Irish Champion Stakes trends for Leopardstown 3.20 on Saturday

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change

A talented field of nine runners are set to go to post for the latest renewal of the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.

Al Riffa, Auguste Rodin, King Of Steel and Sprewell represent the Classic crop in the battle of the generations while last year’s first two home, Luxembourg and Onesto, are back for more at the age of four in Saturday’s 15:20 on the first day of the Irish Champions Festival.

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It looks like a tricky punting puzzle so we’ve taken a deep dive into the history books in the hunt for some crucial stats that could help point us towards the identity of the winner.

Irish Champion Stakes odds can be found on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app, otherwise the key trends and a tip based off the big-race stats are below.

Irish Champion Stakes trends

AGE

The Irish Champion Stakes is an all-age race and it is important to note that three-year-olds receive 6lbs from their elders, with the girls receiving an additional 3lbs. Therefore, it is perhaps a tad unsurprising that the Classic generation have won six of the last 10 renewals.

FORM

Proven form at Group 1 level is a must as the last 10 winners of the Irish Champion Stakes had all scored at the top grade before landing the big one at Leopardstown. That is a big mark against King Of Steel, whose greatest success to date was the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes.

LAST TIME OUT

Just five of the last 10 winners went into the Irish Champion Stakes with a victory on their last outing, while nine of those had a run within the last 28 days of the race. Incredibly, not one horse in the field meets both trends.

ODDS

When looking at Paddy Power’s odds for the Irish Champion Stakes it is worth keeping an eye on the head of the betting as nine of the last 10 winners could all be found into the top three of the market.

SEASON

A few outings in the campaign is crucial as nine of the last 10 winners had run three times before scoring at Leopardstown, while eight of those already had two victories on the board for that season. Luxembourg defied both trends to win last year’s renewal.

VERDICT

Epsom Derby hero AUGUSTE RODIN meets the most trends as the three-year-old has a trio of Group 1 successes on his CV, two wins from four outings this term as well as being towards the top of Paddy Power’s betting for the Irish Champion Stakes.

You will need to forgive the Deep Impact colt’s flop in the King George VI last time out, although there are question marks over the other three-year-old’s in the field. King Of Steel and Sprewell have not won a Group 1, while Al Riffa is winless from two starts this year.