Preview of the first day of action of Irish Champions weekend

Day one of the prestigious Irish Champions Weekend arrives on Saturday at Leopardstown with an absolutely stacked nine-race card, headlined by the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at 3.25pm.

The card kicks off at 1.10pm with a Listed Fillies’ Stakes before the action comes to a close at 5.45 with a 19-runner handicap - but there is plenty to look forward to in between.

Read below to discover the latest tips and analysis of Leopardstown’s card on Saturday courtesy of the data experts at The Horse’s Mouth.

Day one kicks off with a bang as the two-year-old’s take centre stage in the Listed Fillies’ Stakes (1.10) with €60,000 up for grabs to the winner. Bubbling pulled clear of the field at Galway last time out for Aidan O’Brien and is stepping up here into Listed company and with top jockey Ryan Moore choosing her of the three Coolmore runners in the race, that says plenty.

Green Impact for trainer Jessica Harrington looks the one to beat in race two of the afternoon as a small field of four take on the Group 2 Juvenile Stakes over a mile (1.40), with the Wootton Bassett colt a strong second on debut at The Curragh and backing that up with a fine win in a course and distance maiden against the re-opposing Delacroix in July.

Twelve runners will head to the start for race three, another Group 2 contest with the one mile Solonaway Stakes (2.15). The O’Brien-trained Diego Velazquez, a remarkable £2.5million purchase, had flattered to deceive initially before battering his rivals into submission in the Meld Stakes at Leopardstown in July and is back up in grade again here but should remain unbeaten at this track having won twice around Leopardstown. Group 1 Sussex Stakes runner up Maljoom heads over from Britain and rates the chief challenger for trainer William Haggas.

A Fillies and Mares’ Group 1 contest is a cracking appetiser to the main course of the Irish Champion Stakes, with a field of ten taking on the one mile contest at 2.50 and preference leans towards Porta Fortuna for trainer Donnacha O’Brien, a ready winner of the G1 Cheveley Park last year before bagging the Coronation Stakes and then the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket as a three-year-old. Fallen Angel is taken to fill the second spot, a dominant winner of the Irish 100 Guineas for trainer Karl Burke earlier this year. Curragh trainer is double handed in this race with Billy Lee taking the ride on Vespertilio while Declan McDonagh is on Jancis, who has won twice already this year at Leopardstown but this is a step up in quality.

Sky Sports Racing presenter Callum Helliwell has hailed the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes (3.25 ) as one of most exciting races of the season - and has backed an Aidan O’Brien runner who has a 100% record over the one mile and two furlong trip to scoop the huge €725,000 top prize.

He said: “It is probably one of the most exciting races of the season and features Economics, who has won each of his last three races but this is a big, big step up in class. His last win in France was good but it was in Group 2 company, he’s still got loads of potential though so it’ll be really exciting to see how he gets on.

“However, I am going with Los Angeles here, there is something in my gut that is telling me he is going to run a massive race. I know the drop back in trip might be a concern but he has done nothing but run good races 0- his only defeat came in the Epsom Derby behind City of Troy where arguably he didn’t get the run of the race.

“I can’t trust Auguste Rodin again so I am going to go with Los Angeles in this one, it is a really exciting race and I can’t wait to see how it goes.” After the Lord Mayor’s Show is the a Group 3 Stakes contest (4.00) which can go the way Trustyourinstinct, second to Continuous in the Royal Whip at the Curragh 28 days ago and should improve for that run, while race seven (4.35) sees powerhouse Jumps trainer Willie Mullins - who has a 19% strike rate at Leopardstown - hold a strong hand with one of his flat contingent in Plontier, a winner in France who could be ahead of his mark having already scored over hurdles in Ireland on his debut last month.

Cerulean Bay arrives on a hat-trick and should complete a four-timer in the penultimate race on Saturday at Leopardstown (5.10) for British trainer David O’Meara, who has a 20% hit rate at this track when sends runners across the Irish Sea, while the finale at 5.45 looks to be a shootout between Quadruple, a winner of two of her three starts for Ger Lyons, and another English raider in Zapphire, who arrives in Ireland off the back of a win at Beverley last time out.

Leopardstown selections - Saturday (via Betway) 

1.10 - Bubbling 

1.40 - Green Impact 

2.15 - Diego Velazquez 

2.50 - Porta Fortuna 

3.25 - Los Angeles 

4.00 - Trustyourinstinct 

4.35 - Plontier 

5.10 - Cerulean Bay 

5.45 - Quadruple