Auguste Rodin bounced back to his best once more to hold off stablemate Luxembourg in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
The dual Derby hero has thrown in two extremely poor performances this season, but that didn't deter punters as the beautifully-bred son of Deep Impact was sent off the 11/4 market leader to provide trainer Aidan O'Brien with a record-extending twelfth Irish Champion Stakes.
Auguste Rodin was all the rage to make a winning start to his three-year-old campaign at Newmarket back in May but ran no race whatsoever and could only manage to beat two rivals' home on the Rowley Mile. However, O'Brien, also known as the master of Ballydoyle, worked his magic as Auguste Rodin bounced back from his Newmarket flop to claim Epsom Derby glory on the Surrey Downs just a month later. He followed up in workmanlike style to record back-to-back Derby's at the Curragh in July but yet again supports were left scratching their heads as Auguste Rodin was virtually pulled-up in the King George at Ascot later in the month.
Another O'Brien masterclass was in order if Auguste Rodin was to give the trainer a fifth-straight Irish Champions Stakes victory and who could ever have doubted the Ballydoyle magician.
In contrast to at Ascot just two months ago, Auguste Rodin travelled with zest and enthusiasm in behind his two stablemates Point Lonsdale and Luxembourg, who helped push the pace at the head of affairs.
Ryan Moore peeled his mount off the rail rounding the final bend and he soon quickened up to lead with a furlong to run. Nashwa attempted to close from the rear of the field but could never quite get on terms with the two Ballydoyle inmates and Auguste Rodin was half a length too strong for the front-running Luxembourg (4/1) at the line.
Nashwa (9/2) finished in third for the Gosden's and Hollie Doyle, while King Of Steel, who never quite looked able to get organised down the straight, was a further half-length behind in fourth for Kevin Stott and owners AMO Racing.
O'Brien said: "I have to thank Michael [Tabor] for having the confidence in everybody to relax and calm down and come back [after Ascot]. Ryan gave him an incredible ride,"
"We're so grateful to so many of the team that made it happen. He was always a brilliant horse, all the way along, from the first day he worked. He travels like a dream and has an awful lot of natural speed. He's a little bit lazy when he gets there.
"A couple of times this year it just all went totally wrong. All the ducks went against him, you usually want them all to go with you, but it all went against him.
"In Ascot, all went completely wrong, so Ryan took him out of the race, so he did no mental or physical damage to him. He came out of the race so well.
"He's a dream horse really, he travels and quickens and he's a little bit lazy when he gets there."
Reflecting on his poor performance in the King George at Ascot, he added: "I suppose everything went wrong. The ground went against him, he was drawn wide, we turned it into a Leger and he's a horse that's all class, we flew [to England].
"There were so many reasons that it could go wrong and if even half of those changed the other way, we knew we had a big shout today.
"He went by boat to Epsom and that was one of the common denominators that wasn't stacking up, the flying.
"Maybe if he flies again, he needs to go with a little bit of time, and a little bit of time to get over it."
O'Brien continued: "He's a very brilliant horse, very tough and very hardy, but he's a little bit peculiar. Anne-Marie [O'Brien's, wife] was watching him in the stable and if something is happening in his environment, he stays awake all night and doesn't sleep. He's probably a very sensitive horse and takes in everything.
"The lads never panicked in any way. Everyone knows what he's worth and how important he is to be breed and it was very easy to say, 'that's the end', but they never did. Michael always says he wants to race.
"We always talk to Michael, Derrick [Smith], John [Magnier] and George [Westerberg] after a week or 10 days, but I know the lads love the Breeders' Cup and there is probably a good chance he'll go there. That is very possible.
"I'd say it would be for the Turf, I'd be afraid of the dirt [Classic] just in case anything happened."
Paddy Power cut the winner from 6/1 to 7/2 favourite for Champion Stakes success at Ascot in October, while the same firm cut him from 16/1 to 7/2 to land the Breeders' Cup Turf on the back of O'Brien's post-race comments.
