Last year’s race Winner: Porta Fortuna Jockey: Tom Marquand Trainer: Donnacha O'Brien Owner: Medallion/S Weston/B Fowler/Reeves T'Bs Age: 3 Weight: 9st 2lbs Starting Price: 7/2 Season Form Figures: 2 Previous Best: 2nd - 1000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1), Newmarket (May 2024) By Paul Jones There have been some surprise results down the years but this Group 1 affair for three-year-old fillies usually goes more or less the way of The Form Book and especially of late with 21 of the last 25 winners found at no bigger than 6/1 with 12 starting favourite or joint market leader. Of the big three European 1000 Guineas, the Newmarket version has fared best being responsible for 13 of the last 22 winners and ten of those finished in the first six at Newmarket with the runner-up in the Classic going one place here in the last two runnings courtesy of the Irish-trained pair of Tahiyra (won the Irish 1000 Guineas in between) and Porta Fortuna. The Irish have won five of the last eight runnings, two of which for Jessica Harrington. Aidan O’Brien sits on one more winner during his career so his record in the Coronation Stakes hasn’t been as stellar as for the other Group 1s at Royal Ascot from a mile upwards. With the 1000 Guineas winner, Desert Flower, having taken in the Oaks instead and last season’s Champion Two-Year-Old Filly and Irish 1000 Guineas winner, Lake Victoria, set to miss Royal Ascot, maybe one of the Ollie Sangster-trained second and third from Newmarket, Flight and Simmering, who could only finish sixth and eleventh respectively at The Curragh, will be in best position to represent the 1000 Guineas this season. The Irish 1000 Guineas winner has followed up her success here on ten occasions in the last 38 years, so they have a better record than the 1000 Guineas winner, even if the Newmarket Classic has thrown up more winners generally. Makes sense being three weeks closer to Royal Ascot. The French 1000 Guineas has held up more than okay given that it wouldn’t have anywhere near the same representation as the Newmarket and Curragh Classics as seven of last 30 Coronation Stakes winners previously contested that prize (the last of was Watch Me six years ago who was only sixth at Longchamp) with five having finished second or third in that Classic. In 2015 the Aga Khan’s Ervedya became the first winner of the French 1000 Guineas to win the Coronation Stakes since Toro in 1957 but many winners of that Classic then head to the Prix de Diane instead over an extra 2½f so don’t read anything into that. It is another filly carrying the famous Aga Khan silks that won the French 1000 Guineas who is expected to be the main market rival to Lake Victoria in Zarigana who was awarded the Classic in the stewards’ room at the expense of Shes Perfect (even if the grammar isn’t) after going down by a nose after her jockey dropped his whip. If successful, the Graffard-trained Zarigana will be the sixth French-based winner this century after Banks Hill (Fabre), Immortal Verse (Collet) Ervedya and Qemah (both for Rouget) and Graffard was on the board himself with Watch Me. Alpine Star was an unusual winner five years ago as she became the first filly to take a more softly-softly approach and bypass all the European Guineas’ for nine years. She was winning on her seasonal debut as was Inspiral in 2022 having not come to hand in time for the 1000 Guineas. She became only the third winner since 1999 not to have run in a classic but had won a pattern race at two though like 14 of the last 21 winners. A wider drawn hasn’t been a disadvantage on the round mile, far from it in fact, with 11 of the last 14 winners drawn in the higher half and six of those from the highest three stalls. At a glance summary Positives The Irish 1000 Guineas winner Finished in the first six in the 1000 Guineas Trained in FranceThe favourite Won a Pattern race as a two-year-old Drawn in the higher half Negatives Not run in a Classic Likely to start bigger than 6/1 Beaten in the Irish 1000 Guineas