By Ashley Iveson, PA
Aidan O’Brien could look to France for a Group One-winning opportunity for January after the filly narrowly missed out in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.
In receipt of 9lb from the winner Cinderella’s Dream, the three-year-old January was beaten just half a length, adding another top-level placing to her record after taking third in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Despite seeing his 6-4 favourite eclipsed, O’Brien is confident the Kingman filly is on the right track, with the Prix Rothschild at Deauville on August 3 pencilled in as a possible target.
O’Brien said: “She ran a lovely race, she is improving and we think there’s more improvement to come from her.
“She’s a lot of ability this filly and it’s coming. She’s definitely a miler – she’s quick. We’re getting there – she’s slowly getting closer.
“She ran a great race and we think we’re on the right road.
“There’s the fillies’ race in Deauville in a few weeks’ time, so we might look at that for her.”
Connections of Crimson Advocate also hope their filly will eventually strike Group One gold, having seen a length-and-three-quarters defeat of Cinderella’s Dream at Royal Ascot reversed off level weights here.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained runner was beaten two and a quarter lengths on the July course, with Richard Brown, the racing adviser for owners Wathnan Racing, feeling the contest had perhaps not unfolded in her favour.
He said: “There wasn’t a huge amount of early pace and more pace would have meant she could have been snaffled into it a little bit more, but she’s run a very good race.
“We haven’t made any plans, we’ll go away and have a think about it.
“She’s run a great race and I hope she can have her day in one of these (Group Ones).”
Crimson Advocate is entered in both the seven-furlong Lennox Stakes and the mile-and-a-quarter Nassau Stakes at Goodwood later this month and Brown added: “We’ll take her home and see how she comes out of it and then plot for the second half of the season.”
