Ratings Update: Midterm on track to emulate Galileo

The final week of the jumps season was dominated by the race for the British trainers’ title between the current holder Paul Nicholls and the Irish champion Willie Mullins, who had enjoyed such success at the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals that he remained within striking distance of Nicholls heading in to the last week, despite saddling far fewer runners in the UK this season.

Mullins sent over plenty of challengers in the final week of the British season, and the three-day Perth Festival was one of the beneficiaries, with the likes of Up For Review, who remains Timeform-rated 140 after his novice hurdle win on Wednesday and Rolly Baby (now 139p over fences) providing some of the highest-rated runners of the meeting.

Sandown’s Saturday card was where the bulk of the week’s prize money was available, however, and despite re-routing the likes of Douvan and Vautour to Punchestown next week, Mullins brought a strong team to Esher as he chased down Nicholls’ lead, which had extended slightly thanks to plenty of lower-key success during the week.

Unfortunately for Mullins, Valseur Lido (165), who was sent off odds-on for the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase, was below his top-class best for the first big pot of the day, and – despite getting 5 lb – could not get past Menorah (168x), who completed a hat-trick of wins in the race with a clear round.

Sprinter Sacre’s remarkable season ramped up another gear in an excellent renewal of the Celebration Chase, which featured the winners of the last four renewals of the Champion Chase, and his fifteen-length beating of Un de Sceaux was unsurprisingly the best performance of his perfect comeback campaign on Timeform ratings (179). So strong was the winner’s finish that even with a good jump at the third last, Un de Sceaux would have still filled the same position, and though he was better than the bare result, he is now 5 lb below Sprinter Sacre on Timeform ratings. It is unfair to expect Sprinter Sacre, who will be 11 next year, to be quite so dominant next season, especially with the likes of Douvan (180p) entering the division. But whatever happens, his return to the top has been one of the highlights of a vintage National Hunt season.

Sprinter Sacre’s win of course meant that Willie Mullins’ title challenge needed something from the most valuable race of the day, the bet365 Gold Cup, but his two entries finished well held, and Paul Nicholls sealed victory with a second from Just A Par – who ran to a Timeform rating of 152, proving better than ever – and a fourth with Southfield Theatre. The winner The Young Master (also Timeform-rated 152) is set to be trained for the Grand National next season, and his narrow margin of victory means that he should remain competitive even after a rise in the weights.

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It was a significant week in the Flat world, too, with Derby trials at both Epsom and Sandown during the week. The filly So Mi Dar took the Epsom trial on Wednesday, beating Humphrey Bogart (Timeform-rated 106) by a neck, and is now Timeform-rated 104p (from 90P). She deserves some extra credit, too, racing keenly early on and with her rider losing the whip two furlongs out, and will reportedly head to the Musidora at York next. The bare form of this race leaves her with plenty to find at this point with the likes of current favourite Minding (120p), but her pedigree is an ongoing recommendation (out of Yorkshire Oaks and Dubai Sheema Classic winner Dar Re Mi) and she is an exciting prospect.

There were also classic clues on offer at Sandown on Friday, with Midterm – who was second-favourite for the Derby before the Group 3 Classic Trial – making his much anticipated second start. Though there was not a wide-margin victory or an explosive turn of foot on display in his one-and-a half-length defeat of Algometer (who is now rated 107p), there was still a lot to be positive about given the pair were eight lengths clear of the third, and it was a race that Midterm – who briefly ran green in the closing stages – should benefit a great deal from. He is now Timeform-rated 112p - the same as his sire Galileo was after his first three-year-old start - and remains one to keep on side on his next outing, which reportedly will be in a Derby trial at either Chester or York.

The Group 2 Gordon Richards Stakes on Friday was mostly made up of horses well established at this sort of level and it didn’t look the strongest race for the grade. That said, it was won by a horse on the up in My Dream Boat, who is now Timeform-rated 122 (from 115), and he shouldn’t be underestimated despite tougher tasks laying ahead.

The likable Toormore made his reappearance on Friday and returned better than ever to defy a penalty in an above-average renewal of the Group 2 Mile. He is now Timeform-rated 125, but may just fall short when returned to Group 1 level in the Lockinge, in which he was second last season. Dutch Connection achieved very smart form as a three-year-old and built on that on Friday, making Toormore pull out all the stops to repel his challenge, and is now rated 123. His rangy physique means we may not have seen the best of him yet, either. Belardo, who didn’t ever look like catching his more enterprisingly ridden competitors, remains on 123, and is best not judged on his fourth-placed finish here.

Home of The Brave looks just the sort to take his form to a new level at four (lengthy sort with few miles on the clock) and he duly built on what he had achieved at three to win a strong renewal of the listed King Richard III Stakes at Leicester on Saturday. Now Timeform-rated 121+, Home of The Brave left the impression that there was more in the locker, and is sure to be of interest going forward, even if dropped back to six furlongs.