Just the one

THE “WORLD THOROUGHBRED CHAMPIONSHIPS” may be a tag that the Breeders’ Cup claims yet does not really justify, but events stateside at the beginning of November serve as a useful litmus test for the strength of elite racing there and of the raiders turning up from abroad. This year’s extravaganza took place at Santa Anita in California and saw just one European success – that of Iridessa in the Filly and Mare Turf – while between two and five (the latter in 2013) has been customary.

The only other recent year in which just one win was recorded was 2014 when the French-trained Karakontie won the Turf Mile.

It was not that the home team was especially strong, or not if judged by the Timeform ratings achieved by the winners of the 13 Grade 1s over the two days. They averaged just 0.2lb higher than in the previous five years combined. It could be argued that the Europeans lacked real star quality – there was no Enable, Battaash or Waldgeist, while Too Darn Hot, Blue Point and Crystal Ocean were among those already retired – but similar could be said of the Americans.

It did not stop Vino Rosso (Classic, 130 rating), Mitole (Sprint, 129), Covfefe (Filly and Mare Sprint, 125), Spun To Run (Dirt Mile, 125), Blue Prize (Distaff, 125) and Uni (Turf Mile, 124) in particular from stepping up to the plate among the older home-trained horses.

Vino Rosso’s defeat of McKinzie – the latter having gone faster than ideal – would have been up to scratch in most years, but inevitably suffers by comparison with 139-rated Arrogate in 2016 and 138-rated American Pharoah the year before.

Mitole comes out as the best Sprint winner since the 130-rated Midnight Lute as far back as 2008, for all that he was another to benefit from his main rival (Shancelot) over-doing the paceforcing.

Covfefe and Spun To Run managed to go quite fast and hold on, the latter closed down only slightly late on by Omaha Beach, who remains on a rating of 126. Uni was perfectly paced, according to the sectionals, in beating Got Stormy (120 on Timeform), with ex-Brit Without Parole and the Irish-trained Circus Maximus (both 119) just behind.

That run from Circus Maximus summarised the European experience in some respects.

He had been an average winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes and Prix du Moulin running to 124 and needed everything to go right for him, and even then possibly to produce a new personal best, to win the Turf Mile. It did not and he did not, but he was by no means discredited in fourth.

The Turf is usually a rich hunting ground for the raiders, but the Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck encountered troublein-running in third and could not get to Bricks And Mortar, who held off the unfancied United by a head, both running to 122.

Iridessa’s win in the Filly & Mare Turf was up to standard as she returned a 120 figure in just holding Vasilika, with a slightly below par Sistercharlie in third.

The six-year-old Belvoir Bay, who started life in Britain, proved suited by the very firm going and a switchback 5f in taking the Turf Sprint with a 121 Timeform rating.

Elsewhere, Japanese-trained horses punched their weight on the international stage with Almond Eye better than ever in winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo by 3l, earning a new personal best Timeform rating of 129, while Lys Gracieux landed the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley with a 125 figure.

The latter was adding to the antipodean success of her compatriot Mer De Glace in the Caulfield Cup a week earlier. Foreign raiders threatened to over-run the lead-in to the Melbourne Cup at Flemington with the British-trained Prince Of Arran and the Irish-trained Hunting Horn (both rated 117) winning major trials and the British-trained Chief Ironside (116) also landing the Mile at Moonee Valley.

In the event, half of the 24-runner Cup field represented Australia, while half did not and the trophy was kept at home, just, by the lightly weighted Vow And Declare (provisionally rated 116) in a sprint finish.

It is a moot point as to which horse is the best in Australia now that Winx has departed the scene. The sprinter Santa Ana Lane (130) leads the way on Timeform ratings, but the colt who beat him in the Everest – Yes Yes Yes – and the recent Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Exceedance are both rated 125 and have emerged as legitimate contenders.

THERE SHOULD BE LITTLE DEBATE about Godolphin’s unbeaten Pinatubo (134 with Timeform) being rated easily the best two-year-old anywhere in the world – especially on the form of his 9l National Stakes (G1) win at The Curragh in September – but which horse deserves that accolade in North America is far less clear.

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Storm The Court (117), the Juvenile Fillies winner British Idiom (116), the Juvenile Turf winner Structor (114) and the Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing (112) are all candidates.

As are some of the also-rans in those races such as Donna Veloce and Bast in the Juvenile Fillies (both went too fast), and Eight Rings (also went too fast) and Dennis’ Moment (lost chance at start) in the Juvenile.

A mention can also be made of a couple of 115p-rated Grade 1 winners who missed the Breeders’ Cup, Tiz The Law and Maxfield.

But the highest-rated two-year-old in that part of the world actually won at Aqueduct the day after the Breeders’ Cup ended.

Independence Hall ran away with the Grade 3 Nashua Stakes by over a dozen lengths and in a very quick time earning himself a 124 figure that is likely to have him still top in the local division come the year’s end.

Elsewhere, Mkfancy won the Criterium de Saint-Cloud in workmanlike fashion to record a 111 Timeform rating, the same as Alson nominally earned for winning a match for the Criterium International at Longchamp by 20l.

The cancellation of Doncaster’s late October meeting due to water-logging meant that the Group 1 Futurity moved from there to the All-Weather at Newcastle, where Kameko, the Andrew Balding-trained son of Kitten’s Joy, was a convincing winner in a strongly-run race under lights with a 120 Timeform assessment.

The tail-end of the year might not have seen some of the fireworks we are used to from the older horses, but the juveniles reminded us that there is plenty to look forward to in 2020.