Ratings Update: Cambridgeshire Meeting

The first of seven group races spread across the three-day Cambridgeshire Meeting at Newmarket was the Group 3 Somerville Stakes over seven furlongs which saw Frankel colt Elarqam (now rated 112p from 97P) continue his highly-promising start. Upped significantly in grade just over two weeks on from his York maiden win, Elarqam took the rise in class in his stride, taking time to assert but impressing with his powerful stride once he got into full flow and eventually winning by two and a quarter lengths from Tip Two Win (remains on 105). He’ll be suited by a mile (at least) and very much looks the sort to make a better three-year-old, with a Guineas trial looking an obvious starting point for him next spring.

Frankel filly La Figlia faced a similar step up in grade from maiden company in Friday’s opener, the listed Rosemary Stakes. She improved significantly (105p from 78p) but understandably found a few more battle-hardened types too good on this occasion, notably the winner Muffri’Ha (remains on 113), who was a Group 3 winner last season and got back to her best after a slightly below-par run in the Dahlia Stakes on her last start in May. Though it was a higher grade of race the Group 3 Nayef Stakes took less winning, with the likes of Mori (109 from 112) and Elas Ruby (109 from 110) below their best, paving the way for an upset. 20/1-shot Apphia (109 from 104) showed a good attitude in first-time cheekpieces to fend off Pleasant Surprise (up 4 lb to 107), who’d looked the most likely winner after travelling best.

The Rockfel Stakes was an up-to-scratch renewal, but one that perhaps didn’t contain any stars, the well-placed Juliet Capulet (105) improving some 7 lb on Timeform ratings to get the better of the consistent Nyaleti (down 1 lb to 109). Third-placed Gavota (up 9 lb to 100p) may well prove the best of the field in the long term, having made up plenty of late ground after she’d met a bit of trouble.

One of the performances of the meeting came in the next race, the Group 2 Joel Stakes, with Beat The Bank (129 from 120p) taking another big step forward to record a first Group 2 success, taking his record to five wins from six starts in the process, his only defeat having come in the Jersey Stakes where he’d reportedly scoped dirty afterwards. After the Joel trainer Andrew Balding didn’t commit to running him in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (for which he holds an entry), but Beat The Bank definitely looks ready for a step up to Group 1 level now, and would be second only to Ribchester on weight-adjusted Timeform ratings going into that race.

Three pattern races for two-year-olds opened Cambridgeshire day, starting with a win for John Gosden’s Roaring Lion in the Royal Lodge Stakes. Roaring Lion took a big step forward from his pair of novice wins and is now Timeform rated 113p (from 90p), catching the eye with a rapid move into contention two furlongs out and being value for more than the winning margin over the second Nelson (remains on 112p), having hung left into the Dip before knuckling down well on the rising ground to pull the race out of the fire. Roaring Lion has plenty of physical scope and still seems rough around the edges, so looks an exciting prospect for next season, though he would obviously be a fascinating runner in the Racing Post Trophy should connections wish to give him another run as a two-year-old.

Aidan O’Brien had to settle for second in the Royal Lodge, but normal service was resumed in the Cheveley Park, with Clemmie (117p from 113p) running out a most-impressive winner, reversing Albany form with Different League (remains on 109), who finished second. Clemmie missed the Moyglare (won by her stablemate Happily, winner of Sunday’s Grand Criterium) on account of soft ground, but it’s doubtful that there is a better Guineas prospect in Britain or Ireland at the moment, almost impossible to think that she won’t be even better once tackling further than six furlongs (like her full-brother Churchill). She’d been absent since the July Meeting prior to this, and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see her show up in the Breeders’ Cup given her freshness.

The Middle Park field looked a representative one, featuring the winners of the Coventry, July Stakes, Phoenix, Gimcrack and the Prix Morny, but none of that quintet matched their previous best, leaving a finish fought out between a couple at big prices, U S Navy Flag (115 from 109) eventually getting the better of Fleet Review (113 from 102) by half a length. The result rather muddies the waters as far as supremacy in the division is concerned, but the winner clearly thrives on racing – not a surprise given that he’s a full-brother to Roly Poly – and there’s no reason to think that he won’t train on and stay further as a three-year-old like his sister has done this season.

The Middle Park provided a shock, but the Cambridgeshire was even crueller to punters, with 50/1-chance Dolphin Vista (111 from 105) chased home by 100/1 Sands Chorus (103 from 98), with Cote d’Azur (105 from 97+) finishing third at 50/1 for good measure. There was no fluke about the winner’s performance despite his SP, however, and he was arguably value for extra given that he came well clear of the smaller stand-side group that he’d raced in. He’s fresher than most for the time of year (only his fourth start of 2017), so should continue to give a good account if kept on the go.