Check out the view from connections ahead of Friday’s action at Newmarket and York.
Newmarket
Royal Ascot heroine Porta Fortuna has the chance to cap a fine first half of the summer when she takes on her elders for the first time in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on Friday.
Donnacha O’Brien’s star filly proved she was the cream of the Classic crop when winning a red-hot renewal of the Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting, but now she faces a new challenge and a more experienced cast of rivals on the July course.
This is expected to be Porta Fortuna’s final action before a short summer break and her team are keen to see conditions in Newmarket remain dry to ensure the daughter of Caravaggio is seen at her best.
“She’s in good form and everything has gone well since Ascot – we’re very happy with her,” said O’Brien.
“The Coronation Stakes was probably as strong a fillies’ race as you could have and all the best three-year-olds were there, maybe barring Fallen Angel, and she proved herself top class.
“I would be worried if it stayed soft and her two worst runs last year – even though she never ran badly – were on ground that was slightly easier, but there isn’t much rain due on the forecast and Newmarket can dry out quickly, so we’re hoping it can dry out before the race.
“The plan was to go either here or the Prix Rothschild. We’ll probably give her a little break after this and start her back in the autumn in the Matron Stakes and hopefully end up at the Breeders’ Cup at the end of the year.”
Also on the scoresheet at the Royal meeting was Running Lion, who roared back to her best in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes having been dropped back to a mile with good effect of late.
Her training team of John and Thady Gosden won this with Nashwa 12 months ago and attempt to repeat the feat with the four-year-old, who will be partnered by Oisin Murphy.
“I was gutted to not win the Princess Elizabeth on Running Lion at Epsom on Derby Day, so it was good to put it right at Royal Ascot,” said Murphy ahead of the British Champions Series event.
“She was able to do her own thing and enjoyed meeting the ground. She was an impressive winner there.
“A mile is probably her minimum distance, and it won’t be to her disadvantage if the ground is on the easy side at Newmarket, although it doesn’t get that slow there unless you have crazy weather.
“Porta Fortuna has a lot of pace and she’s been very well campaigned. She’s done well from two to three and she deserves to be favourite.”
Joseph O’Brien’s Rogue Millennium was the defending champion when just over four lengths adrift of Running Lion at Ascot, but her handler believes this is the perfect place to see the 1,650,000 guineas transfer show her true colours following two defeats this term.
O’Brien said: “I suppose there is a lot of rain in Newmarket this week and we will be watching conditions, but we think this is the right spot for her and we’re looking forward to getting her out again.
“It’s fair to say her best form is on better ground, so we would be keen for conditions to dry out.
“She seems well and has trained well since Ascot, so we’re looking forward to seeing her run again.”
There is further Irish participation in the form of Adrian Murray’s Magical Sunset and Paddy Twomey’s A Lilac Rolla, with the latter looking to regain the winning thread having tasted her first defeat in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
Although surrendering her unbeaten record, she lost nothing in defeat when second to Fallen Angel at the Curragh and her trainer is backing her to get in the mix over what he feels is her optimum distance.
“She’s a progressive filly who won two nice races last year and has done well from two to three,” said Twomey.
“Her form this year has been pretty good and the Falmouth or the Prix Rothschild was always the midsummer target after she won an Irish Guineas trial and was second in the Irish Guineas itself. We’ll then probably be looking at something like the Matron Stakes.
“Billy (Lee) is back on here. He rode our other filly Purple Lily at the Curragh, but that’s just the way it fell. They are two good fillies and Purple Lily is going for the Irish Oaks next weekend.
“I’d imagine this one is a miler, and we are hoping there’s a bit more to come from her still. She’s raced against (Coronation Stakes runner-up) Opera Singer twice and beaten her twice, and she’s a filly on the improve.”
Roger Varian’s hat-trick seeking Jabaara returns to Group One company having excelled at Listed level of late, while it is David Menuisier’s Sirona who completes the line-up having placed twice over seven furlongs this term.
“She did something special against the colts over seven furlongs at Haydock last time when second to Tiber Flow,” said Menuisier.
“She relaxed more there than when she ran at Lingfield, and she was rallying really strongly, so I got the strong impression she’s ready for a mile now.
“We might as well have a crack at a fillies’ race at the top level – and all things being equal, she should run really well. I’m a bit worried about the ground but hopefully it’s going to dry out by Friday.”
2.25 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes
Royal Ascot runner-up Mighty Eriu gets another shot at big-race honours in the bet365-sponsored Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.
A promising second on her racecourse debut at the Curragh in early June, Gavin Cromwell’s filly was snapped up by the Qatar Racing team prior to contesting the Queen Mary Stakes and did her connections proud with a fantastic effort to chase home Leovanni at odds of 50-1.
The performance came as no surprise to her trainer, who is hopeful she can make her presence felt once more in Friday’s six-furlong Group Two.
“It was a great run at Ascot, obviously. I don’t know why she went off as big a price as she was, she was a big drifter on the day for no apparent reason. I thought she’d run well and she did, so we were delighted,” said Cromwell.
“It looks a very good renewal (of the Duchess of Cambridge), but she seems to be going into the race in good form and I’m hoping they don’t get much more rain.
“I think going back up to six furlongs will be fine. Obviously, if the ground is slower, it might be a small concern, so hopefully the ground is not too slow.
“She seems in good form and we’re hoping for a good run.”
Cromwell has an interesting second string to his bow in the form of Fiery Lucy, who confirmed the promise of a narrow defeat on her introduction at Cork by winning comfortably on her second start at Fairyhouse four weeks ago.
The trainer added: “I think the trip won’t be a problem with her, she could potentially go further, and she seems in good form at home.
“Obviously it’s a big step up from the Fairyhouse race, but we’re hopeful of a good run.”
Aidan O’Brien’s Heavens Gate and the Charlie Appleby-trained Mountain Breeze renew rivalry after finishing third and fourth respectively in Royal Ascot’s Albany Stakes.
Ryan Moore opted to ride Heavens Gate’s winning stablemate Fairy Godmother in Berkshire but will be back on board the former on the July Course.
He told Betfair: “Heavens Gate has progressed from race to race and hopefully that upward trend continues here.
“She clearly ran a great race when third in the Albany last time, looking the likely winner at one stage, and that puts her among the form horses here in what is admittedly a very competitive Group Two, albeit one lacking a clear stand-out going into the race.”
Of Mountain Breeze, Appleby said on the Godolphin website: “We have been very pleased with how she has come out of Royal Ascot, and she looks to have done well physically since.
“Based on that, and looking at the shape of the race, we feel that she should be very competitive.”
Adrian Nicholls saddles the Queen Mary third Maw Lam, with George Boughey’s impressive recent Carlisle scorer Bountiful also of interest in an open race.
Boughey said: “I was pleased with her but not surprised at Carlisle. It was a warm enough race I think, with the (Ralph) Beckett horse (Megalithic, finished third) being fancied and Bountiful seems to have done well since then.
“It will be notably different ground I’d imagine – it was fast ground at Carlisle – but her pedigree would suggest she should have a chance of handling it and I’m looking forward to seeing her over a stiff six furlongs.”
York
Following an originally unplanned appearance and ultimate victory at Royal Ascot, Unequal Love returns to Plan A in the William Hill Summer Stakes at York on Friday.
A Listed winner on her seasonal debut at Newmarket, the daughter of Dutch Art then journeyed to Ireland where she finished a creditable fifth against hardened sprinters in the Group Two Greenlands Stakes.
Connections were initially minded to keep their powder dry for this week’s Group Three assignment on the Knavesmire – but on the request of Cheveley Park Stud owner Patricia Thompson, Unequal Love did turn up in Berkshire and the decision paid off as she claimed top honours in the Wokingham Stakes.
“This was the plan really, to go straight to York, but Mrs Thompson asked William (Haggas) if she could have the filly run on the Saturday of Royal Ascot and it was rather fun and a good giggle for everybody to see her win there,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson.
“She showed her class and came out of the race really well. She’s an absolutely beautiful filly and while she’s by Dutch Art, she’s very much a Pivotal to look at and looks progressive.
“We were concerned about the quick ground and the draw at Ascot and it didn’t seem to be a problem at all. I think they’ve had a lot of rain at York, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
“She’s a classy filly in the making and the run in the Group Two in Ireland showed the class she has.”
One of Unequal Love’s biggest threats appears to be Great Generation, who is already a Group Three winner having lunged late to land the Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield in early May.
Marco Botti has since saved his three-year-old for this race and is confident of a bold showing.
He said: “This has been the plan for a while and as long as the ground doesn’t change dramatically, I think she’ll go, as she’s handled soft ground in the past.
“She’s in great order and the drop back from seven to six furlongs I don’t think is going to be an issue – she has plenty of speed.
“Obviously she carries a 3lb penalty, but she’s a nice filly who won well in the Chartwell Stakes.
“It’s not an easy race, but I’m sure she’s there with a good chance.”
Adaay In Devon has already enjoyed an excellent season for trainer Rod Millman, with three wins supplemented by placed efforts in Group Three and Listed company.
“At the start of the season, as she’d had such a successful season last year and had a handicap rating of 95, I did think she might struggle this year because of her mark. But she’s proved me wrong,” said the Devon-based trainer.
“She keeps improving every time we run her. She has won two Listed races and a valuable handicap and been placed in a Group Three. She keeps pulling out a little bit more.
“She’s had a nice break, a few weeks off, and has come back training very well. I took her for an away gallop last weekend – one of my fellow trainers here, Stuart Kittow, has got one of the best gallops around. It was just somewhere different to go and it did her good.
“She did a nice bit of work just to put her straight and I’m looking forward to a very good run. She likes soft ground, so any rain at York is a benefit to us.”
Unequal Love is one of two runners for William Haggas, along with another Listed winner in Pink Crystal.
Other contenders include the first and second from the Listed Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury, the Owen Burrows-trained Raqiya and Funny Story from Ralph Beckett’s yard.
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