Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics ruled out of Royal Ascot

June 10, 2025

Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics has been ruled out of a targeted reappearance at Royal Ascot.

His trainer William Haggas confirmed the four-year-old will miss an intended return in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, for which he was one of the market leaders with horse racing betting sites.

Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles currently heads the betting for the 1m 2f feature race on day two of next week’s festival.

Economics reached the mountaintop in September when winning the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, fending off O’Brien’s Auguste Rodin in a finish for the ages.

WATCH: Economics wins the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown

WHAT A FINISH!

Economics denies Auguste Rodin in the @BahrainTurfClub Irish Champion Stakes!

A brilliant run from Japanese raider Shin Emperor in third, too #シンエンペラー | #競馬 | @netkeiba @LeopardstownRC | @TomMarquand | @WilliamHaggas pic.twitter.com/Kcjv0GWVvA

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 14, 2024

Haggas said on Tuesday morning: “Unfortunately, Economics won’t make Royal Ascot and is out in the short term, but it’s no big deal and hopefully he can be back in action soon.

“Economics had an awayday at Newbury, where he worked nicely and the most important thing was his scope was clean after the work.

“We were happy with him but we found he had pulled a muscle afterwards, so we’ve had to back off him since and I’m afraid we’ve run out of time for Ascot.”

Economics is not the first high profile Ascot contender to be ruled out this week after O’Brien’s Lake Victoria also suffered a setback and will miss the Coronation Stakes.

A fragile horse, Economics bled from the nose after impressing in the Dante Stakes at York last May and wasn’t seen again until another taking performance in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville three months later.

Haggas withdrew Economics from the Epsom Derby entries days before he won the race’s most valuable trial, feeling that remaining at a mile and a quarter rather than going up another two furlongs was in the horse’s best interest.

He was unable to back up the promise from his Leopardstown heroics when unsuited by soft ground in the British Champion Stakes at Ascot in October, finishing sixth behind Anmaat – where he was reported to have bled once again.

The colt by Night Of Thunder was pushed out to 10/1 from 6/1 for the Coral Eclipse at Sandown on July 5 and it’s looking likely he’ll be targeted towards the biggest autumn prizes.

Economics holds entries in the Irish Champion Stakes on September 13 where he could defend his crown alongside contesting the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 5 at Longchamp.

He was given an Arc entry last year too but the decision was made to explore stepping up in trip with a more mature horse at four.