Irish Champion Stakes and St Leger go to Delacroix and Scandinavia for OBrien

Aidan OBrien enjoyed a remarkable weekend as his stable provided the main attractions on both sides of the Irish Sea, with Delacroix powering to victory in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday and Scandinavia edging out rivals to win the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster. The results came amid disrupted jockey plans for Ballydoyle, with retained rider Ryan Moore sidelined by a fractured femur and second-choice Wayne Lordan serving a ten-day whip suspension.

At Leopardstown, Christophe Soumillon produced Delacroix for a decisive Group 1 success, the three-year-old son of Dubawi coming home clear to claim Ireland's premier middle-distance contest. OBrien praised the performance, saying Delacroix was "so quick" and that when Soumillon urged him he "took off." The victory, on a card that forms the opening day of Irish Champions Weekend, was described by OBrien as one that leaves options open for the horse's future programmes.

Moore, writing in his World Pool blog while sidelined, said Irish Champions Weekend would be "a hard one to watch" from the sidelines and offered analysis of several Leopardstown races, singling out Delacroix as the right favourite given the colt's...