Economics won the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown after a hard-fought battle with Auguste Rodin.
The William Haggas-trained colt won comfortably with Dante at York in May and then impressed with a strong showing in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville.
Tom Marquand entered his Group 1 opener as the 7-4 favourite and was content to bide his time from the outermost post.
He was running strong all the time, gaining ground with every stride, and Marquand waited to press the button as his sturdy chestnut horse raced straight for home.
Luxembourg, a perennial leader, was initially a formidable opponent but as the finish line approached it was his stablemate Auguste Rodan, trained by Aidan O’Brien, who became Ecomomix’s biggest threat.
After a tough battle with the defending champion in the closing stages, Economics stuck his big white nose out to claim a thrilling neck-snatch victory.
He is rated 3-1 to 6-4 favourite by both Paddy Power and Betfair to win next month’s Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot Racecourse and could become just the seventh horse to win in Britain at the same track, following his Irish Champion Stakes victory.
“He wasn’t looking too good but he got the job done and the way he carried his head in the last furlong was fantastic, he really put his head down,” said jockey Haggas.
“I thought another horse would come along and I’d lose, but I did.
“I’m really happy for him and he’s developing well. As long as we don’t push him too hard this year, he’s got a big future.”
“I hope to see him again. We’ve always intended to race him in the Champion Stakes at Ascot so I’m excited to see what happens.” Sheikh Isa [owner] He is so committed and I am so much happier for him than I am for him.”
It was the second Group 1 win of the afternoon for the Big Race jockey on Economics, with Marquand complementing his win in the Matron Stakes aboard Porta Fortuna.
The jockey was ecstatic about his horse, saying: “This horse is more than I could have dreamed of. Not only is he a very good racehorse, he’s also a true warrior. He’s very talented.”
“There were moments of worry, but it always felt like he was there and Auguste Rodin obviously delivered a fantastic performance, just as we expected.
“I’m just excited. This is a really big thing for Sheikh Isa and William. I think it’s something we can all go home happy about. It was probably a very difficult big decision made at the start of the season, but now the decision has been justified. Not only is he a good horse, he’s also a warrior and there aren’t many horses that are both.”
He continued: “I’ll be honest with you, I changed my plan a couple of times. There were a couple of times I thought I had him in a good position but for some reason I wasn’t happy, so I went a little further. This horse has a really great trait of being able to go strong and then slow down after 10 strides.”
“I just tinkered with it a little, but he had to struggle because Auguste Rodin looked as good as he did. He must have been very good.”
“He continues to be so exciting and I think next year will really be his year. I’ve been so pleased to have him with me so far and I look forward to seeing what he does in the future.”
This was jockey Sheikh Issa’s second win at the highest level, following his victory in the 2022 Commissioner’s Fillies Mile, and even better, he watched Economics win a race he sponsored.
“He should have been excited because he was going in with a chance to win,” he said. “The exciting thing is that he did it and proved to everybody that he’s a real horse. He beat some of the best horses in the world.”
“It is fantastic for the Kingdom of Bahrain to be able to sponsor one of the greatest one-furlong races of all time.
“From my position as an owner and from our position as racing authorities, this is a win-win.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for a horse like him and as William said, ‘we have that one.’ I’m so proud and so grateful.”
The decision to skip the Epsom Derby after his strong performance in the Dante Stakes has now been proven justified, with Sheikh Isa adding: “There was some discussion but in the end he [Haggas] He knows the horses better than I do, and we have a strong bond of trust.
“There has to be a relationship of trust between racehorse trainers and owners.”
As for the future, he added: “I’m dreaming of enjoying today, and tomorrow we’ll bounce back and make a decision as a team.”
O’Brien was disappointed to see Auguste Rodan lose, but was somewhat comforted by Jan Bruegel’s victory in the St Leger just 15 minutes later, and confirmed that Rodan, who was sadly unsuccessful in defending his title, would compete in the Japan Cup.
“I’m very happy, he ran a great race. The plan was to come here and then go to Japan and I’d say it was great preparation for that,” he said.
“It was a good horse that won and we’re really pleased. This is a good three-year-old who won the Dante Stakes and had a great preparation at Deauville. We’re delighted for everyone involved and Tom gave a great ride.”
“The plan was to go straight to Japan and get fresh and, of course, I felt I could compete in the Breeders’ Cup, but it might be too close. The plan was always to come here and get fresh and then go to Japan. Everything went perfectly today except for not winning.”
