Ratings Update: Quadrilateral shaping like a Guineas filly

Another week and another nine-length victory from an unbeaten two-year-old. Quadrilateral’s performance at Newbury on Friday might not have been in the same league as Pinatubo’s in Ireland the weekend before – this was just a class 2 conditions race, after all - but she built on considerable debut promise (88P) when taking her rating to 106p, travelling best and then storming clear under hands and heels from a field that included five other winning fillies. She’s a strong, well-made daughter of Frankel who’ll have no trouble staying a mile in time, though her trainer Roger Charlton seemingly intends keeping her to seven furlongs for the time being in next month’s Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket.

Wow! Quadrilateral (Frankel) makes quite an impression and remains unbeaten for @Jason7Watson1 and @RogerCharlton at @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/k4n0M9r1FE

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) 20 September 2019

The top two-year-old performance of recent days came from Pierre Lapin (114p from 101p), he too taking his record to two from two to win Saturday’s Mill Reef Stakes. Emulating his half-brother Harry Angel who won the same contest three years earlier, Pierre Lapin also looks an out-and-out sprinter. His trainer Roger Varian had given him plenty of time since an impressive debut success at Haydock in May, and he looks likely to do significantly better next year as he’s still got a lot more growing to do to fill out his frame. Another good three-year-old prospect for next year is Alan King’s winner of Newbury’s Haynes, Hanson & Clark Conditions Stakes, Tritonic (96p from 84p), though he’s very much bred for longer distances in due course.

ICYMI: Pierre Lapin wins comfortably!

Joint favourite Pierre Lapin cruises to victory in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes 👏 pic.twitter.com/D77m3KYA56

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) 21 September 2019

Ayr’s top two-year-old contests were both won by fillies who showed barely useful form, Rose of Kildare (98) just running up to her best to land her fourth win from eleven starts in the Firth of Clyde Stakes. Piece of Paradise was down the field on that occasion, but twenty-four hours earlier she’d shown plenty of improvement (97 from 84) to lead home an Irish trio of fillies in the listed Harry Rosebery Stakes over five furlongs.

Low-drawn runners had won the two consolation races for the Ayr Gold Cup, but in the meeting’s big sprint it was three-year-old Angel Alexander (118 from 109) who stayed on strongly from a much smaller stand-side group to deny Growl (106 from 104), first home on the far side. Growl had also been runner-up in 2016, and his connections (Dr Marwan Koukash/Richard Fahey) also had to settle for second in the Silver Cup earlier on the card when Gabrial The Saint (102 from 97) was touched off by Golden Apollo (102$ from 95$). That was the unreliable winner’s first success for more than two years, his trainer Tim Easterby also landing Friday’s Bronze Cup with Music Society (96 from 89) who will now be seeking a hat-trick.

Angel Alexander is floating on cloud nine!

Angel Alexander wins Scotland's biggest flat race, the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏆 pic.twitter.com/iiAUPE1uUr

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) 21 September 2019

Other handicap performances of note at Ayr on Saturday came from Waarif (107 from 102) who won the mile handicap for the second year running and prolonged the lengthy losing run of runner-up Kynren (112 from 111) in the process. Another well-backed winner was the Mick Channon three-year-old Certain Lad (110 from 106) who put up a smart performance to deny prolific course winner Nicholas T (107 from 102) in the mile and a quarter handicap.

Another southern raider successful at Ayr was the Andrew Balding-trained three-year-old filly Encapsulation (108 from 103) who beat some smart older rivals in Thursday’s listed Doonside Cup, while Lady In France (105+ from 98+) was having just her fourth start in all, and her first since June, when winning Friday’s listed race, the Scottish Fillies’ Sprint for Karl Burke.

Lady In France had finished second earlier in the season to five-year-old mare Maid In India (116 from 108) who enhanced her excellent record fresh when returning from a break of her own to win the World Trophy Stakes at Newbury and deny favourite Dakota Gold (120) a five-timer. Newbury’s other Group 3 on Saturday, the Legacy Cup, was the third such race in a row won by Desert Encounter (120) in the hands of Jamie Spencer. The seven-year-old ran right up to his best in defeating younger rivals (won same race in 2017), and David Simcock has him in top form ahead of next month’s Canadian International which he won last year.

Maid in India beats Dakota Gold to win the Dubai International Airport World Trophy Stakes 🙌

A very nice 12/1 selection had you backed it 👀 pic.twitter.com/CBxTUhPAzk

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) 21 September 2019

Newbury’s feature handicap on Saturday was a mile and a quarter contest and it was fought out by three handicappers on the up, with Caradoc (107 from 105) from the in-form stable of Ed Walker narrowly getting the better of Great Example (108 from 105), who pinched first run in a muddling race, and the slow-starting top weight Gibbs Hill (116 from 114) who continues to shape well.     

Newmarket has some much bigger meetings coming up, but the highlight of their Saturday card was the Cesarewitch Trial which went to the Sir Mark Prescott-trained three-year-old Land of Oz (103p from 101p). That was his sixth handicap win from his last seven starts, but even if, as seems likely, he doesn’t get into the Cesarewitch itself, he’s a big, well-made colt and very much the sort that will go on improving next year.

Finally, there were three British raiders in the only Group 1 of the weekend, the Preis von Europa at Cologne, with Aspetar (122 from 120) faring much the best of them in a race run to suit to complete a very satisfying few days for his trainer Roger Charlton.