French-trained Big Rock (#9 from #68, +277pt) was the most notable mover on Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Global Rankings after an unforgettable afternoon’s racing as the British season reached its climax with QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday [Oct 21].
Clearly enjoying the soft ground at Ascot, Big Rock recorded a startling all-the-way success in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes under jockey Aurelian Lemaitre (#33 from #37, +35pt).
The three-year-old established a clear early lead that he never looked likely to relinquish, coming home six lengths to the good from French compatriot Facteur Cheval, who claimed second place from Tahiyra in the final strides.
Though there must be some question marks over the value of the form as several of Big Rock’s better-fancied rivals (notably world #6 Paddington) did not perform in gruelling conditions, it is hard to quibble with the son of Rock Of Gibraltar’s record since he joined Christopher Head (#22 from #24, +39pt), the new star of the French training ranks.
While this was Big Rock’s first G1 success, he has five of his eight starts since February, finishing second the other three times (including behind subsequent Arc winner Ace Impact in the Prix du Jockey Club, where he started favourite).
“He was tremendous,” said Head. “Big Rock always does this – it’s crazy! What a horse, what a season. He’s really doing very well on that type of ground, but that was impressive, very impressive. What a horse!
“It's incredible – this horse is really impressive and I'm really happy for the owner” – Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals’s Yeguada Centurion (#14 from #17, +77pt) – “because he has done tremendous work with the breeding and this horse is the pinnacle of the breeding system.”
Big Rock stays in training next year as a four-year-old, when Europe’s top G1 events over a straight mile will be the primary objectives.
He might have reversed his decision to retire only days before the event, but needless to say Frankie Dettori stole the show on his so-called Ascot farewell with a Group-race double on the stayer Trawlerman in G2 company and King Of Steel in the main event, the Qipco Champion Stakes.
Dettori (stays at #9) is now set for a visit to Melbourne, the Breeders’ Cup and Hong Kong before his Californian sojourn in 2024.
He conjured an unlikely success from Derby runner-up King Of Steel (#17 from #102, +271pt) in the G1 Champion Stakes, the powerful colt looking all at sea in the mud before wearing down Via Sistina inside the final furlong. The Breeders’ Cup is now on the table for the winner.
In Australia, Without A Fight (#43 from #176, +227pt) ran down former stablemate West Wind Blows to claim the G1 Caulfield Cup by a head. Now with the Anthony & Sam Freedman team, the winner was formerly trained in Britain by the Crisfords, who saddled the runner-up.
The Melbourne Spring Carnival moves on to Moonee Valley this weekend for the continent’s most prestigious weight-for-age race, the Cox Plate. Hong Kong-based favourite Romantic Warrior is drawn seven in a 12-runner field for the A$5m (£2.6m/$3.18m) event.
All eyes will be on Japan on Sunday [Oct 29] when world #1 Equinox returns to action in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo racecourse. The four-tear-old has topped the rankings for 31 weeks since his brilliant victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic.
• Unlike traditional methods of racehorse rankings, TRC Global Rankings are a measure of an individual’s level of achievement over a rolling three-year period, providing a principled hierarchy of the leading horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and sires using statistical learning techniques. Racehorse rankings can be compared to similar exercises in other sports, like the golf’s world rankings or the ATP rankings in tennis.
They are formulated from the last three years of races we consider Group or Graded class all over the world and update automatically each week according to the quality of a horse’s performances and their recency, taking into account how races work out.
• Visit the QIPCO British Champions Series website
‘The best two-year-old I’ve trained’ – Aidan O’Brien on European rankings leader City Of Troy
Inspiral climbs into world top ten with milestone success for Dettori
Arc hero Ace Impact catapults to #2 on world rankings
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires