3 minute read

Day 2 of The Championships saw some popular winners and solid ratings.

Treasurethe Moment – Oaks

Treasurethe Moment became just the 16th filly, and second this century, to complete the VRC/ATC Oaks double, extending her winning streak to eight.

In terms of this performance, it's actually one of her lowest rating wins and the lowest rated ATC Oaks winner this century, by Racing & Sports' measure- coming in at just 105, one pound below Pennyweka last year, who was the lowest at the time.

Outside of her, this was a very weak Oaks going in, and the very slow tempo (the time figure is just 72) meant she's only beaten Sun 'N' Sand (rated 95 prior) by a neck, with the 96 rated You Whang also beaten under a length.

We've not been alone in suggesting that Treasurethe Moment isn't going to be a stayer as an older mare, and I think this gives a fair bit of credence to that idea. This is her lowest rating since a BM70 win at Caulfield in October last year.

I believe the Cox Plate has been thrown around as the ultimate goal, but this, and even her best, is a long way off that sort of standard. I think the Empire Rose over 1600m is her ideal target and the mare's path through the Spring around that mile range is the realistic route.

Arapaho – Sydney Cup

Arapaho simply proved the strongest stayer over two miles, carrying 56kg and giving his rivals a thumping in a brutally run Sydney Cup.

He's run to 118 on the RAS scale which is basically in line with his lead up form, although on the more weight-sensitive Timeform scale he has run a new peak of 122.

Regardless, a RAS rating of 118 in a Sydney Cup is good going and only bettered by The Offer (120) in 2014. It edges the great Makybe Diva (117) in her Sydney Cup win, a figure that was also matched by Jessicabeel and Gallante.

River Of Stars stuck on well from that strong pace and if Waller decides to send him to the Brisbane Cup he'd take a fair bit of beating.

Via Sistina – Queen Elizabeth

The star mare showed why she's one of the best horses in the world with an outstanding performance in the QEII, notching up her seventh Group 1 win in a season to match the mighty Winx.

She found a genuinely run race here in her grand final which was clearly the recipe for a peak performance and that is what has occurred, running to a RAS rating of 127, which is her second-best career performance.

It's still a fair way off the 132 Cox Plate win, but does just edge her Champions Stakes win which rated 126 on the RAS scale.

This preparation, she's run 120-122-123-127 and was still finishing full of running after bursting through the inside under a typically cool James McDonald ride.

Dubai Honour was game in second, matching his 123 rating from his Tancred Stakes win. His best ratings came in the Ranvet & QEII of 2023 where he ran a pair of 125's, so even his absolute best wouldn't have been enough to test Via Sistina on Saturday.

When Via Sistina won the Cox Plate with a rating of 132, we spoke about how she was in Winx territory, splitting the difference of the great mare's four wins in the race.

Winx won three QEII's between 2017-2019, running ratings of 130, 130 and 126. Last year, Pride Of Jenni beat Via Sistina with a RAS rating of 129, while Grand Armee, More Joyous, Reliable Man and Addeybb (also went 124) have all ran to 128 to win the QEII.

Via Sistina's 127 matches the likes of Dundeel, Criterion and Desert War in their wins in the race.

Hopefully we see Via Sistina back in the Spring as an eight-year-old mare because she's still very comfortably the best horse in the land.

Fangirl – Queen Of The Turf

Fangirl got a deserved Group 1 win, her first of the preparation and her fourth overall, taking out the Queen Of The Turf under James McDonald, who rode a very similar race to the one on Via Sistina earlier.

Fangirl got her perfect storm here and duly delivered. Randwick, 1600m, a fast deck off an even tempo where she can rip home in splits not many horses in the world can do, resulting in a RAS rating of 122.

She's come home in 33.26 her last 600m with an overall time figure of 104, which is around her sweet spot for tempos. Her best ratings have come in time ratings around that 103-112 mark.

She actually ran a slightly higher rating of 123 winning the Apollo Stakes first up in a near identical time figure of 103, while her peak of 125 came in the 2023 King Charles (time figure 111).

This is the second-highest Queen Of The Turf rating on the RAS scale this century, only bettered by More Joyous who went a whopping 127 in 2011. Her 2012 win in the race rated 120.

A couple high-profiles mares ran their last race here with Atishu very good again and Amelia's Jewel retiring. Thankfully, Fangirl is sticking around to add much needed depth to our weight-for-age ranks.