Tony McFadden provides the Timeform ratings reaction following Notable Speech's impressive display at Kempton where he marked himself out as a credible Classic contender.
Notable Speech had created a big impression on his first couple of starts over Kempton's mile, readily beating the subsequent Listed winner Cuban Tiger on the second occasion, and he further enhanced his reputation when stylishly completing the course-and-distance hat-trick on Saturday, earning a Timeform rating of 119p that makes him one of the highest-rated three-year-olds around.
Unlimited Replays
of all UK and Irish races with our Race Replays
Discover Sporting Life Plus Benefits
Subsequent Group-race winners Mostahdaf and Maljoom feature on the recent roll of honour of Saturday's contest and, following his stylish success, Notable Speech looks like one who will be winning at a high level if translating his ability to the turf.
A steady gallop at Kempton on Saturday should have inconvenienced Notable Speech who was held up at the rear of the five-runner field and he still had plenty on his plate entering the straight. However, William Buick always seemed confident he had matters under control and his mount duly found a sharp turn of foot when asked to pick up the leaders, quickening two lengths clear under just a hands-and-heels ride.
The closing sectional time that Notable Speech clocked earned him a significant upgrade and he has been handed a Timeform rating of 119p. That means only City of Troy (125p) and Henry Longfellow (120p) are rated higher among this season's three-year-olds, and it also places him 1 lb higher than Charlie Appleby-trained stablemate Ancient Wisdom who won an ordinary renewal of the Group 1 Futurity Trophy last season.
Notable Speech needs to prove his effectiveness on turf and an undulating track, but he has made giant strides in a short space of time and looks like one of the most likely to capitalise should City of Troy fail to meet expectations in the 2000 Guineas.
Timeform's highest-rated three-year-old males:
125p City of Troy
120p Henry Longfellow
119p Notable Speech
119p Vandeek
118 Ancient Wisdom
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.