Tipperary trainer Donnacha O’Brien claims a sensational winner at Leopardstown

Porta Fortuna brought her tally of Group 1 prizes to four with a brilliant victory in the Coolmore America Justify Matron Stakes on the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown.

Owned by Medallion Racing and trained by Donnacha O’Brien, the three-year-old Caravaggio filly was given a textbook ride by Tom Marquand, who always had the Karl Burke-trained pacesetter Fallen Angel in his sights throughout the mile contest.

As soon as they turned for home, it was clearly a case of when, rather than if, and Porta Fortuna didn’t disappoint, accelerating clear and scoring by a very cosy length from Fallen Angel, with George Boughey’s Soprano a further half-length back in third having been given a fantastic steer by teenager Billy Loughnane.

It was a third top-flight success for Porta Fortuna, after her Coronation and Falmouth Stakes triumphs and her American owners are now relishing a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Mile against the colts.

Either way, she will return to training next year but Donnacha O’Brien was happy to enjoy this success.

“She’s an incredible filly,” said the young Tipperary-based conditioner. “She shows up every day. It’s a huge honour to train her and I’m lucky to have her.

“You can never b be confident going into a Group 1, no matter what the bookies are saying. They’re hard to win.

“She’s always been good but you can never be sure they’re going to develop into something like that. It’s a huge honour to have the filly and she’s very special.

“(The Breeders’ Cup in) America is the plan. We’ll take her home and see how she is but all things being well, we’ll be going to Del Mar.”

The first four races were won by different trainers and Jessica Harrington is dreaming of supplementing her remarkable CV with a Derby next year after Green Impact stayed on strongly under Shane Foley to bag the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at 5/2 by a half-length from 5/6 favourite Delacroix.

Harrington is a Classic-winning trainer that established her reputation over jumps and has also won a Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle among a slew of Grade and Group 1s, but she would be in a very select group if she could add a 12-furlong Classic to her resumé.

Green Impact, bred and owned by Marc Chan, was in the ideal position throughout, with Foley tracking Ryan Moore on the Aidan O’Brien hotpot that they had beaten over this course in a July maiden.

The son of Wootton Bassett dug deep to confirm his superiority, much to the delight of his trainer.

“It’s lovely to get one on the board for this weekend because it’s very tough and very competitive racing,” said Harrington.

“He was always a lovely horse. Very laidback and very easy to train. He’s a very big horse and I think we haven’t seen the best of him yet. He’s going to be put away until next year.

“We can dream all winter. He’s a big horse and he needs time to fill out his frame and he’ll be a really nice horse next year. I suppose we’ll start at a Guineas and see from there.

“I’d love to win a Derby! He’s out of a Galileo mare (Emerald Green) so there’s no reason he won’t get a mile and a half. I still think he’s a bit of a weak horse this year and will be better next year.”

Foley concurred.

“He’s a gorgeous big horse,” said the Kilkenny pilot. “Had a lovely run in the Curragh first time out, duly obliged here after and did that well. He’s a horse to look forward to next year.

“There were no hiding places there, with a good headwind as well. He did it well.

“This is a massive weekend for Irish racing. We build up to this. It’s the main aim for most of the year and it’s nice to get one on the board early.”

Aidan O’Brien got off the mark in the Group 2 Tonybet Solonaway Stakes, as the heavily backed Diego Velazquez (7/4 into 10/11f) proved the class of the field to defeat the Ger Lyons-trained, Eleanora Kennedy-owned course specialist Mutasarref by a length and a half.

Ryan Moore sent the Coolmore son of Frankel for home just inside the two-furlong pole and in an instant, the race was over.

It was a first victory for Diego Velazquez since concluding his two-year-old season by winning the Group 2 KPMG Champion Juvenile Stakes at last year’s Irish Champions Festival but as is his wont, the trainer took much of the blame for that drought.

“It just went a little bit wrong on him,” said O’Brien Snr. “We went to the French Derby and it was the wrong thing, too quick. We went up to a mile and a half at Ascot and it was the wrong thing as well. He’s probably a miler that will get a mile and a quarter. Very genuine, straightforward.

“He can go to a Breeder’s Cup or Cox Plate.”

Chantez overcame a late wobble to emerge a comfortable victor of the day’s opening contest, the Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes.

Ridden by champion jockey Colin Keane for owners Newtown Anner Stud, the daughter of Wootton Bassett is one of a very nice crop of juvenile fillies Ger Lyons has saddled this year and she justified 6/5 favouritism to hold off the Ballydoyle battalions and secure the €60,000 first prize.

There was a moment of concern as Chantez veered sharply to her right and then to her left after taking it up but that can be attributed to immaturity and she knuckled down well to score by three-quarters of a length from Garden Of Eden, with Aidan O’Brien stablemates Bubbling and Easy Mover a head and half-length further back.

It was another victory on a fixture that has proven memorable for the Glenburnie Stables team, most notably in 2021, when Lyons saddled a four-timer in 2021.

“She’s a lovely filly,” said the Meath handler of the winner. “I’m surprised how green she ran. Her first two starts she hasn’t shown any greenness. Colin said she saw the photographers. She did everything wrong today and still won.

“If we didn’t have Babouche or Red Letter you’d be very high on this one going to next spring. Having three to go to war with over the winter is something to really look forward to.

“Red Letter is potentially the best of them over a trip. Babouche is fantastic and is Babouche but I’d have Red Letter all day. That now means Babouche is the worst of them!

“We had the four winners here one year and it’s only now you look back and think, ‘Wow, you had four.’ I’d be the worst in the world and I should enjoy them more. I certainly should have enjoyed the four-timer more. Last year would remind you, having four winners in a month is good sometimes, never mind in a day!”