The Irish flat racing season reaches its pinnacle this weekend when Longines Irish Champions Weekend, now in its sixth year, taking place at Leopardstown and the Curragh.

Horses from France, Britain and Japan will travel to Ireland for the two-day meet which includes six Group 1 races and €4.6m in total prize money.

Leopardstown is on Saturday and features two Group 1 races; the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes and the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes. Magical, Magna Grecia, British raider Headman and the Japanese mare Deirdre are set to take their chances in the 10-furlong Irish Champion Stakes, worth €1.25m.

Last week officials at the track were forced to move the card to an earlier slot in order to avoid a direct clash with the All-Ireland football final replay. The first race now takes place at 1:55pm, moving back from a 3:05pm original start, with the Irish Champion Stakes now due off at 4:15pm.

There are four Group 1 races at the Curragh on Sunday, featuring the final Irish classic of the season, the Comer Group International Irish St Leger. However, even with all that class on display, the race that could steal the show for the entire weekend is Pat Smullen’s Champions Race for Cancer Trials Ireland, which has hauled the likes of Ruby Walsh, Sir Anthony McCoy and Johnny Murtagh out of retirement.

Smullen was due to ride in the race himself before unfortunately taking ill again, but will be on hand at the Curragh on what promises to be a very special occassion. The whole racing industry has gotten behind the initiative in a bid to raise as much money as possible. Chris Hayes is among several high-profile jockeys who has pledged to donate all of his riding fees for the weekend towards the charity while there is also an auction with hugely valuable prizes being held on line.

Condon to appeal Moulin result

Two Irish-trained horses fought out the finish of the Group 1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on Sunday, Aidan O’Brien’s Circus Maximus (ridden by Ryan Moore) just getting the better of Ken Condon’s Romanised (Billy Lee).

However, a stewards enquiry was called after the pair came close together as a result of Circus Maximus drifting left in the dying strides, and though the result remained unaltered, Condon confirming he was to appeal the result on Tuesday.

The winning margin was only a nose which has led many observers to believe Romanised would have won his second Group 1 of the season and third overall.