Leading three-year-olds of 2009
Filed on 17 Jul 2009 @ 13:23
Part of the Guide to the 2009 Flat season service from Graham Richards. Order your subscription online today for the full service, including newsletters and previews of all major events through the Flat season.
Leading three-year-olds of 2009 | Leading older horses | Leading juveniles
| | |
| Horse | FSF
rating | Comment
|
|---|
| Sea The Stars | 130 | Sea The Stars completed a hat trick of Group One wins in the Eclipse Stakes. Despite the frenetic early pace, he was always travelling with ease during the first mile. Quickening to take the lead two furlongs from home, he accelerated again when Rip Van Winkle threw down a strong challenge. Sea The Stars appears equally effective over ten or twelve furlongs. One would imagine the Juddmonte or the Irish Champion would be his next target. His ability to win on soft to heavy through to good to firm, further demonstrates his all round quality and constitution.
|
| Rip Van Winkle | 128 | Rip Van Winkle ran another excellent race in the Eclipse and looks sure to find a Group One before the end of the season. His FSF rating is 1lb behind ex-stablechum Henrythenavigator indicating he will be hard to beat in anything bar the best company.
|
| Fame And Glory | 125 | Fame And Glory bounced back to winning form with an authoritive success in the Irish Derby. I believe his best performances will be produced in races run with an emphasis on stamina. In addition, ground with some cut appears to bring out the best in him. He achieved a spectacular time figure at the Curragh and will be difficult to beat in any company, given his optimum conditions.
|
| Mastercraftsman | 125 | Mastercraftsman looks ready for a step up to a mile and a quarter now. His lack of acceleration always makes him vulnerable over a mile. Guts and determination saw him home at Ascot. He has proved himself over a variety of ground conditions and looks sure to be a leading player in Group One races in the second half of the season. In an attempt to give a guide to the relative merit of the top three-year-old performances this season, 2008 saw Raven’s Pass finish his career on an FSF rating of 128, Zarkava 125, and Conduit on 124.
|
| Le Havre | 120 | Le Havre achieved his Group One win in Prix Du Jockey Club. He looks a proper mile and a quarter horse; where he goes now is open for debate. Proven on good through to heavy ground, he is taking a mid-summer break before returning in the Autumn. Commercially, a drop back to a mile in attempt to record a Group One win over that distance would be the most sensible move.
|
| Delegator | 121 | Delegator ran a fine race when going down in a tight finish at Ascot in St James’s Palace Stakes. Now with Godolphin, it will be interesting to see if he takes up his Sussex Stakes entry, where he would cross swords with the filly Ghanaati, amongst others. Perhaps a slight drop in grade for a confidence boosting mission, would be the wisest move.
|
| Sariska | 119 | Sariska followed up her Epsom Oaks win by taking the Irish version at the Curragh. I feel we should be cautious about the form with Beauty O’Gwaun finishing distressed and her stablechum (beaten previously in Group Three and Listed company) finishing second. One can argue that having extended her winning margin over Midday, she has improved. However, that filly had drifted markedly in the betting, clearly hated the ground conditions, and registered an FSF rating 10/12lb below her best. FSF ratings suggest she need to improve at least 3lb to become a serious candidate for the Arc De Triomphe, where she will receive a 3lb sex-allowance from the colts.
|
| Ghanaati | 119 | Ghanaati followed up her Guineas win with an equally smooth performance in the Coronation Stakes. Taking up the running two-furlongs from home, she quickened clear, coming home unchallenged. Unless Rip Van Winkle turns up for the fun, in receipt of 3lb from colts of the same age group, she looks best of the three-year-olds entered in the Sussex Stakes. Furthermore, her breeding suggests ten-furlongs is well within her capabilities; both her owner and trainer, enjoyed success in the Champion Stakes with Haafhd in his classic year.
|
| Silver Frost | 119 | Silver Frost failed to stay in the Prix Du Jockey and is taking a well-deserved break before returning in the Autumn. A Group One winner over a mile, the Prix Moulin in September is a likely target.
|
| Stacelita | 119 | Stacelita has run away with two Group One races over ten and ten and a half furlongs. She raced prominently on both occasions and simply left the opposition for dead. However, one can argue that she got first run in the Prix De Diane with the placed horses coming from well off the pace. She does not possess a lot of size and scope and it remains to be seen if she can return in the same sort of form in the Autumn. She will be meeting horses that possess far more scope to improve physically through the summer.
|
Filed on 17 Jul 2009 @ 13:23
|
![[the-racehorse.co.uk]](/images/logo-racehorse-footer.gif){kind=logo}