Tony McFadden outlines the state of play in the two-year-old division following some notable performances at the weekend.
There was a thrilling finish to the Railway Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday as Bucanero Fuerte (Timeform rating 109p from 107p) got the better of Unquestionable (109p from 107p) by a short-head with the pair pulling four and a half lengths clear of His Majesty, who had performed with such credit when fourth in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Aidan O'Brien had to settle for minor honours with Unquestionable and His Majesty, though Bucanero Fuerte's offered a boost for O'Brien's River Tiber who had the Railway Stakes winner back in third when justifying strong support in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. River Tiber, like Bucanero Fuerte and Unquestionable, is a son of Wootton Bassett who was purchased by Coolmore in 2020.
Bucanero Fuerte's hard-fought success in the Railway Stakes - in which he produced a performance better than the ten-year winning average - reflects well on the pair that beat him in the Coventry. River Tiber (111p) and runner-up Army Ethos (110p) have had their ratings nudged up by a couple of pounds after reassessment and are at the head of the juvenile division.
The leading filly in the pecking order is French-trained Ramatuelle (109) following her five-length win in a Group 3 at Chantilly last month, but the best performance by one based in Britain was produced at the weekend by Star of Mystery (104p from 93p) in the listed Empress Fillies' Stakes at Newmarket.
Star of Mystery, who won by four lengths to take the cumulative winning margin of her last two starts to 15 lengths, put up just about the best performance in the race this century.
Charlie Appleby, William Buick and Godolphin were also on the board later on the card with Dance Sequence (84P) who only won by a narrow margin, but impressed with how smoothly she came through from the rear in a steadily-run race. The Timeform large P indicates that she remains capable of much better.
There was also a large P symbol awarded at the Curragh on Friday that is worth noting.
O'Brien has targeted the seven-furlong fillies' maiden with some top talents - as outlined here by John Ingles - and he introduced another exciting prospect this year in Ylang Ylang (91P) who readily pulled two and three-quarter lengths clear. She can achieve a much higher figure when handed the opportunity.
Timeform's highest-rated colts
111p River Tiber
110p Army Ethos
109p Bucanero Fuerte
109p Unquestionable
106 Valiant Force
Timeform's highest-rated fillies
109 Ramatuelle
104p Porta Fortuna
104p Star of Mystery
103 Crimson Advocate
103 Relief Rally
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
