Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes
Group 1, Newmarket 15:35
£275,000 added,
Fillies 3yo plus,
1m, Class 1   
Friday 12th July 2024

Boylesports

1 Porta Fortuna 10/11F
2 Jabaara 18/1
3 Rogue Millennium 9/1
3 A Lilac Rolla 9/2
7 ran Distances: 3¾l, hd, dht
Time: 1m 37.68s (slow by 0.08s)

Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna, a Group One winner at two in the Cheveley Park Stakes, began her Classic campaign by finishing second to Elmalka in the 1000 Guineas on the Rowley Mile. She then reversed that form to win the Coronation Stakes at the royal meeting last month.

Having proven her stamina over the mile, Porta Fortuna was the 10-11 favourite to secure a third top-level win on the July Course. Under Ryan Moore, she asserted her dominance against her elders.

Running Lion, the Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner at Royal Ascot, led the race under Oisin Murphy, with Porta Fortuna positioned perfectly behind. However, Running Lion weakened with more than two furlongs to go, leaving Porta Fortuna in front earlier than Moore, who was deputising for Tom Marquand, might have preferred.

Despite this, Porta Fortuna continued to impress, finishing three and three-quarter lengths ahead of the improving Jabaara.

Rogue Millennium and Irish 1,000 Guineas runner-up A Lilac Rolla dead-heated for third.

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O’Brien said: “With any Group One, there’s always some pressure but she’s delivered. All the best three-year-olds were there, so it’s nice to see her go and do it again.

“I don’t know what is next, we’ll take her home and have a think. I think it’s sensible to give her a little break now, then prepare her for the Matron (Leopardstown, Irish Champions Weekend), Sun Chariot and then Breeders’ Cup, something like that.

“I think the Filly & Mare is one-mile-three this year, if it was a mile-one, we’d be tempted to have a go, so it would probably be the Mile against the boys, which will be tough but all of her owners are American, so it would be nice for them, it’s always been the plan.

“She means a lot to me, you’re always trying to find one good one a year to take you to the Group Ones and she’s doing that.”

Moore, who partnered Porta Fortuna for the first time, added: “She’s a great filly and she has always shown plenty, she’s an Albany winner and a Cheveley Park winner who ran very well at the Breeders’ Cup after that.

“She ran well in the Guineas and then went and won the Coronation this year, she’s never run a bad race.

“She’s straightforward, I was fast out of the gates, we weren’t going mad but it was the perfect race really. She’s very uncomplicated and when you couple that with her ability, it makes things easy.

“The way she’s handled her contemporaries and the older fillies here, she’d have no trouble mixing with the boys.”

Varian was delighted with the performance of the runner-up and said: “She ran great, I’m thrilled with her.

“We sort of rolled the dice, she’d won two Listed races and I just thought this race always has a small field and if we could be third, it would be worth running. She’s ended up second, so we’re delighted.

“We’d have loved to have won but hats off to the winner, she’s top class and we were second best.

“She got the mile but I think she’s better at seven (furlongs), but she was ridden just to get the mile – over seven, she has a high cruising speed, she’s a filly with pace and James (Doyle) thought going into the dip she was going really well, but her guts and determination ground out second.

“As long as she comes out of it OK, we’d love to go to Goodwood for the Oak Tree and then see after that, as she’s had a busy summer. Maybe the Foret.”

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Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes
(British Champions Series) (Fillies' Group 1)
£275,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (4)    Porta Fortuna 3 9-0 Donnacha O'Brien Ryan Moore 10/11F
2 (6) 3¾ Jabaara 3 9-0 Roger Varian James Doyle 18/1
3 (1) hd Rogue Millennium 5 9-9 Joseph O'Brien William Buick 9/1
3 (7) dht A Lilac Rolla 3 9-0 P Twomey W J Lee 9/2
5 (2) hd Sirona 4 9-9 David Menuisier Rossa Ryan 22/1
6 (3) 3¼ Magical Sunset 4 9-9 Adrian Murray David Egan 50/1
7 (5) 33 Running Lion 4 9-9 John & Thady Gosden Oisin Murphy 4/1

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