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And now, here's your host, Emmett Kennedy.

Ahead of a huge weekend of racing at Leopritsown, the Curra for Irish Champions Weekend,

Doncaster for the oldest classic in the world, the St. Ledger.

There's international grade ones in Canada with Charlie Appleby and William Buick going for three, including with notable speech and a fascinating arc trial at Parry Longchamp. Adam Mills is going to talk us through those international races. But first of all, let's catch up with friend of the show, leading trainer Aidan O'Brien, ahead of a massive weekend. Aidan, a pleasure to talk to you as always just before we

talk about your leading horses going in to irish champions weekend and the Doncaster st.

ledger meeting without Ryan Moore without Wayne Lorden how is your approach to the two big

meetings without your main jockeys yeah no sure listen and the lads obviously

Ryan has been during and Wayne got his extension so that isn't that the way it is? And it didn't happen at different times for different reasons. And no, shouldn't have worked on well. We think really. And you've got a good team of people to back you up in fairness. You've got Sean Levy, who won the same ledger for you last year, Tom Marquand, Miguel Barcelona, who's very proven, then Christoph Sumeon has won three group ones for you in the last 12 months alone. Has Christoph been to Bally Doyle to ride any of these horses? No. No, he hasn't. Emmett. No, but he's very straightforward, really a very professional fellow, Christoph. He's a class jockey, and I'm looking forward to seeing him strutting stuff at Leppertstown and at the current. We'll begin with Doncaster, if you don't mind.

You've won the St. Ledger eight times before, including last year with the one-two, and you've got

the first and second favorites for the race this year in Scandinavia and the dual derby winner,

Lambeen. I'm slightly surprised that Lambeborne is the biggest price as he is. How is he

since the run in York? Good. Emma, yeah. I know everything went well. He just had a, didn't have a hard time in York, but he seemed couldn't be happier really. Excellent. And the step up and trip for him, it's always looked as though it would suit him visually. Do you feel like it'll suit him in the race itself. Yeah, it's obviously

he gets a mile and a half well and

obviously this is not far off a two miles

so it will be interesting, but he does stay very well, and he seems to get a mile and a half very strongly. Yeah, I think he could improve for the mile six as well. Scandinavia, we know, is going to be suited by this trip, and he was a really good winner of the Goodwood Cup, and that form has already been boosted by by Sweet William today and it'll be potentially boosted again in the Irish St. Ledger and a horse

by horse we'll talk to you about in a few minutes but um a very very strong favorite and Tom Marquan

should suit him yeah absolutely Tom Rodden has a two-year-old and uh he obviously like you said he

does stay very well and everything has been

well with him sense good wood and so yeah we're looking forward to seeing him now against

three-year-olds so obviously the last time was against the older horses but yeah looking forward

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