Timeform ratings reaction including Shishkin

shishkin went into the Betfair Ascot Chase with something to prove – he was pulled up in the Champion Chase and finished a distant third at Tingle Creek on his reappearance – but after being given wind surgery he was tongue tied and entered Some five stadia away, he roared back to his best on Saturday, beating Pic d’Orhy by 16 lengths with last year’s winner Fakir d’Oudairies, who admittedly was below his best, seven lengths down in third place.

That was a feat of similar merit to that shown by Shishkin in beating Energumene in a Race to the Ages at the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last January, and cemented his status as Timeform’s top-rated horse in training with a total of 179 recover .

With Allaho ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival, Shishkin will have a clear advantage in ratings over his Ryanair Chase rivals and sit 12 pounds ahead of Blue Lord.

Should the Connections change their mind and decide to enter the Cheltenham Gold Cup there would be little between Shishkin, Galopin des Champs (178p) and A Plus Tard (177) in the numbers.

Springwell Bay Third in the Grade 2 Sky Bet Supreme Trial over two miles at the November meeting in Cheltenham he had developed as if he needed the experience and a longer journey and he duly enjoyed the three kilometer longer journey at Ascot on Saturday and won a valuable newcomer to the style of an exciting prospect.

Springwell Bay accelerated well just after penultimate to brush aside a couple of previously undefeated hurdlers and pulled away on run-in to score by nine-and-a-half lengths.

That earned Springwell Bay a rating of 139p, a number that puts him near the top 20 rated novice hurdlers and there is more to come now that his stamina is being tapped. He has no entries in the Class 1 Novice Hurdles at Cheltenham, but he would be worthy of a place in a race like the Mersey – or even the three-mile Sefton – at Aintree.

Greatwood Hurdle Winner i like to move disappointed with the two-and-a-half mile Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day, but after two miles he returned to his form at Wincanton on Saturday and put on his best performance yet when he ran away with the Kingwell Hurdle.

I Like To Move It ultimately presented an easy opportunity as Knappers Hill and First Street were both under their best times, but a good time clearly reinforces the visual impact he made storming 17 lengths and suggests that he has undertaken an effort bordering on high achievement. Class.

A rating of 158 means he’s worthy of his spot in the Champion Hurdle, and while it’s difficult to see him as a threat to Constitution Hill (177p) or State Man (166p), he has a shot at taking the frame meet. For context, Vauban is rated 159p.

Brighter days aheadthe €310,000 top lot at Derby Sale 2022, is a half-sister to four winners including Mighty Potter and French Dynamite and she looked an exciting prospect herself as she made her winning debut at Gowran Park on Saturday.

Brighterdays-ahead, the 2/1 second favourite, faced a not as tough test as might have been expected, as did her Gordon Elliott-trained stablemate Why Delilah and Willie Mullins’ undefeated favorite Iris Emery, both of whom were pulled up but she still ran out an impressive winner.

Brighterdays-ahead, always strong on the move, slacked off after hitting the front in the last couple of stadia and went wide of the post by a 13-length margin. That earned her a Timeform rating of 106p, a figure only two mares – Fun Fun Fun (111p) and Queens Gamble (109) – have surpassed in the Bumper division so far this season.

Ballyburn (108p)

There was also a notable performance in the bumper on Sunday at Punchestown Ballyburn made a successful debut to enter the equation for Cheltenham.

Irish Panther set a good standard based on his second place finish to Fact To File (who later finished second in Class 2 at the Dublin Racing Festival) at Leopardstown but he couldn’t cope with a couple of promising newcomers.

Gordon Elliott’s Quantum Storm formed promisingly in second place but Willie Mullins’ Ballyburn – a winner of his only points start – looked an exciting prospect as he led by two and a half lengths and showed good speed for someone with that much stamina in his pedigree (he is a brother of the very intelligent Noble Endeavor).

That earned Ballyburn a timeform rating of 108p, which places him just outside the top dozen of the division’s top rated runners this season. He scored less than his stablemate It’s For Me (113p) on debut but still scored a high number for one on the first start and is clearly open to much improvement. John Kiely’s Dublin Racing Festival winner A Dream To Share (121) sets the standard in the division.

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