THERE was a familiarity about having the name O’Brien listed as the winning trainer of the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner, though on this occasion it was Donnacha who gave the leg up to Oisin Murphy aboard Porta Fortuna. Both had been associated with other previous winners of the race, as they partnered Fairyland (Donnacha in 2018) and Alcohol Free (Oisin in 2020) to victory.

Porta Fortuna won the Group 3 Naas Juvenile Sprint Stakes before going on to credit Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) with his first Royal Ascot group winner, when she remained unbeaten in the Group 3 Albany Stakes. Though beaten twice since, she had run second in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes and third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. Now she has won a Group 1.

Bred by Donnacha’s parents, Porta Fortuna is a daughter of the former Coolmore stallion, now in Japan, and is Caravaggio’s second winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes, Tenebrism having been successful two years ago. The latter was a member of Caravaggio’s first crop, as was the Grade 1 Diana Stakes heroine Whitebeam.

Caravaggio was trained by Aidan O’Brien to win the Group 2 Coventry Stakes there at two, and returned at three to land the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.

Too Precious

Porta Fortuna is a daughter of the four-time, three-year-old winner Too Precious (Holy Roman Emperor). Annmarie O’Brien purchased her grandam Kantikoy (Alzao) two decades ago at Goffs for only €10,000. Kanntikoy was an unraced half-sister to the classic-placed Kithanga (Darshaan), who had recently bred the Group 1 St Leger winner and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up, Milan (Sadler’s Wells), now a leading National Hunt sire.

Kantikoy’s unraced daughter, Delicate Charm (High Chaparral), bred four winners, two of them full-brothers to Too Precious. Recently, Numerian (Holy Roman Emperor) was runner-up in the Group 1 Doomben Cup, a position he also occupied in the Group 1 Australian Cup. In Ireland he won the Listed Devoy Stakes at Naas, and in Australia he was victorious in a Group 2, while Montesilvano (Holy Roman Emperor) won last year at two and has been group-placed in France.