Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes: runner-by-runner guide and tip

Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes: runner-by-runner guide and tip

By Alex Scott
Last Updated: Wed 9 Jul 2025
Day two of the Debenhams July Festival sees the girls take centre stage with the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes.
This year's £275,000 Group One contest over the straight mile looks another high-quality affair, with five of the eight runners rated 110 or above, and we have an even split between the Classic generation and older horses.
Interestingly, since the race was opened up to older horses in 1974, 33 out of the 51 runnings have been won by three-year-olds, including six of the last nine renewals.
Just one winner has returned at double-figure odds in the past ten years, whilst every winner bar one in that timeframe has been drawn in stall four or lower. In fact, stall four itself has produced six of the last ten winners.
The great Niarchos filly Alpha Centauri comes home unchallenged in the Falmouth Stakes.
The race has been won by some outstanding fillies and mares over the years such as Al Bahathri, Sonic Lady, Soviet Song and Goldikova, and over the past decade and a half, fillies such as Integral, Alice Springs, Alpha Centauri, Snow Lantern, Nashwa and Porta Fortuna have all returned victorious.
Here are my thoughts on each of this year's contenders.

1 CINDERELLA'S DREAM

Best odds: 5-2.   Rating: 115.
Watch Cinderella's Dream cast a spell over her rivals in the Dahlia Stakes.
This four-year-old is incredibly consistent and it hard to see her finishing out of the frame at the very least on her form so far this season.
Her seventh-placed finish in last year's 1000 Guineas remains the only time she has failed to finish outside of the first two, and her four and a half-length demolition of her four rivals in the Dahlia Stakes over a furlong further at the Guineas Festival is probably the most impressive piece of form on offer here.
She was then sent off the 5-4 favourite in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, despite carrying a 3lb penalty for her Newmarket win, but was ran down late on by the re-opposing Crimson Advocate.
A length and three quarters was the difference at the line, but they are set to match up  on the July Course off level weights and a straight course may see the Godolphin filly to better effect. She has also drawn the 'lucky' stall four.
We know Cinderella's Dream stays a mile very strongly and, given the general lack of pace in this race, I would not be surprised should William Buick ditch the usual hold-up tactics in favour of a slightly more positive ride and aim to get first run on her Wathnan Racing adversary, who is also likely to be ridden patiently.

2 CRIMSON ADVOCATE

Best odds: 7-2.   Rating: 115.
Crimson Advocate (centre) is set to renew rivalry with Running Lion (left) and Cinderella's Dream (right) in the Falmouth Stakes on Friday.
The 2023 Queen Mary winner has improved for the step up to a mile since joining John and Thady Gosden, and she displayed her devastating turn of foot to maximum effect at Royal Ascot last time out.
Her first run over a mile came at Kempton on the all-weather in March, where she came from a long way back to finish a close second. She then contested a Listed race at Goodwood, where she again came home late, this time getting up to win, having started slowly.
Her effort last time was a career best performance and is deservedly near the head of the market for this race. I have a slight suspicion that this track and race may not play to her strengths as much as Ascot. They went hard in the middle part of the race last month, and the earlier they get racing the better for this four-year-old.

3 ELMALKA

Best odds: 14-1.   Rating: 111.
Much to Roger Varian's frustration, the daughter of Kingman has not been able to get her head in front since landing the 1000 Guineas last year and the likes of Cinderella's Dream have seemingly improved past her.
She has significant work to do with Charlie Appleby's runner based on her four and a half-length second in the Dahlia Stakes in May, and the level of form she showed when fourth in the Prix d'Ispahan last time out is unlikely to be good enough for this either.
She does stay further than this and has been consistent with the level of form she has showed, and whilst she does need to improve, she does not have loads to find on ratings and is certainly an each-way player.

4 RUNNING LION

Best odds: 10-1.   Rating: 111.
You never quite know what you're going to get with this talented mare. Sent off second favourite for this last year after making all to land the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, she ended up being tailed off. 
That performance was one of three times in her last seven runs where she has failed to beat a rival home, although she had genuine traffic problems in one of those runs.
On her day, she can be very impressive. As well as her Royal Ascot win, she gave a fabulous account of herself in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes again this year when last seen, looking like the winner at one stage before weakening late on to finish fourth.
Second in the Prix de l'Opera in October, she is another that we know will stay strongly and, although she doesn't always make the running, she is still the most likely pace angle in this race and there has been some each-way support for her over the last couple of days as well.

5 ATSILA

Best odds: 28-1.   Rating: 104.
Atsila will represent last year's winning trainer Donnacha O'Brien.
A very interesting runner. Donnacha O'Brien won this with a three-year-old last year in the shape of Porta Fortuna and, whilst this filly does not have the same CV as her, she does have some solid form in the book.
She got off the mark at the first attempt impressively in April and then beat subsequent Coronation Stakes heroine Cercene in a Group Three at the Curragh a month later.
Her last run saw her finish seventh in the Irish 1000 Guineas, where she looked to be a tad outpaced, although she did finish slightly ahead of the re-opposing January.
This will require a career best, but she still has plenty of potential and the fast ground at Newmarket could see her to better effect.

6 ELWATEEN

Best odds: 18-1.   Rating: 107.
Saeed bin Suroor's filly was one of my eye-catchers from the Guineas Festival when she stayed on to finish fourth in the first fillies' Classic on just her second career start and her first start of the season.
I was disappointed with her performance in the Oaks last time, but I suspect she just did not stay the extra half-mile and it looks a sensible decision to go back to a mile on a straight track.
Whilst she does have work to do, the record that three-year-olds have in the race mean she is worth a second look and she is unexposed over the trip.

7 JANUARY

Best odds: 5-2.   Rating: 110.
The best performance of her career came last time out when third in the Coronation Stakes, although she showed very good form during six races as a two-year-old as well.
She twice found just Desert Flower too good in both the May Hill Stakes and Fillies' Mile, and she probably needed the run when eighth in the Irish 1000 Guineas.
It must be a positive sign that O'Brien had considered running a couple of her stablemates in this too, but the master of Ballydoyle has opted for the daughter of Kingman to be his sole representative.
Speaking to Graham Clark earlier this week, her trainer said: “we think she has come forward again", so she is unsurprisingly at the head of the market.

8 LADY ILZE

Best odds: 33-1.   Rating: 108.
German trainer Andreas Wöhler has decided to send over this three-year-old daughter of Territories for what looks to be her toughest assignment to date.
She started life in Poland, where she won multiple times at two, and this season, has taken her form to a greater level, winning the German 1000 Guineas at Dusseldorf on her latest start.
A comfortable length winner of the fillies' Classic in late May, she does at least arrive here in winning form, but this will  be the quickest ground she has encountered in a hotter race. Has the very capable Adrie de Vries on board.
VERDICT
Several of these are very closely matched on ratings, but I would have slight preference for CINDERELLA'S DREAM, who can gain a first domestic Group One. She escapes a penalty this time, stays the mile strongly and handled the not too dissimilar dip on the Rowley Mile fantastically when effortlessly winning the Dahlia Stakes two months ago. This has been her target for some time.
History tells us not to totally discount the three-year-olds and I suspect it may be the Irish raiders that get closest to her. January looks solid and Atsila can outrun her odds.

Win selection

Each-way selection

1 Cinderella's Dream.  2 January.  3 Atsila.

Debenhams July Festival: more reading and viewing

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