Timeform Champions Day ratings review including Aldaary, Baaeed and Trueshan
Timeform reflect on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot and round up all the key ratings amendments following a superb afternoon on the track.
Best Champions Day to date
In terms of out-and-out quality, the 2021 edition of Champions Day at Ascot was easily the best yet since its inception 10 years ago, the six-race card having an abundance of depth from top to bottom, and racegoers were treated to an outstanding afternoon’s racing on Saturday.
The standout performance of the day came from the William Haggas-trained Baaeed (130 from 125p), who beat Palace Pier (129 from 132) by a neck in a thrilling clash of the generations in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Baaeed only made his debut in June but has made remarkable strides since, and there was plenty to like about his performance against the best horse he’s faced to date. The margin was only narrow, but Baaeed won fair and square, always looking like he had Palace Pier covered from halfway, and you could argue that he would have won more impressively if the race was run at a stronger gallop.
Palace Pier will likely be retired to stud now, but Baaeed will be back next year to put his unbeaten record on the line. Still to fill out fully, Baaeed is bred to stay at least a mile and a quarter as a brother to Hukum and, all being well, he will be the older horse that the classic generation need to aim for from midsummer next season.
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Fresh Sealiway steals limelight
All the talk before the Champion Stakes centred around the rematch between Adayar (131) and Mishriff (131), and the betting mirrored that, but it was the French-trained Sealiway (127 from 121) who caused a minor shock to record his first win of the season.
Sealiway had finished runner-up to the now-retired St Mark’s Basilica in the French Derby earlier in the year – and he ran even better in form terms when fifth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe two weeks prior – but this represented a significant career best to defeat the progressive Dubai Honour (125 from 123p).
In form terms, Sealiway’s performance wasn’t on par with the best middle-distance efforts of Adayar (Derby), Mishriff (International) or even St Mark’s Basilica (Eclipse) this season, but there was still a lot to like about the manner of his victory. If he is kept in training, connections will likely map out another autumn campaign for him, such is his effectiveness in soft/heavy ground.
Dubai Honour’s finishing effort was unlike his previous ones this year, getting upsides Sealiway but uncharacteristically not finding as much as looked likely. He still remains a good prospect for next year, however, and a rematch would be an interesting spectacle.
Straight and True in Long Distance Cup
Trueshan (126) and Stradivarius (123) had missed each other for much of this season due to unsuitable ground conditions for one or the other, but they had their second meeting in two weeks in the Long Distance Cup and the former convincingly confirmed the Prix du Cadran form without having to be at his best.
Trueshan deserved extra credit for his strength in the finish after being too keen in the early stages, while it was also a quick enough turnaround from a hard race in the Cadran. Stradivarius is seemingly now on the wane and the presence of Tashkhan (121 from 109) in second raises doubts about the strength of the form, but it is hard to argue with the strike rate of Trueshan in staying events.
Trueshan has only been defeated once at two miles or further in the Northumberland Plate from a BHA mark of 118 and, still only a five-year-old, he will remain the one to beat next season when the ground allows, but Subjectivist’s win in the Gold Cup remains the standout performance in the division this season.
Saturday also witnessed the seventh running of the Champions Sprint as a Group 1 but, apart from Muhaarar in 2015, it hasn’t taken a top-class performance to win the prize, and again only a very smart effort was needed from Creative Force (123 from 118) to beat last year’s winner Glen Shiel (119).
Creative Force was a good winner of the Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs at Royal Ascot earlier in the year and, while he struggled to make an impact in open pattern races after, the return to this track, plus a good positional ride, made the difference. He has made very good progress this season, winning a handicap at Newmarket from a BHA mark of 89 in April and signing off a Group 1 winner; he looks an obvious one for the Diamond Jubilee next year.
Minzaal (117 from 115), who finished third, is arguably the horse to take out of the race with a view to next season. He ran a fine race on just his second start of a truncated campaign, coming from further back than the first two, and there is every chance he can eke out a bit more with a clear run at it next term.
The Fillies & Mares Stakes revolved around Snowfall (122 from 124), a triple Group 1 winner who was 8 lb clear on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, but she came up short for the third start in a row. She shaped as though she possibly wasn’t over her run in the Arc just two weeks previously, but she is still one of the best seen in the division this season, her wins in the Oaks and Irish Oaks not to be forgotten. Her underwhelming finish to the campaign has blemished her profile somewhat, however.
The winner, Eshaada (119 from 107), showed much-improved form on just her fifth career start, bouncing back from a poor run in the Yorkshire Oaks – where she clearly didn’t give her running behind Snowfall and Albaflora (118 from 115) – in some style to confirm herself a smart and game filly. The form overall is only average for the race, but Eshaada is a lightly raced, good-topped filly, one who should progress well from three to four, and it would be great if connections kept her in training for next season.
Balmoral winner puts in sparkling performance
Aldaary (124 from 120) capped off an excellent day for William Haggas and Shadwell Estate as he justified sustained support in the closing Balmoral Handicap. He is improving in leaps and bounds, once more travelling with consummate ease and displaying an instant turn of foot when his jockey asked him to quicken.
Aldaary seems especially at home when there is ease in the ground and there is no doubt that he is a pattern-class horse for next year, appealing as very much one to follow. For context, his Timeform performance rating of 124 is the best seen in a handicap in the last five years.
The Balmoral ante-post market had been dominated by Sunray Major (115p from 116p) ever since he bolted up on his handicap debut earlier in the month.
He looked well in under a 6lb penalty but is best not judged on this run, paying the price for a big move into contention around halfway when his rider elected to change course, and he wasn’t persevered with once held.
A half-brother to Kingman, he remains with plenty of potential heading into next year, still very lightly raced for his age after all.
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