The thoughts of Nick Mordin.

Excelebration's form at a mile..without Frankel..a horse that would beat any other probably at that trip... reads

12111111

if he hadn't pulled hard early the 2nd would also be a win..so..8 wins at a mile.

% call is he stays a mile..imo

Don't think anyone's disputing he stays a mile, just he has difficulty staying a stiff test at the distance.
His record in such circumstances reads 3222, and while those were all behind Frankel they include such as half-lengthing Side Glance and finishing behind Zoffany, his only reasonable performance coming in a modestly run Lockinge.
His record otherwise (ignoring his debut) is an almost perfect 6 from 7.
 
Don't think anyone's disputing he stays a mile, just he has difficulty staying a stiff test at the distance.
His record in such circumstances reads 3222, and while those were all behind Frankel they include such as half-lengthing Side Glance and finishing behind Zoffany, his only reasonable performance coming in a modestly run Lockinge.
His record otherwise (ignoring his debut) is an almost perfect 6 from 7.

the zoffany run wasn't his best as he pulled hard

i think 7 or 8 but i'm not convinced a stiff 8 is neg tbh
 
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MOUNT ATHOS A TOP CLASS STAYER

Luca Cumani has a tremendous record with horses he takes over from other trainers. The latest example of this is MOUNT ATHOS (41) who Cumani has transformed from a very good handicapper to what my ratings now say is a Group 1 horse judged by his win the Geoffrey Freer Stakes last Saturday. It was the gelding's third win in three starts for Cumani.

The early pace was very strong in the Geoffrey Freer thanks to the pacemaker Dartford. He took the field along at a faster clip for the first mile than they went in the later ten furlong handicap which was also strongly run.

Held up well off the strong pace, Mount Athos picked up strongly and steadily all the way up the straight, hit the front two furlongs out and then drove clear rather quickly in the final furlong to score by over three lengths.

Mount Athos will soon be going into quarantine for the Melbourne Cup - a race Cumani is clearly intent on winning.

Cumani has gone really close in the Melbourne Cup with both Purple Moon and Bauer. Mount Athos is actually a tick better than that pair according to my ratings.

Fast ground is clearly essential for Mount Athos. But he seems likely to get that in Australia. The one concern I have is that the homestraight at Flemington may not be quite long enough for him to fully unwind his habitual late run off the likely moderate early gallop. However you could have said the same about Purple Moon and he came within half a length of winning the race that stops a nation.

Runner up BROWN PANTHER (39) has won five of the six times he's run in Listed or lower class but blanked the six times he's tackled Group company. He stays really well but does lack acceleration, especially on fast ground like he encountered here. He's capable of winning a Group race, maybe even a Group 1 race if he got soft ground and was running over at least a mile and three quarters. If he were mine I'd be stepping him up in distance and shooting for the Prix Royal Oak and Prix du Cadran.

I know it sounds weird to say this about a St Leger winner, but MASKED MARVEL (34) ran like a non stayer. He chased his pacemaker most of the way then tired in the closing stages.

When he won the St Leger the early pace was slow for the first half mile. When he won his prep for the St Leger over 1m 5f he was allowed to set a crawl of a pace. His most impressive run was when he showed a serious turn of foot to beat the smart Namibian three lengths over 11 furlongs in the Cocked Hat Stakes.

The six wins scored by Masked Marvel's damn and two siblings were all over ten and a half furlongs or less. I'd like to see him given a shot over that sort of distance before concluding that he's deteriorated.



DREAM TUNE CAN STAY LONGER

DREAM TUNE (36) looked smart when winning a seven furlong maiden in borderline pattern class time at Salisbury. He made all the running and cruised away from his rivals in the closing stages.

The most impressive aspect of Dream Tune's performance was that he covered the last half mile 2.1 seconds faster than they went in the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes over a mile on the same card. Admittedly they went off a bit too fast in the Sovereign Stakes whereas he was allowed a fairly soft lead. But he clocked a fast time and finished strong which suggests he's smart.

The way that Dream Tune was finishing makes me think he could actually stay ten furlongs despite his trainer's reservations on this score. Certainly he'd have no trouble going back up to a mile. It could be he needs cut in the ground like his close relative Poet. Only time will tell. He certainly looks pattern class and I'll be interested in his chances next time out.

DUNTLE CONTINUES TO LOOK SMART

I really liked the way DUNTLE (38) pulled back the two horses in front of her when switched for a run in the closing stages of the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown. The determination she showed suggests to me she's a high class filly and that another couple of furlongs would be no problem.

If she hadn't duelled for the lead at an unsustainable pace in the 1000 Guineas Trial a few runs back this would probably have been Duntle's fourth win in a row. She's now shaping up as one of the best 3yo fillies in Britain or Ireland.

Previously Duntle had not proven she could act on soft ground. But she handled a very slow surface in the Desmond Stakes without a problem.

Duntle now has several potential targets. Given her versatility and class, whichever ones she runs in she'll be a serious threat.



BONNIE ACCLAMATION IS A VERY DECENT SPRINTER AROUND A TURN

Following his win in fast time off a searching early pace at Leopardstown it's clear that BONNIE ACCLAMATION (37) is a very decent sprinter.

Bonnie Acclamation does not appear to last seven furlongs and seems to need a turn to produce his best. So far he's run in three sprints shorter than seven furlongs around a turn and won clearly every time.

It could be Bonnie Acclamation needs mud and is best left handed. But the next time he runs in a short sprint around a turn I'll be wary of opposing him whatever the ground or the direction of the track.

SAINT BAUDOLINO PROVES HIS CLASS

One of the things that separates top class horses from ordinary ones is their ability to clock a fast final time off a slow early pace. It's remarkable just how much lost time a really smart horse can make up in the closing stages.

This was demonstrated by SAINT BAUDOLINO (40) when he won the Prix Guillame d'Ornano at Deauville. The first 1000 metres of the 2000 metre race was run in 67.5 seconds but the final 1000 metres took just 60.2 seconds. Saint Baudolino was four lengths off the leaders rounding the home turn but picked up the leaders rapidly and then ran away from them by clocking 34.06 seconds for the last 600 metres.

This performance puts Saint Baudolino bang there with this year's stellar crop of French middle distance fillies. And it's hard to argue against the idea that he'd have earned an even bigger speed rating if he'd been pressed harder or the distance had been a mile and a half, given the way he was powering away in the closing stages.

Another impressive aspect of Saint Baudolino's performance at Deauville was that he showed no signs of inexperience as he had in so many of his previous starts. He's now looking like the finished article.

If he'd enjoyed a clear run in the Prix du Jockey Club and not run green in the Grand Prix de Paris Saint Baudolino might well have won his last five starts.

The question now is whether Saint Baudolino will go for the Arc. He's not entered for the race, or anything come to that, but of course he could be supplemented.

The downside is that he's been on the go since March, having had seven runs in the last six months without a break. Every colt that his trainer Andre Fabre has ever run in the Arc has had a break of more than six weeks at some time in the previous four months. Unless Saint Baudolino goes straight to the big race, which seems unlikely, he won't have a rest.

Only one winner of the Prix Guillame d'Ornano in the last seventeen years has gone on to run in the Arc. And only one horse has ever won both events since it was first run back in 1952. In addition the normal game plan for Godolphin is for Fabre to bring their horses on at three and other trainers to take them over before they tackle big WFA races like the Arc.

Seeing that Fabre has Last Train and Meandre already lined up for the Arc I'd say the smart money is on Saint Baudolino missing the Arc.



SNOW FAIRY TOUGH TO BEAT UP SHORT HOMESTRAIGHTS

In winning the Prix Jean Romanet SNOW FAIRY (40) showed once more that her ability to quicken rapidly makes her hard to beat on tracks with relatively flat and short homestraights.

Snow Fairy has lost all nine times she's tackled tracks with steep uphill finishes or homestraights of half a mile or more. But she's won eight of the eleven times she's run on tracks with homestraights less than half a mile which aren't steeply uphill. Two of her losses came when she ran second and third in the Irish Champion Stakes and the Arc off an early pace that took the sting out of her finishing kick. Her other loss up a relatively short homestraight came when she ran second at Goodwood in the Nassau Stakes around the bottom bend where the homestraight is only just shy of half a mile.

In the Prix Jean Romanet Snow Fairy picked up in tremendous style in the closing stages to lead in the last half furlong and win by three parts of a length.

Snow Fairy has earned ratings as high as 43 from me in the past and is capable of beating pretty much anything in her favoured conditions. There does remain the question of whether she'll stand up to training or recover her very best form since this was her first run back following a tendon injury. But the signs are certainly positive at this stage.

Runner up IZZI TOP (39) was helped by the fact that the ground was a little slower than when she lost the Nassau Stakes. Actually she'd have run close to her normal level in that race had she not been forced to take up sharply in the closing stages. She's very consistent but there are so many good fillies around this year I doubt she'll take another Group 1.

Third placed GALIKOVA (39) has shown her best form over two furlongs longer. So she was not well served by a pacemaker who took the field along at a moderate pace. She trailed her pacemaker in second then took the lead entering the straight. She got passed 100 yards out and caught flat footed by the first two. She's better than this.

TIMEPIECE (39) was helped by the slow pace as she doesn't seem to get ten furlongs in a strongly run contest. She has a really big stride, so it's not surprising that four of her five pattern wins have come on straight courses. She's probably not as adept as most horses at having to slow down then speed up again due to negotiating a turn.

SIYOUMA (39) finished strongly but too late for the fourth time in a row. She has the build of a mile and a half horse. If she ever gets the chance to go longer than ten furlongs I'd be interested in her chances.

Sixth placed GIOFRA (38) produced a very interesting performance. Hung out wide all the way, she was visibly moving better than anything when the sprint finish began and moved up to just a length off the lead. It looked like she was poised to surge forward. Then Snow Fairy and runner up Izzi Top cut across her as they charged down the wide outside. Giofra took a slight bump from Snow Fairy who almost instantly formed part of a wall of four horses assembled in front of Giofra, blocking her path.

These incidents occurred so late in proceedings that Giofra's jockey, Christophe Soumillon, opted to wait for a gap to open rather than switch out. But the gap came too late, so Soumillon chose not to push his mount. The result was that he sat on her for the last 150 yards, barely moving a muscle, as the race unfolded around him.

This was just one of those things that happen in racing. The plus is that the run will probably bring Giofra on. She's only had three serious runs this season and will be a fresh horse for races like the Prix l'Opera. She remains one of the top fillies in Europe. In fact she ran fast enough to win a Group 1 against males when beating the smart Vadamar three lengths in the Group 2 Prix d'Harcourt in April.

The race I'd be shooting for with Giofra is the Hong Kong Cup. She'd almost certainly stay the extra two furlongs of the Hong Kong Cup too.

SEA OF HEARTBREAK (37) moved up to within a neck of the leader early in the straight but was then badly outsprinted by the first six. Her jockey stopped riding about 75 yards out when he recognised the situation. If any more proof were needed that she wants to go back up to a mile and a half this was surely it.



SNOWDAY STARTS TO GET INTERESTING

The Prix Morny was pretty much a replay of the Prix Robert Papin. RECKLESS ABANDON (38) made all the running, picked up well in the closing stages and clocked a fast time. He's a smart sprinter and should go close to a big race hat trick in the Middle Park next time.

I'm no fan of sprints. But I think it's a shame there isn't a single Group 1 race over five or six furlongs for three year olds in Europe. Three year old sprinters are forced to take on their elders and they're rarely up to beating them. This means that many horses that rank highly as two year olds disappear off the radar at three.

Those that finished behind Reckless Abandon are probably better long term prospects.

The second and third GEORGE VANCOUVER (37) and PARLIAMENT SQUARE (37) both came from the back and picked up really well in the closing stages. They look likely to stay a mile and are obviously interesting for future big races, especially over longer.

However the horse that really caught my eye was SNOWDAY (34) who only finished ninth.

Snowday is a good-bodied, mature, muscular classy looking sort that got crowded for room when the rest of the field followed the winner as he crossed over to the stands rail. He was moving so well he nearly ran into the back of the horses in front of him four times.

Eventually Snowday's jockey saw that a gap was never going to open. So he allowed him to drop out to last which enabled him to switch to the centre of the course. With a furlong left to run Snowday was last, three lengths behind the horse in front of him. He picked up so well that he gained about five lengths and came within a short head of passing three horses.

Snowday was outpaced in the last furlong when third in the Prix Robert Papin over 5.5f. The extra half furlong was clearly appreciated here. And I see no reason why the horse shouldn't stay a mile, just like his sire and almost all the decent horses on the dam's side of his pedigree. If he takes up his entry in the Middle Park I'll be interested in his chances. But I'd really like to see him going longer.

PACE MADE THE RACE FOR LITTLE MIKE

Turf racing in America is strange. Mot of the turf courses were afterthoughts, built on the inside of already tight dirt courses. As a result they’re mostly seven furlongs or a mile around with homestraights of just one and a half furlongs.

The problem this creates is that the turns are so tight the horses have to slow down to negotiate them. And the homestraights are so short pretty much every American turf race ends up in a wild sprint finish. The winners are those who can hit top speed really quickly exiting a turn or ones who have stolen a lead that cannot be cut back up a short homestraight.

This was the case in this year's Arlington Million where LITTLE MIKE (39) was allowed to amble through a first mile in a pedestrian 1m 39.54 seconds in a clear lead. He entered the straight with a lead of almost five lengths and had saved so much energy he was able to sprint the final quarter mile in just 22.9 seconds. It was pretty much a physical impossibility for him to be caught.

I can remember Bucks Boy stealing the Breeders Cup Turf from the front in similar fashion back in 1998. So I wouldn't dismiss Little Mike's chances of winning that race at Santa Anita this time around. His record shows that whenever he's been allowed a soft lead (which is most of the time) he has won.

Runner up AFSARE (38) flew up the straight to make up four lengths on the winner. But he was never going to get there. He’d played up at the start but does so often and this didn't seem to affect his performance. In a more strongly run race or on a track with a longer homestraight he remains capable of winning a Group 1.

Fellow British raider CRACKERJACK KING (37) was similarly disadvantaged by trying to gain ground into the crazy sprint finish up the impossibly short homestraight.



BAYRIR SHOULD IMPROVE OVER A MILE AND A HALF

I thought the mile and a quarter of the Secretariat Stakes might prove too short for BAYRIR (37) given the frequency of a slow early pace in US turf races. But the gallop was actually pretty decent and Bayrir's superior stamina eventually kicked him, allowing him to win going away without quite having to match the level of his previous win in the Prix Eugene Adam.

Bayrir has yet to earn a rating bigger than 38 from me. But his only loss in five starts came when he got caught flat footed in a sprint finish over nine furlongs. He continues to look capable of serious improvement over a mile and a half.
 
Interesting re Masked Marvel. I must confess I remember the Leger being an end to end gallop but I may be wrong.
 
Last year’s Leger was run at a breakneck pace, 4.36 seconds faster than standard (breaking the course record). It was a consequence of Masked Marvel’s pronounced stamina attributes (not the lack of them) that he was able to win. The very fast pace ensured that stamina would be required.
 
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Amazing, ain't he?
A quick check with the stop watch shows they completed the last 4f in under 47 secs, which is pretty quick for a distance race (ave speed for the whole race was 12.74 s.p.f.), which indicates they went no great pace early, and Masked Marvel was outsped - not outstayed.:)
 
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2 entirely different views of that Leger there from Steve & RH..was it stamina or speed then that won that Leger?...if what RH says is correct then it wasn't stamina i would agree..you couldn't go that fast at the end if they went an even pace early
 
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Whoa there!
Maybe it wasn't clear, but the race I was referring to was the Geoffrey Freer, EC, which entirely supports Steve's view that Masked Marvel is a thorough stayer.
 
Yep I'd agree that strange is a better substitute for interesting. But I’d lean toward plain wrong.
 
FRANKEL RUNS EVEN FASTER

Well he's finally gone and done it. FRANKEL (48) has just exceeded my theoretical maximum rating of 47 by winning the Juddmonte International in impossibly fast time. He's been threatening to do it all season with three successive ratings of 47. Now an extra two and a half furlongs has helped him show just how good he really is.

The strong early pace clearly helped Frankel a lot at York. It meant he was able to avoid the troubling scenario of having to quicken sharply off a slow early gallop - something he'd surely have trouble doing with his huge stride.

Frankel was awfully impressive in the way he just powered away from his rivals in the closing stages, opening up a gap of seven lengths in the last quarter mile and running the final furlong 0.56 of a second faster than any of them. Yes he was ridden out much more vigorously than he had been previously this season. But his final time and winning margin were sensational.

Now things get a whole lot tougher for Frankel as his two remaining potential targets are fraught with difficulty. If he shoots for the Champion Stakes he'll be faced with the same short homestraight that saw him scramble home in the St James's Palace Stakes. If he gets supplemented for the Arc he will face an enormous field in a very competitive race and most likely a sprint finish up another relatively short homestraight.

I've suggested several times that Frankel probably needs a long homestraight to make full use of his big stride. However he can't be wrapped in cotton wool and protected from unfavourable conditions forever. To fully justify his standing as an all time great he needs to show that he's not simply brilliant on great big tracks with homestraights of half a mile or more but can show the same form on any kind of course. Personally I don't think he can. But I'd love to see him prove me wrong.

The race I'd really like to see Frankel go for is the Arc. The way he was finishing off a searching gallop over ten and a half furlongs at York suggests to me he'd have no trouble staying the extra one and a half furlongs in the Arc.

I know it's worrying to think what might happen to Frankel in a crowded sprint finish at Longchamp. But it might not be like that. If the ground turned up soft the field would be more spread out at the finish.

With two furlongs left to run in the Juddmonte International eight of the nine runners were almost line abreast across the track. When Frankel started pulling away two horses separated themselves out from the rest to chase him - Farhh and St Nicholas Abbey.

FARHH (43) kept on gamely to equal the rating I gave him for his Eclipse second. This run shows he can act on fast ground and is clearly better over ten furlongs than a mile. (I still think he'd stay a mile and a half). The plan is apparently to find him a race without Frankel. He's entered up in five Group races but four of them are only a mile or nine furlongs and the other is the Champion Stakes where Frankel seems likely to line up.

ST NICHOLAS ABBEY (43) was unlucky not to finish second. A few inches before the line and a few inches afterwards his head was in front. It was only on the line that his head was far enough up and Farhh's far enough down to make the photo go against him.

St Nicholas Abbey was going really well with two furlongs to run and looked a serious threat to Frankel briefly before getting rather badly outrun. This run shows that he can produce his best over ten furlongs. On good ground he remains one of the best horses on the planet despite what Frankel did to him here.

TWICE OVER (38) ran a decent race to finish fourth. But this run was a fair bit below his Eclipse effort. I'm thinking that nowadays he may need a bit of cut in the ground to produce his best.

BULLET TRAIN (38) normally makes the running for Frankel but was headed by the two Coolmore pacemakers this time. He kept on pretty darned well and ended up running fast enough to win a Group 3 for the second successive time. He's clearly useful over trips short of a mile and a half. It would be nice to see him given an opportunity to run on his own merits in a lesser race.

PLANTEUR (34) moved well in the rear for a long way. He got rather badly hampered and stumbled just as the race began in earnest shortly before the two furlong pole. He'd have finished a fair bit closer but for this.





THOUGHT WORTHY LOOKS ONE TO BEAT IN LEGER

THOUGHT WORTHY (35) won the Great Voltigeur by setting a slow pace till five furlongs out and then sprinting for home. In fact he went so slow early he was able to cover the last five furlongs in only 57.72 seconds. That's almost a second faster than the mighty Frankel managed in the Juddmonte International over a shorter distance.

Normally when I adjust the speed rating I've awarded a race to take account of a sprint finish I come up with a rating which is around normal for the class. When it is significantly lower, as it was here, it means the front runner was allowed to get away with such a slow pace that the horses trying to close the gap on him were at a significant disadvantage. That's what happened here, but I still thing the winner is smart.

Thought Worthy just chugged along in the early stages, averaging over 14 seconds per furlong for the first seven furlongs before speeding up to a rate of 11.5 seconds a furlong from five furlongs out. He was being closed down at the finish by the runner up, but there was a lot to like about his performance.

The easy way Thought Worthy relaxed in the lead and the professional manner he kept on running were big positives for a horse set to step up to the St Leger trip next time. The fact that he's a full brother to the 2007 St Leger winner Lucarno is another plus, as is the fact he's trained by John Gosden who has a tremendous record in the big Doncaster race

Runner up MAIN SEQUENCE (35) also matches up to those powerful St Leger stats I mentioned. He moved well but was faced with a tough task trying to gain ground into an accelerating pace up the straight. He finally started making serious inroads in the final furlong but didn't quite manage to get up.

Main Sequence raced with his head a little high in the closing stages and didn't look totally focused until he got close to the winner inside the final furlong. Clearly he still has a little to learn about racing.

At this stage trainer David Lanigan has not definitely committed Main Sequence to the St Leger. He's talked of alternative targets notably the Prix Niel and said he plans to discuss options with his owners, the Niarchos family.

Over the last seventeen years the Niarchos family have had 164 runners in Group 1 and Grade 1 races. Not one of the 164 was in a race longer than a mile and a half. This leads me to think that they'll want to protect Main Sequence's stud value by skipping the St Leger and shooting for the Niel, the Arc and then the Breeders' Cup Turf.

If Main Sequence does end up in the St Leger he should be a strong contender. But from an ante-post perspective Thought Worthy looks the one to be on.

\

I didn't like the way fourth placed NOBLE MISSION (33) slowed down so much in the final furlong. This makes me wonder whether he'll get the extra distance at Doncaster. I've never really seen him as a Group 1 horse anyway and this run did nothing to change my mind.



DUNDONNELL IS USEFUL

DUNDONNELL (37) clocked a time that ranks as borderline Group 1 for a two year old when winning the Acomb Stakes. He was in front for a long time and wandered both ways in the closing stages. So it's possible he can run faster.

My gut feel was that I was watching a good Group 2 performer rather than a proper Guineas prospect. But it's quite possible I'm wrong.

Dundonnell is a good moving, pacey sort that almost certainly needs fast ground. He might just stretch his stamina to ten furlongs but is probably a miler.

The second and third place finishers, STEELER (36) and ALFONSO DE SOUSA (36) are obviously useful and capable of winning in Group company. But it was the fourth placed EBN ARAB (32) who really caught my eye.

Ebn Arab moved really well most of the way and appeared to be going best approaching the two furlong marker. Perhaps he got put off by the winner swerving across him or maybe he prefers a bigger field. Whatever the reason, my strong impression was that Ebn Arab can run a whole lot better than this. This impression is given more weight by the fact he won what is now looking like a hot maiden on his debut by five lengths. Three of the next four home that have run since have gone on to score.



THE FUGUE STILL LOOKS GOOD FOR TOP US RACES

A basic principal of horse racing is that the longer the homestraight the slower the final furlong tends to be. This is undoubtedly the main reason why SHARETA (40) was able to win the Yorkshire Oaks despite a slow pace for the first seven furlongs.

Shareta set the slow gallop initially then her jockey allowed Was to take over before finally getting back up in a long hard drive from two furlongs out. In France she would probably have finished second or third. But the half mile homestraight at York saw the final furlong being about a second slower than it would have been back home. So Shareta's lack of speed wasn't the handicap it has been so often back home.

Shareta's next two outings are likely to be the Vermeille and the Arc. Both those races are at Longchamp where the long downhill run to the final furlong pretty much guarantees a sprint finish whatever the early pace. So I'd bet on her finding one or two too pacey for her in those races just like she did last year.

Runner up THE FUGUE (40), a horse with a serious turn of foot and some stamina doubts over twelve furlongs, had the race run to suit her. But after travelling like a winner most of the way she couldn't quite contain the sustained rally of the winner.

I've suggested before that The Fugue is exactly the sort to do well in US races where the fast ground she favours and the sprint finishes she excels in are the norm. I saw nothing here to change my mind on that score.

WAS (39) went well and looked a possible winner for a long way but couldn't quite go with the first two in the final furlong. She got slightly squeezed out as they slipped away from her but I don't think this cost her more than half a length.

Was is unlucky to be around in an unusually strong year for middle distance fillies. My thinking is that although she's already achieved the goal of winning a Group 1 she could do even better if kept in training for another year. Most of the fearsomely good crop of middle distance fillies would have retired by then. The fact that Was seems to be improving adds weight to this argument.

URSA MAJOR AND HARTANI ARE VERY SMART STAYERS

The time that URSA MAJOR (41) clocked to win the Irish St Leger Trial was exceptional. He came a good deal closer to my standard time than any other winner on the card in terms of seconds per mile. And a comparison with the sectional times for the only other race run on his part of the course show just how smart a performance he put up.

The other race around the turn was a ten furlong handicap run in 2m 18.51 seconds, where they went a strong pace right from the start. In the Irish St Leger they covered the final ten furlongs in 2m 12.66 seconds.

Ursa Major and Hartani pulled right away from their rivals up the straight to take part in an extended duel. Ursa Major always looked to be going that bit better and just got the better of Hartani in the closing stages.

Ursa Major lost his racecourse debut but has only been beaten by Athens (who I rate highly) in five starts since. He looks set to become one of the best stayers around.

Runner up HARTANI (40) kicked on a long way out but could never quite shake off the winner. This was his first loss in four tries beyond ten furlongs and he looks just as good a prospect as Ursa Major.

With Athens also entered for the Irish St Leger, I'd be surprised in the big race didn't fall to a member of the Classic generation this year.


MASTERSTROKE LOOKING GOOD FOR PRIX CHAUDENAY

Godolphin have produced several smart Cup performers over the years. They look to have another one on their hands in MASTERSTROKE (40) who clocked a fast time when winning a strongly run Grand Prix de Deauville.

Held up off the strong early pace, Masterstroke was four lengths back turning in but made up ground hand over fist when switched out for a run. He ended up winning by an official short neck but was a length clear just three strides past the line.

Seeing how strongly Masterstroke was finishing off such a good pace makes it obvious that the problems he's experienced in past races have stemmed from sprint finishes and inadequate distances. I'd be rather sure that if he’d encountered a strong early gallop in all his six starts he'd have won every one of them instead of losing one in a photo and another by half a length.

The twelve and a half furlongs of this race helped Masterstroke to produce his best. The extra distance of the Prix Chaudenay should be right up his street, so I hope his connections take up his entry in that race rather than the Arc.

Runner up GATEWOOD (40) ran his best ever race, only just getting caught late after kicking on two furlongs out. The only three horses to finish in front of him this season have all been at least borderline Group 1 performers. And he's run them all close.

Gatewood has only run eight times and does still seem to be improving now that he's getting the chance to run longer than ten furlongs. He'd have a shot of winning a Group 1 like the Canadian International or Gran Premio del Jockey Club.

Fourth placed TOP TRIP (39) was closing the gap on the leaders quite rapidly in the last furlong after bumping Prairie Star badly two furlongs out. He continues to look like a horse that will be suited to longer distances. So I'm not surprised he's been entered in the Prix Chaudenay just like the winner.

PRAIRIE STAR (36) took a hefty bump from Top Trip two furlongs out and was badly unbalanced by this. His jockey allowed him to come home in his own time from there. All his four wins have been in fields of six or less. It may well be that he has trouble avoiding traffic problems in bigger fields like this one.
 
i'm not sure why he thinks a long straight is needed...most horses take the lead between 2 & 1f out and sustain it to the line..whereas Frankel can take the lead turning in and use the full length of Ascot straight..2.5f? and still sustain it to the line

just something to say for the sake of it really isn't it?
 
That would have been a better example. For sheer visual astonishment, his Royal Lodge win still ranks very highly in my opinion. It was amazing how he went past decent horses like they were standing still and did it on the outside round a bend. Utterly brilliant.
 
That would have been a better example. For sheer visual astonishment, his Royal Lodge win still ranks very highly in my opinion. It was amazing how he went past decent horses like they were standing still and did it on the outside round a bend. Utterly brilliant.

it was superb..reasonably restrained as well early compared to the loony that turned up at the guineas:)
 
I was there that day... was with with paul ostomeyer and we both just said...it was "i was therr moment"

Astonishing
 
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