The lack of top-class talent in this season's sprint division was laid bare by Timeform on Tuesday as the organisation revealed that the class of 2024 currently rank well below the 10 highest-rated sprinters to have raced in Europe since 2015.
Australian-trained sprinter Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) achieved a rating of 122 when winning the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, a figure that was matched this month by Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) when he gained his first Group 1 success in the July Cup at Newmarket, making them the joint highest-rated sprinters to have raced in Britain and Ireland this season.
However, the overall weakness of the division is underlined by the fact that a Timeform rating of 122 still leaves that pair well adrift of Caravaggio, Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Merchant Navy (Aus), who all achieved a rating of 126 and share joint-tenth position in the list of top sprinters since 2015.
Top of the list is four-time Group 1 winner Battaash (Ire) with a rating of 136, with fellow Charlie Hills trainee Muhaarar (GB) next on 134 having also won four contests at the top level during a sparkling three-year-old campaign in 2015. July Cup and Sprint Cup scorer Harry Angel (Ire) is best of the rest in third on 132.
A feature of the top three is that they all managed to win a Group 1 in open company at three, something this year's Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal) (120) failed to manage when sent off the 11-8 favourite for the July Cup.
Inisherin now shares top spot among this season's highest-rated three-year-old sprinters with King Charles III Stakes third Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), with last weekend's Hackwood Stakes winner Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) next on 118.
Last year's champion sprinter was Shaquille (GB) with a Timeform rating of 123, but it's now been five years–going back to Battaash's peak in 2019–since a European-based sprinter achieved a rating in excess of 128.
Incidentally, it's been the same story across the range of distances so far this season, with that rating of 128 yet to be surpassed by any horse trained in Britain and Ireland.
Gold Cup victor Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Tattersalls Gold Cup winner White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) currently top the Timeform standings on exactly 128, closely followed by Derby and Coral-Eclipse scorer City Of Troy (Justify) on 127p–the 'p' attached to his rating denotes that he remains open to improvement–and the six-time Group 1 winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) on 127, who heads the betting for Saturday's G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.
Progressive four-year-old Passenger (Ulysses {Ire}) is another with the potential to improve on a rating of 126p, while Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes winner Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) appears to be City Of Troy's biggest rival in the three-year-old ranks on a rating of 126.
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