Decorated Knight springs surprise in Irish Champion Stakes at Longines Irish Champions Weekend

With jockey Andrea Atzeni on board, the winner’s late run held off Poet’s Word with Frankie Dettori’s Eminent taking third.

The Leopardstown triumph was a second Irish Group One win for Roger Charlton’s five-year-old following on from his Tallersalls Gold Cup success in May. Aidan O’Brien’s English and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Churchill went into the race as clear favourite but after taking close order early on was unable to stay with the leaders on the closing straight.

Ryan Moore appeared to go easy on O’Brien’s horse in the closing stages when his chance had gone as he finished four lengths behind the winner.

“He had a bad draw and thought the ground would be too soft,” said Atzeni.

“We didn’t know whether to run him or not but it’s actually nice ground out there. It’s great for the owners and obviously Mr Charlton has done a great job with him.”

Winter’s wonderful run of success came to an end as Hydrangea won the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes.

The winner had clung on to deny Winter on their respective seasonal debuts in the 1,000 Guineas trial at Leopardstown in April, but since then had failed to land a telling blow in the Coronation Stakes and Nassau Stakes.

However, on this occasion Winter was running out of steam in the closing stages but Hydrangea, under Wayne Lordan, came good and took full opportunity to beat her proverbial nemesis on the line by a head in the thrilling Group One bout. Last year’s runner-up Persuasive kept on well to be third, three-quarters of a length back.

O’Brien was also in successful thanks to Donnacha O’Brien steering Nelson to a convincing victory in the Group Three Willis Towers Watson Champions Juvenile Stakes. Kew Gardens came in trailing in second with Delano Roosevelt following a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

Jockey Daniel Tudhope guided the David O’Meara-trained Suedois to victory in the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Stakes.

In a close-fought finish, Suedois edged the Group Two encounter from True Valour in second by half a length, with Psychedelic Funk onl a head’s distance back in third.

The Longines Irish Champions Weekend action switches to The Curragh on Sunday, where the feature race is the Irish St Leger and a monumental battle in prospect. Last year’s winner, Wicklow Brave, will take on Order Of St George, who was victorious in 2015 and runner-up last year, and Dartmouth, owned by Her Majesty the Queen.