Horse racing analysis: Timeform ratings reaction to key Ebor Festival performances

Baaeed (Timeform rating: 137 from 134)

Baaeed was tried beyond a mile for the first time in Wednesday's Juddmonte International and it provided him with the perfect platform to improve even further on the very high level of form he'd been showing, now unbeaten in 10 starts, the last six of them at Group One level.

Patiently ridden by Jim Crowley, Baaeed cruised through a well-run contest and found a devastating turn of foot to leave the high-class Mishriff trailing in his wake, ultimately winning by six and a half lengths. His performance – backed up by the timefigure – was one of the very best at any distance in Europe this century, his rating bettered in this race only by Frankel in that time.

Baaeed’s sire Sea The Stars, another outstanding winner of the Juddmonte International, went on to contest both the Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after his York success, victorious in both and producing the performance of his career in defeating a stellar field at Leopardstown.

For Baaeed, a crack at Vadeni in Ireland or proving himself over still further against the best in Europe and beyond at Longchamp surely offers a more fitting climax to his career than a likely lap of honour in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Highfield Princess (126 from 119)

The betting for Friday's Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes was dominated by females, with Royal Aclaim, a filly unbeaten in three starts (the most recent of them at Listed level), sent off favourite ahead of the two-year-old The Platinum Queen, who'd won a valuable conditions race, and Highfield Princess, a recent Group One winner in the Prix Maurice de Gheest.

In the event, the latter pair dominated the finish and Highfield Princess produced the performance of her career to register a second Group One win less than two weeks after her first, coping well with the drop back to five furlongs at a course where she was so impressive earlier in the season.

Admittedly, Highfield Princess was seen to better effect than most given how things developed. The high stalls dominated and she was well drawn to track the freewheeling The Platinum Queen, taking over inside the final furlong and quickly forging clear from there to win by two and a half lengths.

The form perhaps isn’t quite so good as it looks, but the thriving Highfield Princess clearly took another big step forward to run out an impressive winner and is well worth crediting with a high-class effort for now – the best produced by any sprinter trained in Britain or Ireland so far this season.

She has numerous options for the rest of the campaign and will be of interest wherever she goes.

Alpinista (123 from 121)

The field for Thursday's Darley Yorkshire Oaks lacked an outstanding filly – an Enable or a Love, to name just two recent examples – but it still featured four runners who had won a Group One this year, a representative contest between the generations.

Given that it was run at a steady gallop until early in the straight, it might be expected that the form might be muddling. However, the field finished in form order, more or less, and only Lilac Road prevented the field finishing in starting price order as well, the form looking deceptively straightforward to assess, a bit below the standard for the race.

The form is also some way below what is required to win a typical running of the Arc, but Alpinista will be fully entitled to her place in the line-up after seeing off the Oaks winner Tuesday by a length on the Knavesmire to gain her seventh straight win, the last five at Group One level.

This was arguably a career best, coping well with a falsely-run affair, while her main asset, her attitude, is very hard to fault and likely to stand her in good stead come October. It's also worth noting she beat the reigning Arc winner, Torquator Tasso, at Hoppergarten this time last year the only time they've met.

Quickthorn (123+ from 117)

Earlier on Friday's card, the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup threatened to be remembered for those who didn't turn up rather than those who did as Trueshan (ground) and Stradivarius (heat in foot) were both day-of-the-race absentees.

However, it still managed to throw up something out of the ordinary with Quickthorn building up a long lead from an early stage, having everything in trouble entering the straight and galloping on strongly to have things sewn up a long way from home.

Quickthorn ultimately passed the post with 14 lengths to spare over Coltrane, in the process making it three from three since front-running tactics were readopted. It was a clearly a career-best effort, though to what extent is not that easy to know.

For now, a relatively cautious view of what the winner achieved is surely the best approach, with plenty of time left for him to confirm himself a very smart stayer or otherwise. It will presumably be the Doncaster Cup for him next, though he's also in the Irish St Leger, the sensible thing to do probably being to avoid Kyprios.

Noble Style (117p from 110p)

Friday's Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack Stakes is a very valuable Group Two, worth around £60,000 more to the winner than the Richmond and over £80,000 more than the July Stakes, both races of similar rank.

Royal Scotsman and Chateau – who finished first and third, respectively, in the Richmond – were the main contenders bringing pattern-race form to the table, the winner of that race at the head of the market with a pair of unbeaten colts, Marshman and Noble Style.

And, rather than Royal Scotsman, it was the latter two who came to the fore, pulling clear of their rivals, the winner Noble Style producing the best performance in this race since Blue Point won for the same connections, a high view of the form backed up by the timefigure.

Noble Style improved significantly up in grade to maintain his unbeaten record, still showing plenty of inexperience and perhaps not the easiest ride, but with bundles of ability and in the right hands to channel it to maximum advantage.

After beating Marshman by a length and a quarter, Noble Style is now behind only Little Big Bear (126p) among the top-rated two-year-olds we’ve seen so far this season. A clash with that rival in something like the Dewhurst Stakes is a mouthwatering prospect.

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