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| Staff Writer |
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Al Riffa, a Wootton Bassett colt, is set to compete in the Group One Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday, according to Joseph O'Brien.
The horse has finished as the runner-up in both of its outings this season - in the Gr.3 International Stakes at the Curragh in July and in a Group two at Deauville this month.
O'Brien mentioned in an interview on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast that Al Riffa had a great performance in France recently, and that the upcoming race was the plan since then.
The horse's preparation has gone well and they are excited to be participating in a highly competitive race.
“He’s a lightly-raced colt coming off the back of a very good run and we think he can step forward from that run again.
“He’s ended up on ground with a bit of juice in it through no fault of his own and we think he’ll have no problem handling the quicker surface. We think he’s fairly versatile going-wise.
“We are looking potentially at the Arc and the British Champion Stakes after Leopardstown and he has the option of some international races further afield, but we are taking it one step at a time.”
In the previous year's Irish Champions Festival, Al Riffa emerged victorious in a Gr.1 race at the National Stakes.