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Just days before the start of Royal Ascot, it was unsurprisingly a low-key week of racing on the domestic front, and the performance of the weekend on Timeform ratings came in a listed event at Salisbury on Sunday.
Though listed by name, the Cathedral Stakes Stakes featured several performers who were proven at group level, including Champions Sprint Stakes third Danzeno (Timeform rated 120), Middle Park winner Charming Thought(118), and Sprint Cup second Strath Burn (121), and Don't Touch put up a very smart performance on Timeform ratings to beat them. Last year’s Ayr Gold Cup winner Don’t Touch, who was unbeaten in six starts prior to a blip on soft ground in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh on his second start this season, ran to Timeform rating of 121 on Sunday, and he looks well up to winning group races on this evidence, with the July Cup reportedly under consideration by connections. The stiff finish at Newmarket is sure to suit his style (responds generously to pressure) and he may be capable of better performances yet based on his profile, though it remains to be seen whether his tendency to hit a flat spot will count against him at the highest level.
The listed Ganton Stakes also had plenty of depth to it, with many of the runners already proven at group level. The winner Mutakayyef (Timeform rated 120), who was narrowly touched off in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York last season, didn’t have to be at his very best to beat Sovereign Debt (118) by a length, but he had just a maiden win to his name coming into the race and gained a deserved second career success. Mutakayyef will continue to give a good account at listed/Group 3 level, but the one to take out of the race could be the other Hamdan Al Maktoum runner (and the choice of Paul Hanagan on the day), Muwaary, who promised much at three with a smart fourth in the French Guineas and second in the Jersey Stakes in 2014. Muwaary shaped as if retaining all of his ability after 23 months off the track, and was better than the bare result on the day (left with too much to do), so providing he stays sound, he is well up to winning a similar event. After just six career starts he remains with potential and is Timeform rated 118p.
Elsewhere, Easton Angel (116) didn’t have to be at her best to land the listed Scurry Stakes at Sandown on Saturday, where the likes of Ornate (now 108? after another below-par performance) did not run to form.Notable performances in sprint handicaps over the weekend came from Hoofalong in the Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh (ran to a career-best 111) and Mr Lupton (who is now rated 116 from 113 and looks capable of making an impact at listed/minor pattern level) in York’s Charity Sprint.
Pretty Perfect, who had shaped as if amiss in the Irish 1000 Guineas, bounced back to form in the Group 3 Munster Oaks on Sunday at Cork, though this didn’t look a strong race for the grade and a cautious view has been taken with her rating (110 from 104).
Last week also saw a couple more of Frankel’s progeny hit the track, and Fair Eva (95P) looked an excellent prospect when winning on debut at Haydock on Wednesday. She put up the best performance of all five Frankels that we have seen so far on Timeform ratings, rated higher than Frankuus (91p, also ran last week), Queen Kindly (91p), Cunco (86p) and Majoris (65p).