Ebor Ratings Update: Cracksman stamps his class

Day 1 of the Ebor Festival – which now takes place over four days – featured a terrific finish to the Acomb Stakes, though the overly-strong pace set it up for those patiently ridden and means the result isn't one to take completely at face value. Wells Farhh Go (106p) maintained his unbeaten record with a useful and likeable performance; he will be suited by at least 1m. This was also a notable early success for his first-season stallion, Farhh, who has had just five starters to this point (they also include beaten favourite Dee Ex Bee, 103 from 104p). Runner-up James Garfield (up 7 lb to 106) improved again to all but land a first pattern win, nabbed on the line having made his move from the back before the winner; he will continue to give a good account.

Cracksman (127p from 123+) set an above average standard in a quality renewal of the Great Voltigeur, with all bar Atty Perse having at least placed in Group company already this year, and he turned it into a procession in a well-run affair that suited him ideally, putting up one the best performances in the history of this race let alone in recent years. Once they'd turned in he made rapid headway to lead and very quickly - and impressively - put the race to bed, storming clear and continuing to pour it on until Frankie Dettori took it easy towards the finish. He looks a Group-1 winner in waiting and could yet develop into a colt right out of the top drawer and, whether we see him again this autumn or not, he will be kept in training for what will be an exciting four-year-old campaign. Venice Beach (up 2 lb to 117) was beaten hollow by Cracksman but still ran a personal best, worth credit for beating all of the others by a wide margin, the galloping track and easy ground looking ideal for him; the St Leger is a possible target and he'll probably stay the longer trip.

Although only seven lined up this was a deep and competitive renewal of the International Stakes, five of them previous Group 1 winners, including Ulysses (up 2 lb to 130) and Barney Roy (loses ‘p’, now 126) who’d fought out a thrilling Eclipse earlier in the summer, joined by dual Guineas-winner Churchill (now 128), that trio topping the pre-race ratings, and in a cracking race none of them disappointed on the day, clear in the first three positions. Ulysses had his optimum test, a well-run race back at 1¼m, and with a perfect ride to boot he proved better than ever to add another Group 1 to his name, more emphatic than in the Eclipse and hitting the top-class 130-barrier for the first time in terms of his Timeform rating; the Breeders Cup Turf is reportedly his main target now and that should be another very suitable test for him. Churchill didn't fire for whatever reason at Royal Ascot, nothing reported to have come to light, but that was the only blip of his career so far and he bounced straight back to form after a nine-week break (missed the Sussex Stakes in the interim period after torrential rain left the ground heavy). Barney Roy deserves credit for his consistency at the highest level all summer, close to his best again here for all that it wasn't as tight between him and Ulysses as it had been in the Eclipse, made more use of this time.

Thursday’s action saw two of the most visually impressive performances of the week, starting with Threading (up 11 lb to 110p), though with one or two disappointments and with exposed outsiders in third and fourth, it's hard to make this more than an average running of the Lowther. For all that, the winner, in contrast to a lot of recent winners of this race, has the size and scope to go on and make an impact, not just in the autumn but into next year. Runner-up Madeline (105 from 106p) ran creditably, beaten fair and square by a totally unexposed one; given her lack of stature, this may be as good as she is. The standout performance on Thursday, though, came from the King George winner Enable (remains on 130p) who, back against her own sex, had loads in hand on form and didn't need to be near her best when making all in the Yorkshire Oaks. She was sweating beforehand and a bit geed up as well, not traits that had been obvious in her previous runs in Britain this year, though clearly it didn't have a negative effect on her performance; she holds two Champions day entries but is surely bound for the Arc, for which she is currently a short-priced favourite, hard to see what might trouble her if she's at her best. Stablemate Coronet (up 7 lb to 116) ran her best race, wresting second late on; she holds entries in the St Leger and the Fillies & Mares on Champions Day.

Friday's Nunthorpe Stakes, Britain's premier 5f race, brought together Lady Aurelia (remains on 135) and Battaash (135 from 135+), who had both produced outstanding performances on their most recent starts, putting them well clear on the adjusted pre-race Timeform ratings with both of them having comfortably accounted for last year's Kings Stand and Abbaye winners Profitable (remains on 125) and Marsha (up 7 lb to 130) at Royal Ascot and Goodwood, respectively. It did indeed develop into a fantastic head-to-head, but Lady Aurelia had Marsha to worry about rather than Battaash and, with the US filly having gone hard and ending up a little in isolation towards the far side of centre, she was run down, the first two pulling almost four lengths clear and both running to a top-class level of form, which has rarely happened in a British sprint. Marsha is very tough and genuine, and will have a big chance of winning the Abbaye again in the autumn, while Lady Aurelia lost very little in defeat and remains a brilliant 5f filly. She will be tough to beat wherever she goes next time. Battaash, on the other hand, got too worked up before the race to be able to perform, edgy even when getting saddled up and playing up badly at the start. 

In staying terms there were some unknown quantities in the Lonsdale Cup on Friday, Dartmouth (down 3 lb to 120) and Dal Harraild (down 2 lb to 120) stepping up in distance having shown very smart form at shorter trips, but the race ultimately took a bit less winning than might have been expected; it wasn't a particularly messy race, however, with High Jinx setting a fair gallop, and it was an improved and very genuine effort from the winner Montaly (up 5 lb to 116). He has been a revelation this season, kept fresh for all three starts and, with that in mind, it could be that he is just aimed straight at one of the autumn Group 1s, which would require even more improvement. Runner-up Dartmouth, who was shouldering a 3 lb penalty and put up the best performance in the race, proved that 2m is clearly more than within his stamina range, and he would have to enter the reckoning for the Group 1 staying races if kept to this division. Meanwhile, the City of York Stakes looked a highly competitive race by Group 3 standards, with no shortage of smart performers on show and, with plenty somewhere close to form the result has a very solid look, with the three-year-old winner Talaayeb (114p from 111) looking up to making an impact at a higher level.

It's getting harder to get into the Ebor each year it seems, bottom weight for Saturday's latest renewal competing from a BHA mark of 101, and it was a tight handicap with only 9 lb between top and bottom weight. It was also a very rough race as things cramped up between the 3f and 2f poles so there were several not seen to best effect on the day, the third Natural Scenery (up 2 lb to 114) about the worst affected. Nakeeta (up 4 lb to 114) hadn't won for almost two years, but he had put up some excellent efforts in defeat during that time, including a few at this track, and produced a career-best effort to resume winning ways, the third winner in the last four years to have been ridden by an apprentice incidentally. The runner-up Flymetothestars (remains on 114p) is a most progressive sort, still only on his sixth lifetime start, and Cup races will probably come into consideration either this autumn or next year, the level of form he showed here good enough to compete, and he could yet have more to offer. Finally, there was a surprise winner of this year's Gimcrack in the shape of Sands of Mali (116 from 101+), but there is no reason to think there was any fluke about it and, with the second, third and fourth all horses that had been placed in other juvenile pattern races this summer, it does look solid form. Sands of Mali is improving in leaps and bounds and will stay 7f at some stage, though probably won't be asked to this year, not entered in the Dewhurst, so the Middle Park is very much the obvious target.