Ratings Update: Newbury and Arlington

The Group 2 Hungerford Stakes, the feature on Newbury’s Saturday card, spearheaded a lower-profile weekend in turns of British/Irish group action. Though the race, which was upgraded to Group 2 level in 2006, has been marginally stronger on Timeform ratings than the Lennox Stakes (mainly thanks to top-class performances from Excelebration and Paco Boy), it is rarely a strong race for the level.

That trend continued this year as the rejuvenated Richard Pankhurst (120) produced a borderline very smart effort to beat Home of The Brave (dropped to 119 from 121) into second. Richard Pankhurst looked a highly promising juvenile when winning the Chesham at Royal Ascot in 2014 on his second start, but has clearly not been the easiest to train since, having just two starts between that win and his return as a four-year-old in the Summer Mile in July. This was the first time Richard Pankhurst has managed a third run in a season, and he is seemingly all the better for regular racing now. He holds an entry in the Park Stakes at Doncaster, where he would carry a penalty, while the Prix de la Forêt in October may also come into consideration for connections.

The other pattern race on Newbury’s card was the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes, and Kings Fete (118) didn’t have to be at his best to follow up from his win in the Glorious Stakes last month under a dominant front-running ride from Pat Smullen.

There were two-year-old listed contests at Newburyon both Friday and Saturday. The first was won by Mrs Danvers (104p from 95p) who had more to do in this race than in the Super Sprint the time before, where she recieved weight from the majority of the field. Her improvement to win this listed race so decisively is significant, and she is well up to taking her chance in pattern company, with the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes (these days at Newmarket) in October looking an obvious target.

Subsequent Group 1 winner Belardo won the listed Washington Singer Stakes in 2014, and Escobar (now rated 108p from 92p) looks a potential candidate to follow in his footsteps after taking the step up from maiden company in his stride on Saturday. Escobar has plenty of entries for the remainder of the season, including in the Royal Lodge and Dewhurst Stakes and is now rated the same as Aidan O’Brien’s Churchill, having had one less start.

There were several British and Irish interests on the Arlington Million card on Saturday, too, including in the American St Leger, where the remarkably versatile Clondaw Warrior (114) – fresh from winning the Galway Hurdle last month – finished second. The winner was Da Big Hoss (120) who looks one of the best stayers that the US has produced in a long time.

Aidan O’Brien was bidding for a fourth win in the Secretariat Stakes since 2011, having taken the race with Treasure Beach, Adelaide and Highland Reel (last year). His sole representative this year Long Island Sound (remains on 114) was beaten just a head in a messy renewal, with the Chad Brown-trained Beach Patrol (114 from 113) upholding the form from the Belmont Derby, where the Secretariat one-two finished third and sixth respectively.

The Belmont Derby was won by Deauville, who would have been expected to win the Secretariat on ratings had he run. Deauville instead took on his elders in the Arlington Million, where he ran his best race to date (now rated 119, from 118) to finish a half-length third to Mondialiste, who gave Britain a first win in the race since Debussy in 2010. Mondialiste (Timeform rated 123) tuned up for the Arlington Million with a career-best second to Time Test in the York Stakes, and didn’t have to be at his best to win his second international Grade 1 prize, adding to his Woodbine Mile win last season.

Elsewhere on the card, both Coolmore and Ballydoyle were disappointing in the Beverly D. Stakes, and Sea Calisi (118) didn’t need to improve to justify favouritism.