Alan Dudman Antepost Tips: Two fillies to impress in Ireland at 14/1 and 6/1

• Ten races priced up on the Sportsbook for ICF

• McCreery's exciting filly looks worthy of her place

• Bradsell and Hanalia also on the shortlist for the weekend

Irish Champion Stakes at the mercy of Ecomonics

Expectations are high going into the weekend and a sparkling two days of the Irish Champion Festival awaits with 10 of the races from Leopardstown and the Curragh all priced up on the Sportsbook.

We've got a slew of short priced favourites on Saturday, as in truth, the Sunday Curragh card looks more of a punting one, but the Irish Champion Stakes sees Ecomonics put his improving credentials to the test with the best of Aidan O'Brien.

Economics, a splendid winner of the Dante earlier in the season earned a hefty Timeform rating of 121p, boosted that by three pounds with the Halifax massive after his latest win in France.

Still raw on the Dante run, he was a shade keen too at Deauville, but he's clearly top class. I think he deserves to be a short price at 11/102.11, but whether I want to play at the price is another matter altogether.

Auguste Rodin is next best in the betting at 5/23.50 and while clearly top class himself, he does throw in the odd bad one and was most disappointing in the bizarre race that was the King George VI last time out.

Los Angeles has an entry for the St Leger too but is 5/16.00 for this and Ghostwriter, an honourable third in the Juddmonte International in my mind isn't quite good enough.

Shin Emperor from Japan has arrived in Europe for an ambitious tilt at this race and the Arc later in the season, a horse bought for 2.1million as a yearling with a lofty brother called Sottsass - who triumphed in the 2020 Arc but was fourth in the Irish Champion previously.

Two things here; will this be a prep? And will he have the pace for 1m2f? He's at 12/113.00 on the Sportsbook.

Ecomonics, if he can continue his upward trajectory has the beating of Auguste Rodin here, but his trainer William Haggas has expressed concerns about fast ground in the past with him and has looked after his constructive gifts. And that's a factor for me not putting him up as a bet.

Jancis has a chance to impress in Matron on Saturday

It really is a golden soaked card on Saturday and the Matron is another Group 1, and another with a short priced favourite in Porta Fortuna at 11/102.11.

Donnacha O'Brien's star turn is becoming a Group 1 win-machine and she was super smooth at Newmarket last time at the top level to win easily, and in the process overcoming the slight fears about the fast ground there.

O'Brien Jnr, Jnr, said: "She had been working well since Royal Ascot and everything went very smooth. We were very happy coming here although a short price favourite in a Group One race is always a bit of pressure."

Again, short priced suggest a mere formality, but if there is an each-way bet here it could be Jancis.

William McCreery has gone through a fairly quiet season, but he has a filly that has displayed well-above average talent in her two unbeaten starts thus far.

She won on debut and was totally unfancied at 40/141.00 at Leopardstown, but flew home with a withering turn of foot to impress. She bettered that in Group 3 company on her next start.

That was impressive. She ate up the ground in the final furlong, and the sign of a good horse is to settle a race instantly. Indeed, her two final sectionals were 11.11 seconds and 11.57 seconds - miles quicker than anything else in the field.

Plenty of these opponents are exposed, and as ever with this age bracket and fillies, they can find masses of improvement from first to second, and second to third start.

McCreery's post race verdict was very positive, he said: "Jancis is a lovely filly and a real athlete. We just took our time with her, we're happy with that, and we'll come back here for the Matron. She's a light-framed filly and I don't think we will do anything before that. I love the way she picked up when she went through the gears and Billy thinks there is more there."

She was pretty much eased down too last time, and she is well worth a chance at taking in a top level race.

Hanalia for the Blandford

Joseph O'Brien has had a recent stranglehold on the Blandford Stakes with the the past two winners with Lumiere Rock and Above The Curve, and the former defends her crown from last year with the trainer having a slew of entries accounting for half of the field on Wednesday.

However, I've got previous with Hanalia and she's a massive price at 14/115.00 judged on her sixth in the Irish Oaks at the track back in July.

She was denied room in that, like so many in the race, and was stepped back 3f in distance in the Snow Fairy last time out but messed up her start and finished second.

Up to 1m2f will suit her better for this, and her trainer Johnny Murtagh said after her CD win earlier in the season: "She ran really well at Gowran and I was worried about the ground but Ben said the Gowran ground was a lot worse than today. She got through it well. It's a good trip for her."

Indeed, a good trip for her, and with drying ground she looks overpriced.

Bradsell to justify favouritism in the Flying Five

Bradsell crosses the sea after his Nunthorpe success - a win that couldn't have gone any smoother with a perfect draw over the far side with the pace to aim at, and at 13/82.63 with the sprinting division so pitifully thin on options, his best form would be more than enough to take this.

Archie Watson's sprinter has a chance now to put himself well above the others in the sprinting ranks.

Elsewhere in the Group 1 Moyglare on Sunday, Aidan O'Brien is looking to win the race for the first time since 2019 (a barren spell!) and his army of purple and white entries have scared off everyone.

Bedtime Story at 8/111.73 was sensational at Royal Ascot in the summer, and has since won both of her starts and has been odds of 1/161.06 in Group 2 and Group 3 wins.

O'Brien said after the Debutante win: "We didn't want to go too fast today as it was a prep for the next day. She has a lot of speed early and Ryan was lovely on her as we didn't want to empty her out today. She needed to get down and race a little bit late, but we couldn't be happier really. She'll go for the Moyglare now ."

From 1/161.06 to 8/111.73 looks like manna from heaven.

Now read Alan Dudman's Antepost column on the St Leger meeting here!