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Controversial French jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot has handful of Ballydoyle rides on just second time to ride in Ireland
Controversial French jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot has handful of Ballydoyle rides on just second time to ride in Irelandis conspicuously exclusive with the competitive pay-off for everyone in economy class of two days of the sport at its very best.
A total of over €5 million in prize money is spread around 17 races at Leopardstown on Saturday and the Curragh a day later, including seven Group One highlights. ’s signature event and although the reality is that both venues are likely to be barely over half-full of racegoers, once again it will have a lucky global audience, many of them betting into the lucrative World Pool each day.
Despite the scale, it’s no stretch to tee up Saturday’s action as essentially a heavyweight clash of two bloodstock superpowers. Racing needs will to implement the rule book when it comes to pacemakersteam has just seven. But they include a pair of Andrew Balding-trained stars that are the form picks for Saturday’s biggest prizes. Item upset the International pecking order in York last month when running down Almaqam with O’Brien’s star three-year-old Constitution River only third.
The trio provide a mouth-watering repeat prospect in the €1.25 million Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. Just over an hour beforehand, Colin Keane teams up with another Balding star in Blue Bolt. She has won Group Ones in France and England on her last two starts and goes for a tripartite hat-trick. Both times she beat Ballydoyle’s Precise and they clash again in the Matron Stakes.
Although not represented in the newly promoted Group One HKJC Golden Fleece Stakes for two-year-olds, Juddmonte’s Purview will be a banker for many in the Group Three Kilternan Stakes while Maire Rua is a leading player in the opening Ingabelle Stakes. It gives Keane an enviable hand although how he plays it tactically will come under scrutiny. Pacemakers and team tactics have been a recurring topic during the summer with Ballydoyle’s use of multiple entries coming under the spotlight.
Constitution River is O’Brien’s number one hope of a record-extending 14th Champion Stakes success, amid widespread presumption that both Hawk Mountain and Lambourn will try to cut out a hard tempo to help prevent a repeat of Constitution River’s free-running York performance. It is an intimidating depth of resources should that be the case. Hawk Mountain is a Futurity winner and runner-up in the French Derby. Lambourn won both the Epsom and Irish Derbies last year.
Item is drawn in the middle and in the circumstances maybe Almaqam’s wide draw might work in his favour. So too would a wet forecast for Saturday. Kieran Shoemark’s mount has a head to find with Item who chinned him on the line in York.
Blue Bolt is drawn nine of nine in the Matron and Keane has long believed Leopardstown’s mile around a bend will be ideal for a filly who has taken her performance to another level this season. Ryan Moore sticks with Precise rather than the other O’Brien Guineas winner True Love. She will be ridden by former French champion jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot, one of a handful of Ballydoyle rides on Saturday for the controversial rider.
Precise, under Wayne Lordan, wins The Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho Boudot returned to racing in June after a five-year police investigation in France was dismissed. He was cleared of all charges relating to allegations of rape made by two women.
During his lengthy suspension, Boudot spent some time as a work rider in Ballydoyle and has a record of success for O’Brien, including a shock 73/1 victory on Order Of Australia in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He also won the 2020 French Oaks on Fancy Blue for Donnacha O’Brien. With Wayne Lordan and Ronan Whelan in Doncaster on St Leger duty for O’Brien, Boudot has been drafted in for what will be just his second time riding in Ireland.
He was unplaced on his subsequent Arc winner Waldgeist in the 2017 Irish Derby. Christophe Soumillon, who stepped in for the injured Ryan Moore to such affect last autumn, and won the Champion on Delacroix, appears to have slipped on the Ballydoyle pecking order. He rides twice for O’Brien on Saturday but is on the supplemented English hope Wimbledon Hawkeye in the big race.
Joseph O’Brien set to underline rising status as his father’s main rivalConstitution River joined by Derby hero Lambourn and Hawk Mountain in Champion Stakes mixDonald Trump expected to urge Ireland to buy liquefied natural gas from US during visitDamage to homes ‘likely’ as status-orange rain warning issued for three countiesLatest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
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