Donnacha O'Brien is leaning towards the Coronation S. with 1,000 Guineas runner-up Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) but has left the door open for his star filly to run in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
Porta Fortuna provided the County Tipperary handler with his first success at the summer showpiece when landing the Albany S. 12 months ago.
Since then, Porta Fortuna has gone on to scoop Group 1 glory in the Cheveley Park S. and she also came mightily close to providing the trainer with his first Classic when second at Newmarket.
Although Porta Fortuna is most likely to take in the Coronation S. next week, O'Brien admitted that he would be keeping one eye on the weather before committing to the mile contest over the Commonwealth Cup.
He said, “Obviously, Porta Fortuna will be our main hope for Ascot and we're still undecided on Coronation or Commonwealth.
“The ground will play a factor and there is some rain forecast. If they got some rain, then we would be more likely to go Commonwealth, but if it is good ground, then the Coronation would probably be more likely.
“She's very straightforward and an easy filly to train, so it makes things a lot easier. I keep swapping and changing in my head what the best place is to go with her. I would be leaning towards the Coronation but if the ground came up soft, then we will obviously think about dropping back in trip instead.”
The young handler is set to have only a few runners over the course of the week, with Roscommon scorer Naval Force (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) and the Niarchos family's Yosemite Valley (GB) (Shamardal) the others from the O'Brien stable who could cross the Irish Sea.
“We have Naval Force in the three-year-old handicap, the King George V Stakes,” continued O'Brien. “He won well at Roscommon first time out this year and I think he is a horse who will have a little squeak in that handicap. The only other possible would be Yosemite Valley in the Queen Anne, but he's not guaranteed to go to the meeting.”
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