Pinatubo in a class of his own
Godolphin colt rated the best juvenile for 25 years Cheveley Park winner Millisle top 2019 filly
Pinatubo’s demolition of all-comers in six unbeaten starts ensured he put plenty of distance – 10lb to be precise – between himself and his nearest rival in the European twoyear-old classifications, which were published yesterday.
The colt was given a mark of 128, which makes him the best juvenile since Celtic Swing achieved a figure of 130 in 1994. Frankel was rated 126 at the end of his first season.
Trainer Charlie Appleby said: “He is wintering away and we are very happy with him. He is just going through the motions. No serious questions have been asked, but his demeanour hasn’t changed – he is still very relaxed.”
Appleby confirmed the son of Shamardal will not run until the 2,000 Guineas on May 2, saying: “We are working back from the Guineas and the plan is to go straight there.”
Godolphin completed a one-two in the rankings after Andre Fabre’s Prix Morny and Middle Park winner Earthlight was awarded a figure of 118. Fabre, who also has Victor Ludorum high up in the list on 114, said: “Earthlight looks like a fast horse to me and a mile might be beyond him, but we need to check that on a racecourse. I like Victor Ludorum a lot – he will stay a mile and a quarter easy.”
The British Horseracing Authority’s lead two-year-old handicapper Graeme Smith said: “Pinatubo looked a potentially outstanding two-year-old when thrashing a competitive field in the Vintage Stakes and his next performance in the National Stakes was breathtaking – the kind you rarely see in top company – as he powered nine lengths clear in a top-class time. This was one of the great two-yearold performances, and the best in the last 25 years.”
The champion filly was the Jessica Harrington-trained Millisle, who achieved a rating of 115 for her surprise 16-1 success in the Cheveley Park Stakes.
Mark Bird, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board handicapper, said: “Millisle’s victory at Newmarket, when she defeated three Group Two and two Group Three winners, was the most substantive piece of form produced by any two-year-old filly in Europe.”
The number of horses rated at 110 or above dropped to the joint lowest total in recent times, with 40 horses hitting that mark compared to an average of 50 this century.
The handicappers’ annual list of “dark horses” is always a popular sideshow to the unveiling and this year they came up with Alpine Star (trained by J Harrington), Brentford Hope (R Hughes), Even So (G Lyons), Via De Vega (A Balding) and Waldkonig (J Gosden).