Ratings Update: Magna looks a miler in the making

In terms of ratings, Saturday’s Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster failed to live up to the high standard of the other juvenile Group 1s in Britain and Ireland this autumn, with little over a length separating the first five at the line.

However, the end-of-year rating doesn't adequately tell the story in the case of the winner Magna Grecia (up 3 lb to 116p), considering what he has achieved in such a short space of time, squeezing into a month what few two-year-olds manage in an entire season. A ninth winner of the race for Aidan O’Brien, he found extra when it mattered here – fostering the feeling that it wasn't quite the scramble for him that a finish of heads and necks makes out – and will no doubt form part of the O’Brien challenge for the 2000 Guineas next spring; he's one of very few at Ballydoyle by Invincible Spirit, whose best progeny have been sprinters or milers, Kingman amongst them, and Magna Grecia doesn't look in the mould of a Derby horse.

Magna Grecia wins an exciting Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes at @DoncasterRaces! pic.twitter.com/tVG9DA5jrh

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) October 27, 2018

Runner-up Phoenix of Spain (up 2 lb to 114) has enjoyed an excellent first season, seeing out the extra furlong strongly on this occasion and likely to stay even further next term. The classics may prove beyond his means, but he has the physique to train on well and should continue to give a good account. Western Australia (up 10 lb to 112) and Circus Maximus (up 6 lb to 112p), stablemates of Magna Grecia, both showed improved form to complete the frame and should also have even more to offer over longer trips in 2019, for all that the way this race panned out saw them to maximum advantage (got a break on the field when the pace lifted over three furlongs out).

The opening listed race at Doncaster witnessed a smart performance from San Donato (up 13 lb to 114p), as he and Barbill (up 12 lb to 111) pulled clear of the field in a good time. The runner-up was dropping down from Group company and San Donato is definitely on his way there, his rating out of this commensurate to the winners of this year's Mill Reef and Gimcrack; he looks booked for a Commonwealth Cup trial next season.

Tarboosh (up 7 lb to 119) could also have the top sprints on his agenda in the spring, having produced a performance verging on very smart to defy top weight in the five-furlong handicap. He has been a revelation this year and, equally as effective on the all-weather, there is an attractive programme for sprinters of his calibre through the winter should connections choose to keep him on the go, concluding with Finals Day in April.

Newbury also hosted a good card on Saturday, headed by the race registered as the St Simon Stakes. Young Rascal (remains on 125p) looked set to run out a decisive winner when going clear over a furlong out, but ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils, with Morando (up 4 lb to 118) finishing strongly on his first start over 1½m to force a dead-heat. This opens up more options for the latter, while Young Rascal more or less confirmed his improvement from last time under a 3-lb penalty and, with further progress in the offing next year after just six career starts, he could yet develop into a top-level performer (very likely to stay further when required).

Dead-heat! An amazing finish to the Teddington Royal British Legion (St Simon) Stakes at Newbury as Young Rascal and Morando are locked together

Results 👉👉 https://t.co/7iJOPsdIyZ pic.twitter.com/WHimwdCUID

— Racing UK (@racing_uk) October 27, 2018

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Mohaather (110p from 87p) could make his presence felt at the highest level in 2019, too, following a comfortable victory in the race registered as the Horris Hill Stakes. Improving in leaps and bounds, he remains with lots of potential and will probably stay 1m, strong to the line here and a brother to a Grade 3 winner over that trip.

There was plenty of good two-year-old racing elsewhere on the continent on Saturday, with Guaranteed (up 9 lb to 110) benefiting from the step up in trip to win the Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown and Wonderment (up 13 lb to 109) staying on strongly to become the first filly to win the Criterium de Saint-Cloud since Passage of Time in 2006, in the process beating a numerically strong British/Irish challenge, the best of which was the Aidan O’Brien-trained Sydney Opera House (up 5 lb to 111) in second.

Meanwhile, Chantilly staged a pair of Group 1s on Sunday, the Prix Royal-Oak and the Criterium International, which had been moved to allow more time for work to be carried out on the racing surface at Longchamp. Holdthasigreen (remains on 122) showed a good attitude to win the first-named contest, though his task was made considerably easier by an early incident which compromised the chances of market principals Flag of Honour (remains on 123) and Brundtland (loses ‘p’ on 121) – that pair both lost several lengths when the former balked at the all-weather crossing after five furlongs or so.

There were no such hard luck stories in the Criterium International, with Royal Meeting (92p from 114p) overcoming the rise in class to win it for the Saeed bin Suroor yard that was also successful with Thunder Snow two years ago. Royal Meeting will stay a mile, though that's probably going to be his limit distance-wise, and is one to keep onside for Godolphin, who look to have a strong group of two-year-olds to go to war with next season.

Another two-year-old Group 1 winner for Saeed bin Suroor - on just his second start, Royal Meeting wins the Group 1 Criterium International at @fgchantilly under @CSoumillon! pic.twitter.com/lMqCKdX0i9

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 28, 2018

And, finally for the Flat round-up, "Cometh the hour, cometh the legend" were the words of the commentator as Winx (remains on 134) approached the line to become the first horse to win a fourth successive Cox Plate – Australia's number one weight-for-age race – on Saturday morning. Things were meant to be a little tougher for her with the presence of Benbatl (up 4 lb to 129), also trained by bin Suroor and a three-time Group 1 winner this year, but Winx handled the occasion just as well and didn’t need to be at her very best to record her 29^th consecutive win overall.

***

Jumps racing returned to Cheltenham for the Showcase Meeting over the weekend and, while clues for the season's biggest races might have been thin on the ground, the action was still as entertaining and competitive as ever, with several close finishes over the course of the two days.

There was no finer case in point than the two-mile handicap chase won by Modus (up 2 lb to 151) on Saturday, with Paul Nicholls' charge rallying gamely to edge out Duke of Navan (up 4 lb to 148) by a head on handicap debut. That represented his best effort yet over fences, seeming well served by a good pace at the shorter trip, but his jumping remains a bit slapdash and that could well find him out in stronger races, such as next month's BetVictor Gold Cup.

What a finish!

Modus gets back up to pip Duke Of Navan at the post for @PFNicholls at 4-1 pic.twitter.com/fgsoyUkOIc

— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) October 27, 2018

Relentless Dreamer (up 4 lb to 140) and The Mighty Don (up 5 lb to 137) also came out on top in tight finishes to their respective races, posting useful efforts in the process, while Dinons (up 4 lb to 136p) was a clear-cut winner of the three-mile novices' hurdle for Gordon Elliott and Richard Johnson, despite jumping shoddily along the way. He's clearly a useful novice, but very much a galloper and not the most athletic, with races where stamina is at a premium likely to be his forte.

Sloppy jumping was also a feature of Lil Rockerfeller's (up 1 lb to 141p) win in Friday's three-mile novices' chase, a performance that raised serious questions as to how far he can go in this sphere; he should have more to offer, a smart hurdler after all, but will need to jump better when tackling stronger company, with a return of headgear surely on the cards.

Other performances to note include those of Diakali (down 2 lb to 149) and Thomas Darby (121P). The former continued his excellent start over fences when winning the two-mile novices' chase, again impressing with his bold jumping, and will presumably be back for the Grade 2 at the November Meeting, while Thomas Darby shaped really well in making a winning hurdling debut later on the card; he did that despite looking very raw still and is one to look out for with that experience behind him.