Porta Fortuna (credit: Tattersalls)

Porta Fortuna sells to Coolmore for 4.5m Guineas

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Wed December 03, 2025 · 2w ago

Multiple Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna sold at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 4,500,000 guineas to M V Magnier.

“Practically perfect in every way” was how auctioneer John O’Kelly introduced Porta Fortuna to a packed Tattersalls sales ring and the dual Royal Ascot and four-time Group 1 winner lived up to expectations when selling for 4,500,000 guineas, the second highest priced filly in training sold in the world this year.

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency and trained by Donnacha O’Brien for a partnership of Medallion Racing, Steve Weston, Dean Reeves and Barry Fowler, Porta Fortuna was the outstanding filly of her generation, winning the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at two before a historic treble of Group 1 races in the Coronation Stakes, the Falmouth Stakes and the Matron Stakes at three.

M V Magnier said: “Donnacha has done an incredible job with her. She is a very good filly, she is very talented. She is a lovely filly, loads of quality and hopefully she can breed one as good as her. Coming here we put a good bit of thought to it, and there is a good chance she could go to Starspangledbanner."

“This is why everyone tries to be in the game, to have horses like this,” said an emotional Phillip Shelton, racing manager of Medallion Racing. “For our partnership and for me personally she has taken us to a stratosphere we could never have dreamed about, it is a huge honour and privilege to be a part of the journey. You are more nervous before a race, but I was pacing back there!

“But at the end of the day she does not owe us anything. She is going to a great home, it will be fun to get to watch and she is going to be just down the road from Donnacha. It is not often you have this unbelievable race record and then you pull the filly out of the stall and they are nice as her. She has unbelievable presence and an unbelievable mind, and I think that was part of the reason she was so successful on the track.

“I think there was the pressure coming in – this was the end of our chapter, our story, it has been an incredible journey and we wanted this to go well more for her than anything, we are so far ahead financially that we just wanted her to have this moment. She has been a queen every step of the way. Horses are just amazing, they can take you to places and experiences that you can never dream about, when you look back you realise how fortunate you are.

“We were lucky enough to buy into her, it has been a great start of a journey with Donnacha and we have a bunch more horses with him. We have five yearlings, six two-year-olds, we sold Sharpen well here yesterday. It has been an incredible run – we have enjoyed all of it and it comes back to the horse, we are just along for the ride. We just pay the bills and get out the top hat! And I put it on before coming here to reminisce!”

Harrington blown away

Meanwhile, Barnavara became the highest priced filly in training sold in the world this year when realising 4.8m guineas to Sugar Whiskey Trading, bidding online, who saw off a determined effort by bloodstock agent Henry Lascelles to secure the Prix de l’Opera winner.

The three-year-old was offered by Baroda Stud on behalf of trainer Jessie Harrington and owners Alpha Racing for whom the daughter of Calyx won three Group races this year, culminating in a brilliant win at Longchamp on Arc day.

“Jeepers! That was more than my wildest dreams, we sort of thought in our excitement that she might make three million guineas,” said Harrington. “The bidding sort of stopped at 1.5 million, and I was a little worried but then it went on and on and on and on. I promise you it is amazing.

“We thought she was only just growing into herself. She went on improving all year, she is a very big filly, but she is amazing. She actually won her maiden in May, then we ran her in Listed and Group races and she was getting placed and she was not finishing out her races, and I think she was going through a little bit of a weak stage. Her first run this year was not good, but then it just all came together and from then it has been brilliant.”

Of Alpha Racing, Harrington added: “Alpha Racing was set up by Richie Galway my son-in-law, Patrick Cooper and Legs Lawlor. The idea is to buy yearlings, race them, have fun, and then hopefully let it wash its face every year, they are sold at the end of their three-year-old season. Everyone has had fun doing it and a lot of the syndicate are here today, three people have come from the US! There are twelve shares in this group…. I think for the yearlings we have bought for the syndicate this year we are rather oversubscribed!”

Baroda Stud’s David Cox said: “She looked amazing, she has an amazing race record and she is on the up. There is a lot of racing left in her, and Jessica and her team have done a great job with her. It is great for the syndicate, I have two friends in it myself – they love racing, their dad had not been too well and so I told them to get involved and have some fun – they have had the time of their lives and they can’t believe it! The win in France is number one for them, and they are delighted with tonight.

“Everyone has got a big kick out of it – Patrick [Cooper] and Richie [Galway] buying her, Adrian at home who rides her out, it is big team. It is the biggest result for Baroda in the ring too, it is a great result.”

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