The Easter Weekend provided plenty of thrills and spills for racing fans. Looking through all of the flat racing throughout the period in Britain and Ireland, we analyzed the top 5 performances on Racing Post Ratings, and posed what the future holds for each of those runners.
Elegant Man – 119
The top flat performances of the (long) weekend all came from All-Weather Championships Day at Newcastle on Good Friday. The leader of the pack was Elegant Man, who claimed the Middle Distance Handicap off top-weight for Irish trainer Adrian Murray, recording an RPR of 119 in the process, 5lb clear of anything else.
Getting across to lead from stall 14, the 11/4 favourite maintained at least a one-length advantage throughout the race, ultimately remaining 1¼ lengths clear at the line from runner-up Penzance, who he was conceding 10lb to. He has now won three of his four starts, losing only to Saturday’s Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Rebel’s Romance on his second career start in Listed company. A performance such as this one will ensure Group races are where he will now test his mettle.
Kingdom Come – 114
Unfortunately for Clive Cox’s charge, this was a performance that came in defeat, with Kingdom Come being narrowly defeated by Talis Evolvere in the Mile Championship. He was conceding the winner 9lb on ratings, though weight-wise he shouldered a stone more given Joe Leavy took his 5lb claim off Talis Evolvere’s back.
This was a career best by 4lb on RPRs from Kingdom Come, who has made the frame, or won, in all of his four starts on the all-weather this year. His best RPR on turf is 107, 7lb lower than his effort on Friday, so the question now, with the flat season underway, is weather he can transfer his form back to grass and be a genuine contender in conditions races.
Fast Raaj – 114
In the same race as Kingdom Come, Fast Raaj was three lengths back in fourth on his second run in Britain for French trainer Yann Barberot. The six-year-old’s first journey over was as a three-year-old for the 2021 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, since which he has improved with age to become a Group 3 winner last season at Chantilly.
He was probably slightly unlucky not to finish closer here, having races prominently before getting squeezed for room late on. Nevertheless, he was conceding 7lb to Kingdom Come, ensuring that off level-weights, the pair would have been very closely matched. Whether we will see him again on these shores is unlikely, but further good efforts in Group races on turf could see a return.
Fivethousandtoone – 112
Andrew Balding’s powers of persistence may have been tested along the way with Fivethousandtoone. The son of Frankel recorded an RPR of 112 when runner-up in Newbury’s Group 2 Mill Reef stakes as a juvenile, but in three-and-a-half years, had not come within 5lb of matching that effort since.
That was, until Friday, when backing up a win at Kempton, itself a first victory for 18 months, with glory in the Sprint Championship at Newcastle. Despite being slowly away, he powered up the far side of the track, which had initially seemed unfavourable, to score by 1¼ lengths. Although a few of the fancied types did not feature, this was a performance that promised more to come, although we may be made to wait given he is 0/6 on turf.
Hooking – 112
Although there were no victories for France at Newcastle, Hooking ensures there are two of their runners in the top five in terms of RPR performances. This was a belated first run on these shores for Philippe Decouz’s eight-year-old, a multiple Listed winner in his homeland.
Hooking was third to Elegant Man, number one on this list, beaten a little under two lengths in receipt of 2lb. However, he was conceding weight to the rest of the field, and looked to be seriously challenging a furlong out only to fade in the final 100 yards. This was still symptomatic of his excellent form in France in 2024, which may well be improved upon again.
GG Top 10 Chasers – March 2024
In our new feature, GG are beginning our series of Top 10s across the world of racing. Off the back of the Cheltenham Festival, we start with GG’s own opinion of the top 10 chasers in Britain and Ireland, which will be updated monthly. 1. Galopin Des Champs The Gold Cup hero is readily proving…
Mon 25 Mar 2024Looking For More Racing Info? Check Out Our Racecards & Top Tips Sections
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