Six British horses to note on Irish Champions Weekend

There will be a strong British party heading to Leopardstown and the Curragh for Irish Champions Weekend, and here are six to note

Country
Trainer: William Haggas
Petingo Handicap (2.30 Leopardstown, Saturday)
Country's winning run came to an end at Sandown last month, but he was not disgraced in defeat when presented with the stiffest task of his career. It was a warm-looking handicap in which he finished fourth and he was noted doing plenty of good work late on. He remains unexposed after just five starts and trainer William Haggas is a master at extracting improvement from horses climbing the handicap ranks.

Headman: could prove star qualityCredit: Grossick Racing 07710461723

Headman
Roger Charlton
Qipco Irish Champion Stakes (4.15 Leopardstown, Saturday)
Headman only won narrowly at a short price at Deauville last time, but he did remarkably well to win at all, enhancing his reputation with a jet-propelled thrust from last to first. The three-year-old is a colt firmly on the up and, having inherited an explosive turn of foot from his sire Kingman, it would be little surprise were he to eclipse his rivals who are more battle-hardened but less exciting. He could just provide star quality to a division that – barring Enable – is solid but unspectacular.

Shawaamekh
Declan Carroll
Sovereign Path Handicap (6.00 Leopardstown, Saturday)
Shawaamekh failed to make it to the racecourse until he was four, but he is making up for lost time and really thriving. The five-year-old has not finished outside the first two in four starts this season and arrives chasing a hat-trick having followed up a win at York with a career-best performance at Thirsk. He has a progressive profile and remains capable of better.

Soldier's Call
Archie Watson
Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (2.25 Curragh, Sunday)
Few sprinters in modern times could have kept pace with Battaash at York last month, such a sensational performance did he produce. However, Soldier's Call also impressed with the speed he showed on the Knavesmire and a repeat performance – in a race missing Battaash – could make him difficult to overhaul. He was well below his best behind Soffia in the Sapphire Stakes on his only start at the Curragh, but that was likely just an off day – there is no reason why a horse shouldn't prove effective on such a fair track.

Pinatubo
Charlie Appleby
Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes (3.35 Curragh, Sunday)
There is no doubt Pinatubo is a juvenile of the highest quality. He has been visually stunning, impressive on the clock and the form is stacking up nicely. He has a stranglehold on the market for the 2,000 Guineas and definitely sets the standard following his Vintage performance at Goodwood. However, Aidan O'Brien, even by his high standards, appears to have a good crop of two-year-olds and Armory looks set to test Pinatubo in what could be one of the standout clashes of the weekend.

Pinatubo: hugely impressive in the Vintage StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Hamish Macbeth
Hugo Palmer
Tattersalls Ireland Sales Race (5.25 Curragh, Sunday)
Hamish Macbeth has a speedy pedigree – by Diamond Jubilee Stakes runner-up Due Diligence and out of a 6f winner – and showed he has clearly inherited plenty of pace with impressive victories at Newmarket and Salisbury. Prior to those wins he was sent off joint-favourite for his debut at Newmarket, which suggests he has always been held in high regard, and the impression he has created so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

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