Item, Almaqam, and Constitution River take their York rivalry to Leopardstown

The top three finishers from the Juddmonte International (G1) will clash once again this Saturday in the Irish Champion Stakes (G1), with Aidan O’Brien seeking to extend Ballydoyle's remarkable dominance in a race he has won six times in the last seven runnings

DUBLIN, Ireland (Special for Turf Diario).— York left unsettled business, and Leopardstown will quickly provide the opportunity to settle the score. Item (Frankel), Almaqam (Lope de Vega), and Constitution River (Wootton Bassett), separated by a head and just over 3 lengths in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1), will clash again this Saturday in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (G1), the centerpiece of a stellar opening day of the Irish Champions Festival.

Reuniting the top three finishers from a race consistently ranked among the world's highest-rated is a rare luxury. Even more so because the outcome at the International left plenty of grounds to imagine a different storyline in the rematch.

Item arrives defending his victorious status. The Andrew Balding trainee held off the surging late surge of Almaqamby a mere head at York, bringing his record to five wins from six starts. His sole defeat came over soft ground in the Epsom Derby (G1) at Epsom, leaving his overall record virtually unblemished outside of that outing.

Almaqam came within inches of altering history on the Knavesmire and returns to a country that brings back fond memories. His only previous appearance in Ireland resulted in a victory in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) in May, and the Ed Walker runner will now attempt to secure a second top-level prize in a campaign that has firmly established him among the elite.

The main question mark surrounds Constitution River. Winner of the Eclipse Stakes (G1), the Ballydoyle colorbearer finished third at York, more than 3 lengths adrift of the top two, but trainer Aidan O’Brien made no secret that the race shape was far from ideal.

“I take responsibility for running a pacemaker that wasn’t quick enough at York. Constitution River was left too close to the lead and raced in too high a gear throughout. Hopefully, we won't make the same mistake twice,” O’Brienconceded.

Recent history favors a bounce-back. A year ago, Delacroix (Dubawi) arrived at Leopardstown as an Eclipse winner who had misfired at York, only to capture the Irish Champion.

Furthermore, few operations know this race better than Ballydoyle. The stable has captured six of the last seven renewals—four of them with the race favorite—and O’Brien now aims to extend that formidable dominance even further.

Constitution River will not stand alone. Hawk Mountain (Wootton Bassett) will be another card played by the Irish master, alongside Lambourn (Australia), a dual Derby winner last season whose return adds even greater prestige to the home defense.

The Irish Champion, however, offers much more than just a Juddmonte International rematch. Hotazhell (Too Darn Hot), conditioned by Jessica Harrington, comes off a breakthrough G1 triumph in Germany and will look to validate that progress against a top-tier field. A Boy Named Susie (Starspangledbanner), representing Donnacha O’Brien, also arrives with solid credentials, though he previously finished behind Constitution River at both Chantilly and Sandown.

The bold play by Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) was evident even before stepping onto the track. George Scottshelled out €75,000 to supplement him, convinced by the development of a horse coming off a G3 victory at Deauvillethat must now prove he is ready to compete with Europe's top tier.

Everything ultimately points back to the three horses that set York alight.

Item must prove that his victory left no room for debate; Almaqam will seek to turn a head of frustration into a win; and Constitution River will try to demonstrate that, under a different scenario, the margins can shift.

The Juddmonte International was a thrilling contest. Leopardstown now sets the stage for the rematch.