There were massive racedays in Europe (British Champions Day) and Australia (the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne and The Everest in Sydney) last weekend, but it is an American who is the headline mover in the latest TRC Global Rankings.
Going into last week, Chad Brown was the world’s #3 trainer, snapping at the heels of #1 John Gosden and #2 Charlie Appleby but looking unlikely to make much impression, particularly on Gosden, who went into British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday with two short-priced favourites and two strong candidates in the Champion Stakes itself. But the whole event was something of a debacle for the British champion trainer, piling on yet more pain after the disappointment of the Arc two weeks ago. Palace Pier’s third place in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes was all he could salvage from the occasion.
With Appleby fielding not even one runner on the entire Ascot card, Brown was able to sneak up the inside past both of them to become the new world #1 after sending out two Graded winners - Etoile in the G1 E P Taylor Stakes on Woodbine’s big day on Sunday and Devamani in the G2 Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park - as well as Knickerbocker runner-up Olympico.
Etoile is a typical Chad Brown trainee. The 4-year-old, a G3 winner in France last year for Jean-Claude Rouget, was having just her third run for the American. The E P Taylor was the first G1 win for the Siyouni filly, who is owned by Peter Brant, Mrs M V Magnier and Mrs Paul Shanahan.
Champions Day and the events in Australia did produce plenty of movement in the Horse Rankings, of course, although nothing happened to pose a threat to Enable in the top spot. Indeed, the great mare’s lead was actually extended - little more than a week after her retirement was announced - as #2 Magical could only manage third behind Addeybb. As a result, she drops a place and is overtaken by old rival Ghaiyyath, who rises from #3 to #2 - in the same week that connections announced that he too has been retired.
The disappearance of both Enable and Ghaiyyath - and Arc winner and world #5 Sottsass - plus news that superstar filly Love (#7) is also unlikely to run again until 2021, means a hoped-for, season-defining showdown, possibly at the Breeders’ Cup, won’t be happening.
For Europe at least, what could have turned out to be a triumphant 2020 at the top level has floundered in the autumn mud. Maybe America will be luckier at Keeneland in two weeks’ time, when dirt stars Tiz The Law, Authentic, Maximum Security, Improbable and Swiss Skydiver look set to produce some real fireworks, and thus provide a much more satisfactory conclusion to their year.
Back to the rankings, though, and let’s salute Champion Stakes hero Addeybb (see video above), who gains 26 places to climb to #16 with his third career G1. The 6-year-old gelding has now won two of the world’s most important ten-furlong turf races, adding Saturday’s race to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April (both contests were run on soft ground, incidentally).
Also at Ascot, the G2 Long Distance Cup was won impressively by Trueshan, who enters the rankings at #61. Will this heavy-ground tour de force hold up next season? Favourite Stradivarius takes another blow, following his Arc flop, and the distance of the race wasn't to blame this time. He is still the highest-ranked stayer in the world but is now as low as #21 after trailing home 12th of 13.
One horse going in the other direction to Stradivarius at Ascot was G1 Fillies And Mares winner Wonderful Tonight, who rises from #60 to #28 and is finely poised for a higher standing still if she can beat open company next season. The 3-year-old’s trainer, David Menusier, is very talented. With a small string, the UK-based Frenchman is now world #100 with a record of eight wins (three at G1) from just 28 runners, which is an outstanding 29 percent strike rate.
Trueshan’s jockey, Hollie Doyle, also won the G1 British Champions Sprint on Glen Shiel (#122 from #336) and the riding phenomenon is the biggest rankings point gainer of the week among humans, stepping up from #153 to #102. More about her here tomorrow.
In Japan, meanwhile, Daring Tact won the Fillies Triple Crown as expected and rises 50 places to #22. Will her triptych be emulated in the male division by world #4 Contrail on Sunday?
The Australian sprinting division received a huge shake-up after the 2020 Everest was incorporated in our rankings as a G1: his previous ranking seriously underestimated superstar Classique Legend, who is now the Australian #1 after a 250-place rise to #23. The deposed #1, Nature Strip, falls from #13 to #30 while Gytrash is similarly hit for his moderate run in the same race and drops from #28 to #47.
Classique Legend will be campaigned in Hong Kong in future.
In Melbourne, the two highest-ranked runners, Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck and the New Zealand-bred Verry Elleegant, produced a thriller in the Caulfield Cup, with the filly prevailing by a head. Verry Elleegant, who gave Addeyyb most to do over a trip short of her best in the Queen Elizabeth back in April, rises 32 places to #65. Both she and Anthony Van Dyck (up seven places to #76) are among the favourites for the Melbourne Cup on November 3 but will miss the Cox Plate this Saturday.
Verry Elleegant is now the second-highest NZ-bred in the rankings, behind the incredible mare Melody Belle, who climbs seven places to #43 after an impressive victory in the Livamol Classic at Hastings on Saturday (see video above). That was her 12th Group 1 success.