Ratings Update: Newmarket Future Champions Meeting 2016

The two-day Future Champions Meeting at Newmarket featured seven pattern races, including two Group 1s in the form of the Dewhurst Stakes and Fillies’ Mile. Friday’s Fillies’ Mile was won for the third year running (and fifth time overall) by Aidan O’Brien courtesy of Rhododendron (118 from 107). Rhododendron and her stablemate Hydrangea (112 from 108)were both in full bloom in the race, coming six lengths clear of the third Urban Fox (97 from 98), and the winner at least is surely going to be a leading player in top fillies’ races at a mile and beyond in 2017. Sobetsu and Spatial were both disappointing and have had their ratings downgraded from 103p to 100 and from 104p to 99 respectively. For context, this season’s 100 Guineas/Oaks winner Minding ran to 121 when winning the Fillies’ Mile last year.

Aidan O’Brien’s remarkable run continued in Saturday’s Dewhurst when Churchill (120p from 117p) landed the odds from his rallying stable-companion Lancaster Bomber (112? From 94), giving the trainer another one-two in a major race. Churchill has answered every question asked of him since he was beaten on his debut and didn’t need to improve on the form of his success in the National Stakes to win decisively. He will have no trouble staying a mile and rightly figures at the head of the 2000 Guineas betting, while his sire Galileo obviously gives hope that he will stay middle distances. Blue Point (118 from 120) was found out by the furlong-longer longer trip in third and the Commonwealth Cup is surely the target to aim at with him next season, while Seven Heavens (107p) finished last but also remains one to be positive about overall and can still win good races provided he learns to settle.

An unusually closely matched field for a pattern event with 12 runners were assembled in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes on Friday, and it was the progressive Aclaim (121 from 118) who gave his trainer Martyn Meade his first group winner. Aclaim has really blossomed since being stepped up to seven furlongs and a mile, and, while he doesn’t have a ‘p’ (capable of better) attached to his rating, he could well climb even higher next year. Lumiere (115) made it a one-two for the three-year-olds, showing all the qualities that had made her such a star at two. She was a little unfortunate to have raced apart from the winner, given how she saw off those she raced against, though it would be no surprise if we've seen the last of her now as she's a very valuable broodmare prospect.

The Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes is an alternative to the Fillies’ Mile, albeit run over a furlong shorter, but in the event most of the fillies that were entered in both races ran in the Group 1. That meant that the latest Oh So Sharp probably wasn’t a strong renewal, especially as several of those with better form claims ran poorly, but the winner Poet’s Vanity (103p from 92p) still impressed with the way she held off her challengers (after racing keenly) and is open to further improvement. The other filly to take out of the race is the French-trained Double Lady (100p) who still had plenty to do two furlongs out and was nearest at the finish in fifth.

There was a bit of a shock in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes as 12/1-shot Best Solution (109 from 103) won by two lengths from Zainhom (108p from 91p), who was 16/1 himself despite having won well at York for the Sir Michael Stoute stable. Best Solution seemed to excel himself up a furlong in trip, though there was an unsatisfactory element to the victory as a shrewd move to near the rail from the stalls by his jockey William Carson was the key to his win; Zainhom and third-placed maiden The Anvil are at least as interesting as prospects for next year, for all the latter has lost his ‘p’ (106 from 107p).

Bargain basement buy Mrs Danvers stood out on form for the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes, with the form of her listed win at Newbury up to the standard needed to land an average running of Friday’s race, and she wasn't pressed to come out on top by a length and a half. There’s not much of her and she has lost her ‘p’ (now 109 from 106p) but she’s still easily the most likely of the Cornwallis runners to make an impact in the sprint division in 2017.

The Darley Stakes is a race that tends to feature towards the lower end of the Group 3 scale and it was no different this year, with the fact it was steadily run putting a cap on the form. The first two were amongst the best positioned as it went, with Muffri’ha (113 from 1110) beating Carry On Deryck (116). The winner will reportedly now head to the breeding paddocks, while the runner-up should establish himself more at pattern level next year, probably starting in Dubai, where he was one from one at the last Carnival. Johannes Vermeer (115) probably needed the run in third on his first start since winning a French juvenile Group 1 last November.

There were four listed prizes across Friday and Saturday and they went to Laganore (Pride Stakes at Newmarket) who is now rated 110 from 105, Kassia (Boadicea Stakes at Newmarket) who is now rated 108 from 106, Coronet (Zetland Stakes at Newmarket) who is now rated 102P from 84p, and Sir Dancealot (Rockingham Stakes at York) who is now rated 111p from 108p. The two big handicaps at Newmarket, the Cesarewitch and the Old Rowley Cup, went to Sweet Selection (107) and Scarlet Dragon (118 from 113) respectively, while there was a shock in America where Tepin (127) failed to reel in Photo Call (119 from 109) in the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland.

A Sectional Debrief by Simon Rowlands for Newmarket’s Future Champions Meeting can be read by clicking here.

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Over jumps, the most prestigious race of the weekend in terms of status was the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle at Chepstow on Sunday. It was an up-to-scratch renewal, despite the early departure of the heavily-backed favourite No Comment, and it went to El Bandit (136p from 130p) who gave Paul Nicholls his sixth win in the race. El Bandit improved further after four months off, again finding loads for pressure as he took his winning sequence to four, and it would be wrong to suggest this is the best he can do given the way he's progressing, especially as he threatens to be suited when the emphasis is more on stamina. Runner-up Coo Star Sivola (133) is another who will stay further, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that he’s only a four-year-old.

The feature race at Chepstow on Saturday was the Grade 3 Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle. It was a race typically packed with interesting sorts but nearly half the field raced from out of the handicap and inevitably plenty shaped as if needing the run after absences. The winner Ballyoptic (150p from 148) confirmed himself as a smart hurdler on his first start out of novices, was chased home by a couple of horses who’d won in recent weeks in Crimson Ark (130 from 124) and Forever Field (132 from 129). Ballyoptic will be a major player in the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby later in the month and it would come as no surprise to see him make up into a World Hurdle contender, while the fourth Who Dares Wins (140 from 135) and Taquin du Seuil (146+ from 143+ but even higher over fences) are others to look out for in the near future.