Ratings Update: Lion roars in the Juddmonte

Wednesday

York’s four-day Ebor Festival started last Wednesday and the Acomb Stakes was the first pattern race on the card. It was won in good style by Phoenix of Spain (109p from 88p) who took the marked step up in grade in his stride, taking a while to hit top gear but forging away from another promising rival Watan (105p from 95P) in the closing stages. The winner is bred to come into his own over a mile-plus, though keeping to seven furlongs for the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster next month could be an ideal next step; he has plenty of scope and looks a good prospect.

The Great Voltigeur was an up-to-scratch renewal, plenty of the field likely to take their chance in the St Leger at Doncaster next month, and the winner Old Persian (up 8 lb to 122) again displayed a good attitude to narrowly hold off stablemate Cross Counter (remains on 123).  Old Persian’s odds were unsurprisingly cut across the board for the St Leger but, whilst he'll undoubtedly hold strong form claims, he's hardly screaming out for the longer trip and might be vulnerable to stronger stayers. Cross Counter, on the other hand, will stay beyond a mile and a half, and the Melbourne Cup is reportedly his next target (ineligible for the St Leger). The Aidan O’Brien-trained Kew Gardens (123 from 118p) shaped encouragingly under a 5 lb penalty with an eye towards Town Moor, especially when bearing in mind he'd missed the King George in the interim with a slight setback.

Over many years now, the Juddmonte International has earnt its reputation as one of the deepest Group 1s of the summer and a fitting field turned up for this year’s renewal, with all bar one successful at the top level already in the calendar year, and it was more of a clash of the generations than either the Eclipse or King George had been the month previous. Ten-furlong specialist Roaring Lion (up 5 lb to 130) proved himself a top-class performer, having too much pace for Poet’s Word (remains on 132) and the rest to cope with (even if that rival met some trouble), quickening clear in impressive fashion to win readily. The Irish Champion Stakes looks the logical next port of call, for which he will again be tough to beat assuming ground conditions aren’t testing – he's a fluent moving colt, so far unraced on soft/heavy ground, and such conditions may blunt his speed and acceleration.

It's Roaring Lion who comes out on top in a thrilling @JuddmonteFarms International Stakes #ClassicEbor pic.twitter.com/vWDbdklo7H

— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) August 22, 2018

Thursday

The Lowther Stakes on Thursday lacked strength and depth, plenty of them stepping up in class and only two of the field having a pattern win to their name already, and Fairyland (remains on 102) didn’t need to improve to come out on top. She’s a very genuine filly who has a lot of quality about her in appearance, from a very good family of predominantly sprinters, including Dream Ahead, and is likely to prove best at sprint distances herself.

With the winners of the Irish Oaks, Prix de Diane and Ribblesdale all clashing with some smart older fillies, the Yorkshire Oaks looked a competitive renewal beforehand, but it proved to be much less so in the event, as Sea of Class (up 4 lb to 123p) was a cut above. Her performance was right up there with the recent standards for this race, and given she burst from last to first in a race that wasn't run at a strong gallop, those bare facts don't do her full justice. She'll need to be supplemented for the Arc, but that looks very likely to be the case at this stage, and she could certainly make a big impact.

Just 40 minutes later, Lah Ti Dar (122p from 116p) put up another breathtaking performance, one which was worthy of a much higher grade, and the time comparison with the Yorkshire Oaks – which wasn't run at dissimilar gallop – gives more foundation for taking a very positive view of this form, the overall time little more than 0.7 seconds slower with 4 lb more carried by the winner, who was eased late on. She's already a Group 1 filly on this evidence, now rated higher than plenty who have won at that level, including the Oaks winner Forever Together, and she'll undoubtedly be in that grade next time, with the St Leger mooted as her likely destination in the immediate aftermath.

Whatever you can do...

One-time Oaks favourite Lah Ti Dar powers clear in the British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes to justify 4-6 favouritism. pic.twitter.com/2X429VOxsx

— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) August 23, 2018

Friday

Stradivarius (remains on 127) proved himself the best stayer around on Friday when completing a four-timer in the Lonsdale Cup and securing the newly-introduced WH Stayers’ Million bonus. He was only workmanlike on the day, not travelling so well as he had in landing his earlier wins but pushed somewhere not far off his best. He will continue to be hard to beat in this division, with the Champion Stayers at Ascot likely to be his final outing of the year.

It didn't look a vintage renewal of the Gimcrack beforehand by any means and although the first two – Emaraaty Ana (up 11 lb to 111p) and Legends of War (109 from 97+) clearly improved, the form is still that of a slightly substandard running. Emaraaty Ana is still not the finished article and will go on progressing, particularly when stepping up in trip; he has entries for both the Champagne Stakes and Dewhurst.

The Nunthorpe Stakes was all about Battaash (remains on 136), but once again he proved disappointing in the race itself, not going with anything like his usual zest, not getting overly worked up beforehand, but sweating up at the start. He remains with three outstanding efforts over the last year or so, on those he is clearly the best five-furlong performer for many a year, and will hopefully show that level again in the Abbaye, a race he won (at a different track) last autumn. Friday’s winner Alpha Delphini (up 5 lb to 121) has been in good form at a lower level all year, though narrow defeats on all four of his starts, including behind the runner-up Mabs Cross (up 2 lb to 119) in the Palace House, suggested he had plenty to find to make an impact, but he had ideal conditions and showed a very willing attitude to take advantage of his much more exalted rivals failing to fire.

A huge upset in the @coolmorestud Nunthorpe Stakes!

A photo finish was called, but it was Alpha Delphini (40-1) who got the verdict from Mabs Cross in a thriller. #Ebor pic.twitter.com/CIyQSPTmZY

— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) August 24, 2018

Saturday

Expert Eye (remains on 123) made the most of a good opportunity to win the valuable City of York Stakes on Saturday, encouraging he has been able to string three good efforts in a row together, and he is ready to move back up in grade now; the Prix du Moulin, Prix de la Foret and Queen Elizabeth II are all plausible targets, the division ripe for the taking, excepting Alpha Centauri.

It was a now typical renewal of the Ebor, the field made up of smart but exposed types, lots of whom have had plenty of goes in pattern company without necessarily being able to cut the mustard, Muntahaa (up 6 lb to 123) a notable exception in that he won the John Porter Stakes last season and was probably better than ever in winning by this by a surprisingly wide margin. He had been shaping as though ready for the step back up in trip, but it's doubtful many expected him to produce this kind of performance, an impressive winner from a BHA mark of 109 and, in terms of figures, even bettering the form he produced when winning the John Porter last season. The Melbourne Cup is reportedly under consideration now.

Muntahaa wins the @SkyBet Ebor Handicap at an impressive 11-1 for John Gosden, who scores a 1-2 with Weekender finishing close 2nd #Ebor pic.twitter.com/jpOxLkVUgR

— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) August 25, 2018

Over in Ireland, Aidan O’Brien saddled a most exciting prospect in the shape of Ten Sovereigns (106P), who won a six-furlong maiden at the Curragh by seven lengths. He looked something out of the ordinary, blitzing the opposition for just hand riding, and running to a very high figure for a debutant; he has an array of entries, including the National Stakes back at the Curragh next month.

Click to read York Ebor Timefigure Review