Native River and Might Bite, who fought out a memorable duel round two circuits of Cheltenham in the Gold Cup in March, were the only staying chasers to be rated above 170 when the Anglo-Irish Classification for the 2017-18 season was published on Tuesday.
Native River, who stayed on more strongly than Might Bite after the last fence at Cheltenham to win by four and a half lengths, earned a final rating of 176, a stone below the mark of 190 recorded by Kauto Star in 2009-10 which remains the highest rating for a staying chaser this century.Might Bite, the King George winner at Kempton on Boxing Day, was 4lb behind Colin Tizzard’s eight-year-old on 172, while Presenting Percy, the RSA Chase winner at Cheltenham, was the top-rated staying novice on 165. Only three novices – Coneygree, Thistlecrack and Gloria Victis – have had a higher rating since 2000.
Altior, who beat Min by seven lengths in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, was the leading two-mile chaser on a mark of 175, 7lb clear of Un De Sceaux, but it is the prospect of a potential clash between Altior and Footpad, the leading two-mile novice on 166 after his win in the Arkle Trophy, which many fans would see as the most exciting prospect in 2018-19.
“I’d say Footpad will certainly challenge Altior,” Sandy Shaw, Ireland’s senior jumps handicapper, said. “Altior deserves to be the top two-mile chaser, he’s one of the best finishers of a race I’ve ever seen and he’s looked in trouble in some of his races but he powers home.
“He looks like a horse that wants further and Footpad, you could argue the same. I think Footpad is probably the quicker horse but once Altior gets the turbo coming on, as he seems to do when he turns in, he’s a hard horse to peg back and it would be a fascinating race to watch.”
The season’s top-rated hurdler was not the dual Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D’Air but Faugheen, the 2015 Champion Hurdle winner, who finished 22 lengths behind Buveur D’Air at Cheltenham. Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old was rated 166, 1lb below his mark in 2016-17, while Faugheen’s subsequent 13-length win in the three-mile Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown led to him finish the campaign with a rating of 169.
“Buveur D’Air’s rating is the lowest [for the leading two-mile hurdler] since the Classification began [in 1999-2000],” David Dickinson, the British Horseracing Authority handicapper responsible for the division, said. “I think it says as much about the lack of competition in the division during the winter, particularly in Britain, as it does about Buveur D’Air’s merits as a racehorse.”
Bath 5.20 Toolatetodelegate 5.55 Met By Moonlight 6.25 Haylah 6.55 Francophilia 7.25 Edge 7.55 Volphone Jelois 8.25 Christmas Night
Newton Abbot 2.00 King Calvin 2.35 Posh Totty 3.10 Oskar Denarius 3.45 Bestwork 4.15 Amour D’Or 4.45 Vivaldi Collonges 5.15 Ruffling Feathers
Perth 6.05 Champ 6.35 Calivigny 7.05 Bahrikate 7.35 Gibbstown 8.05 Cockley Beck 8.35 Maraweh 9.05 Mendip Express
Yarmouth 2.10 Nearest Green 2.45 Rayaa 3.20 Raven Banner 3.55 Orobas 4.25 Salt Whistle Bay 4.55 Gala Celebration 5.25 Tallulah’s Quest 6.00 Duba Plains
York 2.20 Banksea 2.55 George Bowen (nb) 3.30 Harry Angel 4.05 Ceilidhs Dream 4.35 Three Saints Bay (nap) 5.05 World Order 5.35 Zeelander
