Dubai World Cup
King George VI and QE Diamond Stakes
Arlington Million
United Arab Emirates Grosser Preis von Baden
Ireland the Food Island Irish Champion Stakes
Canadian International
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Cox Plate
Breeders' Cup Turf
Breeders' Cup Classic
Japan Cup
Hong Kong Cup



Giants Causeway
Race Date 8 September
Course Leopardstown, Ireland
Distance 2000M
Surface Turf
Total Prize
Money		 825,000 Irish Pounds
(US$1,000,000 approx.)
Age 3yo & upwards
Race Card
TV broadcasting times
Results    

Stakes For The Champion Only

Ireland's richest all-ages race was switched across Dublin in 1991 to Leopardstown racecourse in the city's southern suburbs after the closure of the Phoenix Park track. It is a race in which Europe's best 2,000 metre horses are always in attendance. Giant's Causeway won the race last year. He was unlucky not to win the World Series outright.

[ Updated on 7 September, 2001 ]


Eight Contenders Go to Post for Irish Showcase

Galileo, joint leader of the 2001 Emirates World Series and Fantastic Light, the reigning Emirates World Champion, will once again face each other on Saturday in the fifth leg of the Emirates World Series - the Ireland The Food Island Irish Champion Stakes over a mile and a quarter at Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin.

The Emirates World Series, sponsored by Emirates, the award winning international airline of the United Arab Emirates, travels around the globe taking in the twelve most prestigious thoroughbred races, in ten countries on four continents. All twelve are great races and events in their own right and together they provide a global test in horse racing to establish the Emirates World Series Champion of 2001.

Galileo, trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien, claimed his twelve Emirates World Series points when winning the second leg, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot, in an epic battle to the line with Fantastic Light.

Galileo, a three-year-old son of the great Sadler's Wells, has so far this season won both the English and Irish Derbys and has been successful over Saturday's course and distance on two occasions, winning both the Ballysax Stakes and the Derby Trial.

Galileo, who faces seven rivals on Saturday, will once again be ridden by Michael Kinane who is lying in joint third place in the Emirates World Series jockey's points standings.

O'Brien will also be represented by Ice Dancer, who finished last of twelve at Ascot in the second leg, and his Royal Whip Stakes (Gr.2) winner Bach, who will be the mount of Seamus Heffernan.

World Champion Saeed bin Suroor is currently on six World Championship points for 2001 and will be looking to Fantastic Light to increase his standing. The five-year-old son of Rahy will be aiming to get the better of Galileo and reverse the Ascot finish.

Fantastic Light, the mount of World Champion jockey Frankie Dettori, will be joined in the race by stablemate Give The Slip.

Jim Bolger will run his Barathea filly Siringas, with Kevin Manning on board. Siringas won a listed race at Leopardstown in July but looks outclassed for Saturday's event.

Kevin Prendergast has left in his Group Two Pretty Polly Stakes winning filly Rebelline, Declan McDonogh takes the ride.

Luke Comer has booked Johnny Murtagh, who nearly got up last year on Greek Dance to beat eventual winner Giant's Causeway to the line, to ride his four-year-old Chimes At Midnight.


[ Updated on 5 September, 2001 ]


The presence of Galileo and Fantastic Light is likely to ensure a pretty sparse turnout in terms of equine competition in The Food Island Irish Champion Stakes (Gr.1-2000m) this Saturday. However, the much-anticipated rematch means that Leopardstown Racecourse officials can put up the "House Full" signs long before both colts go to post.

It looks as if the only trainer possessing the temerity to take on Ballydoyle and Godolphin empires will be Jeremy Noseda with his four-year-old, Fanaar.

Evidently, other Irish, French and English stables have thought: "Well, why bother?" They tried to beat Galileo and Fantastic Light in the King George at Ascot and they were very far off that standard. You have to assume that they are targeting other races. Only six horses look like starting in the prestige event worth the equivalent of US$1 million: Galileo and stablemates Bach and Ice Dancer, along with Fantastic Light and his pacemaker Give The Slip and, last but not least, Fanaar.

Irish bookmakers Cashmans installed Galileo, unbeaten in six starts, the winner of two Derbys and the King George, as the 4/9 favourite. Fantastic Light is next best at 7/4. Third in the market is Bach at whopping 33/1. You can have any price you want about the other three.

So, who is to be? The pretender or the champion?

It was hard not to be deeply impressed with the way Galileo disposed of Fantastic Light's challenge about 300m from home in the King George. Repelling the challenge of the older horse, Galileo found another gear, slipped into overdrive and won comfortably.

Sheikh Mohammed's sportsmanship has to be admired for having another crack at Aidan O'Brien's star with his redoubtable battler. It's just difficult envisaging Fantastic Light turning the tables on Galileo even considering his supposed preference for the 400m shorter trip that he will tackle at Leopardstown.

Interestingly, the Ballydoyle colt must win in some style if he is to reclaim the mantle of `best horse in Europe'.

Godolphin's Sakhee, last year's Epsom Derby runner-up, went to the summit of the European standings on 132lbs, 1lb ahead of Galileo, by virtue of a crushing seven-lengths success in the Juddmonte International (Gr.1-2000m) last month.

So, even if we're unlikely to find out anything on Saturday that we didn't already know about these horses, you still get the feeling that the Emirates World Series plot 2001 has a few twists left in it yet.



Horse No.
Horse Name
Trainer
Jockey
Draw
Wt.
(lbs)
Odds
1
 Bach (IRE) A P O'Brien J Heffernan
7
130
33
2
 Chimes At Midnight (USA) L Comer J Murtagh
6
130
100
3
 Fantastic Light (USA) S bin Suroor L Dettori
2
130
7-4
4
 Give The Slip (GB) S bin Suroor D O'Donohoe
3
130
66
5
 Galileo (IRE) A P O'Brien M Kinane
4
123
4-9
6
 Ice Dancer (IRE) A P O'Brien P Scallan
1
123
200
7
 Rebelline (IRE) (Withdrawn)        
8
 Siringas (IRE) J Bolger K Manning
5
120
50

Placing
Horse Name
Trainer
Jockey
Draw
Winning Margin
Odds
1
 Fantastic Light (USA) S bin Suroor L Dettori
2
  

9/4
2
 Galileo (IRE) A P O'Brien M Kinane
4

hd

4/11F
3
 Bach (IRE) A P O'Brien J Heffernan
7

6+hd

20/1

4

Give The Slip (GB)

S bin Suroor

R Hills

3

10+hd

50/1

5

Ice Dancer (IRE)

A P O'Brien

P Scallan

1

16+hd

200/1

6

Siringas (IRE)

J Bolger

K Manning

5

20+hd

66/1

7

Chimes At Midnight (USA)

L Comer

J Murtagh

6

  

150/1

Remark: Non Runner: Rebelline(IRE)

Note: hd - head

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