THERE was a solid representation from Irish stables outside of Ballydoyle in the 2023 classification, including the title of champion two-year-old sprinter for the Adrian Murray-trained Bucanero Fuerte.
A mark of 120 for the Wootton Bassett colt leaves him 5lb behind City Of Troy in the overall pecking order and 1lb ahead of Henry Longfellow.
Amo Racing and Giselle de Aguiar’s star youngster is priced up as the general 8/1 second-favourite for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot behind Vandeek, who is officially rated 1lb inferior to him.
Mark Bird said: “He ends the year at the top of the sprint category for two-year-olds. He’s a full-brother to a very smart horse in Wooded, won the opening two-year-old maiden of the year and recorded his Group 1 win in the Phoenix Stakes by four lengths, beating subsequent Cheveley Park Stakes winner Porta Fortuna, who entered the race unbeaten. We felt that was the best sprinting performance of the year from a two-year-old.
“Unfortunately he blotted his copybook to some degree when stepping up to seven furlongs on his final start of the season in the National Stakes. To some extent, I’m inclined to draw a line through that run. He was trying a new distance and, with the benefit of hindsight, the tactics used on the day probably weren’t the best and didn’t show him in the best light.
“It remains to be seen whether he’ll remain at sprint trips or go up slightly in distance, but his Phoenix performance reads extremely solid, backed up by a strong time figure compared to Moss Tucker, who won on the same card.”
Doubly represented
Shock 150/1 Norfolk Stakes winner Valiant Force, who raced in the same Amo colours for Murray when a fine second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, also makes the classification with a rating of 111.
On Henry Longfellow, Bird added: “They say potential is probably the most valuable thing in horse racing and, in that context, I think Henry Longfellow is an extremely valuable prospect. He’s very well bred as a son of Dubawi and Minding, one of the best racemares to run under the Coolmore colours.
“Unfortunately there were just four runners in the National Stakes so it wasn’t massively informative, and Bucanero Fuerte essentially flopped in the race. The form was a bit bare in terms of assessing it but he beat Islandsinthestream further than he did in the Futurity and the time stacked up quite well, slightly ahead of the Moyglare Stud Stakes on the day.
“His rating could be higher next year. Maybe we’re a bit conservative with rating him at the moment due to the fact he’s had two victories of note in five and four-runner fields, but in terms of pedigree, attitude and everything else, he looks as if he could take even higher order next year. Under the circumstances of horses switching between different races, who knows, he might have ended this year as champion with a different programme of races in the autumn.”
McCreery ace
Vespertilio, who enjoyed a fine campaign for Willie McCreery and Al Shira’aa Farms, is the second highest-rated two-year-old in Ireland who isn’t trained by Aidan O’Brien, and the second highest-rated juvenile filly outright in Ireland.
Her Moyglare Stakes second to Fallen Angel sees her end the year as the fourth highest-rated filly in Europe on 113, behind Opera Singer (118), Fallen Angel (116) and Ramatuelle (114).
Deepone (111) represents Paddy Twomey in the standings after his battling success in the Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes when last seen, while Joseph O’Brien’s dual Group 1 runner-up Islandsinthestream (110) and Donnacha O’Brien’s smashing Albany Stakes/Cheveley Park Stakes scorer Porta Fortuna (110) also make the standings.