finish third behind Item and Almaqam in last month's International Stakes. The market is prepared to forgive that below-par run. The Wootton Bassett colt had won his previous three starts, including the Coral Eclipse in July. Hawk Mountain (IRE) 3yo, 9-3, Draw 5, OR 116 A P O'Brien / Pierre-Charles Boudot 25/1 Currently 25/1 with Pierre-Charles Boudot in the saddle, he is the only runner in the field without a prior course or distance win to his name, and his form has tailed off, albeit he ended up a pacemanker in the Juddmonte International. Item (GB) 3yo, 9-3, Draw 4, OR 126 (top-rated) Andrew Balding / C T Keane 9/4 The Andrew Balding-trained son of Frankel arrives as the highest-rated horse in the field on 126 and looks the biggest threat to the favourite at 9/4. He won the Juddmonte International last time out, his fifth career win. Well beaten in the English Derby on unsuitable ground, needs to prove he's not just a York specialist. Formscan selection by Tom Weekes CONSTITUTION RIVER finished third behind Item and Almaqam in last month's International but might be able to turn form and win. A generally dependable and high-class performer, the selection landed the Eclipse in July from today's rival A Boy Named Susie, who he has beaten thrice, and while well beaten at York, stumbled and became quite lit up in the early stages. He should do better if settling today. Soft ground was Item's undoing in the English Derby but having narrowly beaten Almaqam at York, each horse should feature again. Hotazhell showed up well in plenty of Group 1s last year and indeed landed a top-level contest in Germany in July, beating Wimbledon Hawkeye into third.
