We kept things ticking over last weekend with Popmaster (16s) and our e/w NAP Pole Star (14s) both placing. On another day we might have had three but Lord d’Or (40s) enjoyed a luckless passage, beaten 1.5l for the win and missing out on a place by 0.5l. We have fantastic racing this weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh and I have found four horses for a 2026 Irish Champions Festival E/W Lucky 15 (and four e/w singles).
It probably makes sense to wait until tomorrow before
placing the bet as extra places will be on offer for the two Sunday tips.
Weather Watch
As things stand, the ground has dried out to ‘good’ at
Leopardstown and it is good to yielding at the Curragh. I’d imagine, looking at
the forecast, it’ll be good ground with a very slight ease at both venues this
weekend.
Saturday
2.10 Leopardstown – Sovereign Path Handicap (Premier)
Earlier in the season I was convinced Tokenomics was going
to win a pattern race this year. After a rather unlucky fourth in a 1m
(yld-sft) Listed race here when beaten 2.5l into fourth by The Lion In Winter
(rated 117), he ran another cracker to chase home Catalina Delcarpio in another
1m Listed race here on good ground, this time beaten 1.25l for the win.
I think after those two runs, David Marnane decided that he
was better off trying to win a big handicap with his son of The Grey Gatsby and
the way he was ridden in his last two runs, in a Listed at the Curragh and a G3
here, suggested that connections had another day in mind.
Eased 3lb
As a result of those two latest efforts, Tokenomics has been
eased 3lb to a mark of 101, just 3lb higher than he was when winning at Dundalk
back in November. This will be his first run over 7f this season and once they
go a strong gallop, he should be fine. He’s had six runs over this distance in
his career and the last five have produced form figures of 11122.
He’s ground versatile, he likes the track and while he does
have to carry a lot of weight, he may well have the class to cope. Hopefully
the draw gods are kind. At odds of 20/1, Tokenomics is the e/w selection.
2026 Irish Champions Festival Tip: Tokenomics e/w @ 20/1 (5
places)
3.15 Leopardstown – Kilternan Stakes (Group 3)
Purview is going to be a short enough price for this 1m4f G3
and Dermot Weld’s son of Kingman deserves to be favourite. His stamina for 1m4f
is not in doubt and he showed his versatility by dropping back to 1m2f to land
a G3 at the Curragh last time. A slight ease in the ground is absolutely fine
for him and he’ll also have the assistance of Colin Keane in the saddle.
Bar him, this looks pretty open and at much bigger odds, perhaps
Asakir can run well for Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen. By the upwardly mobile
Zarak, this Aga Khan gelding’s grand-dam is a close relative to the top class
1m4f performer Azamour.
Promising Start
After a promising start at the Curragh (1m2f, sft-hvy) in March,
Asakir got off the mark in a 1m2f maiden at this track the following month on yielding
to soft. Murtagh stepped him up to 1m5f (yielding) in a Listed heat at Navan on
his next start and he lost no caste in defeat behind Limestone, still looking a
touch green when asked for maximum effort and going down by just 1.25l.
Things didn’t go as well at Royal Ascot on his first try at
1m6f but I am putting a line through that. I’m not sure he stayed the trip and
I’m almost certain he didn’t relish the rattling quick ground.
He’s been freshened up since and the fact that Murtagh is
persisting in pattern company rather than going down the handicap route
suggests he still rates Asakir pretty highly. Once there is no firm in the ground
description, he can outrun his odds of 33/1 and hopefully sneak into the money.
2026 Irish Champions Festival Tip: Asakir e/w @ 33/1
Sunday
1.45 Curragh – Bold Lad Sprint Handicap (Premier)
In 2021 we backed Big Gossey to win this at 40s. Last year, I put Tango Flare up for this race at 25s and he bolted up at 50s. It has been a profitable race for us and I am going to keep the faith in Tango Flare in this year’s renewal.
Trained by Pat Foley, he’s 7lb higher than when winning last year. However, on his 0.75l second to Big Gossey in a C&D Listed race here in June and also on his short head defeat of Gazelle d’Or, to whom he was giving 5lb, at Fairyhouse in June (more about the runner up later), I think he can be competitive off his current mark of 98.
Yard In Form
Pat Foley had a nice winner at Cork earlier this week so there
are no concerns about the well-being of his string and Tango Flare will have
zero issues on the ground on Sunday (once it doesn’t piss rain). Given his
mark, I’m hoping connections might enlist the services of a claimer to ride the
son of Fulbright and Rory Mulligan had a sighter on him earlier this season in
the Habitat over C&D, so it might be him.
Odds of 20/1 look more than fair to me, hopefully he gets a
decent draw and the rain stays away.
2026 Irish Champions Festival Tip: Tango Flare e/w @ 20/1
3.25 Curragh – Flying Five Stakes (Group 1)
We were a whisker away from landing a 66-1 winner in this
race in 2023 with Get
Ahead. I like another filly at monstrous odds this weekend and she is trained
on the Curragh by Michael Grassick.
With an official rating of 94, this daughter of Equiano should
have no chance. However, similar sentiments applied to Love Dynasty (who was
then rated 96) heading into the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown a couple of weeks
ago and she won for us at 40/1.
Black Type Filly
I’ve been keeping an eye on this filly for a long time, but
I’m almost sure this is the first chance I’ve had to tip her.
Her win here last September when she beat Kendall Roy over
C&D (yld-sft) convinced me she was a black-type performer and she proved me
right in a Listed heat at Naas in May (5f, good) when she ran a cracker to finish a 1.5l second
behind Mission Central off level weights. The Ballydoyle horse went on to win
the King Charles at Royal Ascot on his next start and is now rated 113.
C&D Winner
Gazelle d’Or has been beaten twice since then, but 6f at Fairyhouse
and 5f at Cork may not have been her bag. She has won three times at the
Curragh (twice over C&D) and the key to this filly is a strongly run race, and
she looks almost certain to get that here.
My hope is that they’ll ride her quietly out the back and
try to come late to nick some G1 black type. At odds of 100/1, it is worth
chancing that the plan comes together.
2026 Irish Champions Festival Tip: Gazelle d’Or e/w @ 100/1
