Royal Ascot 2024: Port Fairy wins the Ribblesdale Stakes

Port Fairy (12-1) battled to land a fine victory in the Ribblesdale Stakes on day three of Royal Ascot 2024.

Aidan O'Brien's daughter of 2014 Epsom and Irish Derby winner Australia went one better than her second in the Cheshire Oaks at Chester's May Festival last month, to land the Group Two contest under Ryan Moore. The three-year-old, who had bypassed the Betfred Oaks at Epsom, proved a gutsy winner of the Ribblesdale as she came through past the front-running You Got To Me (7-2) to lead two furlongs from home. But she was just headed on the run to the line by eventual runner-up Lava Stream (20-1), but battled back superbly to score by a neck. The 9-4 favourite Kalpana, under Oison Murphy, stayed on late to be a further length-and-a-quarter back in third with You Got To Me another half-a-length adrift in fourth.

It was a record-equalling fifth success in the Ribblesdale for Ballydoyle trainer O'Brien and a fifth success in the race for jockey Moore. Although it was Moore's 82nd Royal Ascot career winner, taking him ahead of the now-retired Frankie Dettori but still a long way behind the legendary Lester Piggott's all-time record of 116.

O'Brien, who had previously won the 'Ascot Oaks' with Bracelet (2014), Even Song (2016), Magic Wand (2018) and Warm Heart (2023), said: "Ryan gave her a great ride, he's unbelievable really. Big team at home, very grateful and thank you to everybody. And Ryan was brilliant on her – he didn’t panic even when the second went by her. It was class. We had other fillies in the Oaks and we were just trying to give them all a chance, give her a bit more chance to mature. Ryan felt she was a bit immature at Chester.

"Ryan said maybe try a visor on her at home, when she was coming here, so we put a visor on her the last day, and her work really stepped up. She looks like she’d be a lovely Irish Oaks filly now, and she gets it well, she stays well. It’s incredible for Ryan to have achieved what he has, and at his age - he must be 10 years younger than Frankie, isn’t he?”

Jockey Moore added: "It was a good fight. She has improved a lot this year. She wouldn't show you a great deal in the mornings, she's a very relaxed horse. I had a nice run round, she's straightforward, very uncomplicated, and she really tried hard."

David O'Meara, trainer of runner-up Lava Stream, was delighted with his filly and said: "I'm delighted with that. Danny (Tudhope) said she idled a touch in front and that she might have preferred to have had the winner in her sights rather than hitting the front so soon. We were surprised by how well she travelled, she got a perfect trip round and it was a great ride. You can't be disappointed with that.

"I wasn't sure about the mile and a half, so there was an option of dropping back for the Nassau but it looks now like a mile and half will be perfect for her. She's run on all sorts of ground and she seemed very happy on that today. We always hoped she was capable of winning a black-type race, but she's exceeding our expectations."

Jockey Murphy, who partnered third home Kalpana, added: "Kalpana ran another career-best. She got the mile and a half well. It was a good, even tempo, it was a proper stamina test."