Ratings Update: York Ebor Festival reaction

Tony McFadden provides the Timeform ratings reaction following the top-class action at York's Ebor Festival.

Only four horses were declared for the Juddmonte International on the opening day of York's Ebor Festival, but it featured a clash between two of Timeform's five highest-rated horses in training in Paddington and Mostahdaf, while Nashwa, with her 3 lb sex allowance, also had solid claims on the figures.

It was Mostahdaf (remains rated 129) who came out on top under a well-judged front-running ride from Frankie Dettori, running to a similar level that had seen him make the Group 1 breakthrough in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot (albeit under contrasting tactics). The good cruising speed he had displayed at Royal Ascot was again on show at York, though this time a willing response to pressure was also important and he had to dig deep to fend off a persistent challenge from Paddington (128 from 130p), who was headed close home for second by Nashwa (remains 124).

Paddington, who was sent off an odds-on favourite in pursuit of a fifth consecutive Group 1, didn't quite reproduce the level of form he had shown when winning the Eclipse at Sandown on his only previous attempt over a mile and a quarter, leaving the impression that the ground was possibly faster than ideal and that a busy campaign may have taken the edge off slightly, but he wasn't far below his best and the winner deserves plenty of credit for seeing him off. Nashwa ran as well as she ever has to grab second close home and will be a leading player back against her own sex (only Emily Upjohn (126) is rated higher among the fillies and mares).

Dettori had also attempted to make all in the preceding Great Voltigeur Stakes aboard Gregory (remains 116p) but his mount, who was dropping in trip having stayed on strongly to win the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot, simply seemed to lack the gears and had no answer to Continuous (Timeform rating 121 from 113) who appreciated a well-run race at a mile and a half.

Continuous' only previous attempt at a mile and a half had been when runner-up in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, where King of Steel proved too quick at the end of a stop-start race. A well-run race at the trip at York suited Continuous much better and he raised his game and delivered a decisive success, pulling three and three-quarter lengths clear of Bahrain Trophy winner Castle Way (114 from 114p) in second.

The strength Continuous showed at the finish bodes well for his St Leger prospects and he is now a leading player on form, with only stablemate Warm Heart, who is an unlikely runner, above him on Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the Doncaster Classic. Continuous' effort in the Voltigeur, which is considered a very smart performance on Timeform's scale, is around the ten-year average for the race.

The Yorkshire Oaks was also run at a good gallop and provided the platform for Warm Heart (120 from 111) and Free Wind (120 from 119) to show very smart form in fighting out a thrilling finish.

Warm Heart had made little impression when only fifth in the Irish Oaks, but she had been progressing well prior to that, landing the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, and back on a sound surface she proved better than ever to prevail by a head. She ran to a lower level than most winners of the Yorkshire Oaks in the last decade, but there are some very talented fillies on that roll of honour and she is now the highest-rated three-year-old of her sex in the middle-distance division, with this form looking better than Soul Sister's (117) Oaks win.

Thursday's card at York kicked off with victory for Relief Rally (remains 104) in the Lowther, though she didn't need to improve on what she had shown when runner-up in the Queen Mary or when winning the Super Sprint to come out on top in what looked like an ordinary renewal (they finished in a bit of a heap in behind).

One of the most impressive performances on Thursday's card came in the concluding seven-furlong fillies' handicap as the progressive Nigiri (103p from 92p) pulled four and a quarter lengths clear to complete her hat-trick. She found plenty when asked and the way she stormed clear suggests she should be competing a Group level before long.

The first of three Group races on Friday's card was the Lonsdale Cup which featured a rematch between five horses who had contested the Goodwood Cup last time. Quickthorn had dominated that event but this was run in more conventional style and it was Coltrane (120 from 122) who made the most of the 3 lb he received from Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami (124 from 128) to prevail, showing a typically good attitude to win without needing to build on his previous form.

There were a couple of shock results in the other Group races on the card, starting with Lake Forest's (109 from 97) win in the Gimcrack. He had run poorly when a beaten odds-on favourite in novice company on his previous start but he proved better than ever at York, quickening up well to lead over a furlong out and soon putting his stamp on things. The rating he achieved, however, is among the lowest for a Gimcrack winner in the last decade so more will probably be required if he's to make a telling impact in the top-level juvenile races in the autumn.

Live In The Dream (124 from 114) was a 28/1 shot in the Nunthorpe and looked to have plenty to find after coming up short in the Palace House, Temple and a listed race at Deauville, but he relished the sort of test a flat five furlongs on fast ground at York provided and showed much-improved form to triumph.

Live In The Dream broke well and showed blistering speed to lead the field, racing a couple of lengths clear of last year's winner and red-hot favourite Highfield Princess. Highfield Princess, and her King's Stand conqueror Bradsell, tried hard to erode the deficit but could never get on terms with Live In The Dream who still had a length to spare at the line. He will probably need the emphasis being placed firmly on speed to repeat that sort of level, but he proved he's a very smart sprinter when he has circumstances in his favour, and his performance rating of 124 is around the standard for the race in the last decade.

Frankie Dettori stole the show on his final day riding at York, securing a straightforward success aboard old ally Kinross (remains 123), who didn't need to match his previous form to land the Group 2 City of York Stakes, before delivering a vintage display aboard Absurde (114 from 112p) in the Ebor.

Dettori kept Absurde wide in the back straight from his high draw - as he had done when winning the race on Trawlerman last season - before grabbing the stand rail as the field swung into the straight, getting rolling before the favourite. His mount found plenty for pressure to prevail and secure his place in the Melbourne Cup, where he could join stablemate Vauban who beat him in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot.

The Melrose over the same course and distance as the Ebor is always an informative affair - Hamish, Coltrane and Soulcombe feature on the recent roll of honour - and the latest edition was typically full of lightly-raced three-year-old improvers which marks it out as another good renewal and one likely to produce plenty of winners.

It was won in decisive style, though, by a handicap debutant who proved well ahead of his opening mark and looks like another colt capable of developing into a pattern-race performer. Middle Earth (106p from 100), a half-brother to the smart Listed winner Buckaroo, impressed with how quickly he put his stamp on the race, bursting to the front without his rider having to ask for anything like maximum effort, and this can be used as a springboard to bigger things.