Flat season recap: The best of 2020

Juveniles

St Mark’s Basilica (121p) was Timeform’s highest-rated two-year-old after running out a convincing winner of the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. That represented a significant improvement on what he had achieved in four previous starts, but is clearly held in high regard at Ballydoyle – it was notable that he was sent off favourite for the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes when still a maiden. He had also shaped encouragingly when third behind Thunder Moon (118p) and stablemate Wembley (119) in the National Stakes at the Curragh, another Group 1 which ultimately provided the key at Newmarket, the first three again dominating but this time in reverse order.

St Mark's Basilica holds off Wembley to win the Darley Dewhurst at @NewmarketRace!

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US raider Campanelle (116) was Timeform’s highest-rated two-year-old filly of 2020 after her decisive defeat of the colts in the Prix Morny at Deauville. She then looked stretched by the longer trip when only fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, so it was no surprise to hear Wesley Ward say that he is planning to drop her back to six furlongs in 2021, with the Commonwealth Cup likely to be her main target. Pretty Gorgeous (114p), who produced her best effort when defeating Indigo Girl (112p) and Mother Earth (112) in the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket, was the pick of the European-trained two-year-old fillies.

Sprinters

Battaash (128) was the top sprinter on Timeform ratings for the fourth year in a row, winning the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, King George Stakes at Goodwood and Nunthorpe Stakes at York on his only three starts of the campaign. Battaash’s victory in the King’s Stand was an important moment in his career as he bagged the only major five-furlong prize in Europe to have eluded him, making all to beat stablemate Equilateral (119) by two and a quarter lengths. In pure form terms, Battaash wasn’t at his very best in 2020, but he deserves plenty of credit for his longevity at the highest level, with his career tally of 13 wins now including four successive renewals of the King George – he broke the course record when winning the latest edition – and back-to-back victories in the Nunthorpe. He will continue to take plenty of beating in 2021 if retaining all his ability as a seven-year-old.

Battaash is a class act, taking the win on his third attempt in the Kings Stand Stakes at @Ascot pic.twitter.com/4VfKkOd3jP

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 16, 2020

A representative field went to post for the premier six-furlong prize in Europe, the July Cup, which brought together Royal Ascot winners Golden Horde (122) and Hello Youmzain (120), who had won the Commonwealth Cup and Diamond Jubilee Stakes, respectively. In the event, however, the race fell to one who had missed Royal Ascot altogether, with Oxted (126) showing much improved form at Newmarket to make the breakthrough in Group 1 company at the first attempt, passing the post with a length and a quarter to spare over the rapidly progressive Sceptical (123). Sadly, the runner-up suffered a fatal injury on the gallops a few weeks later, while Oxted made only one subsequent start during the year, when beaten just a length into fifth behind Glen Shiel (120) in the Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot. That was a very smart performance from Glen Shiel, though Oxted arguably shaped best given how things developed (raced too freely in testing conditions), while the below-par display of the favourite Dream of Dreams (125) also made the winner’s task easier. Dream of Dreams had previously gained a belated first success at the top level in the Sprint Cup at Haydock, beating Glen Shiel and Golden Horde in decisive fashion.

Milers

The best performance in the mile division came in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, a Group 1 which brought together three Royal Ascot winners from earlier in the summer. The three-year-olds Palace Pier (132) and Alpine Star (125) had won the St James’s Palace Stakes and Coronation Stakes respectively, while the year-older Circus Maximus (125) had taken his Group 1 tally to three with a typically tough display in the Queen Anne Stakes. Throw into the mix the 2019 winner Romanised (120) and Persian King (127), who had run out a comfortable winner of the Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp on his previous start, and you had all the makings of a race to savour.

Brilliant colt! Palace Pier and @FrankieDettori win the Group 1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard-Jacques Le Marois for John Gosden! #WinAndYoureIN pic.twitter.com/ccmf7NZypd

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 16, 2020

In the event, however, Palace Pier and Alpine Star were the only two that counted in a race where several of their rivals failed to give their running in testing conditions. The pair pulled five lengths clear of the rest, with Palace Pier producing another top-class effort to make it five from five in his career, ultimately beating Alpine Star by three quarters of a length (value for extra after being eased close home). Admittedly, Palace Pier lost his unbeaten record when only third to The Revenant (125), in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on his final start, but he is better judged on his previous efforts given how that race developed, simply unable to sustain his run after a big mid-race move. He will be very much the one to beat in this division if getting back to his best as a four-year-old in 2021.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment in this division was the injury to Mohaather (129) which forced him into an early retirement. He produced a scintillating turn of foot to win a red-hot renewal of the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on his final start, overcoming a troubled passage to beat Circus Maximus (125), Siskin (123) and Kameko (128).

Middle-distances

Ghaiyyath (133) swept all before him in this division during the summer months, completing a hat-trick of Group 1 wins from the front in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket (by two and a half lengths from Anthony Van Dyck (127)), Coral-Eclipse at Sandown (by two and a quarter lengths from Enable (125) and Japan (124)) and Juddmonte International at York (by three lengths from Magical (127)). Those exploits were enough to see him crowned Timeform Horse of the Year, with his defeat at the hands of Magical – whom he had beaten comprehensively on the Knavesmire – in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on his final start doing little to diminish the good work he had done previously.

Ghaiyyath puts in a fantastic performance to win the Juddmonte International Stakes

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— ITV Racing (@itvracing) August 19, 2020

The Irish Champion was also Magical’s third Group 1 success of 2020 after she had made the most of good opportunities to win the Pretty Polly Stakes and Tattersalls Gold Cup, both at the Curragh, earlier in the season. Splendidly tough and genuine, Magical ended her career as a seven-time Group 1 winner and will leave a big hole in this division in 2021, a comment that also applies to her old rival Enable, who was retired after once again meeting with defeat in her attempt to become the first three-time winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. In truth, Enable simply wasn’t the force of old during 2020, though she still showed high-class form and easily beat her only two rivals to record a historic third win in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

Stayers

Stradivarius (130) made three starts over a mile and a half during the season – including when seventh in the Arc – but he still had time to underline his status as one of the very best stayers of the modern era. In fact, he produced the best effort of his illustrious career to date when winning his third Gold Cup at Royal Ascot (putting him one behind Yeats’ total), forging clear in the straight to land the spoils by 10 lengths, while he now stands alone as a four-time winner of the Goodwood Cup after his comfortable success in the latest edition. He had valid excuses when beaten on his three subsequent starts and will remain very much the one to beat in the top staying events in 2021.

HE'S DONE IT. THREE IN A ROW!

Stradivarius wins the Gold Cup at @AscotRacecourse with an imperious performance! pic.twitter.com/3gcexujBb7

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 18, 2020

The three-year-old Santiago (120) had been touted as the main danger to Stradivarius at Goodwood, getting plenty of weight from his older rivals, but he ultimately came up short on his first try at two miles, running about as well as he had when winning a weak renewal of the Irish Derby to finish third. Santiago was then sent off favourite for the St Leger at Doncaster but had to settle for fourth behind the Joseph O’Brien-trained Galileo Chrome (122p), who took the step up from listed company in his stride to get the verdict by a neck from Berkshire Rocco (122) after a pulsating battle in the final furlong. That was just the winner’s fifth start, but he sadly won’t get the opportunity to show what he can do in this division in 2021 after being retired to stud.

Trueshan (126) had shown smart form previously but looked an optimistic runner in the Group 2 Long Distance Cup, though the result was never really in any doubt once he began to wind up in the straight, quickly storming clear to win by seven and a half lengths.