Game Fallen Angel Flies High in Prix Rothschild

Trainer Burke's 4YO just beats favourite January in French Group 1

- 

DEAUVILLE - English filly Fallen Angel showed tenacity to capture the opening Group 1 event at Deauville, the €300,000 ($448,000) Group 1 Prix Rothschild (1,600m) on Aug 3.

Owned by the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing, Fallen Angel was one of 13 fillies lining up in the first of five Group 1s at France's extended version of Royal Ascot.

All eyes were on the 2-1 favourite January, who ran second in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes (1,600m) at her last start on July 11. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, the Kingman three-year-old — who has two wins under her belt — looked primed for her first Group 1 win.

But it was longshot Fallen Angel who just denied January of her career-defining moment in the race.

As soon as the stalls opened, the Too Darn Hot four-year-old sprang to the front under jockey Daniel Tudhope and made her way to the centre of the track.

While Fallen Angel led one group of four, a second group had also formed along the grandstand's rails, with the John and Thady Gosden-trained Spiritual (Robert Havlin) in the lead. Irish filly January (Christophe Soumillon) was biding her time right behind Spiritual.