Burke hopeful of late-season campaign with Fallen Angel

Irish Guineas heroine was forced to miss Coronation Stakes.

Karl Burke is targeting an autumn campaign with Fallen Angel after injury ruled the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine out of an intended appearance at Royal Ascot last week.

A Group One-winning two-year-old in last season’s Moyglare Stud Stakes, the daughter of Too Darn Hot disappointed as favourite for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, but showed her true colours on her return to Ireland to claim Classic glory last month.

She was all set to line up in what looked a stellar edition of the Coronation Stakes – and while a setback suffered the week before means she is now on the easy list, Burke fully expects to have his star filly back on the racecourse before the end of the campaign.

Karl Burke (left) with Fallen Angel at the Curragh
Karl Burke (left) with Fallen Angel at the Curragh (Healy Racing/PA)

“She’s got a small bit of bone bruising, but it’s nothing serious. We’ll leave her alone now and hopefully she’ll be ready for September and an autumn campaign,” he said.

“She’ll be back in steady work in the next week or so, but we won’t rush her back, we’ll prepare her from September onwards.”

While Burke enjoyed a Royal Ascot double courtesy of Shareholder in the Norfolk Stakes and Leovanni in the Queen Mary, Fallen Angel was not his only high-profile absentee.

Elite Status was considered a major contender for the Commonwealth Cup before he knocked a joint on the journey from North Yorkshire, while exciting juvenile Andesite had to miss the Coventry Stakes after suffering a freak accident in the box.

“With Elite Status, it’s exactly the same issue as we’ve had in the past with a knocked joint, but we’ve got him home and got on top of it and we’ve changed a couple of little things with how we train him day to day,” Burke added.

“I’m sure he’ll be back out sooner rather than later. He’s in the July Cup, I’m not sure the track will play to his strengths, the undulations there, but he is in it and it’s a possibility.

“Andesite was very lucky not to be seriously injured, he’s literally just back walking now.

“He must have kicked out with his hind legs and got his leg caught on the Anti Weave Grille on top of the stable door as he dragged it off, his leg was still stuck and he’s obviously gone berserk in the box trying to get it off – it was a nasty one.

“We’ll take our time with him. I think mentally he’ll be fine, but it’s just going to take a little bit of time as there’s a lot of superficial cuts, luckily no serious damage but it will be a few weeks before he’s back doing any serious work.”

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