G1 Phoenix S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Porta Fortuna Likely To Challenge Males In Phoenix

Royal Ascot heroine Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) is likely to take her chance in the G1 Phoenix S. at the Curragh in August, trainer Donnacha O'Brien revealed on Tuesday.

The undefeated G3 Albany S. heroine, who races for Steve Weston, Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing 2020 and Reeves Racing, broke her maiden at the Curragh in April, before taking the G3 Fillies Sprint S. at Naas in May. She was a length ahead of Matrika (Ire) (No Nay Never) at the royal meeting.

O'Brien said, “She's very good and has come out of the race well. We gave her an easy week after the race to freshen her up and she's back in full work now and everything is going well.

“She's very straightforward and I suppose she's a dream filly to ride as she has plenty of pace, travels well, has a turn of foot and also keeps going at the end as well.

“We're thinking of going for the Phoenix at the minute, the Group 1 at the Curragh. We'll have to take on colts, but we'd like to give her another run at six. We'll put her in the [G2] Lowther [S. at York on Aug. 24] as well as a back-up, that's about a week or two afterwards.”

If the daughter of four-time winner Too Precious (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) continues her upward trajectory, O'Brien and the ownership group are looking at targets farther afield.

“I suppose later on in the year the targets will be races like the [G1] Cheveley Park [S. at Newmarket on Sept. 30] and the Breeders' Cup [at Santa Anita in November],” added O'Brien.

“We've got a few more runs to go before we get there so I'm sure we'll learn a bit more about her by the time, but the obvious one would be the [GI] Juvenile Fillies' Turf unless for some reason we thought we would go back in trip to the [GI Juvenile Turf] Sprint.”

The Niarchos family's Mysteries (Ire) (No Nay Never) was a maiden winner at Cork in her second start and is now eyeing group company.

“She's a lovely filly and one we've always thought plenty of,” O'Brien added. “The plan at the minute is to go for the [G3] Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown [on July 27] and then for a seven-furlong filly there's a very obvious programme, so it will be there, the [G2] Debutante [S. on Aug. 19] and the [G1] Moyglare [Stud S. on Sept. 10], all being well.”

Former Derby horse Alder (Ire) (Australia {GB}) is also improving from his setback which ruled him out of the earlier Classics. A long-term target is the Listed Diamond S. on Sept. 29 before an international campaign.

“He's good and we gave him a bit of a break but he's back in work now,” said O'Brien. “I'm provisionally aiming him at a listed race in Dundalk in September and then all being well, we could potentially go travelling with him after that.”

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G1 Phoenix S. Hero Ebro River Will Stand At Haras de la Haie Neuve In 2023

Juvenile Group 1 winner Ebro River (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}–Soft Power {Ire}, by Balmont) will stand at Haras de la Haie Neuve in 2023, Jour de Galop reported on Saturday evening. The Al Shaqab Racing colourbearer's fee will be announced at a later date.

Bred by Tally-Ho Stud, the chestnut was sold for €75,000 during Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to Charlie Gordon Watson on behalf of Al Shaqab. Trained by Hugo Palmer, Ebro River graduated at Doncaster at second asking in May of his 2-year-old year, and then won the Listed National S. at Sandown later that month. He scored the biggest win of his career in the Curragh's G1 Phoenix S., and was also third in the G1 National S. in his next start. Kept in training at three, the son of Soft Power won the Listed Queensferry S. His record stands at 15-4-0-1 and $294,567 in earnings. A half-brother to the stakes-placed Strong Power (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the colt is from the same family as dual Group 1-winning sprinter and sire Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}).

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Starman Heads Maurice de Gheest Cast

Deauville stages the G1 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest on Sunday, where David Ward's G1 July Cup hero Starman (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) has to tackle testing ground as he bids to put his marker down on the sprinting division. Beaten only once when encountering soft going in Ascot's G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S., the 4-year-old nevertheless carries significant stable confidence into the 6 1/2-furlong highlight.

“He's in cracking form and we're super excited, so fingers crossed,” trainer Ed Walker said. “Everything has gone very well since the July Cup. On his last piece of work, I think he's improving, dare I say it.”

Wesley Ward is already off the mark at the meeting with Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) and it is another Stonestreet Stables representative who offers stern opposition to the British talisman in Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who was awarded the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last time June 18.

“She's there and in good shape and Frankie (Dettori) is riding, so there are no worries,” said Ward. “I think there are a lot of showers around and that is going to suit Campanelle just fine.”

Marc Chan's 'TDN Rising Star' Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) stays further than this and showed last time when winning Goodwood's G2 Lennox July 27 that he handles the soft. That is not so much the case with Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez's fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who was runner-up to Laws of Indices (Ire) (Power {GB}) in the July 11 G1 Prix Jean Prat here.

“The better the ground, the better his chance,” trainer Joseph O'Brien commented. “We were thrilled to see Thunder Moon get back on track in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville last time, as his first two runs of the season had been very disappointing. The drop in trip seemed to help him and he was only just touched off by Laws of Indices. This even shorter trip should be fine for him and the less testing ground will definitely be in his favour, as we considered taking him out of the Prix Jean Prat on account of the softening ground.”

There are only three home-trained runners and the pick seems to be Jean-Claude Seroul's winning machine Marianafoot (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Having won the seven-furlong G3 Prix du Palais-Royal and G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot at ParisLongchamp May 30 and July 1, the homebred switches to a straight track but trainer Jerome Reynier is happy it will not hinder his chances.

“He has won seven in a row and was tried over a straight course back in April at Chantilly and handled it well,” he explained. “Six and a half furlongs is a bit of a long trip for the sprinters, but he has won over seven and I think he's got a good chance. This is the logical next step and we're looking forward to it. It's a pretty good race and it will be good to try him against this sort of opposition. If we can step up onto the podium, we will be delighted.”

At The Curragh, the G1 the Keeneland Phoenix S. sees the June 26 G2 Railway S. first, second and fourth Go Bears Go (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), Castle Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Dr Zempf (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) renew rivalry. The former, who was previously second in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot June 17, has to do it on softer ground this time but trainer David Loughnane is not overly concerned.

“With the weather forecast, the ground is probably going to be a bit softer than we would like it to be but he has won on soft ground previously so provided he turns up and gets out of bed on the right side, I think he should take all the beating,” he said. “On paper, we certainly look the one to beat but there's every chance something else in the race could have taken a big step forward since the Railway. We're going there confident, but we're well aware Group 1s are not easily won.”

Fozzy Stack is happy to re-engage with Craig Bernick and Antony Beck's May 22 G3 Marble Hill S. winner Castle Star and is hoping the predicted change in conditions might level the playing ground. “He obviously handled slower ground and it might upset one or two of the others, so I wouldn't mind a drop of rain,” he said. Peter Brant's 'TDN Rising Star' Dr Zempf was the most in need of the experience in the Railway and should have improved for the run, while Aidan O'Brien who has won this a record 16 times has the filly Prettiest (Dubawi {Ire}) as his main challenger but she needs to fare better than when fourth in the G3 Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown July 22.

The third Group 1 of the day comes at Hoppegarten, with the Longines 131st Grosser Preis von Berlin attracting Kirsten Rausing's July 3 G2 Lancashire Oaks winner Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Godolphin's Mar. 6 G2 Dubai City of Gold scorer Walton Street (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) as they encounter the July 4 G1 Deutsches Derby third Imi (Ger) (Tertullian). Back at Deauville, the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is the star act in the 12 1/2-furlong G3 OSAF Prix de Reux as he looks to get his 4-year-old campaign on track and extend Aidan O'Brien's stellar record in France in 2021.

Click here for the group fields.

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Steel Bull Changes Hands, to Be Supplemented to Phoenix

Group 3 winner Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), owned and trained by Michael O’Callaghan for his first two starts, will contest the Aug. 9 G1 Phoenix S. at The Curragh under new ownership, as he was purchased privately by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, Racing Post reported on Monday. The son of Macarthurs Park (Ire) (Equiano {Fr}) will be supplemented to the six-furlong feature. For O’Callaghan, the £28,000 Goffs UK Breeze Up juvenile broke his maiden by 2 1/2 lengths at first asking at Naas on July 22. He followed up in the July 29 G3 Molecomb S. at the Qatar Goodwood Festival to maintain his perfect record and will stay in O’Callaghan’s care.

“Mrs. Regalado-Gonzalez has purchased Steel Bull and the plan is that the horse will run in the Phoenix S. at the weekend,” Regalado-Gonzalez’s racing manager Bill Dwan told Racing Post. “He was very impressive at Naas first time out, winning by 2 ½ lengths, then he backed that up in better company at Goodwood. He did it the hard way in the Molecomb S., so he looks an exciting prospect and please God he can compete at the top level this weekend.

“The [G1] Nunthorpe has also been mentioned, but we’ll take one step at a time. A lot has happened quickly for this horse, so I wouldn’t like to predict too far into the future. After the Phoenix, we’ll let the dust settle and see what the next option is.”

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