Why Irish Champions Weekend is the place for shock results

Irish Champions Weekend was introduced in 2014 but the scalp of many an apparent sure-thing has since been claimed at Leopardstown and the Curragh.

Favourites as short as 1-7 shot Order Of St George have been turned over, while at the other end of the spectrum Rain Goddess was a 50-1 winner of a maiden in 2015.

Alpha Centauri became the 11th favourite to be beaten at the event at a price of evens or shorter in last year's Matron Stakes, and her conqueror Laurens is one of five ante-post favourites – Magical, Soffia, Albigna and Pinatubo are the others – priced up at 5-2 or shorter for this weekend's fixture.

Pinatubo: the strong favourite for the National Stakes at the Curragh on SundayCredit: Edward Whitaker

If Irish Champions Weekend has proved anything, it is to expect the unexpected. With that in mind, here are seven seismic shocks that have taken place at the meeting.

Laurens (10-1)
Matron Stakes, 2018

It may seem odd to include classy filly Laurens in this list, but such was the emphatic nature of Alpha Centauri's wins at the Curragh, Royal Ascot, Newmarket and Deauville, it seemed hard to make a strong case for John Dance's likeable superstar to beat the 30-100 favourite in last year's race at Leopardstown.

However, that is exactly what happened, albeit Alpha Centauri suffered the injury which immediately ended her explosive racing career in the closing stages.

Laurens (right) narrowly won last year's Matron Stakes from favourite Alpha CentauriCredit: Caroline Norris

Hydrangea (20-1)
Matron Stakes, 2017

Winter had been the dominant force in the fillies' Classic generation with wins in the 1,000 Guineas, Irish 1,000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes and Nassau Stakes. However, her stablemate at Ballydoyle, Hydrangea, had clearly not read the script.

After failing in her first seven tries at the highest level, Hydrangea dismissed her perceived role as fourth choice in the race for her trainer Aidan O'Brien and pounced late under Wayne Lordan to deny even-money favourite Winter a fifth consecutive win.

Irish Champions Weekend 2019: the favourites

11-8 Laurens – Coolmore "Fastnet Rock" Matron Stakes, Saturday
7-4 Magical – Qipco Irish Champion Stakes, Saturday
2-1 Soffia – Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes, Sunday
2-1 Albigna – Moyglare Stud Stakes, Sunday
4-9 Pinatubo – Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes, Sunday

Prices correct on Thursday afternoon

Magical: favourite for the Qipco Irish Champion StakesCredit: Alain Barr

Decorated Knight (25-1)
Irish Champion Stakes, 2017

Irish trainers have not won one of their own marquee races, the Irish Champion Stakes, since So You Think was successful for Aidan O'Brien in 2011, but Decorated Knight supplied the most surprising win in the interim period when obliging at odds of 25-1 for Roger Charlton under a well-timed ride by Andrea Atzeni.

Held up off the pace, Decorated Knight was brought widest of all off the final bend. Last with two furlongs to go, the son of Galileo picked up superbly in the straight and won his duel with Poet's Word to win by half a length, with 8-11 favourite Churchill never a factor in seventh.

Decorated Knight: the shock winner of the 2017 Irish Champion StakesCredit: Steven Cargill (racingfotos.com)

Intricately (25-1)
Moyglare Stud Stakes, 2016

Aidan O'Brien landed the Moyglare Stud Stakes in 2015 and 2017 with unfancied runners Minding and Happily, but it was the first Group 1 success in the young training career of his son Joseph in 2016 which provided the biggest shock in the juvenile fillies' race of recent times.

Promise To Be True was the even-money favourite for O'Brien snr and ably supported by stablemates Rhododendron, Hydrangea and Brave Anna. Each of the quartet bar the favourite developed into Group 1 winners, but the Moyglare went the way of Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien instead as Intricately, the rank outsider of seven, made use of her prominent position to hold on from Hydrangea by a short head.

Irish Champions Weekend: record of the favourites

2014: seven winners
2015: five winners and two winning co-favourites
2016: one winner
2017: three winners
2018: eight winners

Leopardstown: nine winners
Curragh: 15 winners and two winning co-favourites

Wicklow Brave (11-1)
Irish St Leger, 2016

It was a tough day for O'Brien's favourites at the Curragh as Wicklow Brave compounded the defeats of market leaders Best In The World and Promise To Be True when upsetting 1-7 jolly Order Of St George.

Order Of St George was prohibitively priced after good wins in the Gold Cup at Ascot and the Irish St Leger Trial, and faced just three rivals in the Irish St Leger itself.

The remarkably versatile Wicklow Brave had other ideas though, making most under an inspired ride by Frankie Dettori to hold off the late surge by Order Of St George.

The Grey Gatsby (left) won a thrilling renewal of the Irish Champion Stakes in 2014Credit: Alain Barr

The Grey Gatsby (7-1)
Irish Champion Stakes, 2014

The Grey Gatsby was no stranger to dining at the top table and had already won the Dante and the Prix du Jockey Club during his fine three-year-old campaign.

However, Kevin Ryan's runner was not expected to reverse the form of his Juddmonte International second behind Australia when taking on the Derby winner in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

Australia was overwhelming favourite to extend his winning run in Group 1s to four, but he was beaten in his final race when The Grey Gatsby stuck on stoutly from the rear to win a titanic tussle by a neck.

Richard Kingscote (left), Tom Dascombe and Michael Owen (right) with Brown Panther after their Irish St Leger success five years agoCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Brown Panther (14-1)
Irish St Leger, 2014

St Leger and Gold Cup winner Leading Light had been unbeatable over trips of 1m6f and further before his tilt at the Irish St Leger on the inaugural Irish Champions Weekend.

His only defeat since his debut had been in the previous season's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but the Tom Dascombe-trained Brown Panther did not just beat Leading Light, he made him look rather inferior when winning the Irish St Leger by an easy six and a half lengths under Richard Kingscote.

Brown Panther suffered a fatal injury when trying to defend his title the following year.

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