Ratings Update: Fillies dominate Timeform two-year-old ratings

Only once this century has a filly finished the season as Timeform's outright highest-rated juvenile - that was Lady Aurelia (127) in 2016 - but the females are dominating the current pecking order.

Bedtime Story, the nine-and-a-half-length winner of the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, is Timeform's highest-rated two-year-old with a rating of 116p, but her Ballydoyle stablemate Fairy Godmother, who overcame trouble in running to win the Albany Stakes, has been joined in second spot by Phoenix Stakes winner Babouche on a rating of 112p.

The Phoenix Stakes hadn't been won by a filly since La Collina triumphed in 2011, but Babouche (112p from 99p) raised her game to quicken past the standard-setting Whistlejacket to extend her unbeaten record to three and give trainer Ger Lyons a second victory in the race (Siskin ran to a similar level when successful in 2019).

The highest-rated juvenile colt is still Aidan O'Brien's Railway Stakes winner Henri Matisse on 110p, while Charlie Appleby's Superlative Stakes winner Ancient Truth is only narrowly behind on 109p. It's possible they could clash in the National Stakes at the Curragh next month which would give both colts a good opportunity to reach a higher level. Whistlejacket, who was conceding a 3 lb sex allowance to Babouche, may have been beaten in the Phoenix Stakes but gave a good account of himself and advanced his rating to 109 (from 106p).

Adding further strength in depth among the fillies is emphatic Sweet Solera Stakes winner Lake Victoria (107p from 93p). She comfortably coped with the step up in class at Newmarket and will surely have one of the top fillies' races in the autumn on her agenda. Like Bedtime Story and Fairy Godmother, she is trained by Aidan O'Brien.

O'Brien won a couple of Curragh maidens on Saturday with a couple of promising sorts in Delacroix (90p from 86p), a daughter of North American star Tepin, and with Ides of March (96p from 86p), whose dam Nickname had also scored at Grade 1 level in the US. O'Brien had to settle for second in the fillies' juvenile contest with Magical's first foal Ballet Slippers (94p from 78p), but Opera Singer had finished runner-up in the same contest last season and ended up finishing the campaign as the highest-rated juvenile filly. It's still worth being positive about Ballet Slippers who bumped into an excellent prospect in Falling Snow (92p), a daughter of Justify out of dual classic winner Winter. Falling Snow had won a barrier trial at Dundalk and she showed an excellent attitude to edge ahead close home, marking herself out as an exciting prospect for Donnacha O'Brien.

Aidan O'Brien also had some promising juveniles in action at Tipperary on Friday night, where Ecstatic (88p from 81p), the first foal of the globe-trotting Magic Wand, looked potentially smart in pulling three and a quarter lengths clear in the fillies' maiden, while January (96p from 89p) continued her run-by-run progress to land the listed race by four lengths.

The standout performance on Ascot's Shergar Cup card was produced by Jarraaf (112p from 106p), whose emphatic two-and-three-quarter-length success showed that he's a sprinter going places. Jarraaf had to be firmly ridden to lead entering the final furlong but, as was the case when successful over the same course and distance on his previous start, he proved really strong in the closing stages and forged clear. He could prove better than a handicapper.

Jarraaf's trainer Owen Burrows was also successful with Anmaat (remains 120+) who didn't need to be at his best to win the Rose of Lancaster Stakes for a second time. That was his first start since winning the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan in May last year and he is entitled to improve for the run.

Queen Anne Stakes winner Charyn (125 from 123) made it four wins from five starts this season when producing a high-class performance to win the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Sunday, drawing clear in the final furlong to beat French Guineas winner Metropolitan by three lengths with Inspiral, who had won the two previous editions of the Marois, a head back in third. Charyn is in the form of his life and is now rated only 1 lb behind Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech.