Ratings Update: Duke can go right to the top

With 10,000 expected through the gate and big, competitive fields – which even included some Royal Ascot-esque foreign raiders – All-Weather Finals day at Lingfield was certainly a success, and there were some sparkling performances on the track to match the big money on offer.

The most striking of those probably came from Second Thought, who marked himself down as a Group-class performer when overcoming early interference (which left him seventh turning into the home straight) and a poor position to win the three-year-old contest on the card by half a length. Second Thought (now Timeform rated 114p from 108) is now unbeaten in his last four starts, and will go on improving, having the option to go back up to seven furlongs (listed winner over that trip on penultimate start).

The star name on the card beforehand was probably Ennaadd, though he didn’t quite meet expectations in the All-Weather Mile (now 118 from 120p), and Sovereign Debt (remains on 118) made amends for his luckless reversals in the last two renewals of the race, beating Nimr (115 from 108) into second, who got back on the up after being scuppered by the draw in the Spring Mile on his last start.

Kimberella ran plenty of good races last season when trained by David Nicholls but has been taken up a notch in next to no time with Richard Fahey, making it two wins from two starts for the yard in the sprint. He is now rated 118 (from 117) and will be worth his place in a pattern race on turf next (entered in the Duke of York).

Winning Story took the Marathon (up 3 lb to 114) and could be even more effective on a galloping turf track given his style, while Realtra – already a Group 3 winner – didn’t need to improve to land the fillies’ and mares’ race (remains on 110).

The quality jump racing action from the bank holiday weekend was from Fairyhouse’s Easter Festival, and the standout performance of the meeting is likely to have come in the feature race itself. Our Duke put up the best performance in the Irish Grand National since Flashing Steel’s victory off top weight in 1995, and is as exciting a prospect as there is in National Hunt racing at present. Now rated 167p (from 157p) after just 4 runs over fences, he looks a major contender for top honours in 2016/17 and is tailor-made for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Other performances of note at Fairyhouse included Project Bluebook’s improved performance to take the Grade 2 two-mile juvenile hurdle on Monday. Now rated 137 (from 133), he resumed his progress to land his third and biggest success of his campaign, and connections may attempt to exploit what now looks a favourable mark back on the Flat with him over the summer.

Yorkhill (161p) did plenty wrong from an early stage in the Ryanair Gold Cup on Sunday yet still may well have won had he not shaped to run out approaching the last and landed in a heap after jumping the fence. He may well revert back to hurdles (168 in that sphere) next season according to connections, but remains an exciting – if risky – proposition whichever route he ends up taking. It was Road To Respect (156+) that benefited from the favourite’s waywardness, landing his first Grade 1 success over fences. He will reportedly be put away for next season now and, given his yard, may well continue to progress.

The Grade 1 Mares Novices' Hurdle Championship Final earlier on the card also provided a shock of sorts, with odds-on favourite Let’s Dance (loses her ‘p’, now rated 144) going down to stablemate Augusta Kate (145p from 132p). It was a much improved effort from the winner, who resumed her progress following a below-par run in the Albert Bartlett last time (unable to recover from a significant mistake at the eighth). She will continue to be hard to beat if kept to mares’ company.