Tony McFadden highlights which two-year-olds have earned the highest Timeform ratings in Britain and Ireland so far this season.
Asadna (Timeform rating 109p)
Asadna, a 160,000 guineas purchase from the breeze-up sales, produced a sparkling display on debut for George Boughey at Ripon on Sunday, winning the six-furlong novice (replay below) in a very fast time.
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Asadna scooted 12 lengths clear of his rivals, clocking a time nearly a second faster than the promising and fairly useful handicapper Pinafore managed over the same course and distance later on the card.
That earned him a timefigure - a measurement of the value of a single performance based on time - of 109, which is the highest registered by a two-year-old debutant appearing before Royal Ascot in the last ten years.
A timefigure of 109 is very high for a two-year-old of any experience, with only Caravaggio (115 on his second start) returning a higher figure before Royal Ascot in the last decade.
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β Timeform (@Timeform) May 22, 2023
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Caravaggio went on to land the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and Asadna is clearly a leading contender for that event having already recorded a higher timefigure than many winners of that contest did in the race.
He has been awarded a Timeform form rating of 109p in line with what he showed on the clock and sets the standard among the juveniles so far this season.
River Tiber (104p)
The Coventry Stakes could be a cracker this year, though, as River Tiber also looks like an exciting prospect and has run to a high level for a juvenile on both outings, passing the 100 benchmark on his two starts.
He created a huge impression on debut at Navan last month, streaking ten lengths clear in a race run over just shy of six furlongs on testing ground, and although he had to worker harder to score over five furlongs on faster ground at Naas on Sunday he was ultimately well on top and ended up performing to a similar level.
River Tiber briefly looked in trouble and had to be asked for his effort two furlongs out, but he hit the line hard, pulling two and a half lengths clear in the style of one who will relish stepping back up in trip.
River Tiber is among five individual two-year-old winners for O'Brien so far this season. O'Brien is operating at a 38% strike rate with his juveniles, and at a 33% strike rate with his two-year-olds on debut.
Maximum Impact (101p)
The state of the going at Leicester when Maximum Impact made his debut last month made it difficult to assess what exactly he had achieved - his winning margin of 12 lengths was remarkably only the third-widest on the card.
However, he proved himself to be one of the best juveniles we've seen so far this season when landing the Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial under more conventional conditions at Ascot a few weeks ago.
He found plenty to assert inside the final furlong, ultimately beating debut winner Action Point by two and a quarter lengths and in a good time.
His trainer Alice Haynes has made an exceptional start with her two-year-olds so far this season and is operating at a 44% strike rate with seven winners from 16 runners. That strike rate would look even better had Shayekh not been demoted to second for causing interference.
Porta Fortuna (101p)
The recent roll of honour for the Group 3 Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas includes Alpha Centauri, Mother Earth and Meditate, and there's a good chance that Sunday's renewal will throw up a smart sort or two.
A total of 13 fillies went to post but a couple pulled clear, with Porta Fortuna just doing enough to fend off the promising newcomer Navassa Island to maintain her unbeaten record.
Porta Fortuna had overcome inexperience to make a winning debut for Donnacha O'Brien at the Curragh last month and she took a significant step forward to follow up at Naas, showing a striking turn of foot to secure a decisive advantage.
Her performance is rated slightly higher than what Meditate produced in the race last season and represents just about the pick of the form in the fillies' division so far this season.
Navassa Island (100p)
Navassa Island, a 240,000 guineas purchase from the breeze-up sales, boasts a very speedy pedigree - she is out of a six-furlong Group 3 winner who has already produced last season's Cheveley Park winner Lezoo - and she shaped with enormous promise having been thrown in the deep end on debut.
Navassa Island, who was still nearer last than first when the winner made her move, was forced to switch to get a clear run approaching the final furlong, but she finished with a flourish when in the clear and only just failed by a neck.
She ran to a very high figure for a juvenile on debut - particularly a filly - and is entitled to improve for the experience.
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