James Willoughby picks out the jockey, trainer, owner and sire who made the biggest impact on the TRC Global Rankings in the week that ended on Sunday.
TRC JOCKEY OF THE WEEK
Perth-based rider SHAUN McGRUDDY (+10, #240 from #381) was the only rider to win two Group races this week – enough to clinch both this award and the biggest climber of the week across all four categories. McGruddy had a great day at his home city’s Ascot racecourse, landing the G3 Colonel Reeves over six furlongs and the G3 R. J. Peters Stakes at a mile.
McGruddy’s victory on 5-year-old Freo in the latter came for unranked trainer Daniel O’Connor, an Irishman building a career in Australia having moved there seven years ago. The Peters is a win-and-you’re-in contest for the G1 Railway Stakes, a valuable contest back at Ascot this weekend.
TRC OWNER OF THE WEEK
The black, red and yellow livery of SUNDAY RACING (+4pt, #6 from #8) is a familiar sight in Japanese G1 races, and their win with Stelvio in the G1 Mile Championship at Kyoto was a significant strike. With British jockey William Buick (+2pts, #6 from #7) in the plate, the son of star second-season sire Lord Kanaloa (+6pts, #40 from #51) earned a career-best Racing Post Rating of 117.
In 2014, Sunday Racing had a 13-week stay at #3, which has proved their highest rank. In total, they have been a top ten concern for 210 of the 254 weeks of rankings so far produced. In 2016, Real Steel provided a G1 victory in the Dubai Turf at Meydan.
TRC TRAINER OF THE WEEK
Our Australian #1 trainer DARREN WEIR (+2pt, stays #6) wins again, saddling two winners, the G2 Sandown Classic with Ringerdingding and the G3 Sandown Stakes with Fifty Stars. The former was partnered by last week’s JOTW winner John Allen (+4pts, #59 from #65) while the latter scored under Ben Allen (+6pt, #135 from #168).
Weir has a 14-point lead over chief rival Chris Waller (-1, stays #8) who went winless on the week. On the year, Waller actually leads Weir by 42 wins to 38, but it is 14 wins apiece in G1. In addition, that seven of G1 Waller’s wins have been achieved by Winx helps her trainer’s ranking a lot less than if had saddled seven horses to win one G1 each. Weir started the year ranked #5 with 1040pts (still on 1040pts), while Waller started #14 with 1012pts (now 1026pts).
TRC SIRE OF THE WEEK
No stallion had more than one win, and there were only two G1s. Rising star Lord Kanaloa (+6pts, #40 from #51) supplied one of them – Mile Championship hero Stelvio at Kyoto – and I AM INVINCIBLE (+2pts, #5 from #6) the other – New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Media Sensation at Riccarton Park. I Am Invincible now has 23 wins on the year – fifth in the world. And he has moved ahead of the great Japanese sire Deep Impact (-1, #6 from #5).
The rankings have long been bullish on I Am Invincible, the son of Invincible Spirit standing at the Mitchell family’s prestigious Yarraman Park in Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The stallion’s other three G1 wins in 2018 were gained by Hellbent in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley in March, by Viddora in the Moir Stakes at the same track in September, and by Oohood in the Flight Stakes at Randwick later the same month.
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.