Porta Fortuna and Tom Marquand draw clear of their rivals© Photo Healy Racing
Porta Fortuna continued her stellar season, as she registered her third successive win at the highest level in the Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron Stakes.
Second in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Donnacha O'Brien-trained bay has since claimed the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Falmouth at Newmarket.
Expected to complete the hat-trick this afternoon, the talented Caravaggio was returned the 5/4 favourite under Tom Marquand.
Soon settled in fourth, the now seven-time winner took closer order from early in the straight and got to the front from the furlong pole, keeping on well from there to win by a length.
On her first start since her 1000 Guineas triumph at the Curragh, Fallen Angel (5/2) ran a fine race to finish second under James Doyle for Karl Burke, while fellow UK raider Soprano (14/1) was half-a-length away in third.
"She's an incredible filly, she shows up every day. It's a huge honour and pleasure to train her and I'm lucky to have her," O'Brien reflected.
"You can never be confident going into a Group 1, they are always hard to win. No matter what the bookies are saying they are always very tough to win but she makes it look easy.
"She's always been good but you can never be sure they are going to develop into something like that, you can never dream of that.
"She won very well at the Curragh and then she was bought by Mark McStay for Steve Weston, Philip Shelton, who represents Medallion Racing, Dean Reeves and Barry Fowler, who is not here today.
"It's just a huge honour to have the filly, she's very special.
"We'll take her home and see how she is but all being well we'll be going to Del Mar (for the Breeders' Cup).
"She'll get an easy week or two. I'll have to confirm with the owners but we had it in our heads that if she won here she'd skip Newmarket and we'd prep her for America."
Steve Weston added: "We loved the way she won first time out, when she came up the rail at the Curragh. She showed a lot of guts. We decided to take a shot and she's been a horse of a lifetime."
Philip Shelton said: "It's been an unbelievable journey. Dean (Reeves) always said he's the only man from Georgia that has shaken the King's hand!
"To win four Group 1s is just the ultimate testament to Donnacha and his team.”
When asked about the Breeders Cup Reeves said: "That's the dream. This filly is so determined that just because she's going to be running against boys I don't think it's going to change her thought process."
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
