Stiff Leopardstown Track To Test Churchill Aidan O'Brien is convinced Churchill will not fail for a lack of stamina when he runs over a mile and a quarter for the second time at Leopardstown today. The dual Guineas winner bids to show his versatility in the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes on the back of a good performance in the Juddmonte International at York, where he went down by two lengths to Ulysses after winning the private battle with fellow three-year-old Barney Roy. That was a pleasing display following an under-par effort behind Barney Roy in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. The Ballydoyle trainer told At The Races: "Ryan (Moore) was very happy with him (at York), other than he didn't win. "We said that he would improve for York, fitness-wise, but it will be interesting. He's in good form. "He's a big, solid horse and that race was over a mile and a quarter. It looked like he got it (the trip), but, obviously, Leopardstown is a stiffer mile and a quarter. "We always felt we'd be very happy going back to a mile any time we wanted to. "Ryan was always very happy that he would get a mile and a quarter. He always had a lot of confidence in him and he rode him like that. That was the right thing to do. "He was a Chesham winner as a two-year-old and very few horses that turn out that early keep going the way he's going." Eminent was only sixth to Churchill in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket but showed what a talented horse he is with a convincing all-the-way win in a Group Two over a mile and a quarter at Deauville last month. "We're really looking forward to it," said trainer Martyn Meade's son and assistant, Freddie. "We've been very happy with him since his run in France. We achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve there - it served as a nice confidence-booster for him. "I think this horse has done well to achieve what he has already this year as he's only just starting to mature and grow into his frame. He's seems to be getting there now. "It's a massive plus to have Frankie Dettori on our side. He's won this race a few (six) times and he's one of the world's best. "We've drawn in stall one, so tactically it should be fairly simple and Frankie will ride him as he finds him."
