Economics won the Irish Champion on Irish Champions Weekend | report and free replay
By Ian Ogg
17:31 · SAT September 14, 2024
Economics (7/4 favourite) edged out Auguste Rodin to win a thrilling renewal of the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend.
Economics had been brought along steadily by William Haggas, winning his maiden in April before bursting onto the scene with a wide margin success in the Group Two Dante Stakes at York.
Haggas resisted the pressure to run his colt in the Derby, instead giving the Night Of Thunder colt plenty of time and he didn't reappear until August when winning another Group Two at Deauville.
The market expected him to deliver on his promise but Economics faced a stern test in this prestigious Group One with the field containing three top-class colts from Ballydoyle - including last year's winner Auguste Rodin - along with Eclipse and Juddmonte International third Ghostwriter.
Luxembourg, one of the Ballydoyle contingent, took the field along as he did last year with Ghostwriter in behind him while Economics was caught a little wide on the track in midfield with Ryan Moore and Auguste Rodin racing closer to the rail but tracking the favourite.
Marquand, who won the Matron Stakes with Porta Fortuna, asked Economics to take closer order on the turn for home but he really had to knuckle down and battle for his victory once the race began in earnest.
Luxembourg was the first of the principals to cry enough but Ghostwriter was boxing on and Auguste Rodin came through to lay down the strongest challenge. Auguste Rodin appeared to head his rival only for Economics to fight back but just as he had done so, Los Angeles was launching a sweeping run down the centre of the course.
That run came too late in the day for the Great Voltigeur winner and he had to settle for fourth in a race that will live long in the memory, not least in the minds of those connected with Japanese star Shin Emperor who took third over a trip short of his best.
The winning distances were a neck, three-quarters of a length, a head and three-quarters of a length.
Economics was made the 6/4 favourite from 3/1 with both Paddy Power and Betfair for the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot next month, where he could bid to become just the seventh horse to follow up Irish Champion Stakes victory in the British equivalent.
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Haggas said: "It didn’t look very nice, but he got the job done. We weren't keen to be too far back today and he rode. obviously, a copybook race now he's won but the horse, I loved his head carriage at the end, really put his head down. Really pleased with him, he's coming along nicely.
"He's got a big future as long as we don't overdo him this year. We've always planned to go for the Champions at Ascot. Sheikh Isa puts a lot into it (racing) and I'm absolutely thrilled to bits for him, more than me."
Marquand paid tribute to Sheikh Isa and Haggas for resisting the temptation to throw Economics into the deep end earlier in the season, saying: "The big calls were probably so tough to do but they're justified now; he's not only a very good horse but an absolute warrior as well and very, very few horses possess both.
"I changed my plan a few times, a couple of times anyway, I thought I'd picked up into a nice position but for whatever reason I didn't feel that happy there so just moved on a little bit further and he possesses that real nice trait of being able to light up and shut back down 10 strides later.
"He had to battle and Auguste Rodin turned up every bit as good as he is so he had to be very good. He is so, so exciting."
It was just Sheikh Isa’s second win at the highest level following Commissioning’s Fillies’ Mile triumph in 2022 and to make matters better, he was watching Economics win a race he sponsors.
He said: “You had to be excited coming in with a favourite’s chance. The exciting thing is that he did it and he’s proven to everyone now that he’s a proper horse. He’s beaten some of the best horses in the world. It’s wonderful for the Kingdom of Bahrain to be sponsoring one of the best races seen so far over furlongs. From my standpoint as an owner and also from our standpoint as a racing jurisdiction it’s a win-win all around.
“I’ve been waiting a while for a horse like him and as William said ‘we have one’. I’m just very proud and very thankful.”
The decision to skip a run at Epsom in the Derby after impressing in the Dante Stakes is now proving justified, with Sheikh Isa continuing: “There were discussions, but at the end of the day he (Haggas) sees the horse more than I do and there is trust. Between a racehorse trainer and any owner you must have trust.”
On the future, he added: “I’m dreaming of enjoying today and we’ll pick up the pieces tomorrow and make a call as a team.”
O'Brien delighted with outcome
Aidan O'Brien, who moments later watched Jan Brueghel win the St Leger at Doncaster, was full of praise for Auguste Rodin, who will now head to the Japan Cup, and Economics.
He said of the runner-up: "Delighted. Ran a great race. Came home very well. The plan was to come here and go to Japan and this was a great prep for that. The winner's a very good horse. Delighted really.
"The plan was to come here, freshen up and go straight out there (Japan) so everything worked perfect other than he didn't win.
"A very good three-year-old (Economics), a horse that won the Dante by six or eight lengths is a very good horse and he had a lovely prep in Deauville so delighted for all the connections; Tom gave him a great ride and William and the owners."
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