Timeform provide ratings reaction to the two-year-old performances at Royal Ascot, headlined by Bedtime Story’s wide-margin win.
Bedtime Story looked something special when stretching nine and a half lengths clear under a hands-and-heels ride in the Chesham Stakes, earning a higher Timeform rating than Opera Singer (114p) was awarded for her Prix Marcel Boussac success that saw her crowned last season’s leading two-year-old filly.
It remains to be seen what she actually beat on the day, but Bedtime Story was in a different parish to her rivals, and the outstanding visual impression she created was backed up by an excellent timefigure.
There are some notable names on the roll of honour, including Churchill and Pinatubo, but Bedtime Story emerges from the Chesham Stakes as Timeform’s highest-rated winner this century. For context, September, an impressive winner in 2017, was rated 113p ahead of her next start, while Pinatubo, who went on to prove himself an outstanding juvenile, had a pre-race rating of 112p on his next start.
Bedtime Story is now Timeform’s highest-rated two-year-old and her trainer Aidan O’Brien is also responsible for the second highest in Fairy Godmother, who produced a remarkable performance to win the Albany Stakes 24 hours earlier.
The official margin of victory was three-quarters of a length, but she had much, much more in hand, overcoming substantial trouble in-running to get up on the line in snug fashion, while the second and third, Simmering and Heavens Gate, deserve viewing positively as well, all three among the best types in a generally good field on looks.
Fairy Godmother was held up and had to come around rivals to get a run, but she came storming through near the stand rail in the manner of a very exciting prospect.
She looks a more mature type than Bedtime Story, physically stronger at this stage of her career, and O’Brien will likely want to keep them apart for the remainder of the year, though the Moyglare Stud Stakes looks the obvious race for both.
The Coventry Stakes is widely seen as the premier two-year-old race of the meeting, but the bare form of this year’s renewal was some way below the standard of the race, with barely a length covering the first six at the line, while the first four home all started at odds of 40/1 or bigger, the winner, Rashabar, returning at 80/1 (120.6 on Betfair Exchange).
He was a maiden beforehand but showed much improved form to open his account in pattern company, though he had shaped better than the bare result on his previous start at Chester, and the performance of Rashabar has been marked up further given he came home four lengths clear in the far-side group, while the other principals all raced towards the stand side.
Rashabar has plenty about him physically – he’s a well-grown colt – and will stay further in time, so he is definitely worth a chance to build on this performance.
Wathnan Racing, who invested heavily ahead of Royal Ascot, may have hit the bar in the Coventry Stakes with Electrolyte (98p) and Columnist, but the Karl Burke-trained Leovanni gave the powerful outfit their first winner of the week in the Queen Mary Stakes.
It looked a wide-open renewal beforehand, the market perhaps not fully reflecting that due to the wholesale gamble on the luckless Kassaya (91p), who along with several others who raced in the stand-side group, encountered trouble in running.
Leovanni, on the other hand, enjoyed a perfect passage and won in the style of a smart filly, having the race sewn up some way from home, and staying on strongly to the line. Surprisingly, she was very easy to back (as short as 7/1 when the betting opened), while she isn’t the biggest, but she promises to progress further, and clearly possesses plenty of natural speed. It was another two-year-old race where those who filled the frame all started at big prices (22/1, 50/1, 50/1, 22/1).
It was the usual big field for the Windsor Castle and Ain’t Nobody’s effort was well in line with the recent standards, though the overall competitiveness was reduced by a bias that saw the smaller group of eight who raced on the stand side provide the first three home.
The cumulative distances beaten suggesting that those that raced centre to far side can be upgraded by something in the region of three lengths, but that is to take nothing away from Ain’t Nobody, who emerged as the best horse in the race regardless of his position, produced perfectly by Jamie Spencer and responding well to hit the line strongly.
He will have no problem staying six furlongs and can make his mark in pattern company, though he holds entries in a couple of sales races, so he could prove to be a nice money-spinner for connections.
The Norfolk Stakes didn’t go the way the market anticipated as the odds-on favourite Whistlejacket (103 from 106p) failed to meeting expectations. Less-testing conditions offered a possible excuse, while he also left the impression he’s more than ready for six furlongs, so he will be worth another chance given his powerful connections.
However, the form of the Norfolk is still up to scratch with recent runnings and Shareholder (104p from 83p) become another Wathnan-owned and Karl Burke-trained two-year-old to drift in the betting and still run out a convincing winner.
He had only made a winning debut 12 days earlier, but took the step up in grade in his stride, still displaying signs of inexperience but impressing with how he moved and powered through the race. He seems sure to go on progressing for a while yet, an entry in the Phoenix Stakes going some way to highlight the regard he’s held in, and it is also worth remembering that his sales price rocketed to €460,000 at the breeze-ups earlier this year.
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
