'The display was dripping in class' - David Jennings hands out his awards from the Irish Champions Festival

The Irish Champions Festival lived up to its billing with some breathtaking action over the weekend. Here are deputy Ireland editor David Jennings' takeouts from the two days . . .

Performance of the weekend

Tahiyra

Henry Longfellow ran her close, but the fact Bucanero Fuerte didn't run his race in the National Stakes meant it was a soft Group 1, so the vote simply has to go to Tahiyra.

Tahiyra: won the Matron Stakes under Chris HayesCredit: Patrick McCann

She has been the story of the Flat season and added the Matron Stakes to her wins in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes in typically stylish fashion.

The display was dripping in class as Chris Hayes sat motionless passing the two-furlong pole before putting the race to bed in a few strides entering the final furlong in what was arguably the best performance of her entire career. That is something something given what she did in the Moyglare Stakes last year.

Ride of the weekend 

Ryan Moore on Auguste Rodin

"How could it not be Broadhurst," I hear you say, but the fact of the matter is the winner of the final race at Leopardstown on Saturday, who defied an in-running high of 249-1 on the Betfair, was flat out the whole way so it was the only way Moore could have ridden him.

His ride on Auguste Rodin epitomised his excellence. He was always in the right place at the right time and didn't kick too early or too late. When the pressure was at its most intense, he was ice cool. The bigger the race, the better he is.

Had he asked for everything earlier on Auguste Rodin, it might have played into Nashwa's hands and had he waited a little longer it might have offered Luxembourg a lifeline. He made his move at exactly the time the race was there to be won.

Shock of the weekend 

Dawn Rising going off at 7-2

There were only four runners in the Irish St Leger but, even still, how Dawn Rising went off at 7-2 must be added to the list of life's great mysteries.

He wants further for starters and had 17lb to find with Kyprios on the figures. Eldar Eldarov was rated 12lb superior to him as well and it's not as if he was keeping any secrets from us. He always wears his heart on his sleeve and he was making his 13th appearance.

The Queen Alexandra winner is gutsy, a thoroughly likeable individual who gives his all, but how he went off at 7-2, having been as big as 20-1 the previous day, was baffling.

Eyecatcher of the weekend 

Capulet

Diego Velazquez followed in the footsteps of Auguste Rodin by winning the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes but he didn't exactly take your breath away in achieving the feat. In fact, those who took the skimpy odds of 8-15 were probably breathless for most of the home straight as he struggled to shrug off the challenge of Capulet.

Capulet (right): one for the trackerCredit: Patrick McCann

If you kept watching after the horses crossed the line, you would have seen Seamie Heffernan struggling to pull up Capulet. He went a good few furlongs before he eventually came to a standstill and could be that rare thing – a Ballydoyle juvenile who is actually underrated. There is loads more in the tank.

Nor Time Nor Tide, who was third to him when he won his maiden at Dundalk, bolted up next time at Killarney and my guess is Capulet will win a Group 1 at some stage in his career.

Moan of the weekend

Small fields

For half of the Group 1s at the Curragh on Sunday to have only four runners is not good enough. This is the biggest weekend of the whole season in Irish Flat racing, with eyes all over the world glued to the Curragh and Leopardstown, so to see two of the biggest races back-to-back with such small fields is an awful piece of advertising.

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