Ratings Update: Get your head round Cavalier victory

Naturally, this is the first Ratings Update for a while where the jumps action has taken precedence over the Flat. The feature meeting of the weekend in Britain took place at Wetherby on Saturday, where the Charlie Hall Chase and West Yorkshire Hurdle (both Grade 2s) were staged. The latest Charlie Hall revolved around Cue Card, who used the 2015 renewal as the first step in one of the most remarkable recovery seasons in modern National Hunt racing. However, the 11/8-on shot couldn't get away after he’d jumped to the front at the fourteenth fence and had no real answer when headed three out, eventually finishing only third behind 16/1 winner Irish Cavalier and 12/1-shot Menorah. As a result, Cue Card’s Timeformmaster rating has now been downgraded from c182 to c177. The race-fit Irish Cavalier showed the benefit of his Chepstow run (fifth of seven finishers to Art Mauresque in a handicap) but his first open graded win owed more to others—including Dynaste and Virak, as well as Cue Card—failing to run to their peak than any improvement on his part. Irish Cavalier was in receipt of 4 lb from the 11-year-old Menorah (who had won the race in 2014 but had run dismally in 2015) and made it count with nothing in hand; both stay on their ratings of c163 and c166x respectively. Last season’s RSA winner Blaklion finished only fourth, eight and a quarter lengths behind the winner, but he still advanced his rating from c152 to c155 in the process. While the Charlie Hall was exciting to watch, Irish Cavalier’s winning performance rating was the lowest in the race since Weird Al's in 2011 and neither he nor Menorah are credible Cheltenham Gold Cup prospects; Cue Card is probably not now, either. What’s more, the fact the leader came home from three out only 0.5secs quicker than a coasting Zeroshadesofgrey (c131p from c123p) in the closing novice chase on the card doesn't exactly speak well of the form.

The West Yorkshire Hurdle was another dramatic race, chiefly for the fall of 6/4 favourite Ballyoptic a few strides after the last. Ballyoptic was still fifth at the time and it’s hard to say whether he would have beaten the eventual winner Silsol had he stood up, but he was set to go close, with his stamina kicking in, and he’s well worth another chance to show himself a World Hurdle contender (now rated 155p from 150p). Silsol didn't need to better his handicap performances in Aprilto make a breakthrough at graded level—he quickly returns to h156—proving yet another Paul Nicholls runner primed to go after a break this autumn. Silsol received 8 lb from the eventual third Lil Rockerfeller (h155) and placing him to further advantage won't be easy (usual rider Jack Sherwood still won't be able to claim), though at least this performance proves he isn't reliant on the mud. Last season’s Grade 1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase winner Native River was strong in the betting (5/2) returned to hurdles after seven months off and he ran well to finish second, producing his best ever performance over hurdles, in fact (h150). He could well have to more to over back over fences, too, and he remains a contender for the Hennessy Gold Cup, a race promises to play right to his strengths.

Down at Ascot, the Grade 3 Sodexo Gold Cup Handicap Chase went to the lowly-weighted Antony (c134 from c127) for the Gary Moore stable. The race was perhaps not so well contested on the day as seemed likely beforehand, with a prominent position an advantage despite the race being run at a fair pace, but it’s still hard to crab Antony as he quickened clear to win by four and a half lengths. Antony, who sweated up beforehand, proved fully effective over the three-furlong longer trip (three miles) and his jumping better than it was last time, too, so he can win another valuable prize in the near future. Several of those that had been off since the spring left the impression they were just short of a run, including eventual third Saphir du Rheu (c156) and fifth Tea For Two (c149p) who are both likely to build on their efforts. Junction Fourteen ran well to finish second (147 from 145), though the race did show him to maximum effect (made running) and he’ll need to show he can do the same under less favourable circumstances.

Other notable jumps performances over the weekend came from Quite By Chance (139 from 131) and Sternrubin (143 from 139), winning the listed events over fences and hurdles at Ascot on Saturday, and from Seeyouatmidnight (157+ from 153) who beat his sole rival Bristol de Mai (152 from 154) by 12 lengths in a listed chase at Carlisle on Sunday. Also, Cultivator (130p) looked a good prospect as he took the same novice hurdle at Ascot won by his stablemates My Tent Or Yours and Altior in recent years.

On the Flat, there were two juvenile Group 1s at Saint-Cloud on Sunday. Aidan O’Brien trained the favourite for both the seven-furlong Criterium International in Promise To Be True (110) and mile-and-a-quarter Criterium de Saint-Cloud in Capri (113), but neither could do better than third. It was a British one-two in the Criterium International as Thunder Snow beat fellow Dewhurst also-ran South Seas by five lengths, pushing his Timeform rating from 110 to 119 in the process; South Seas remains on 108. Andre Fabre’s Waldgeist (111 from 104) denied Godolphin a big-race double when proving a length too good for Best Solution (109) in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, and he’ll reportedly have the Irish Derby as his big target next summer, possibly taking in Epsom en route.