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From Sea The Stars producing arguably his greatest performance to Fantastic Light and Galileo’s unforgettable duel, in the new 1xBet.ie review, Emmet Kennedy ranks his ten best Irish Champion Stakes winners of the 21st century.
The Irish Champion Stakes has long been one of the defining races of the European Flat season.
Its position between the major summer festivals and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe has consistently brought together the best three-year-olds and older horses, producing clashes that live long in the memory.
From Sea The Stars and Giant’s Causeway to Fantastic Light, Almanzor and Magical, these are my Top 10 Irish Champion Stakes winners since 2000.
1. SEA THE STARS – 2009
If ever a horse deserved to win a race with “Champion” in the title, it was Sea The Stars.
John Oxx’s superstar arrived at Leopardstown having already won the 2,000 Guineas, Derby, Eclipse and Juddmonte International, but Ballydoyle threw everything at him. Irish Derby winner Fame And Glory, Mastercraftsman and two pacemakers presented Mick Kinane with a genuine tactical problem. It didn’t matter.
Sea The Stars cruised through the race, covered Fame And Glory’s move without serious effort and powered past him inside the final furlong. Even by his extraordinary standards, this was special. Oxx and Kinane both felt it might have been his best performance yet.
Five Group 1s. Five different challenges. Five victories. Next stop, Paris.
2. FANTASTIC LIGHT – 2001
One of the great races. Fantastic Light had been beaten by Galileo in the King George, but dropping back to ten furlongs gave Godolphin’s battle-hardened globetrotter his opportunity for revenge.
And Godolphin got the tactics spot on. Fantastic Light was perfectly positioned by Frankie Dettori before taking over inside the final two furlongs. Galileo came alongside and for the remainder of the straight two outstanding racehorses went head-to-head.
Fantastic Light simply refused to yield, holding a fractional advantage at the line and inflicting the first defeat of Galileo’s career. Two champions, eyeball to eyeball. Racing doesn’t get much better.
3. ALMANZOR – 2016
What a field. The winners of 17 Group 1s, including six Classics, assembled at Leopardstown, with Minding, Highland Reel, New Bay and dual Derby winner Harzand among them. Almanzor beat the lot.
The Prix du Jockey Club winner was still last turning for home before being brought wide and unleashing a devastating finishing burst. He swept through to beat Found, establishing himself as Europe’s outstanding three-year-old.
Jean-Claude Rouget’s colt became the first French-trained winner since Suave Dancer in 1991. Deep field. Strong pace. No excuses. A top-class performance.
4. HIGH CHAPARRAL – 2003
A stacked field line-up with six of the seven runners were already Group 1 winners, including Falbrav, Islington, Alamshar, Vintage Tipple, and Moon Ballad. High Chaparral was best known as an outstanding mile-and-a-half horse, having won both the Derby and Irish Derby, but this was the performance that demonstrated his versatility.
Making just his second start of the season, he travelled in fourth before hitting the front inside the final furlong and finding plenty under pressure.
There was controversy, with Falbrav an unlucky runner-up, but High Chaparral had returned from a delayed campaign to win an exceptionally deep ten-furlong Group 1 less than four weeks after his comeback.
Class and versatility in equal measure. He went on to be third in Dalakhani’s Arc, before becoming the first horse to win back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Turf when dead-heating for first, with Falbrav back in third.
5. GIANT’S CAUSEWAY – 2000
The Iron Horse doing Iron Horse things. Giant’s Causeway arrived chasing an extraordinary fifth consecutive Group 1 victory, and once again victory had to be earned.
Mick Kinane tracked the pacemaker before sending him through on the inside. Best Of The Bests threw down the challenge, but Giant’s Causeway fought him off before idling as Greek Dance closed late.
All five of those consecutive Group 1 victories were achieved by less than a length. That statistic tells you everything about him. You could get close to Giant’s Causeway. Getting past him was another matter.
6. GOLDEN HORN – 2015
Perhaps the most controversial Irish Champion Stakes on this list. Derby and Eclipse winner Golden Horn was allowed to stride along in front by Frankie Dettori before quickening clear entering the straight. Then came the drama.
Golden Horn suddenly jinked violently right, colliding with Free Eagle just as the challenge was developing. The stewards allowed the result to stand, although the contemporary analysis makes clear just how fortunate connections were that the race wasn’t being decided under another jurisdiction.
Messy? Absolutely. But Golden Horn’s class wasn’t in question. A few weeks later he proved it emphatically by winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
7. ST MARK’S BASILICA – 2021
Four runners. Nine Group 1 victories between them. And plenty of controversy. St Mark’s Basilica arrived seeking a fifth consecutive Group 1, but Poetic Flare and Tarnawa ensured this was anything but straightforward.
Ryan Moore had to get serious early in the straight before St Mark’s Basilica mastered Poetic Flare and then fought off Tarnawa, drifting markedly across the track in the process.
The stewards had a long look before allowing the result to stand. The controversy shouldn’t overshadow the achievement. He had won Group 1 races in France, Britain and Ireland during a remarkable campaign and, when challenged at Leopardstown, found another way to win.
8. DYLAN THOMAS – 2006 & 2007
Before Magical, there was Dylan Thomas. His first victory was the memorable one.
Ouija Board swept past him in the straight and for a moment Dylan Thomas appeared beaten. Kieren Fallon refused to concede and his colt responded, fighting back along the rail to regain the lead close home.
A year later he returned as an established superstar and became the first horse to win the Irish Champion Stakes twice, powering home to complete a Ballydoyle one-two-three with plenty in reserve.
Ten furlongs or twelve, Dylan Thomas was a world-class racehorse. His subsequent Arc victory only reinforced the point.
9. SNOW FAIRY – 2012
This one was about more than winning a Group 1. Snow Fairy had suffered a serious tendon injury that could easily have ended her career. Instead, Ed Dunlop and his team somehow got her back. And she returned as good as ever.
Frankie Dettori settled her off a strong pace before producing her travelling beautifully into the straight. Snow Fairy quickened into the lead and showed all her customary determination to defeat Nathaniel, lowering the Leopardstown track record in the process.
It was a remarkable comeback and, as it transpired, the final race of a magnificent career. What a way to go out.
10. MAGICAL – 2019 & 2020
Magical deserves to be remembered as one of the toughest and most consistent mares of the modern era.
Her first Irish Champion came in 2019 after a season spent chasing home Enable and Crystal Ocean. Ryan Moore kept things uncomplicated at Leopardstown, tracking the pace before sending her clear two furlongs out.
Twelve months later came the performance that really elevates her position on this list.
Ghaiyyath had dominated Europe’s middle-distance division, including beating Magical comprehensively at York. Seamie Heffernan changed tactics for the rematch and never allowed him to dictate. Magical sat on his heels, attacked early and outbattled him in the straight.
It was a career-best performance and her seventh Group 1 victory, making her only the second horse to win consecutive Irish Champion Stakes after Dylan Thomas. She didn’t always receive the credit she deserved. She should now.
MY TOP 10 IRISH CHAMPION STAKES WINNERS SINCE 2000
High Chaparral’s son So You Think is the unlucky horse to miss out. His 2011 victory was another top-class performance, but Snow Fairy made him work considerably harder than expected and both contemporary assessments suggested he was below his absolute best on the day.
That says plenty about the standard required to make this list. The Irish Champion Stakes has given us some extraordinary horses and unforgettable finishes, but Sea The Stars in 2009 remains the benchmark for me.
Now the next generation gets its chance to add another chapter to Leopardstown’s remarkable roll of honour. Follow the 1xBet.ie horse racing and root for your favourite in the Irish Champion Stakes.
The analytical piece was prepared by Emmet Kennedy — Presenter, Producer, and Owner of The Final Furlong Podcast, Broadcaster with TalkSPORT, and Broadcast Consultant — with the support of 1xBet.ie.
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