THE Irish Champions Festival was held across two courses—Leopardstown and The Curragh—over the weekend of September 12 and 13, and Saturday’s big race at Leopardstown, the Group One Champion Stakes, was won by the 50/1 outsider of the eight runner field.

IN NATIONAL Hunt Racing all roads lead not to Rome, but to Cheltenham. The four-day festival, held in March each year, has evolved and grown to such significance that discussions and analysis now start many months in advance.