Tag Archive for: Falmouth Stakes

‘She’s getting there’ – O’Brien confident January will get her day

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Aidan O’Brien could look to France for a Group One-winning opportunity for January after the filly narrowly missed out in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

In receipt of 9lb from the winner Cinderella’s Dream, the three-year-old January was beaten just half a length, adding another top-level placing to her record after taking third in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Despite seeing his 6-4 favourite eclipsed, O’Brien is confident the Kingman filly is on the right track, with the Prix Rothschild at Deauville on August 3 pencilled in as a possible target.

O’Brien said: “She ran a lovely race, she is improving and we think there’s more improvement to come from her.

“She’s a lot of ability this filly and it’s coming. She’s definitely a miler – she’s quick. We’re getting there – she’s slowly getting closer.

“She ran a great race and we think we’re on the right road.

“There’s the fillies’ race in Deauville in a few weeks’ time, so we might look at that for her.”

Connections of Crimson Advocate also hope their filly will eventually strike Group One gold, having seen a length-and-three-quarters defeat of Cinderella’s Dream at Royal Ascot reversed off level weights here.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained runner was beaten two and a quarter lengths on the July course, with Richard Brown, the racing adviser for owners Wathnan Racing, feeling the contest had perhaps not unfolded in her favour.

He said: “There wasn’t a huge amount of early pace and more pace would have meant she could have been snaffled into it a little bit more, but she’s run a very good race.

“We haven’t made any plans, we’ll go away and have a think about it.

“She’s run a great race and I hope she can have her day in one of these (Group Ones).”

Crimson Advocate is entered in both the seven-furlong Lennox Stakes and the mile-and-a-quarter Nassau Stakes at Goodwood later this month and Brown added: “We’ll take her home and see how she comes out of it and then plot for the second half of the season.”

Cinderella’s Dream takes top spot in Falmouth Stakes

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Cinderella’s Dream emerged best of a three-way battle for Group One honours in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Cinderella’s Dream needed to reverse Royal Ascot form with her Duke of Cambridge Stakes conqueror Crimson Advocate, while Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old January provided a fresh test for the Godolphin runner.

Cinderella’s Dream (5-2) looked the have the measure of Crimson Advocate only for January (6-4 favourite) to deliver her challenge, with Buick’s mount battling all the way to the line to prevail by half a length, with a length and three-quarters back to Crimson Advocate in third.

“I did think when she hit the rising ground it would take a tough one to get past her,” said Appleby, who was winning the Falmouth for the first time.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t know if she was firing on all cylinders at Ascot. We always look for excuses when we’re beaten so we used the bend and the 3lb penalty, but she’s been round Del Mar and you ain’t going to get many tighter turns than that, so I don’t think we can say going round Ascot was going to be too much of a challenge for her.

“Will was just happy over a mile on a straight track as maybe a mile round a bend is sharp enough.

“She won her maiden at Lingfield and then we went up to Thirsk to win her novice. She’s knee high to a grasshopper but she’s as tough as teak and I’m delighted for her as she’s been so consistent and for her to win a Group One here in Europe is richly deserved.

“We’re very much going to work back from the Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Turf. It annoyed me when that got away for us last year, so we’ll go back for a crack at that, how we get there we’ll work that out.”

Buick said: “She’s all class. She’s been unlucky a couple of times, but today she’s put it all together.

“What a game filly she is, it was a ding-dong between two good fillies, it was a good race and she had give the second filly 9lb, it’s never easy.

“I’m just so pleased for her, she’s been a wonderful filly all through and I’m just delighted she’s got a domestic Group One next to her name.”

Doyle looking forward to Crimson tide rolling into Newmarket

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James Doyle will get his first ride on Crimson Advocate in a race in Friday’s Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes having overlooked the filly at Royal Ascot.

John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old showed a blistering turn of foot to win for the second time at the showpiece meeting, but this time over a mile having landed the Queen Mary when trained in America.

Doyle, though, preferred the claims of fellow Wathnan Racing-owned Fallen Angel who could only finish third.

“I rode Crimson Advocate just before I got injured. It’s a shame I have not had the chance to ride her on the track but I have sat on her at home and she is a beautiful filly who amazingly won the Queen Mary and is now up to a mile, which seems to be her trip,” said Doyle.

“I know she was getting a bit of weight off of Cinderella’s Dream at Royal Ascot, as the whole field was, but I thought she showed a really good turn of foot off the turn to put the race to bed with some style.

“She really seems to have taken a step forward this year. Interestingly, I was speaking to Richard Brown (racing manager to Wathnan Racing) earlier this year and he said he’d been speaking to John and Thady and they think we should try this filly over a mile. Everyone was scratching their heads a bit, but that shows why John and Thady are the top firm that they are.

“At Ascot, it definitely proved the right call and it would be lovely for her to get a Group One to her name as obviously the guys will be looking to breed from her at some stage further down the line.

“You would like to think she can step up and win a Group One.

“The slight possible question mark would be a mile in a straight line, as James (McDonald) did seem to think she enjoyed going round a turn at Ascot, which she was obviously used to from her time in the States. But she did win a Queen Mary, albeit only over five furlongs, in a straight line.”

Cinderella’s Dream was a good winner on the Rowley Mile earlier in the season
Cinderella’s Dream was a good winner on the Rowley Mile earlier in the season (Joe Giddens/PA)

The aforementioned Cinderella’s Dream, trained by Charlie Appleby, went off favourite at Ascot but does meet Crimson Advocate on 3lb better terms this time.

Her jockey William Buick said: “She had the penalty at Ascot and ran a very good race. She knuckled down and battled on well for second, I thought the winner won well and she’s probably an improving filly, but we gave her 3lb, which is never easy.

“I do think she might be suited coming back to a straight track – she was so impressive in the Dahlia over nine furlongs. I do think the Falmouth is going to suit her and she has more in her favour here than she did at Ascot.

“She’s been such a good filly, she never runs a bad race and she always runs in the good races, whether that’s here or in America. It would be lovely for her to win a Group One here, it’s not easy but we’ll do our best.”

Oisin Murphy rides the Gosdens’ other runner Running Lion, who finished fourth at Ascot.

He said: “Running Lion ran a brave race at Ascot. We’re really looking forward to running her in Friday’s race. It is obviously quite open, but we’re hopeful for a big run.”

Saeed bin Surror’s Elwateen finished fourth in the 1000 Guineas on what was just her second ever run before failing to stay the mile and a half of the Oaks.

“She’s doing very well. She worked a few days ago, her last piece of work, and she’s definitely in good form,” said Bin Suroor.

“She came back very well from her last run and we’re looking forward to running her on Friday.

“She has plenty of speed, she didn’t stay the trip over a mile and a half.

“A trip between a mile and a mile and a quarter suits her, we gave her a chance at a mile and a half but it didn’t work out.

“On the quick ground she will be happier, good ground will be perfect for her.”

Aidan O’Brien runs Coronation Stakes third January, while his son, Donnacha, is represented by Atsila.

Elmalka, winner of the 1000 Guineas last year, aims to get back to winning ways for Roger Varian and German trainer Andreas Wohler is represented by Lady Ilze from Germany.

Shes Perfect just that in workout, with Newmarket decision pending

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Shes Perfect worked nicely on the July course on Tuesday morning, with Charlie Fellowes set to make a decision on her participation in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes in the coming days.

First past the post in the French 1000 Guineas before being demoted by the ParisLongchamp stewards, she failed failed to see out the 10-furlong trip in the Prix de Diane.

Fellowes would love a confidence-boosting win, with the Group Three Valiant Stakes at Ascot later in the month an alternative, but he also feels Newmarket will suit the daughter of Sioux Nation.

“The gallop went really well and I was very, very happy. She worked over seven furlongs, it was beautiful ground and I was very grateful to those at the July course for letting us do it,” said Fellowes.

“She looked great after it and we’ll see how she comes out of it. I’ll probably make a decision in the next few days or so.

“It’s a funny one, if it was the Valiant at Newmarket and the Group One at Ascot it would be a very easy decision because I like the idea of running at Newmarket – but I also like the idea of dropping down in grade and giving her a confidence boost. I just think Newmarket will suit her better than Ascot.

“We’ll look at potentially what is going to turn up and we’ll go from there.”

Newmarket workout key to Falmouth plans for Shes Perfect

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Shes Perfect faces a crucial gallop on the July course at Newmarket which will decide whether or not she lines up in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes.

The Charlie Fellowes-trained filly was first past the post in the French 1000 Guineas only to be demoted by the stewards in favour of runner-up Zarigana.

Since then she was a blatant non-stayer in the Prix de Diane over 10 furlongs and Fellowes is keen to see how she handles the undulations at HQ before committing her to next week’s Group One.

“She’s really good. She’s going to work on the July course on Tuesday and depending on how that goes and her well-bring will determine whether or not we are going to the Falmouth on Friday week,” said Fellowes.

“If she doesn’t we could sit tight and go for something like the Valiant at Ascot on King George day (July 26).

“If she works really well and handles the undulations then I think we might find it hard to resist Newmarket, but if we feel the track doesn’t suit her then we might wait for Ascot.

“Ascot should suit her, although it is quite a stiff mile it is a drop down in grade and she wouldn’t have a penalty. I’d say it’s between those two.

“At the end of the day she’s not a stakes winner so although she was first past the post in a French Guineas, which will be a big asset to her valuation if and when she is sold, it would be nice to make her a stakes winner.

“It would be good to get her head in front and give her a confidence booster, but if she works really well, Newmarket can be one of those tracks where if you get on a roll in front you can be hard to pin back so it’s a track that interests me.

“She does handle soft ground so we’ve got that up our sleeve for the autumn, we’ve lots of nice options.”