Handicappers' Corner: A rundown on the top performances from round the globe

Timeform Debate / Simon Rowlands / 29 August 2011 / Leave a Comment

Stay Thirsty wins the $1m Travers Stakes (photo courtesy of Melissa Wirth/Horsephotos.com)

"Stay Thirsty is also rated 122, and his position as favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic seems slightly questionable on form alone."

There was some outstanding racing in the US, despite the intervention of Hurricane Irene. Simon Rowlands reveals the ratings to come out of it as well as out of some of the Group races in Europe.

Hurricane Irene blew away some of the racing on the East Coast of the US, but Stateside was still where the best action of the last week took place.

Saratoga's Saturday card featured three Grade 1 races on what could be seen as the weekend which starts the countdown proper to the Breeders' Cup in November.

Pride of place arguably went to Uncle Mo, the brilliant champion juvenile of 2010 who came back from a career-threatening illness to run a close second in the King's Bishop Stakes, looking like winning before being run down by one, in Caleb's Posse, who came from further back.

The two were separated by a nose at the line and are both rated 122, though Uncle Mo has a "+" on his rating in recognition that he could yet return to his peak of 127.

There was quick recompense for Uncle Mo's connections when Stay Thirsty took the $1m Travers Stakes soon after.

Stay Thirsty, second in the Belmont Stakes in June, seems to have improved of late, but the proximity of outsiders Rattlesnake Bridge and J W Blue, as well as the rank performances of the fancied Coil and Shackleford, suggest it is best not to get carried away with this form.

Stay Thirsty is also rated 122, and his position as favourite for the Breeders' Cup Classic seems slightly questionable on form alone.

There was a performance of rare merit earlier on the card also, when the four-year-old filly Hilda's Passion took the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes over seven furlongs by almost 10 lengths under joint top weight. A rating of 125 makes her marginally the highest rated filly in North America in what is proving a strong year in that division.

Over on the West Coast, at Del Mar, both Acclamation (ten-furlong TVG Pacific Classic) and The Factor (seven-furlong Pat O'Brien Stakes) posted 125 ratings in Grade 1 victory. The latter joins the Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom as the most highly-rated three-year-old of the campaign.

The sole Group 1 in Europe was the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, which went the way of the odds-on Maybe, unbeaten in five starts and now rated alongside Best Terms and 1 lb ahead of Discourse among two-year-old fillies on 117 (Maybe retains a "p").

Fire Lily is considered to have run slightly better when second in the Moyglare than she had when filling the same berth behind Best Terms over a furlong shorter in the Lowther.

There were a few contenders for best effort of the week in Britain, but pride of place just about goes to Dubawi Gold, winner of the Group 2 Betfair Celebration Mile at Goodwood.

A half-length defeat of Set The Trend does not tell the whole story, as the winner quickened smartly after finding trouble. Dubawi Gold, thrashed by Frankel in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier in the year, is now rated 122.

Cirrus des Aigles seems to be getting better with age, and the five-year-old posted another high-class performance when landing the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville by 10 lengths. A rating of 127 suggests he could yet gain that elusive Group 1 success.

Marchand d'Or got up late on to win the Group 3 Prix de Meautry at Deauville. One consequence of his new 118 rating is that the form of the Prix Maurice de Gheest at the course earlier in August has been raised and the winner that day, Moonlight Cloud, now figures on 125.