The Godolphin team’s powerful showing across the TRC Global Rankings during the Dubai Carnival has continued into the start of the European flat turf season - and there were more significant performances last week. Here we look at some of the most interesting movers in the updated standings.
Buick on the classic trail
Just one jockey rode more than one Group or Graded winner around the world in the week that ended on Sunday - Godolphin’s William Buick. He annexed the two main classic trials at Newmarket, the G3 Craven Stakes for colts (on Masar) and the G3 Nell Gwynn for fillies (Soliloquy). The consequent four-point gain moves Buick up two places to #12 in the world jockeys’ standings.
Masar earned a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 118 and put himself squarely in the picture for the 2,000 Guineas back at Newmarket on May 5 (for which he is a general 5/1 second favourite (behind 5/2 shot Gustav Klimt). Soliloquy
Appleby is the world #3
Both trial winners were trained by Charlie Appleby, who is now the #3 trainer in the world thanks to a three-point gain week on week. The Newmarket-based conditioner has ascended the rankings remorselessly over the Northern Hemisphere winter with particular success for Godolphin in Dubai, including two big G1 scorers on World Cup Night there.
Appleby has a great chance to improve his standing still further at the Guineas meeting, with Masar in the 2000, and Soliloquy and last October’s G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner, Wild Illusion, both daughters of Dubawi, among the favourites for the 1000 the following day.
Varian and Atzeni look ones to watch
While the Roger Varian-Andrea Atzeni trainer-jockey combination is not so highflying as Appleby and Buick at present, both are increasingly looking like major players of the future.
Both gain five points after last week’s exertions, Varian climbing five places to #32 in the trainers’ standings and Atzeni seven to #22 in the jockeys’ after they teamed up with impressive Newbury G3 winner Defoe (RPR 117), who could be a horse going places.
Deep Impact hits back
Things haven’t been going quite the way of the great Japanese stallion recently, as we noted here last week. World #1 little more than a year ago, he is now back at #4. But his progeny captured both G2s in his homeland last week, meaning a two-point gain and reinforcement of his position ahead of likely pressure from #5 Frankel and American sires Scat Daddy (7), Curlin (10) and Medaglia d’Oro (11) over the coming months.
Fast Kah on the move
The lower you are in the rankings, the more significant even a G3 winner is for your position - as was the case last week for 22-year-old Adelaide-based Jamie Kah. Her victory aboard Dainty Tess at Morphettville on Saturday meant a six-point uplift, which catapults her 116 places up to #293.
Kah is still 20 points behind the world’s highest-ranked female jockey, fellow Aussie Katelyn Mallyon, but her progress - like her talent - is undeniable and looks sure to continue.
Biggest climber of the week
South African Craig Zackey charges 68 places up the world jockeys’ rankings to #162 after six-year-old mare Nother Russia’s victory in the G1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over a mile at Turffontein Standside on Saturday. The win meant the 23-year-old Zackey gains 11 points week on week.
Cummings keeps on coming
Upwardly mobile James Cummings, who handles the Godolphin horses down under, edged a little closer to Australia’s top trainers, Darren Weir (5) and Chris Waller (10), after he gained two points in #23 thanks to Tally’s G3 success at Randwick.
Performance of the week
Last week’s world leader was the outstanding stayer Order Of St George, who was awarded an RPR of 119 for his G3 win at Navan in Ireland on Sunday. The 6-year-old was the only Group winner of the week for the world #1 quartet of Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien, Coolmore Partners and Galileo.
Click here for a list of all last week’s biggest TRC Global Rankings points gainers.
Click here for a list of all the week’s Group and Graded winners.