Tony McFadden highlights the key Timeform ratings for each division following the Cheltenham Festival.
Chasers
- 177x Majborough
- 175 Fact To File
- 174 Il Etait Temps
- 174 Gaelic Warrior
- 171 Galopin des Champs
Willie Mullins is now responsible for Timeform's five highest-rated horses in training; included among that list is the latest Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior.
Gaelic Warrior had already shown himself to be a chaser of rare ability this season when narrowly beating top-class stablemate Fact To File, with the pair well clear, in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown in November. That contest was over just shy of two and a half miles, but Gaelic Warrior demonstrated his remarkable versatility by producing a performance of equal merit over three and a quarter miles at Cheltenham.
According to Timeform's figures, only stablemate Galopin des Champs has put up better performances in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the past ten years.
Galopin des Champs, who was forced to miss Cheltenham this year with a late setback, retains his place among the top five with a rating of 171 based on the form he showed when a wide-margin winner of the Punchestown Gold Cup last year. He has been as high as 181 in the past, however.
Majborough remains the highest-rated jumps horse in training but now has an 'x' - for poor jumper - attached to his rating of 177 following an error-strewn round in the Champion Chase. He was sent off the 5/6 favourite for the Champion Chase on the back of an outstanding 19-length victory in the Dublin Chase, but his jumping fell apart in the second half of the race at Cheltenham with mistakes at the eighth and ninth fences followed by a more serious blunder three out. He'd also been let down by his jumping when third in the Arkle the previous year, so he comes with risks attached, for all his dominant display at Leopardstown shows he's capable of reaching rare heights when it all clicks.
Majborough's Champion Chase eclipse left the door open for stablemate Il Etait Temps, who came home ten lengths clear but didn't need to reproduce the form he had shown when winning the Tingle Creek by a similar margin earlier in the season.
Il Etait Temps arrived at Cheltenham with a couple of questions to answer as he had been beaten on his three previous starts at the track and had fallen heavily in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot when last seen. However, he's largely been consistent over fences and victory took his record in Grade 1 chases to six wins from nine starts.
Fact To File was a late absentee in the Ryanair Chase but arguably had his reputation enhanced by some form boosts. Heart Wood (168 from 164) ran out a wide-margin winner of the Ryanair but had been beaten nine lengths by Fact To File in last year's race, while Gaelic Warrior had finished five lengths behind Fact To File when runner-up in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival last month.
Hurdlers
- 169* Lossiemouth
- 167 State Man
- 166x Constitution Hill
- 164* Brighterdaysahead
- 164 Sir Gino
*includes 7 lb mares' allowance
Lossiemouth had won the Mares' Hurdle for the past two seasons but was finally allowed to take her chance in the Champion Hurdle and delivered an emphatic victory.
Always travelling well in a race that was initially run at a steady gallop, Lossiemouth proved far too quick for her rivals under conditions that placed the emphasis on speed, and she readily drew six and a half lengths clear.
It's difficult for mares to post really eye-catching ratings due to the 7 lb sex allowance that they receive. But when you add that allowance to Lossiemouth's bare rating, she'll be the one to beat in the division, even when stablemate State Man returns.
She's clearly a top-class mare, but not rated quite as highly as dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle (who would have been 172 factoring in the sex allowance), nor Annie Power who was rated higher still (177+ with her allowance).
Novice chasers
- 162* Kargese
- 162 Lulamba
- 159p Kopek des Bordes
- 158 Kitzbuhel
- 158 Romeo Coolio
*includes 7 lb mares' allowance
The market suggested the Arkle would prove a match between Nicky Henderson's Lulamba, sent off the 11/10 favourite, and Willie Mullins' Kopek des Bordes, an 11/8 chance. However, it was Kopek des Bordes' stablemate, 7/1 shot Kargese, who came out on top.
Kargese, the 2024 Triumph Hurdle runner-up and 2025 County Hurdle winner, enhanced her fine Festival record in large part thanks to an excellent round of jumping, particularly in the straight where the big two in the market both made mistakes.
As is the case with Lossiemouth, Kargese's bare rating looks underwhelming as she was receiving 7 lb from the geldings. But once adding that sex allowance to her rating, she sits at the head of the division alongside Lulamba, whose figure is based on his performance in the Game Spirit Chase. Kopek des Bordes was making only his second start over fences in the Arkle and has the Timeform 'small p' to show further improvement is expected.
Jumping also proved crucial in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, in which Kitzbuhel put in a fine round at the head of affairs before digging deep up the run-in to fend off Final Demand by three-quarters of a length. His performance has been rated of similar merit to recent winners of the race.
In contrast to Kitzbuhel, Romeo Coolio jumped poorly before a bad mistake four out cost him all chance. He had given 7 lb and a beating to Kargese in the Irish Arkle on his previous start, however, so remains among the highest-rated horses in the division on that form.
Novice hurdlers
- 157p Old Park Star
- 156p Mydaddypaddy
- 156p Sober Glory
- 151 King Rasko Grey
- 148p Bossman Jack
- 148p Talk The Talk
The Supreme looked the pick of the novice hurdles heading into the Festival and so it proved with the first three home all posting very smart performances.
Old Park Star, the form choice heading into the race, found plenty up the run-in to come out on top, and he narrowly remains the highest-rated horse in the division. He is rated 2 lb lower than Kopek des Bordes was after winning last year's Supreme.
Placed pair Sober Glory and Mydaddypaddy both ran crackers in defeat, improving more than a stone on their previous ratings.
Seventh-placed Talk The Talk was one of the disappointments of the race and never threatened to land a blow, but he had created an excellent impression in Ireland and remains with potential. The Irish failed to make the first four in the Supreme, but the form of Talk The Talk's Grade 1 win at the Dublin Racing Festival was given a boost when King Rasko Grey won the Turners.
King Rasko Grey had been a close-up third at Leopardstown but stepped up again on that form in the Turners, seeing out the longer trip well to score by two and a half lengths from Act Of Innocence who was representing the connections of Old Park Star. He's clearly progressive but his performance has been rated inferior to what the last three winners of this race produced.
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