The rise and rise of Nathaniel goes on and on. The Newsells Park Stud stallion makes another mighty climb up the TRC Global Rankings this week and he’s now closed to within just 11 points of Frankel in the race to be the world’s leading second-season sire of 2017.
Of course, most of Nathaniel’s success is down to the Juddmonte filly Enable, who won her third Group 1 of the past two months with a crushing victory in the King George at Ascot on Saturday. The plaudits rained down after her super-impressive 4½-length victory over Coral-Eclipse winner Ulysses with the Aidan O’Brien pair Idaho and Highland Reel in third and fourth (see YouTube video below).
There may be doubts about the true value of the form on rain-softened going as it’s debatable whether Ulysses really stays a mile and a half, and certainly Highland Reel is typically on a hiding to nothing on anything other than fast ground, but Enable undoubtedly looks the outstanding European middle-distance runner of the year and a worthy favourite for the Arc (generally a 2-1 shot). She earned a Racing Post Rating of 128, the third highest mark of the year worldwide behind only Arrogate (131) and Winx (130) - as well as gaining an automatic berth in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf should connections wish to take it.
The result helped Nathaniel to a nine-point gain week on week, which moves him up 28 places to #51 in the world sires’ rankings.
It also meant Juddmonte Farms are now up to #3 in the owners’ standings, thanks to a three-point gain, which meant they swapped positions with Al Shaqab Racing.
Enable’s trainer, John Gosden, gained three points over the week, but that isn’t enough to move him out of fifth place in the trainers’ rankings. Similarly, Frankie Dettori remains #4 in the jockeys' standings despite a two-point gain week on week.
In fact, those two points weren’t enough to stop Dettori actually losing ground to runaway leader Ryan Moore. It’s particularly tough to gain points in the higher reaches of these tables, but Moore gained no less than six. His week included four Group-race victories - two G3s at Leopardstown, one at Ascot and the G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville with Roly Poly.
He wasn’t the week’s biggest gainer among the jockeys by any means, however. That honour goes to South Africa’s Richard Fourie, who climbs 132 places to #130 after a huge 23-point gain brought about by winning two of the three G1s at Greyville over the weekend.
This is a welcome boost for the 31-year-old, who returned to South Africa last year after an unhappy stint in Hong Kong.
Click here for a list of last week’s biggest TRC Global Rankings points gainers.
Click here for a list of the week’s Group and Graded winners.