Snow Fairy Wins Irish Champion Stakes

Fairy-Tale - Snow Fairy's incredible story continued as she won the Irish Champion Stakes

The remarkable Snow Fairy went one better than last year by landing the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday evening.

Ridden to Group 1 success for the first time by a jockey other than Ryan Moore, she travelled in to the race supremely well under Frankie Dettori and accounted for the brave Nathaniel by 1 ¼ lengths.

Snow Fairy had given us an epic battle in the race twelve months earlier when she just failed to reel in globe-trotting superstar So You Think but there was no such trouble this year. Nathaniel went on from Ballydoyle pacemaker Daddy Long Legs on the turn for home but looked in trouble pushed along in front.

Frankie and Snow Fairy soon cruised up alongside William Buick’s mount though and although for a brief moment it looked like the gutsy Nathaniel may battle back she soon got to the front hitting top gear and landing her seventh Group 1, taking her career earnings past the £4 million mark in the process.

St. Nicholas Abbey was ¾ of a length back in third having finished with a flurry and losing nothing in another defeat at the top level. Nathaniel also lost nothing in defeat having tried to force the issue on ground less than ideal and over arguably not his optimum trip.

John Gosden had been keen to point out this was a prep for an Arc tilt next month and was reportedly delighted with his charge’s performance.

Nathaniel is now best-priced 8/1 for the Arc while Snow Fairy, incredibly, can still be backed at 10/1, which I still think is cracking value in spite of having put her up when she was available at 20/1 for the Arc following her Romanet win last month.

Dettori and Buick had both hot-footed it to Ireland for the Champion Stakes following rides at Haydock earlier in the afternoon, Buick significantly had been on board favourite Ortensia in the Betfred Sprint Cup who failed to run her race and was found to have an injury afterwards.

The Sprint Cup was taken by Society Rock, who gained recompense for an unlucky run in the Jubilee at Royal Ascot behind the mighty Black Caviar.

Back in Ireland, earlier on the Leopardstown card, there was controversy as Chachamaidee was awarded the Matron Stakes in the stewards’ room following a lengthy enquiry. First past the post Duntle was, rather unfairly in my honest opinion, relegated to second giving the race to Sir Henry Cecil’s horse who crossed the line in second.