Tony McFadden highlights four winners from Goodwood who took a significant step forward on form and improved their Timeform rating.
Trillium (104p from 87p) and The Platinum Queen (104 from 98)
There were two significant performances from two-year-old fillies on Wednesday afternoon at Goodwood as Trillium deployed a striking turn of foot to beat the boys in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes before The Platinum Queen scorched clear of her rivals in the fillies' conditions stakes.
The victories may have been achieved in contrasting fashion, but they were of similar merit according to Timeform and were among the best performances seen so far in the juvenile fillies' division this season with only Dramatised (110p), Meditate (106), Mawj (105) and Statuette (105p) rated higher.
Trillium arrived at Goodwood on the back of a maiden win at Newbury but she showed she was well at home in the higher grade of race, readily quickening a length and a quarter clear of Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up Rocket Rodney.
She was the sixth filly to win the Molecomb this century and only Fleeting Spirit, who beat subsequent Nunthorpe winner Kingsgate Native, showed clearly better form.
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On a day when conditions were riding fast at Goodwood, Trillium set a new juvenile track record, but that time was soon bettered by The Platinum Queen who produced a performance that showed she would have been well worth her place in the Molecomb
The Platinum Queen had sparkled at York on her previous outing and, at another speed-favouring track, she proved far too fast for her rivals, looking in command soon after halfway and passing the post four lengths to the good. She will have roughly half a stone to find with the principals on weight-adjusted figures if taking her chance in the Nunthorpe, highlighting that she will need to improve a good chunk though not an unrealistic amount.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsNew London (122p from 115p)
New London failed to handle the track when flopping in the Chester Vase, leading connections to conclude the Derby would come too soon in his development, but he showed how much he has matured when handling Goodwood well enough to win the Gordon Stakes with a bit up his sleeve.
New London had bounced back from his Chester flop with an authoritative success in handicap company at Newmarket's July meeting and he raised his game again to win a strong renewal of this Group 3, beating the Bahrain Trophy winner, Deauville Legend, by a length and three-quarters with the Derby runner-up, Hoo Ya Mal, a neck back in third.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsThe Gordon Stakes has a rich roll of honour, with the likes of Highland Reel, Ulysses and Crystal Ocean among the recent winners, and New London also looks set to make an impact at the highest level as Desert Crown (130p), Vadeni (127p), Westover (126) and Native Trail (125) are the only three-year-old middle-distance performers rated higher than him.
A rating of 122p makes New London a leading player for the St Leger, with Irish Derby winner Westover's suitability for the race surely under question after racing far too keenly in the King George.
Nashwa (119p from 112p)
Nashwa had to settle for third behind Tuesday (118) and Emily Upjohn (118) in the Oaks at Epsom but she is now rated higher than both of those fillies after following up her victory in the Prix de Diane with a smooth success in the Nassau Stakes.
Nashwa performed creditably when third at Epsom, finishing around three and a quarter lengths behind the principals, but she left the impression that her stamina was just being stretched, and she has duly improved for dropping back in trip.
Nashwa had to dig deep to win the Prix de Diane but she produced a much more authoritative display at Goodwood, scoring with more in hand than the margin of a length and three-quarters would suggest.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsThe Nassau was run at a steady gallop and only started to take shape from halfway, so Nashwa's position at the rear of the field placed her at a disadvantage. However, she deployed an excellent turn of foot to readily quicken past the entire field and she can have her performance upgraded based on that fast closing sectional time.
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