Fallen Angel favored in English 1000 Guineas in first start of 2024

Fallen Angel was deliberately given a brief four-race campaign as a 2-year-old in Europe last year, a season that ended with a Group 1 win in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland last September.

She did not start in the major stakes at Newmarket, England, last fall, or at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in November despite holding a fees-paid berth. Instead, the long-range focus was Sunday’s Group 1 English 1000 Guineas for 3-year-old fillies at a mile at Newmarket.

Fallen Angel, owned by Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics stable, was the 7-2 favorite in early betting Friday for the 1000 Guineas, which has a purse of $657,460 and drew a field of 16.

Trained by Karl Burke, Fallen Angel won three times last year, with the only loss a second on soft turf in the Star Stakes at Sandown Park near London last July. She ended the season with wins in seven-furlong races – in the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes on the July course at Newmarket and the Moyglare Stud.

The turf at Newmarket is expected to be good on Sunday. Daniel Tudhope, who has ridden Fallen Angel three times, has the mount.

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Fallen Angel has been to Newmarket recently, having been given a workout on the course in mid-April.

On the same week, some of her rivals in the 1000 Guineas were in action. Pretty Crystal and Dance Sequence finished first and second in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at seven furlongs, separated by a neck, on April 17.

Pretty Crystal was 18-1 with British bookmakers that day and is 16-1 for the 1000 Guineas. Dance Sequence, beaten for the first time in her third start in the Nell Gwyn, was 11-2 as of Friday. A closer, Dance Sequence won the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes at seven furlongs at Newmarket last October.

Fallen Angel. who frequently has raced near the front, could face a late threat on Sunday from Ylang Ylang, trained by Aidan O’Brien.

Ylang Ylang finished last of nine in the Moyglare Stud Stakes when she was part of the early pace. She rebounded through the fall, finishing third in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at seven furlongs at Newmarket in September before winning the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile in October on the same undulating one-mile course as the 1000 Guineas. In those two races, Ylang Ylang raced from off the pace.

The 1000 Guineas has one runner with an American connection. Porta Fortuna, second in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf last November, is rated as an 18-1 outsider in her first start of 2024. She is trained in Ireland by Donnacha O’Brien.

The 1000 Guineas has a post time of 10:40 a.m. Eastern.

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