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HKJC World Pool Golden Fleece Stakes (Group 1)

14:45 Leopardstown Sat 12 Sep 2026 1m1f0y Class 1 Good 10 runners

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Mr Fox’s call

Darkness Falls silks

Darkness Falls

SPECULATIVE Advised 13/8 SP 1/1F Est. 32%

🏆 WON

Mr Fox says

Darkness Falls (SR 83, 13/8) is the A P O'Brien yard's clear #1 runner: booked Ryan Moore (24% career strike rate, the stable's go-to rider), the tightest price in the field by a wide margin, and a form line of 31 that shows improvement into a recent win on a 14-day turnaround — suggesting peak freshness rather than any concern. While Quest For Stars (SR 110) posts the field's strongest Saturday Rating with an unbeaten 111 form line, Darkness Falls carries the market's full confidence and Moore's booking over three stablemates is a decisive signal that O'Brien views this horse as the yard's principal weapon. Quest For Stars is stepping up in class (MarkMv:+10 means racing off a mark 10lb higher than at last win) and crosses from Appleby's British operation to Leopardstown's Good ground — a legitimate question mark. The 13/8 price is tight but justified by the convergence of elite pilot, powerful yard, recent winning form, and no meaningful drift. Each-way alternative: Quest For Stars. Main danger: Quest For Stars — Quest For Stars (SR 110, 9/2) carries the field's highest Saturday Rating, arrives unbeaten in three starts with slight market support (in 7%), and if the MarkMv:+10 penalty proves manageable at Group 1 level, Charlie Appleby's 33% trainer strike rate ensures it will arrive cherry-ripe.

Verify· #17370

Full result

Winner: Darkness Falls (IRE) at SP 1/1F. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

  1. 1 Darkness Falls silks Darkness Falls Fox #1 A P O'Brien · Ryan Moore 6/4
  2. 2 Jesus Green silks Jesus Green Joseph Patrick O'Brien · Colin Keane 22/1
  3. 3 Quest For Stars silks Quest For Stars Fox #2 Charlie Appleby · James Doyle 11/2
  4. 4 Pikachu silks Pikachu Charlie Johnston · David Egan 14/1
  5. 5 Green Dreamer silks Green Dreamer Fox #4 Joseph Patrick O'Brien · J M Sheridan 6/1
  6. 6 Nola Soul silks Nola Soul Fox #3 J A Stack · Seamie Heffernan 8/1
  7. 7 Shakespeare silks Shakespeare A P O'Brien · Pierre-Charles Boudot 15/2
  8. 8 Zarak Pasha silks Zarak Pasha Joseph Patrick O'Brien · Declan McDonogh 28/1
  9. 9 Victory Speech silks Victory Speech A P O'Brien · Gavin Ryan 33/1
  10. — Aix La Chapelle silks Aix La Chapelle A P O'Brien · Christophe Soumillon 11/1

Top 4 — how each finished

  1. 1 Darkness Falls silks Darkness Falls 13/8 SP 1/1F 🏆 WON
  2. 2 Quest For Stars silks Quest For Stars 9/2 🥉 3RD
  3. 3 Nola Soul silks Nola Soul 7/1 6TH
  4. 4 Green Dreamer silks Green Dreamer 13/2 5TH