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Horse racing analysis: Timeform's highest-rated sprinters of 2021
In the second part of a new series, Adam Houghton outlines the state of play in the sprinting division based on Timeform ratings.
The sprint division received a major shake-up recently when it was announced that Battaash had run his last race, bringing to an end a period of dominance the like of which many hadn’t seen before. After all, Battaash broke new ground by being Timeform’s highest-rated sprinter for four seasons in a row between 2017 and 2020, while his peak rating of 136 was the best over sprint trips since Dayjur swept all before him in 1990.
It is likely to be some time before we see another sprinter of Battaash’s calibre, but there are at least a couple of high-class performers in our midst, teeing up some interesting clashes this summer in races such as the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and Sprint Cup at Haydock. There is certainly still time for a horse to put their stamp on the division given that the four Group 1 sprints which have already been run in Europe this season were all won by different horses.
The July Cup at Newmarket went some way towards confirming the pecking order amongst the six-furlong sprinters. The winner Starman (127) had been due to run in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot before being taken out due to the soft going, but his belated reappearance eight weeks after a ready victory in the Duke of York Stakes proved well worth the wait as he improved again to run out an authoritative winner.
Starman was briefly outpaced at around halfway but found plenty to lead entering the final 100 yards, ultimately winning by a length and a quarter from Dragon Symbol (124). Beaten just once in six starts, Starman is clearly the top performer in the division judged on the strength of his July Cup form, but his preference for a sound surface is likely to dictate where and how often he is seen again.
The three-year-old Dragon Symbol, who only made his debut in March, memorably finished first past the post in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot but was subsequently demoted by the stewards for causing interference. He confirmed himself a very smart sprinter in the July Cup before running another sound race to once again fill the runner-up spot in the King George Stakes at Goodwood last time, showing himself to be fully effective at five furlongs as well as six. It’s surely only a matter of time before a good race falls his way, with the Sprint Cup appealing as a suitable target.
The Wesley Ward-trained Campanelle (120) was the beneficiary of Dragon Symbol’s demotion in the Commonwealth Cup after being carried right by that rival in the final furlong, with just a head splitting them at the line. That was a cracking performance on her first start of the year and she will merit the utmost respect if lining up in Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, especially as she is already a Group 1 winner at the track (landed last year’s Prix Morny).
Ward can also call upon the hugely exciting Golden Pal (126p), who showed much improved form when winning a Grade 3 at Saratoga last time. That was his first start since also winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland in November and he could hardly have been more impressive, dominating out in front and passing the post with three lengths to spare despite being eased down. All roads now lead to the Nunthorpe, where he’ll hold leading claims of giving Ward a first win in the race after a couple of near-misses.
The chief danger to Golden Pal in the Nunthorpe is likely to be Suesa (125), who looked a top-notch sprinter when dishing out a three-length beating to Dragon Symbol in the King George last time. Something of a disappointment when favourite for the Commonwealth Cup on her previous start, Suesa proved a revelation under different tactics at Goodwood, benefiting from being covered up and making her move late in a race run at a strong gallop into a headwind. The winning margin probably flatters her as a result, but she has a progressive profile (her Royal Ascot blip aside) and is well worth a chance to prove herself full value for that high-class display.
Others to look out for in the Nunthorpe include Winter Power (119) and Glass Slippers (118+). The latter has already shown she is up to winning in Group 1 company having struck in the Prix de l’Abbaye in 2019 and the Flying Five Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2020. She proved no match for the winner but shaped as if retaining all her ability after nine months off when third in the King George last time, setting her up for another productive campaign.
As for Winter Power, she has shown smart form in winning a pair of listed races at York this season, with her only blip coming when ninth after doing too much too soon in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in between. Winter Power will need to take another step forward to make a significant impact in the Nunthorpe, but she is clearly well suited to the test that the course and distance provides.
Oxted (124) and Dream of Dreams (125) – who won the King’s Stand and Diamond Jubilee respectively at Royal Ascot – have both been ruled out for the rest of the campaign due to injury. Oxted finished third when attempting to win the July Cup for the second year in succession before being sidelined, whereas Dream of Dreams won’t get the opportunity to defend the Sprint Cup crown he won in 2020. Happily, both horses are expected to make full recoveries and should be back on a racecourse next season.
The pick of the other older horses at six furlongs include Glen Shiel (120) and Art Power (121), who completed the frame in that order behind Dream of Dreams in the Diamond Jubilee. Both horses also finished in the first four in last year’s Sprint Cup and in the first six in this year’s July Cup, underlining their consistency in top company.
Nahaarr (122), on the other hand, needs to bounce back from a below-par effort when only seventh in the Diamond Jubilee, but he showed when chasing home Starman in the Duke of York that he is capable of very smart form on his day.
The three-year-old Creative Force (120), who won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, finished fifth in the July Cup and should continue to give a good account after finding only Kinross (122) too strong in the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood last time. The Lennox is run over seven furlongs, but this year’s renewal developed into a test of speed at the trip and could prove a key piece of form come the Sprint Cup. After all, most of the principals, including the fourth Space Blues (123), have already shown themselves to be at least as effective over six furlongs.
Surprisingly, Rohaan (123) doesn’t hold an entry in the Sprint Cup, but it will be no surprise if he’s supplemented given that he’s already won over the course and distance in the Sandy Lane Stakes back in May. He produced an even better effort when following up in the Wokingham Stakes at the Royal meeting, defying a BHA mark of 112 by a neck in good style, and it’s far too soon to be writing him off at the top level despite the fact he managed only tenth in the July Cup last time.