The win was a 13th success in the contest for trainer Aidan O’Brien, with the winning son of Dubawi ridden by Christophe Soumillon.

The runner-up and third places were taken by the English-trained challengers, Anmaat (4/1) and Royal Champion (18/1), the mounts of Chris Hayes and Clifford Lee respectively.

DELACROIX is a fine winner of the €1.25m Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes! @LeopardstownRC | @BahrainTurfClub pic.twitter.com/WnGT9hdb2v

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 13, 2025

Another Irish Group 1 for Fallen Angel

Fallen Angel (9/4 favourite) took the first Group 1 contest of Irish Champions Festival when winning the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes for Karl Burke.

The four-year-old grey daughter of Too Darn Hot, winner of the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes at The Curragh as a juvenile and the Tattersalls Ireland 1000 Guineas last year, was ridden this afternoon by James Doyle for Wathnan Racing.

Group 1 glory!

Fallen Angel makes it FOUR top-level triumphs in the €400,000 @coolmorestud ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes on an afternoon to remember for @karl_burke pic.twitter.com/3J0c00rIVJ

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 13, 2025

The victory was completing a quick double for English trainer Burke, who had earlier claimed the Group 3 CMG Group Stakes with Convergent in the colours of Newtown Anner Stud Farm. The three-year-old bay son of Fascinating Rock was ridden by Clifford Lee.

O’Brien and Soumillon win Champions Juvenile

Benvenuto Cellini (1/2 favourite) won the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes for trainer Aidan O’Brien and Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon.

Racing behind the leader for most of the one-mile contest, the son of Frankel quickened inside the final furlong to complete an impressive five-length victory from Hardy Warrior.

The winner of the race, in which all four runners were trained by Aidan, Joseph and Donncha O’Brien, now gains an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar later in the season.

Benvenuto Cellini is bred to be top-class and the Frankel colt is very good in the Group 2 @KPMG_Ireland Champions Juvenile Stakes, scoring under Christophe Soumillon for Aidan O’Brien @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/AjUzUhIzdB

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 13, 2025

Necklace is all Diamond in Ingabelle Stakes

Diamond Necklace, backed into 1/2 favourite before the off, won the Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes for Aidan O’Brien.

Deputising for the injured Ryan Moore and the suspended Wayne Lordan, Christophe Soumillon oozed confidence in the final furlong as the bay juvenile daughter of St Mark’s Basilica pulled away from the field for a comfortable two and a quarter length victory.

Johnny Murtagh double

Johnny Murtagh’s topweight Rahmi (14/1) came late and wide of the field to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sovereign Path Handicap for seven-pound claimer Rory Mulligan.

Alakazi (7/2) completed a Murtagh double on the day, as Ben Coen rode the three-year-old to victory in the Group 2 Tonybet Solonoway Stakes.

A double at the Irish Champions Festival for @JohnnyMurtagh!

Alakazi hits the line strongly in the €200,000 Tonybet Solonaway Stakes under @BenCoen2 in the iconic Aga Khan colours @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/oTFnkcJxM5

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 13, 2025

Happy Pharoah (9/1) gave Donnacha O’Brien and Paddy Hartnett a win in the Petingo Handicap, while the final contest of the nine-race card went the way of 22/1 shot Pink Oxalis for trainer Stephen Thorne and jockey David Egan.

The post Delacroix wins Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Winner of the 2023 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the same track during Irish Champions Weekend, the Karl Burke-trained filly was a two and three-quarter length winner over A Lilac Rolla, with Opera Singer next best over the one-mile distance.

Ridden by Danny Tudhope, the daughter of Too Darn Hot only finished eighth in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month.

Elsewhere on the card, the John Murphy-handled White Birch beat his old rival, dual Derby winner, Auguste Rodin, in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup over a mile and two furlongs.

It was a first Group 1 for the Co Cork-trained son of Ulysses who was third in last year’s Epsom Derby to Aidan O’Brien Auguste Rodin.

The Colin Keane-ridden White Birch is now three for three this season, having previously opened his campaign with a success in the Group 3 Alleged Stakes, before then claiming the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes.

The post Fallen Angel claims Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Danadalla (13/2), a daughter of Dandy Man, took up the running well over a furlong from home and never looked in any danger after that point, as the 11/4f Sethare stayed on to take second, six lengths adrift, she was back by lots of people with bet365 royal ascot offers considering how good they have been over the week.

Ben Curtis said of his first Royal Ascot success:

“It is on every jockey’s to-do list. I have been coming down to Royal Ascot for a good while now and not really getting involved, so finally to get a winner is unbelievable.”

Curtis was quick to praise others involved with Danadalla, stating:

“Karl’s daughter Lucy rides Dandalla every day and does all the hard work at home. I remember her coming down from the gallops one day, and she mentioned her in the same sentence as Laurens, and said she gave her that kind of feel. When she said that, it gave me all the hope in the world. When Dandalla went to the racetrack the first time and did what she did [she won on her debut by two lengths at Newcastle on June 2], we knew she’d improve a ton, and everything went perfectly today and she’s demolished them. She has shown her class and it is brilliant. I ride for Karl all the time, so to be able to ride him a winner at Royal Ascot is unbelievable.”

The winning Irish rider continued:

“It is funny, it was a surreal feeling. I came there are the two [furlong pole] travelling very well, and I just popped her between a couple just inside the two, and she came alive. I knew when we accelerated that nothing else would be able to pick up the way I did, because she picked up very well. In the last furlong I said, ‘We’re out on our own’, and it was a brilliant feeling and a great performance by the filly. I don’t care, crowd or no crowd! I have had two Group Three winners and now a Royal Ascot winner. I think I am just going to go in and pinch myself now in a second.”

When discussing his career, Curtis mentions that he had two aims:

“I had two things on my agenda. One was to ride a Group 1 winner, and I am still looking for that, and the other was to ride a Royal Ascot winner, and that is one off the list. Those two things were at the very top of my list. Every jockey would like to have a stab at being champion and being able to hold that title, so if I ever got in a position to go for the title, I would give it 120%.”

1:50pm Albany Stakes (Group 3)

1 Dandalla Karl Burke 2-9-00 Ben Curtis 13/2
2 Setarhe Roger Varian 2-9-00 Andrea Atzeni 11/4 Fav
3 Mother Earth Aidan O’Brien 2-9-00 Ryan Moore 100/30

13 ran
Non-Runner: Ventura Vision (withdrawn at start)
Time: 1m 16.38s
Distances: 6, nk

The post Ben Curtis claims first Royal Ascot success appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.