Normal service has been resumed. After a massive week of top-flight international racing, the modern giants of sport are firmly back in charge in the TRC Global Rankings. Ryan Moore is again the world’s number one jockey, Galileo has returned to his position as the highest-ranked stallion, and the big names in the U.S. are starting to make their presence felt once more.
Moore makes a major six-point week-on-week gain in the jockeys’ standings to go back ahead of Hugh Bowman (the pair have been flip-flopping for the top spot for weeks now) after the astonishing success of the Aidan O’Brien team over the weekend.
There’s still not much in it, though - Bowman gained three points himself after landing the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on Lucky Bubbles on Sunday, but that improvement was overwhelmed by Moore’s win in the 2,000 Guineas aboard Churchill (see YouTube video below) and his three G2 wins on O’Brien horses over the week (Minding at Naas last Monday, and Seventh Heaven and Somehow at Newmarket over the weekend).
O’Brien himself was an even bigger points gainer (+7), but he was already a clear #1 in the trainers’ rankings. His tally also included a 1-2 in the 1,000 Guineas (Winter and Rhododendron) and a 1-2-3 in the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown. In all, he sent eight horses to Newmarket. Four of them won (two G1s, two G2s), one of them was second in a G1, another was beaten a neck in a G3, and another was a close-up fourth in a G1 behind his own stablemate. The other runner, the only one to run down the field, had been a pacemaker.
The fact that most of those O’Brien points came courtesy of sons and daughters of Galileo explains why the Coolmore great is now back ahead of Deep Impact at the head of affairs in the sires’ standings.
Galileo appears to be the key to Ballydoyle’s utter domination of the classic scene in Europe right now - or, more specifically, O’Brien’s almost supernatural understanding of each of his progeny, and how to get the most out of them. Has there ever in the history of the sport been a comparable relationship between a trainer and the offspring of one stallion?
If confirmation were needed of this domination, just look at the owners’ rankings. Coolmore Partners were the biggest gainers anywhere last week (+8) - and they were already at world #1.
After the Derby weekend action in America, there were big gains for jockeys Javier Castellano (+4 after two Graded wins), Mike Smith (+5 after winning the Kentucky Oaks aboard Abel Tasman) and Florent Geroux (+8 after three Graded victories, including Big World’s in the G1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs).
John Velazquez (+2) climbs two places to world #12 after winning the Derby on Always Dreaming (see YouTube video above), who achieved the highest Racing Post Rating of the week (124).
The top U.S. trainers are gathering too. Derby winner Todd Pletcher gained three points, and Chad Brown six (he won two G2s and the G1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs with Paulassilverlining). Ahead of them, Abel Tasman helped Bob Baffert gain five to move into a tie for second with Aussie Darren Weir.
Click here for a list of the week’s biggest points gainers.
Click here for a list of the week’s group and graded winners, including ratings.