Thursday Racing Tips: Key Timeform data for Royal Ascot including a clear top-rated runner

• Charles Darwin 11lb clear in Norfolk

• Trawlerman has rock-solid claims in Gold Cup

• Raafeed looks well treated on handicap debut

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Royal Ascot, 14:30 - Top-rated Charles Darwin has strong claims on ratings

Charles Darwin was up against three unraced rivals in a conditions race at Naas last month and was sent off the 1/14 favourite on the back on an impressive maiden win at Navan, so he was very much expected to add to his tally.

However, the time he clocked for that three-and-a-quarter-length win suggests he raised his game at Naas and ran to a very high level for a two-year-old at such an early stage of the season.

No two-year-old earned a higher Timeform rating before Royal Ascot this season and Charles Darwin is 11 lb clear on Timeform's ratings for the Norfolk Stakes. He has already run to a level good enough to win most editions of the Norfolk Stakes so he should prove tough to beat.

It's also worth noting that the runner-up at Naas, Cardiff By The Sea, ran well when fourth in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. 

Royal Ascot, 16:20 - 'Horse In Focus' Trawlerman top-rated in Gold Cup

Trawlerman had to settle for second in last year's Gold Cup but he went down fighting against one of the best stayers of the modern era in Kyprios, and the very smart form he showed there is just about the best on offer.

That's not the only time Trawlerman has produced such a performance as he ran to a similar level when beating Kyprios, who admittedly wasn't at his best, in the 2023 Long Distance Cup at Ascot.

Trawlerman has the Horses For Courses Flag to highlight his effectiveness at Ascot, while he was also awarded the Horse In Focus Flag, marking him out as one likely to be of interest next time, following a comfortable win in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown last month.

He is 4 lb clear on Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings.

Royal Ascot, 17:00 - 'Horse In Focus' Raafedd can improve again

Raafedd, a 370,000 guineas purchase, was only sixth on his first couple of starts, but he showed much-improved form to get off the mark at Newbury last month, impressing with how readily he quickened clear over two furlongs out, earning Timeform's Horse In Focus Flag. 

He was allowed to coast home inside the final half furlong so won with much more in hand than the margin of two lengths might suggest, and he can have that performance upgraded.  

An opening BHA handicap mark of 92 could underestimate Raafedd - particularly as he still has the Timeform 'small p' to show he remains open to improvement - and he heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings by 2 lb.

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