Fallen Angel (9/1) denied January in a nail-biting finish to the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville on Sunday.
Karl Burke opted to bypass the Nassau Stakes (over two furlongs further) at Goodwood in favour of this tilt at the mile contest with underfoot conditions in France deemed to be more favourable.
The field raced in two groups for the first half of the contest with Fallen Angel, under Danny Tudhope, leading the group racing more towards the centre of the pack while Spiritual took them along against the rail with January settled in behind.
As Spiritual gave way and the groups began to merge, Ryan Moore switched January to their right to race alongside Fallen Angel with the former's stablemate Exactly racing to the winner's right.
It looked as though Moore had produced January with a perfectly timed challenge but Fallen Angel kept pulling out more for Tudhope and asserted in the final strides to record a notable success.
The supplemented Start Of Day was third.
Fallen Angel, trained by Karl Burke, had been purchased by Wathnan Racing after winning the 2024 renewal of the Irish 1000 Guineas but had come up short in four subsequent starts, including when third behind re-opposing owner-mate Crimson Advocate (sixth here) in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot last time.
She gives you her heart all the time
Tudhope "She's a superstar. I'm quite emotional to be honest. I haven't ridden her since last year's Irish 1000 Guineas when we won, she means a lot to me and the team as well.
"Three Group 1s now, as a two-year-old, three-year-old and now as a four-year-old, it's amazing really. I just have to thank the team, Wathnan and the whole team, for giving me the chance to get back on her.
"She has to have a good mind on her [to have achieved what she has], a great mentality, she's just fantastic. Karl always says she never shows a lot at home but she saves it for the track. It's a great day for us all.
"We went quick. My plan was always to go forward, she's a very straightforward filly. She had the cheekpieces on today, she was a bit lit up in them, but that was Karl's decision, she wore them the last day as well. I thought she was doing a bit too much in my hands but I did always think she was a filly you couldn't go quick enough on her but we were going quick there and she's toughed it out there, she had to be tough.
"They were coming at her, they were coming close to her at the line. I think I was slightly headed at one point and then came back again, she's an ultra-tough filly.
"I thought I had every chance [of winning], obviously I was aware he was there and I think he headed me at one point but she dug deep and got the result.
"She is [better with more cut, official going was good]. We know that, the softer the better. There's a little bit of juice in the ground, safe enough for her to run, she wouldn't really like it any quicker but she just tries, she gives you her heart all the time. She's a superstar."
Christopher Head was pleased with the performance of Start Of Day and is plotting a return to Deauville and a step up in trip for his filly, commenting after the success of Green Spirit: " She was really perfect today and I just can't wait to see her in the Prix Jean Romanet because she really showed she can finish and 2000 [metres] is not going to be a problem."
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