Ratings Update: Mahsoob better than ever in Earl of Sefton

The Craven meeting saw Newmarket’s Rowley Mile host racing for the first time this season and, with the Guineas Festival a little under two weeks away now, several trainers took the opportunity to give their Classic prospects a run out, be that in a racecourse gallop (in the case of Emotionless, Massaat, Buratino, Marcel and Galileo Gold), or in one of the recognised trials.

Stormy Antarctic seemed to appreciate the ease underfoot more than most when landing Thursday’s Group 3 Craven Stakes, quickly putting three and a half lengths between himself and odds-on favourite Foundation. The winner is now Timeform-rated 117 (and around 12/1 for the Guineas), barely needing to improve upon his best two-year-old form and recording a figure on a par with most recent winners of this contest. Foundation ran to a Timeform rating of 108 in defeat, some 6 lb below the rating he achieved when winning the Royal Lodge over the C&D in September. He is set to bypass the Guineas and remains on a mark of 114p with the promise of more to come over further and perhaps under different conditions.

The Dante is reported to be the next target for Foundation, a race where he could yet be joined in the line-up by stablemate Linguistic. He shed his maiden tag in Thursday’s £200,000 Tattersalls Millions 3-Y-O Trophy, quickening clear on the approach to the final furlong, before tiring slightly on the uphill climb to the line. He is now Timeform-rated 108p and, while the Dante represents a much stiffer task, the manner of his victory here suggests he’s worth a try in pattern company.

Ventura Storm (now Timeform-rated 106) also looks the type to pay his way in a higher grade after landing Tuesday’s listed Feilden Stakes in decisive fashion. He didn’t need to improve much on his two-year-old form to land this and, while likely to fall below the very top level, he should continue to be competitive in group races at around a mile and a quarter, with the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot reported to be a possible target. The Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned pair of Mustajeer (103p) and Tathqeef (100p) both brought less experience into this race and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them improve passed the winner in time.

Ibn Malik gave that duo’s owner the second of four winners at the meeting in the listed Free Handicap on Wednesday. He was placed in a pair of group races as a two-year-old, but showed improved form after a gelding operation and is now Timeform-rated 116. He was giving weight to all but one of his rivals here and looks worthy of his place in a race like the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Gifted Master had Ibn Malik behind him when landing the Group 3 Autumn Stakes in October and didn’t need to reproduce that form to land Wednesday’s £100,000 Tattersalls Millions 3-Y-O Sprint. Another to have benefited from a gelding operation last year (unbeaten in four starts since), he remains on a Timeform rating of 114 and should continue to prove a real money-spinner for connections in good races this year and beyond.

Nathra (Timeform-rated 107) was the first of the leading 1000 Guineas candidates to strut her stuff on the track this year and she posted a thoroughly commanding performance when landing the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes on Tuesday. Her task was made easier by the morning withdrawal of Illuminate and she didn’t need to improve on her useful two-year-old form to make the breakthrough at pattern level. If anything the winner’s performance only served to enhance the claims of her Fillies’ Mile conqueror and 1000 Guineas favourite, Minding, and that was evident in the post-race comments of trainer John Gosden, who admitted to favouring the French version of the Guineas at this stage.

Mahsoob (now Timeform-rated 120) was another big winner for the Gosden yard on Wednesday and, having ended last year under something of a cloud, he confirmed the promise of his earlier efforts when returning with victory in the Group 3 Earl of Sefton Stakes. Connections seem keen to drop him back in trip after last week’s career-best display and he wouldn’t be out of place in a race like the Lockinge on this form. Air Pilot was a well-backed favourite and ran to a Timeform rating of 117 in second, just 2 lb below the peak figure he achieved when fifth in the Group 1 Champion Stakes in October. He remains on 119 and should continue to be competitive at this sort of level.

Magical Memory ran to a rating of 116 when landing the Group 3 Abernant Stakes on Thursday and is entitled to improve for that first outing of the campaign. He remains on a Timeform rating of 121, achieved when third in the Group 1 Sprint Cup in September, and he looks set to play a leading role in all of the domestic season’s top sprints, while a trip to Hong Kong is also being considered for later in the year. He just had to be kept up to his work to hold off the attentions of Tupi (now Timeform-rated 115) and Mattmu (remains on 116), who was only marginally below his Group 3-winning form of last year and gives the form a solid look.

The Craven meeting traditionally features a number of well-contested maidens for three-year-olds, and Sky Kingdom (96P), Swiss Range (96P), Winning Story (95p), Castle Harbour (94p) and Jadaayil (89p) all showed at least fairly useful form when winning last week. The first-named pair are open to significant improvement and will be of plenty of interest if showing up for Classic trials in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Taqdeer (now Timeform-rated 101p) is reportedly being readied for a run in the 2000 Guineas after breaking his own maiden on Newbury’s rescheduled Greenham card at Chelmsford on Saturday. He faces a key piece of work at the beginning of next week, but would have to be respected should his powerful connections opt to throw him in at the deep end in the opening Classic of the season (also have third-favourite Massaat).

Taqdeer looks to hold more appealing Guineas claims than the same owner’s Tasleet (now Timeform-rated 111), who landed a more recognised trial in the shape of the Group 3 Greenham Stakes. He recorded a career-best when gamely holding off the challenge of Knife Edge (111p), but this was a weak renewal of the race and he will make more appeal over trips short of a mile.

Marenko (now Timeform-rated 106) produced a career-best to land the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes, but connections don’t appear to harbour any Classic aspirations with her either. She was better placed than the two that followed her home and, with race fitness on her side on Saturday, she wouldn’t be guaranteed to confirm the placings should they meet again. Besharah was well below the smart form she showed as a two-year-old in third, but she was unsuited by the way the race panned out and should be given another chance to prove whether or not she has trained on.

The other pattern race on the card, the Group 3 John Porter Stakes, went the way of the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Dartmouth. He posted a career-best Timeform rating of 115 in victory, but this wasn’t the strongest race for the grade and, although the trainer has a good record with similar types, he is likely to find life tougher under a penalty in this company from now on.

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A Paul Nicholls four-timer at Ayr on Saturday was headed by Vicente (now Timeform-rated 152) in the Scottish Grand National, whose victory helped to restore Nicholls’ lead in the trainers’ title race that he had held for most of the season. Fifth in the National Hunt Chase on his penultimate start at Cheltenham, Vicente appeared to relish the stiff test of stamina that Saturday’s race presented and he was always seen to be travelling noticeably well towards the outside of the field. His jumping wasn’t the most fluent at times and, while this victory marks him out as a legitimate Grand National contender for the future, he will need to improve in that department if he is to head to Aintree with serious claims next year.

Alvarado (139) has already proven himself over the National fences having been placed in 2014 and 2015 and, having been balloted out of this year’s race, connections decided to reroute him to Scotland. He justified that decision with a career-best (despite now being 11) and, lightly-raced for a horse of his age, there’s no reason he can’t return for another crack at this race next year (or perhaps Aintree again if connections can get his mark up beforehand). The novices Seeyouatmidnight (153) and Vyta du Roc (144+) defied their inexperience to run big races in defeat, but will find life tougher next season, not quite good enough for the very top level and likely to be burdened with big weights in handicaps.

Le Mercurey (now Timeform-rated 148) had given Nicholls a valuable winner earlier on the card, producing a career-best to get the better of a below form Bristol de Mai in the Grade 2 Future Champion Novices’ Chase. The winner could face some stiff tasks next season if the official handicapper takes a literal view of this form, but he appeared to appreciate the positive tactics employed here and could well improve with another summer under his belt. Bristol de Mai has had a busy season and, having shaped as if this was one race too many, he remains on a Timeform rating of 150 after a smart effort in defeat at Cheltenham.

Finally, Ch’tibello is now Timeform-rated 139p after his victory in the Scottish Champion Hurdle. Beaten just over a length behind the now-167p rated Altior at Ascot in October, connections clearly felt they had a well-handicapped horse on their hands and saved him for this valuable prize. He rewarded their patience with a career-best on Saturday and remains open to more improvement, a comment that also applies to the second Cloudy Dream (now Timeform-rated 138p), who lost his position on the approach to the last and came home in eye-catching style. He rates an unlucky loser and looks an exciting novice chase prospect for next season.