Cover image courtesy of Royal Ascot
G1 The Commonwealth Cup, (six furlongs) 1200m - 12.05am AEST (3.05pm local)
Prizemoney: £650,000 (AU$1,238,000)
Emerging from the 2,000 Guineas to take the crown as Sprint King, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's 3-year-old colt Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal {USA}) put genuine star quality into a division that badly needed it when dominating Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Doubts as to whether the long-striding homebred could adapt to this speed test on fast summer ground were instantly dispelled as he moved so comfortably near the front under Tom Eaves.
Allowed to coast to the lead two out, the 9-4 favourite, who could be the best that Kevin Ryan has had through his hands, was able to draw clear from there for a comfortable 2 1/4-length defeat of Lake Forest (USA) (No Nay Never {USA}). Third was Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}).
“He's a machine,” Eaves said of Inisherin, who won the G2 Sandy Lane S. last start following his sixth in the Guineas. “I have ridden some good sprinters, Glass Slippers, Tangerine Trees, Brando, they've all been very good, but we all know how hard they are to come across. He has a lot of class and is a unit of a horse, you see how long it took me to pull up.”
“When I got off him after the Guineas, before I had even opened my mouth Kevin said he was a sprinter. The draw in one isn't exactly where you want to be, but he's a horse with a very good mind, is very relaxed, very uncomplicated and showed that in the way he went through the race. We knew we had something special at home and he's proved now that he's a special horse.”
Inisherin, who has won three of his five starts, continues the remarkable story of his second dam Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}). Her first filly, and third foal, being the unraced Rosaline (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) who in turn produced this year's leading miler Rosallion (Ire) by Shamardal's Blue Point (Ire). Her second filly, and fourth foal, was this colt's dam G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Ajman Princess. Reem Three's other stakes foals include last year's G1 Queen Anne S. Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein winner Ostilio (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), G3 Bengough S. winner Cape Byron (GB) (Shamardal {USA}) and two Listed winners.
G1 The Coronation S., (round old mile) 1600m - 12.45am AEST (3.45pm local)
Prizemoney: £650,000 (AU$1,238,000)
Donnacha O'Brien trainee and G1 1000 Guineas-second 3-year-old filly Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio–Too Precious {Ire}, by Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who won the G3 Albany Stakes on this day last year, doubled her Group 1 tally when emerging best in a stellar renewal of Friday's G1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Porta Fortuna also won last term's G1 Cheveley Park Stakes and on Friday, she raced in a handy third after an alert getaway and slipstreamed Opera Singer (USA) (Justify {USA}) from halfway as Juddmonte's Skellet (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) set the tone up front. Shaken up when angled to the outer for her bid approaching the final furlong, she engaged Opera Singer soon after and, inching ahead with 100 yards remaining, was driven out to deny that rival by a length. 1000 Guineas third and 15-8 favourite Ramatuelle (USA) (Justify {USA}) threatened inside the final quarter-mile and ran on to finish 1 1/2 lengths adrift in third.
“Porta Fortuna is so uncomplicated and Tom [Marquand] gave her a lovely ride,” the winning trainer said. “I was happy the whole way and everything went to plan. It's not too often you can say that, so I'm delighted. She has never missed a beat all along and she hasn't got the credit she deserves. She had two runs before Royal Ascot last year and has literally never missed a race since. She's incredibly sound and incredibly tough and it is a testament to all the team at home. Newmarket is tough. There are a few ridges, they go a hard gallop and there are no hiding places. I think a mile is probably her maximum because she's got so much speed. On a turning track like this, Tom was able to sit on her and use that turn of foot that she has. Races like the [G1] Falmouth might be in the plan. The owners are an American group so I'd say an end-of-year plan would be the Breeders' Cup.”
Porta Fortuna now has five wins from nine starts and is a dual Group 1 winner. She is the first of three reported foals produced by multiple winner Too Precious (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), herself a full-sister to multiple Group 2 winner and G1 Australian Cup runner-up Numerian (Ire) and G3 Prix Francois Boutin third Montesilvano (Ire).
G2 The King Edward VII S., (one mile, four furlongs) 2400m - 2.40am AEST (5.40pm local)
Prizemoney: £250,000 (AU$475,500)
The Aga Khan's 3-year-old gelding Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}–Calayana {Fr}, by Sinndar {Ire}) can arguably lay claim to being France's leading middle-distance performer after an emphatic win in Friday’s G2 The King Edward VII S. While the G1 Prix du Jockey Club passed him by due to his gelding operation and the Arc is not for him for the same reason, the future looks bright for the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained homebred after his six-length success in this mile-and-a-half “Ascot Derby”.
Rewarding a numerically-strong French Royal Ascot challenge this year by becoming the first from the country to win here since 2019, the 11-2 shot, who had won the G3 Prix Noailles and G3 Prix Hocquart back in France, was in his element off the strong Ballydoyle-forged pace. Arriving at the front with menace under Stephane Pasquier, he surged away to win by daylight and record a time over a second faster than the older horses in the card's Duke of Edinburgh Stakes. Continuing a banner year for the breeding operation, he was followed home by Space Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who in turn had 1 3/4 lengths to spare over the third Royal Supremacy (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}).
“He is a fantastic horse–today he was perfect,” Pasquier said. “The pace was fast enough to come from behind and everything was easy. He can be a naughty boy sometimes and we have to ask him nicely, but today he wanted to do it all and when he is like this, he is a fantastic horse. I didn't do anything, I just asked him to do it by himself.”
Winner of four of his six starts, Calandagan is out of G3 Prix Minerve-placed dam Calayana whose fourth dam is Jean-Luc Lagardere's Clodora (Fr) (Linamix (Fr) who recorded an extremely fast time when winning the Prix de l'Opera in its former guise as a Group 2 over nine furlongs 55 yards. She went on to produce G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Clodovil (Ire) (Danehill {USA}) and the G3 Gordon Richards S. scorer and GI Arlington Million third Colombian (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}). The Listed-placed third dam Clodovina (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) was responsible for Canndal (Fr) (Medicean {GB}), who had the speed to finish second in the GI Belmont Derby Invitational.
G3 The Albany S., (six furlongs) 1200m - 11.30pm AEST (2.30pm local)
Prizemoney: £125,000 (AU$237,800)
Coolmore's G3 Naas Fillies Sprint winner 2-year-old filly Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}–Scintilating {GB}, by Siyouni {Fr}) looked booked for the also-ran slots in Friday's G3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, but unleashed a spectacular burst inside the final furlong to double her pattern-race tally in impressive fashion.
The 425,000gns October Book 1 yearling and well-backed 15-8 favourite raced off the pace, nestled in the pack, through halfway in this straight six-furlong dash. Bustled along passing the quarter-mile marker, she made an exaggerated manoeuvre to the stands' side approaching the final furlong and went through an array of gears with Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in tow–to overhaul pacesetting stablemate Heavens Gate (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the dying embers. Arguably the juvenile performance of the meeting, Fairy Godmother's win was a fifth of the week for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore.
“Ryan gave Fairy Godmother an incredible ride,” the winning trainer said. “She's an incredible filly. We thought she couldn't get beat the first day, and couldn't believe she got beat. Ryan said he was just going to teach her and educate her the next day, and take his time on her, and she did the same thing. He came from an impossible position and won well on the line. We knew Ryan was going to produce her late and we knew she had a devastating turn of foot, because she showed it the last day [at Naas].
"What she did then was very rare, but to come up another level and do it here is unbelievable. She's only going to get better with every race. She will get stronger, she will stay and she's very exciting. Ryan was supercool on her. He was worried where he was drawn [in stall six] and that he had no cover, which is why he was going to take his time. Ryan thought she was going to be a [G1] Moyglare filly, so seven [furlongs] would be no problem for her this year. She's obviously exceptional and our other filly, [third-placed] Heaven's Gate, ran a stormer.”
Unbeaten in three starts, Fairy Godmother is the second of three foals and one of two black-type performers produced by a winning half-sister to G2 Richmond Stakes victor Prolific (Ire) (Compton Place {GB}) and the stakes-winning Deal Breaker (GB) (Night Shift {USA}). The March-foaled chestnut is a half-sister to last term's Listed Julia Graves Roses S. third Sketch (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and a yearling filly by Mehmas (Ire). Fairy Godmother's third dam Zoom Lens (Ire) (Caerleon {USA}), whose descendants include G1 Middle Park Stakes third Steady Pace (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), is a half-sister to the dam of G1 Gran Criterium hero Hello (Ire) (Lycius {USA}).
