PARIS, France (AFP) — Scandinavia dug deep to land the English St Leger, with Delacroix following up in the Irish Champion Stakes to give trainer Aidan O’Brien a dream Saturday on both sides of the Irish Sea.

At Doncaster, Scandinavia was sent off 2-1 favourite ahead of his Epsom Derby-winning stablemate Lambourn to give O’Brien his ninth success in the world’s oldest classic — first run in 1776.

“He’s got the most beautiful temperament,” said jockey Tom Marquand, winning a second Leger after Galileo Chrome, trained by O’Brien’s son Joseph in 2020.

Scandinavia, who could now be aiming at the Melbourne Cup in November, stayed on strongly to hold off the fast-finishing Rahiebb by a neck.

Stay True, also trained by Aidan O’Brien, and Lambourn filled third and fourth, respecetively, in the one-mile, six-furlong (2800m) stamina test.

One hour later, over at Leopardstown, south of Dublin, Delacroix stamped his authority on the Group One Irish Champion, sprinting clear early in the straight to comfortably hold off
Anmaat.

With regular rider Ryan Moore out for the rest of the season with a broken leg, O’Brien had called up 10-time former French champion jockey Christophe Soumillon to act as super-sub.

And Soumillon justified O’Brien’s faith with a faultless performance in the saddle as Delacroix added to his success in the Eclipse Stakes in the summer.

This was O’Brien’s 13th success in the one mile and two furlongs (2000m) feature, 26 years after Giant’s Causeway had set the ball rolling back at the turn of the millennium.

Japan’s Shin Emperor, seeking to improve on last year’s third, failed to fire and came in sixth of the eight runners.