Category: Horses

For readers unfamiliar with the name, Overdose was a high-class Hungarian sprinter, trained Sandor Ribarski, who won 16 of his 19 races and was, at one point, hailed as arguably the best horse to emerge from the ‘Heart of Europe’ since the legendary Kincsem in the late nineteenth century. Likewise, Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp is a prestigious and valuable Group 1 race, nowadays worth €350,000 in prize money, which is run over 1,000 metres, or approximately five furlongs, at Longchamp Racecourse in the Bois de Bolologne, Paris. Named after the Royal Abbey of Longchamp, which once stood on the site, the race takes place on the same day as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, traditionally the first Sunday in October.

 

On October 5, 2008, Overdose, hitherto unbeaten in his first 10 starts, lined up, alongside 19 rivals, for his first attempt at the highest level in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp. Ridden by Austrian jockey Andreas Suborics, Overdose was smartly away and made most of the running to win comfortably. Despite being eased down in the closing stages, his winning time was only fractionally slower than the record 54.30 seconds set by ‘The Flying Filly’ Habibti 25 years earlier.

 

However, unbeknown to Suborics, when the stalls opened, stall 17 failed to do so, leaving Fleeting Spirit, ridden by Ryan Moore, stranded at the start. Inevitably, a false start was signalled, but Suborics, among others, continued riding all the way to the finish line. The Prix de l’Abbaye could not be re-run immediately and when it was, nearly five hours later, Overdose was, understandably, one of three withdrawals from the original field. Ribarski, equally understandably, expressed his disappointment, saying, ‘I have travelled 1,700 kilometres for this’.

Traditionally run on the first Sunday in October, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe has been contested over 2,400 metres, or approximately a mile and a half, at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France since 1920. Nowadays, the ‘Arc’ boasts total prize money of €5,000,000, making it the most valuable race run in Europe.

At the time of writing, no horse has won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe more than twice, although the latest of the back-to-back winners, Enable, came closer than most. Owned by the late Khaled Abdullah, trained by John Gosden at Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket and ridden, in all bar two of her 16 starts, by Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, Enable had the distinction of starting short-priced favourite for the Bois de Boulogne spectacle four years running. She justified her market position in 2017, when the race was run at Chantilly, and 2018, before finishing second in 2019 and sixth in 2020.

Aside from Enable, seven other horses have recorded back-to-back victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The first of them was the domestically-trained Ksar (1921, 1922) and he was followed by Motrico (1930, 1932), Corrida (1936, 1937) and Tantieme (1950, 1951), all of whom were also saddled by French handlers. The prolific Ribot (1955, 1956), trained in Italy by Ugo Penco, became the fifth dual winner overall and the first from outside ‘La Republique’ and two decades later Alleged (1977, 1978) doubled up for the legendary trio of Robert Sangster, Vincent O’Brien and Lester Piggott. It would be another four decades later that Treve (2013, 2014), trained by Criquette Head, did likewise; like Enable, the Motivator mare failed in her hat-trick bid, albeit finishing a creditable fourth behind Golden Horn in 2015.

With several top British-trained horses currently holding early entries for this year’s Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown—including Ed Walker’s Almaqam, the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat, and Ombudsman for John and Thady Gosden—the 2025 edition promises to be another thrilling Anglo-Irish clash.

It’s a race that often attracts international attention, and punters are already scouring the latest prices from the biggest horse racing meetings to gauge how this year’s British contenders stack up. As ever, horse racing odds will fluctuate in the build-up, but history shows that British raiders have an excellent record in the feature.

Here’s a look back at some of the most memorable recent victories by British-trained horses in the Irish Champion Stakes.

2024 – Economics: William Haggas

One of the most exciting middle-distance horses of his generation, Economics confirmed his class with a decisive victory in the 2024 Irish Champion Stakes.

Having followed up on his maiden success at Newbury with an emphatic Dante win at York, he missed the Derby but scored in a Group 2 at Deauville before proving his class with Group 1 success in Ireland.

Economics went head-to-head with former British and Irish Derby winner Auguste Rodin inside the final furlong and beat his older rival by a neck as he finished stronger than Aidan O’Brien’s defending champion on the line.

2018 – Roaring Lion: John Gosden

A charismatic grey who became a fan favourite, Roaring Lion capped a glittering summer with a tough-as-nails victory at Leopardstown.

Already a dual Group 1 winner that season, he had to dig deep to overcome Saxon Warrior in a thrilling finish, confirming his status as the best three-year-old colt in Europe.

His Leopardstown triumph was his third consecutive Group 1 win and helped seal his Cartier Horse of the Year title.

2017 – Decorated Knight: Roger Charlton

A Tattersalls Gold Cup winner at the Curragh earlier in the campaign, Decorated Knight returned to the Emerald Isle somewhat overlooked for the Irish Champion Stakes as a 25/1 outsider after a few lacklustre performances at Sandown, York and Ascot.

However, he caused an upset when pouncing late under Andrea Atzeni to defeat a strong field that was headlined by Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Churchill.

While not the flashiest name on the list, his win was a testament to clever placement and experienced handling by Roger Charlton.

2012-15: A golden era for British-trained runners

– 2015 – Golden Horn: John Gosden

The Derby added another major trophy to his cabinet with a hard-fought win over Found. Despite the soft ground and fierce local opposition, Golden Horn showed his trademark class and grit to prevail in what turned out to be a tactical affair. He would go on to win the Arc, proving to be a generational talent.

– 2014 – The Grey Gatsby: Kevin Ryan

In one of the most memorable finishes in the race’s history, The Grey Gatsby denied Australia in the shadow of the post. A real upset on paper, but the colt showed he belonged at the top table with a gutsy effort and perfectly timed ride by Ryan Moore.

– 2013 – The Fugue: John Gosden

This top-class filly had shown flashes of brilliance, like when winning the Yorkshire Oaks by four lengths one month earlier, and she delivered on Irish soil by sweeping past her rivals with authority—delivering another win in the race for Gosden.

– 2012 – Snow Fairy: Ed Dunlop

Already a globetrotting sensation, Snow Fairy added the Irish Champion to her collection with a brilliant display. She returned from injury to outclass a strong field, proving her versatility and toughness yet again under Frankie Dettori.

For the uninitiated, the Relkeel Hurdle is, nowadays, a Grade 2 contest, run over 2 miles, 4 furlongs and 56 yards on the New Course at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. The race was inaugurated, as the Mercury Communications Hurdle, in 1988, although at that stage it was contested during the International Meeting (now the Christmas Meeting) at Cheltenham in early December. The following year, the race was won by Morley Street, who went on to finish fifth behind Kribensis in the Champion Hurdle less than three months later and justified favouritism in the two-mile hurdling championship in 1991.

In 1992, Lonesome Glory, trained by Bruce Miller and ridden by his daughter, Blythe, sprang a 20/1 surprise when running down the odds-on favourite, Al Mutahm, close home to become the first American-trained horse to win a National Hunt race in Britain. Thus, the following year, the race was renamed in honour of that history-making winner, but was renamed, again, to its current title in 2000. The Relkeel Hurdle was promoted to Grade 2 status in 2006.

The titular Relkeel was a three-time winner of what is now the International Hurdle, back in the day when it was still known as the Bula Hurdle, in honour of the dual Champion Hurdle winner, trained by Fred Winter. Prior to 1977, the race was known as the Cheltenham Trial Hurdle and was won by Bula en route to his second victory in the Champion Hurdle. Relkeel recorded back-to-back victories in the Bula Hurdle in 1997 and 1998, when trained by the late David Nicholson and ridden by Richard Johnson, on the first occasion, and Adrian Maguire, on the second.

Nicholson retired from the training ranks in November 1999 and, following his transfer to Alan King, almost a year to the day, returned to Cheltenham, as a 10-year-old, for an emotional, albeit narrow, third victory in the race. Conceding 4lb and upwards all ’round, Relkeel was sent off 13/2 fourth choice of the seven runners, ahead of 6/4 favourite Katarino, but, with the market leader managing only a remote fifth, beaten 17 lengths, the Relkino gelding was left to fight out the finish with 100/30 second favourite, and Doncaster Cup winner, Far Cry, trained by Martin Pipe. Ridden by A.P. McCoy, Far Cry took a narrow lead approaching the final flight, but was headed soon afterwards and, after a ding-dong battle on the run-in, it was Relkeel that prevailed, by a neck, with 11 lengths back to the third horse home, Shooting Light.

All told, Relkeel won 12 of his 21 starts under National Hunt Rules, including the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park, in which he beat the reigning Champion Hurdler, Flakey Dove, by 8 lengths, conceding 5lb. Nine of those victories came under Adrian Maguire and Relkeel amassed a total of £142,309. His record was all the more remarkable for the fact that, in an injury-plagued career he was, at various points, absent for 238, 748, 309 and 364 days.

Relkeel finished his racing career on a low-key note, when only fifth of six, beaten 17 lengths, in the Rendelsham Hurdle at Kempton Park in February 2000. Thereafter, he spent his retirement with Mark White, former head groom to Nicholson, who had been his one and only rider at the yard. White later described his third victory in the Bula Hurdle as ‘sheer ecstasy’. Relkeel was put down in April 2006, as a 17-year-old, due to the effects of arthritis, at which point Nicholson heaped praise on his former charge. He said, ‘Ability-wise he was better than any other horse I ever trained. On his day he was brilliant, and had he not suffered the problems that affected his career he would have won the Champion Hurdle, there’s no doubt about that.’