The Aidan O'Brien-trained Henri Matisse (Ire), a decisive winner of Sunday's G2 Railway Stakes at the Curragh, has been awarded a Timeform rating of 110p, identifying him as the highest-rated two-year-old colt to have raced so far in 2024.
By Wootton Bassett (GB) and out of the multiple Group 1 winner Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), Henri Matisse is now unbeaten in two starts after swooping late to beat The Strikin Viking (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}) by half a length on Sunday, five weeks on from his winning debut over the same course and distance.
A step up to Group 1 company now beckons for Henri Matisse as he tries to emulate his half-sister, Tenebrism (Caravaggio), who struck at the top level as a two-year-old when landing the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. The G1 Phoenix Stakes back at the Curragh on Saturday, August 10 could be the next port of call.
That contest is also being considered for the Middleham Park Racing-owned The Strikin Viking after he delighted his connections with the way he ran in defeat on Sunday, earning a Timeform rating of 108p which puts him right in the mix among the leading two-year-olds in training.
Incidentally, Timeform's overall rankings are still topped by a pair of Royal Ascot-winning fillies from the same stable as Henri Matisse, namely Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB})–rated 116p following her wide-margin victory in the Listed Chesham Stakes–and Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who is on a figure of 112p after overcoming traffic to win the G3 Albany Stakes.
On future targets for The Strikin Viking, Tim Palin, director of Middleham Park Racing, said, “He's back home already, he ate up and trotted up just fine. We can start making some plans.
“Races like the Richmond and the Gimcrack would be on the agenda, and for all that he's not in the Phoenix Stakes, we might just monitor what's being aimed at that because if Timeform stick with their 108, that performance is only bettered by the winner and Bedtime Story [and Fairy Godmother].
“If at the minute he's the third-best rated two-year-old out there, why wouldn't you consider the Phoenix Stakes or the Morny? We've got two Group 2 options there if you pop on some sensible shoes with the Richmond and the Gimcrack, but if we wanted to reach for the stars then the possibilities are either the Phoenix Stakes or the Morny, which are within seven days of each other.
“The two-year-old cohort is going to be split in two directions at that time and arguably more if you are talking Gimcracks and such like.”
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