WHISPER it quietly, but could the 2024 Irish Champions Festival end up resembling something more like British Champions Festival than a showcase of Ireland’s premier flat performers?

Lest there be any doubt, we’re certainly not at a doomsday stage for Irish flat racing by any means. A Royal Ascot that yielded winners for Aidan O’Brien, Willie Mullins, Donnacha O’Brien, Ger Keane and Joseph O’Brien shows there is very much the firepower on these shores to compete at the highest level internationally. A glance too at the declarations for today’s Betfred St Leger, dominated by a trio of Ballydoyle candidates, suggests another classic will be returning to Rosegreen this weekend.