Porta Fortuna

Here's to the hardy souls still grafting away at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale. For the mostly Flat brigade, however, we can now hang up bobble hats and waterproofs, put the final catalogue on the shelf (sorry, iPad users, not quite caught up with you yet) and wonder what to do with ourselves until the February Sale comes around. Oh yes, Christmas, that will distract us for a few days. During the long and frenetic sales season there is little time for reflection, but as the dust settles on...

Widely regarded as one of the most gifted and entertaining auctioneers in the business, John O'Kelly brought the curtain down on his time on the rostrum at Tattersalls during the Sceptre Sessions on Tuesday evening.  And what a way to do it. O'Kelly brought the hammer down at 4.5 million gns to MV Magnier on Donnacha O'Brien's multiple Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna. It was a moment in time for the throngs of people packed into the auditorium as, for many in attendance, they had grown up listening to O'Kelly's...

Queen of the course and queen of the ring, four-time Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna (Caravaggio) was knocked down for 4.5 million gns to MV Magnier during Tuesday's Sceptre Sessions of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the daughter of winner Too Precious (Holy Roman Emperor) has the option of racing again. Bred by Whisperview Trading, the four-year-old filly is out of a full-sister to multiple group winner Numerian, second in the G1 Australian Cup and G1 Doomben Cup. Porta Fortuna raced for Medallion Racing,...

Champion filly Porta Fortuna still has "plenty of racing left in her" according to trainer Donnacha O'Brien, who admitted that he will be experiencing "mixed emotions" when his stable star goes through the ring at the forthcoming December Mares Sale at Tattersalls. The daughter of Caravaggio made it to the racecourse only once in 2025, when registering her eighth career win in May's G2 Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh, but she has been given a clean bill of health by O'Brien ahead of her appearance during the second of...

A quartet of top-level winners headline the catalogue for the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, which takes place from Monday, December 1 to Wednesday, December 3. A total of 885 lots will be offered across the three days, with the cream of the crop set to go under the hammer during the fourth edition of the Sceptre Sessions scheduled for Monday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 2. Heading the stellar cast in 2025 are the four-time Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna (Caravaggio) (lot 1734), the first Cartier Champion Three-Year-Old Filly ever...

Debuts simply don't come much more encouraging than that of The Publican's Son (Beau Liam) at the Curragh last month - so encouraging that this maiden is now being readied to test his mettle against some of the best sprinting juveniles that Europe has to offer in Saturday's G1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Already highly tried when debuting in the G3 Round Tower Stakes over six furlongs, the 40/1 shot was the slowest of the 10 runners from the stalls there, betraying his inexperience in a race where each...

Four-time Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna is set to headline this year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale. She will be consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency and will head the fourth edition of the Sceptre Sessions, which will be held on Monday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 2. Trained by Donnacha O'Brien for a partnership consisting of Taylor Made's Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Dean Reeves and Barry Fowler, the daughter of Caravaggio will be offered as the winner of eight of her 13 starts and nearly £1.3 in total prize-money. A...

Cartier Champion three-year-old filly Porta Fortuna (Caravaggio) will miss the remainder of the season, according to a press release from the ownership group of Taylor Made's Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Barry Fowler, and Dean Reeves. She will instead be prepared to be sold this fall at an as-yet-to-be-determined bloodstock sale. Porta Fortuna had a training setback in advance of the June 17 G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, which would have marked an attempt at a third straight win at the Royal meeting. Her trainer, Donnacha O'Brien, reported that she...

Multiple Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna will miss a start at Royal Ascot later this month after picking up a "small injury", according to trainer Donnacha O'Brien who announced the news on Instagram. Connections had been mulling a start in either the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes or the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot. A runner for Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing, Steve Weston and Reeves Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old will be away from the races until later this year. "Unfortunately Porta Fortuna has picked up a small injury and will...

Cast ratings aside: which horse stole your heart in 2024? And who went into the notebook for next season? Brian Sheerin has been a little greedy, but we will let him off as it's the season of indulgence, and he is putting forward four names worthy of merit. Horse(s) of the year: Porta Fortuna and Mehmas On the track, this year belonged to Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) but Mehmas (Ire) deserves a huge amount of credit for breaking Kodiac's long-standing record for the number of two-year-old winners sired in a...

He's been on board for both her Group 1 wins and on Wednesday morning Frankie Dettori was reunited with Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for a spin on the grass track at Del Mar ahead of lining up for the Breeders' Cup Turf. It has been exactly a year since Europe's most recognisable jockey signed off with a Champion Stakes triumph in Britain before jetting to his new life in California. This new chapter started in the best possible way with another top-flight win, in the Breeders' Cup...

'If Carslberg did weekends' was the caption on Tom Marquand's social media post beneath a photograph of the jockey with his wife, Hollie Doyle, after she had won her second Group 1 of the year aboard Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}). Marquand had himself lifted both of Leopardstown's Group 1 races the previous day with two of the best three-year-olds currently in training, Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) and Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). Their mantelpiece may soon need reinforcement.  There are few sports in which men and women take each...