By Tom Frary
Wathnan's Fallen Angel (Too Darn Hot) loves nothing more than a trip overseas for a big prize and the grey was in the winning mood again on Saturday in Leopardstown's G1 Coolmore America Justify Matron Stakes. Fresh from regaining her mojo in Deauville's Prix Rothschild last month, the Moyglare and Irish Guineas winner who had been second to Porta Fortuna in this 12 months ago outstayed Exactly (Frankel) in the run to the line to prevail by half a length. Atsila (Phoenix Of Spain) was 3/4 of a length away in third. The Matron is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November.
“She's so tough and very honest,” Karl Burke said of the 9-4 favourite, who was completing a double on the card for the yard after the Kilternan win of Convergent. “You can't pull her around and it's taken a few rides for James [Doyle] to get to know her–you've just got to let her go. She had got very lackadaisical at home and the sheepskins have sharpened her up. She loves it in Ireland–maybe we should leave her here!”
Fallen Angel's defeat in this last year was her first outing for Wathnan and it wasn't until the Rothschild that she regained the winning thread for new connections. Fourth in ParisLongchamp's 10-furlong Prix de l'Opera on Arc day, she is destined to remain at his trip now. “She should be racing at a mile and a quarter really, but you are better off being aggressive at a mile,” Burke added. “She'll probably go for the Sun Chariot if she's okay and then we could take on the boys at Ascot on Champions Day.”
Pedigree Notes
Fallen Angel is currently the last known foal out of the G2 May Hill Stakes winner and Fillies' Mile runner-up Agnes Stewart (Lawman) who is also responsible for the G3 Stanerra Stakes runner-up Divine Jewel (Frankel). Kin to the Listed winner and dual Grade III-placed Sorrel (Dansili), she hails from the family of the G1 National Stakes-winning sire Definite Article and the G2 Dante Stakes scorer Salford Express (Be My Guest).
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
COOLMORE AMERICA JUSTIFY MATRON STAKES-G1, €400,000, Leopardstown, 9-13, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:38.93, g/y.
1–FALLEN ANGEL (GB), 133, f, 4, by Too Darn Hot (GB)
1st Dam: Agnes Stewart (Ire) (GSW & G1SP-Eng,
GSP-Ire, $176,586), by Lawman (Fr)
2nd Dam: Anice Stellato (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire)
3rd Dam: Summer Spice (Ire), by Key Of Luck
O-Wathnan Racing; B-Branton Court Stud LLP; T-Karl Burke;
J-James Doyle. €240,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, GSW-
Eng, 12-6-2-1, $1,256,066. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Exactly (Ire), 128, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Heartache (GB), by
Kyllachy (GB). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael
Tabor; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O'Brien. €80,000.
3–Atsila (Ire), 128, f, 3, Phoenix Of Spain (Ire)–Scala Romana
(Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE.
(€27,000 RNA Wlg '22 GOFNO1; €50,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR).
O-Barry Fowler & Medallion Racing 2020 LLC & Steven I
Weston; B-Paul & Elizabeth Duffy; T-Donnacha O'Brien.
€40,000.
Margins: HF, 3/4, HF. Odds: 2.25, 3.30, 25.00.
Also Ran: Cathedral (GB), Cercene (Ire), Queen Of Thunder (Ire), January (Ire), Sparks Fly (GB), Duckadilly (Ire), Vera's Secret (Ire), California Dreamer (GB).
Group 1 glory!
Fallen Angel makes it FOUR top-level triumphs in the €400,000 @coolmorestud 'Justify' Matron Stakes on an afternoon to remember for @karl_burke pic.twitter.com/3J0c00rIVJ
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 13, 2025
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