Tony McFadden provides the Timeform ratings reaction to a selection of key performances over the weekend, including Ruling Court's win in the 2000 Guineas.
Cosmic Year (113p from 107P)
Won, King Charles II Stakes, Newmarket, Friday 2 May
Cosmic Year had created a huge impression on his first couple of starts in novice company, so much so that he would have been a credible contender for the 2000 Guineas. However, connections elected to take a more patient approach and Cosmic Year was instead aimed at the listed King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket.
It still represented a rise in class for Cosmic Year but he passed the test with ease, quickening up well to score by a length and a half with the runner-up, Marvelman, three lengths clear of the third (replay below).
That performance earned Cosmic Year a smart Timeform rating of 113p and he has yet to show everything he has to offer, though he will need to progress again to make an impact at the top level as Ruling Court earned a rating of 123 for his 2000 Guineas success.
Cosmic Year's performance was a big one in the context of recent editions of the King Charles II Stakes as the only winner in the last decade who ran to a higher level was Noble Truth (116), and he went on to follow up in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.
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Rumstar (119 from 116)
Won, Palace House Stakes, Newmarket, Saturday 3 May
Rumstar had signed off for last season with a career-best effort when landing the listed Rous Stakes at Ascot and he took another step forward to win the Group 3 Palace House Stakes on his reappearance at Newmarket, putting up the best performance in the race since Mabs Cross in 2019.
Rumstar has been something of a slow-burner and has been beaten in plenty of handicaps on his way to pattern company, but his revised Timeform rating of 119 doesn't leave him much to find with the best sprinters around in Europe as the now-retired Bradsell topped the division last season with a rating of 124. The pick over six furlongs, Kind of Blue and Mill Stream, were rated 122.
He has spent much of his career running over six furlongs, but his last two efforts highlight that he is clearly well suited by five furlongs nowadays and he'll be well worth a crack at a Group 1 in a very open division.
Ruling Court (123 from 114p)
Won, 2000 Guineas, Newmarket, Saturday 3 May
Ruling Court had been held back by inexperience, both beforehand and in the race itself, when third in the Acomb Stakes on his second and final start at two, but he proved much calmer at Newmarket which helped him deliver a more professional and improved performance to win the 2000 Guineas.
Ruling Court, who had taken an unconventional route to Newmarket via an easy win in a listed race at Meydan, was ridden patiently by William Buick in a race run at just a modest gallop, but crucially he secured first run on the favourite, Field of Gold, when the tempo lifted three furlongs out and also found a better initial turn of foot.
Field of Gold, an impressive winner of the Craven Stakes on his reappearance, finished very strongly inside the final half-furlong and ultimately lost out by only half a length. Given his strength in the finish and the relatively fine margins involved, it's possible he may well have won had he been asked for his effort sooner or been ridden more prominently.
The front three, completed by last season's highest-rated juvenile Shadow of Light, pulled nicely clear of the remainder and deserve credit for doing so given the relatively sedate tempo, but plenty of obvious candidates were missing - including Hotazhell, The Lion in Winter and Twain - and there probably wasn't as much strength in depth as you might expect for a 2000 Guineas. Ruling Court's Timeform performance rating of 123, while a significant improvement on his previous efforts, is slightly lower than the average for a winner over the last ten years which is a shade higher than 124.
On a superb weekend for connections, Godolphin, Charlie Appleby and Buick completed the Guineas double with Desert Flower (remains 118), though she didn't need to match her Fillies' Mile form to beat rivals who finished in a bit of a heap.
Desert Flower's performance rating matches Elmalka's bare rating last year, and you have to go back to Miss France (110) in 2014 to find the last time a 1000 Guineas winner posted a lower Timeform performance rating. Still, Desert Flower's two-year-old form offers obvious hope that she'll run to a higher level than on Sunday should it be required.
Sir Lowry's Pass (107p from 99p)
Won, 1¼m handicap, Goodwood, Saturday 3 May
One of the most significant performances in handicaps over the weekend was posted by Sir Lowry's Pass at Goodwood.
Sir Lowry's Pass had made a promising start in handicaps when runner-up at Newbury on his final outing last season and he stepped up on that on his return, quickening up well to win a strong-looking handicap in decisive fashion.
He was by no means placed under maximum pressure to assert so was value for more than the two-length winning margin and, with further improvement to come, Timeform's reporter suggested he is likely to be high on the shortlist for the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap at Royal Ascot.
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