Ratings Update: Smart Senga suited by step up in trip

It was the calm before the Royal Ascot storm on the domestic ratings front at the weekend, but some listed races and competitive handicaps threw up some smart performances.

Sandown’s listed Scurry Stakes for three-year-olds isn’t the easiest race to assess, but for now the first two have been credited with plenty of improvement. Battaash (114 from 103) made a successful reappearance in the five-furlong contest from outsider Koropick (108 from 100) who was dropping to the minimum trip for the first time. The winner is a headstrong type with a tendency to hang, so it remains to be seen if he can progress from this. Sheikh Hamdan also won Salisbury’s listed sprint (over six furlongs) on Sunday, with three-year-old Eqtiraan (113 from 110) beating a field of nine older rivals.

Exposed older sprinters fought out Musselburgh’s valuable Scottish Sprint Cup, so there was less scope for improvement among the principals there in what proved a messy contest. Nonetheless, Line of Reason (109 from 104) ran much better than of late, avoiding trouble in running in beating old rival Harry Hurricane (109 from 107) a neck, the pair having met several times already this year, including in Dubai.

York’s Saturday card featured a typically competitive seven-furlong handicap which went to Andrew Balding’s likeable four-year-old Viscount Barfield (103 from 99) who put up a career-best effort. However, he was getting plenty of weight from the placed pair Mutawathea (110 from 109) and Salateen (114 from 111). Mutawathea holds an entry in next month’s Bunbury Cup at Newmarket in which he finished third last year.

Later on the card, a couple of thriving fillies fought out a close finish to the listed Ganton Stakes over a mile. Godolphin three-year-old Arabian Hope (110p from 105p) continued her progress to make it three out of three this season with a head victory over the year-older Golden Stunner (112 from 108), the first two lowest drawn and always handy.

Over in France, the Prix de Diane was the highlight of the weekend’s action at Chantilly. 1000 Guineas and Oaks runner-up Rhododendron stood out on form but she was pulled up just after halfway having bled. That left a substandard renewal, though the first three home all improved their ratings and are smart fillies. Senga (114 from 108) had disappointed as favourite for the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches but proved much better suited by the step up in trip with a length beating of close finishers Sistercharlie (113p from 102p) and Terrakova (112p from 104p). While the runner-up, who met trouble in running before finishing strongly, is now US-bound, the beautifully-bred Terrakova, having just her third start, looks the one to take out of the race. Her dam, the top-class miler Goldikova, also finished third in the Prix de Diane, but whereas the distance was further than ideal for her, it looks a bare minimum for her daughter, who’s by Galileo, and Terrakova promises to have no trouble staying a mile and a half.

A couple of the weekend’s best performances came from Group 3 winners at Chantilly. On a good weekend all round for Hamdan Al Maktoum, his four-year-old Taareef (120 from 118) successfully conceded weight all round to make a winning reappearance in the Prix Bertrand du Breuil over a mile, his third success at pattern level. Harry Dunlop has campaigned Robin of Navan (120 from 119) to good effect across the Channel in recent seasons and he gained a deserved win dropped in class, after a narrow defeat in the Prix d’Ispahan last time, when successful in the mile and a quarter La Coupe.