2pts win Golden Horn, Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown 17:45

Golden Horn ran a blinder in defeat to Arabian Queen at York and has plenty of excuses to draw confidence from. The two drew well clear of the rest – with the same winning margin over The Grey Gatsby as in the Eclipse – and the filly is simply a very good horse. The Derby winner pulled hard that day and his pacemaker only ended up aiding the filly, so if that run has taken some of the greenness out and he settles, it’ll take some horse to beat him. If anything, that defeat has eased his price to 9/4 – he went off 2/5 at York – so there’s definitely value on offer.

There are only a few that can confidently claim the softer ground will aid their chances – Cirrus Des Aigles, Pleascach and Found – so it’s a more level playing field than perhaps perceived. Pleascach represents the excellent Classic generation of fillies, but I don’t think she’s good enough for this. Cirrus Des Aigles is a big threat but will have to defy a long break, and Found has been beaten on slower ground enough times for me to question her trainer’s claim she wants it.

2pts win Golden Horn, Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown 17:45

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