Tony McFadden provides the Timeform reaction to the four European winners at the 2025 Breeders' Cup.
Balantina (Timeform rating 105 from 93)
Clear standard-setter Precise was a late withdrawal from the Juvenile Fillies Turf on account of an infection, but Europe still enjoyed a one-two with Balantina, trained by Donnacha O'Brien, leading home Andrew Balding's Pacific Mission.
Balantina, who was bouncing back from a disappointing effort when only fifth of six in the Debutante Stakes at the Curragh on her most recent start, saw the trip out well on her first attempt at a mile, and she readily asserted to score by a length and a quarter.
She's by a sprinter in Ten Sovereigns but has plenty of stamina on the dam's side of her pedigree, so further progress over longer trips next season can't be ruled out. However, a Timeform rating of 105 is the lowest awarded to the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf since the race was added to the programme in 2008. Fillies' Mile winner Precise remains the highest-rated juvenile filly on 113p.
Gstaad (remains 116)
Gstaad went into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with clearly the best form on offer courtesy of his second-place finishes in the Prix Morny, National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes, and he headed Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings by 9 lb.
Rather than whether a rival could reach his lofty level, the key question was how close to form could Gstaad run on his sixth start of the season and, more significantly, from the widest stall of all in 14.
Gstaad's Timeform performance rating of 112 was within 4 lb of his best and good enough for him to register a cosy three-quarter-length win over much-improved outsider Stark Contrast, who was two and a quarter lengths clear of the third.
Gstaad heads into the winter rated among the top five juveniles in Europe, 2 lb below top-rated two-year-old Gewan (118). Also in the top five are Hawk Mountain (117p), Puerto Rico (117) and 116p) who, like Gstaad, are trained by Aidan O'Brien.
Ethical Diamond (123 from 117)
Like Gstaad, Ethical Diamond also overcame stall 14, though his victory in the Breeders' Cup was much more difficult to anticipate on the formbook.
Ethical Diamond was bringing a progressive profile into the race having won the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot before defying an 8 lb higher mark in the Sky Bet Ebor. But those two handicap victories, stylish though they were, still left him something to find with the leading European contenders, most notably Arc runner-up Minnie Hauk.
However, Ethical Diamond took another step forward on form and produced a very smart performance by Timeform's reckoning to swoop down the outside and beat multiple top-level winner Rebel's Romance, who ran to a similar level as when successful in last year's race, by a length and a quarter. Minnie Hauk, the short-price favourite, led turning into the straight but failed to sustain her effort and was a disappointing sixth.
Ethical Diamond may have had an extraordinarily unconventional route to Breeders' Cup success having been beaten in the County Hurdle and Scottish Champion Hurdle earlier this year, but he has been rated as an up-to-scratch winner and produced a performance rated only 2 lb lower than Derby winner Auguste Rodin's effort in the Turf a couple of seasons ago. Highland Reel's victory in 2016 has been rated as the best performance in the race in the last decade (129).
Notable Speech (remains 124)
Notable Speech had to settle for minor honours in last season's Breeders' Cup Mile but went a couple of places better on Saturday without needing to improve on his very best form.
Notable Speech showed very smart form on just his fourth start last season when winning the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and that remains the pick of his performances in terms of ratings. He wasn't far off his best on Saturday, though, and, as had been in the case in the Woodbine Mile on his previous start, he impressed with the turn of foot he produced to readily assert.
He earned the same performance rating of 122 as stablemates Space Blues and Modern Games, who won the Mile in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
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