TIMEFORM GLOBAL TOP 30 RACEHORSES : NOVEMBER 2009

Sea The Stars : Timeform 140
(Photo : ThisLondon/Timeform)

TIMEFORM GLOBAL RANKINGS

#	HORSE	TRAINER	COUNTRY	RANK
1	SEA THE STARS	John Oxx	Ireland	140
2	RIP VAN WINKLE	Aidan O’Brien	Ireland	134
3	FAME AND GLORY	Aidan O’Brien	Ireland	133
4	GOLDIKOVA	Freddy Head	France	132
5	ZENYATTA	John Sherriffs	USA	131
6	CAVALRYMAN	Andre Fabre	France	130
6	CONDUIT	Sir Michael Stoute	Great Britain	130
6	GIO PONTI	Christophe Clement	USA	130
6	SACRED KINGDOM	Ricky Yiu	Hong Kong	130
6	YOUMZAIN	Mick Channon	Great Britain	130
11	MASTERCRAFTSMAN	Aidan O’Brien	Ireland	129
11	PACO BOY	Richard Hannon	Great Britain	129
11	RACHEL ALEXANDRA	Steve Asmussen	USA	129
14	DELEGATOR	Saeed bin Suroor	Great Britain	128
14	SCENIC BLAST	Danny Morton	Australia	128
14	TAKEOVER TARGET	Joe Janiak	Australia	128
17	AQLAAM	William Haggas	Great Britain	127
17	BIG CITY MAN	Jeff Mullins	USA	127
17	GETAWAY	Jens Hirschberger	Germany	127
17	HEART OF DREAMS	Mick Price	Australia	127
17	PREDATORY PRICER	Paul Murray	Australia	127
17	PRESVIS	Luca Cumani	Great Britain	127
17	TWICE OVER	Henry Cecil	Great Britain	127
17	VISION D’ETAT	Eric Libaud	France	127
17	WHOBEGOTYOU	Mark Kavanagh	Australia	127
17	ZACINTO	Sir Michael Stoute	Great Britain	127
27	ST NICHOLAS ABBEY	Aidan O’Brien	Ireland	126
28	APACHE CAT	Greg Eurell	Australia	126
28	ARCHIPENKO	Mike de Kock	South Africa	126
28	ASK	Sir Michael Stoute	Great Britain	126
28	OVERDOSE	Sandor Ribarski	Hungary	126
28	SUMMER BIRD	Tim Ice	USA	126
28	TARTAN BEARER	Sir Michael Stoute	Great Britain	126
28	YEATS	Aidan O’Brien	Ireland	126

CORRECT AS AT 17 NOVEMBER 2009

A POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW?

Please press the play button to listen to the Summer Mile Stakes

“OF IMBONGI, AQLAAM, CONFRONT AND DREAM EATER” 

What might’ve been, is one of the happier pre-occupations of our business, at least to the extent that you can always consider yourself unlucky not to have won. Dream on, some would say, yet the conventional wisdom among many following Imbongi’s last run in Ascot’s Summer Mile, was that with a better trip he might’ve troubled the judges. Either way, the outcome of France’s biggest mile event last Sunday, certainly gave us renewed reason for conjecture.

According to the Sporting Post, “Aqlaam, winner of last Sunday’s Gr.1 Prix du Moulin, gave the form of SA-bred Imbongi a considerable boost. The son of the red hot sire, Oasis Dream, had previously beaten Imbongi (Russian Revival) by a length at level weights in the Summer Mile. Prior to his Group One success, Aqlaam had run second to wonder filly, Goldikova, beaten six lengths, in the Gr.1 Prix Jacques le Marois.

The form of the Summer Mile has also been franked by runner up, Confront (Nayef), who has won his last two starts. Confront, incidentally, won a listed race at Haydock last Saturday by half a length, giving the runner up three pounds. Behind Imbongi in the Summer Mile came Dream Eater, who dead heated in a listed race and was just touched off by multiple Gr.1 winner, Pressing in the Gr.2 Topkapi Trophy last time out”.

IMBONGI : Arlington Million charge for The Warrior

Mike de Kock and the warrior Imbongi
(Photo : John Lewis/DRC)

“Mike de Kock considering Arlington Million for Imbongi”

Following Imbongi’s fighting third in Saturday’s totesport.com Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot, Mike de Kock is now considering an Arlington Million charge for the African Warrior.

Imbongi had made a successful British debut in the John Bovington Memorial Criterion Stakes (Gr3) at Newmarket over seven furlongs just two weeks ago, and followed that performance with Saturday’s Ascot Group Two third, being beaten only a length by Aqlaam who is rated 117 and is rumored to be heading for the Breeders’ Cup.

“That was a world-class run,” said trainer Mike de Kock. “We’re considering the Arlington Million next for Imbongi.”

Summer Mile Stakes - Race Commentary

Totesport.com Summer Mile Stakes G2

Ascot, UK
11 July 2009
GBP 100,000

1st Aqlaam
2nd Confront

3rd Imbongi (Russian Revival x Garden Verse)
Jockey : Kevin Shea
Trainer : Mike de Kock
Breeder : Summerhill Stud
Owners : Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum
Michael Fleischer
Summerhill Syndicate
Owen Liebrandt
Barry Clements
Ronnie Napier

THE SUMMER MILE STAKES AT ASCOT

Imbongi
(Photo : Summerhill/HKJC)

IMBONGI’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE

The Summer Mile Stakes has always been a good race, as it provides an opportunity for the best milers in Europe to maintain their sharpness while they’re waiting for the next big Group One challenge later in the season. We doubt though, that the race has ever attracted the quality of contenders that line-up on Saturday at 2:50 pm (that’s English time, of course, which means 3:50pm here).

The first three past the post in Royal Ascot’s Queen Anne Stakes (Gr.1), Paco Boy, Cesare and Aqlaam, line up again here, and so Imbongi will really have his work cut out if he’s to feature in the money. According to Racing Post, he’s in with something of a squeak, as the fourth highest rated horse in the field. Paco Boy and Cesare each have a Racing Post rating of 135, Aqlaam 134, and Imbongi 133, which means there’s not much in it, if ratings matter. Of course, that’s not to say there aren’t others in the field, but it certainly seems, on current form, these are the chief protagonists.

What the race will certainly do, is tell us where Imbongi sits in the pantheon of the worlds best milers, because this just about represents the best form in the world this year. From all accounts, he’s well and ready to run, so for South Africa’s sake, let’s keep everything crossed.