Fallen Angel lands another Group 1 in the Matron Stakes Fallen Angel landed an Irish Group 1 for the third successive year when digging deep under James Doyle to land the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes and in the process complete a double for trainer Karl Burke at Leopardstown. The daughter of Too Darn Hot, who also has the Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas on her CV, needed to be rousted along entering the straight. The well-backed Exactly briefly headed the front-running Vera’s Secret a furlong out but was soon in turn headed by Fallen Angel. The 9/4 favourite kept on gamely in the closing stages to beat that rival by half a length, with Atsila outrunning odds of 25/1 in third. Burke said, ““She’s so tough; very, very honest, and James gave her a great ride. It just took a few rides to get to know her. You just can’t pull her around; you’ve just got to let her go. “She should be staying a mile-and-a-quarter really but we’re probably better off being aggressive over a mile, I think. I’m absolutely delighted for everybody. “I thought we were beat a furlong out when Exactly came to us and then I saw her get her head down, and James got stuck into her. “Whenever Danny (Tudhope) rode her as a two and three-year-old he always said she was waiting for a smack to tell her. She’s one of those who waits and waits but when she gets a smack she always gives it to you. “We felt that she needed them (cheekpieces) this time around. She got very lackadaisical in her work at home. She needed the run in the Lockinge first time out. “I said to Richard Brown that I’d work her in sheepskins and see how she goes, and she worked very well. You could tell they sharpened her up and they certainly work. “She’ll probably go for the Sun Chariot if she’s okay and then we could take the boys on in Champions Day at Ascot.” Burke was completing a quick double following the Group 3 win of Convergent in the CMG Group Stakes. Doyle said, “In this race last year I probably rode her too conservatively and knowing her better this time around I was more aggressive on her today, happy to take a lead but at the same time wanted to press on once we straightened up. “She got headed but is super tough. She is laidback and the cheekpieces helped her.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
