We review all of the key Racing And Sports ratings from ‘moving day’.

Two Year Olds

Maribyrnong Trial

Eurocanto won the Maribyrnong Trial with a RAS rating of 95 which was the lowest across the day's two-year-old races.

Not unexpectedly, they didn't go very fast and the overall time is just fair, reflected by the fairly tight margin spread, although the winner has come from well back to win, clearly running the race-fastest sectionals.

His final 400m was nearly two lengths faster than the next best and his final 200m was closer to three lengths faster which suggests the win is better than it looks on face value.

That said, a rating of 95 is the equal lowest Maribyrnong Trial winner we've seen going back to 2010. It's miles off star two-year-old Sepoy at a whopping 111, while recent winners Tremonti (100) and Bodyguard (101) are still notably higher.

As with all two-year-olds, improvement is key and judging off their debut is tough, but for now, there will likely be better juvenile races over the coming weeks.
 

Breeder's Plate & Gimcrack Stakes

Incognito won the Breeder's Plate with a RAS rating of 103, out-rating Shiki in the Gimcrack by three pounds with the filly going 100.

The overall time just favoured the boys, Incognito around two lengths faster than Shiki and slightly faster late as well.

Both races are fairly low historically, again partly because of the lack of margins they've put up with just 3.2 lengths over the first seven for the boys and 1.7 lengths over the first seven for the girls.

Incognito at 103 sits ahead of last year's ill-fated King Kirk (101) in a list topped by some champion two-year-olds including Capitalist (115), Vancouver (111) and Pierro (110). Recent winners Espionage (106) and Empire Of Japan (105) are also a few pounds ahead of Incognito at this stage.

For the Gimcrack, 100 is the equal lowest rating at Racing And Sports alongside Every Rose in 2019. That list (since 2010) is topped by Defiant Dame and Coolangatta at 109 while Bel Merci and Manaal (both 103) have won the race the past two years.

Three Year Olds

Danehill Stakes

Mcgaw won the Danehill Stakes in an interesting edition of the Danehill. No doubt the straight races favoured those out wider, with the winners of all three straight races being the widest runner on the line.

Well beaten in the Poseidon, Mcgaw has run to 113 on Saturday which matches the rating Legacy Bound had put up to win the Poseidon, although this was achieved in a much better time.

Different days, but the Danehill has run a full second faster for the Flemington 1100m than the Poseidon did and the time figure is strong here.

That is quantifiable, but what isn't is the lanes and how much of an advantage it was to be out wider. We can use the market as some sort of a guide given Mcgaw started $15 and I wouldn't be surprised if a few are turning the tables in the Coolmore.

For Danehill winners, 113 is bang on average. It matches Giga Kick in 2022 and is better than last year's winner First Settler who went 110, as did Stretan Angel the year prior.

Those coming out of the Golden Rose are still top seeds for the Coolmore but I think it could be worth forgiving the likes of Legacy Bound who will relish getting to 1200m.

Flight Stakes

Apocalyptic swept the princess series with a soft victory in the Flight Stakes, getting all the favours on a slow speed and showing too much dash to be caught.

I was surprised some of the other jockeys let her get away with this so easily, getting outside leader very quickly and never looking like losing from there.

The overall time is very slow and while they've come home fairly quickly, this doesn't look like the best piece of form.

She's only had to match her RAS rating of 109 from the Tea Rose to win on Saturday which is just one pound above the lowest rated Flight Stakes winner since 2010 which was Tropical Squall.

109 matches Never Been Kissed in 2021 who never won another race, and Tropical Squall didn't win outside of her own age group although did notch a second Group One in the Autumn, winning the Surround Stakes.

Lady Shenandoah went 113 last year to win the Flight and went on with it in the Autumn, now rated 117 (and is likely closer to 120), while some top fillies including Streama (120), Alizee and Zougotcha (116), Funstar and Montefilia (114) have won the race in recent years.

No doubt Apocalyptic is talented and had a fair bit on those, but I'd be very cautious labelling her as a star of the future when it comes to contesting open age races.

Premiere & Gilgai

Briasa won the Premiere Stakes well in his final tune up for The Everest, running to a new peak of 124 at Racing And Sports, bettering the 122 he ran to win a historically low rating TJ Smith last year.

He and Jimmysstar cleared out from the rest with Jimmy hitting 122, an equal career peak for him. A rating of 124 means Briasa will go in to The Everest as the highest rated local horse but with a caveat.

Joliestar easily accounted for Briasa in The Shorts, running 123 and in what potentially looks a stronger piece of form given the time figure which is significantly stronger.

What Briasa does have in his favour is versatility. He'll be able to settle just off the pace or midfield (unless he draws wide, in which case the stable will say he had no choice but to go back).

Jimmysstar on the other hand, seems destined to be getting back and running on. The splits on Saturday said he was every bit a match for Briasa. He could be the one picking up the pieces late if a few overdo it trying to go with Ka Ying Rising.

War Machine also secured his Everest slot with a scintillating win in the Gilgai Stakes, ripping home down the outside with 60kg to score by two lengths.

He's matched his Stradbroke Handicap rating of 121 and looks possibly a touch better than that given the strong overall time and weight carried here. He's progressive and a fast run 1200m is clearly up his alley. He's a genuine top four hope in The Everest.

Turnbull Stakes

Sir Delius backed up his Underwood Stakes win with an eerily similar victory at Flemington in the Turnbull Stakes.

Once again, the pace wasn't strong, winning in a time figure of 99, which is slightly faster than the Underwood time figure of 93 but still well below what these horses are capable of.

In the Underwood it was Buckaroo who made the early move out wide and just peaked late as Sir Delius picked up late, in the Turnbull it was Antino who looked the winner in the straight before faltering, and the sectionals tell the tale.

Antino was the clear race fastest 600-400m split but then petered out quite badly late, his final 200m the second slowest of the race. Sir Delius himself was only the fifth fastest final 200m despite it visually looking like he was powering away.

Racing And Sports make his win 124, one pound up from his Underwood rating of 123, but again this all seems like a bonus for a Melbourne Cup favourite.

124 now will be just one pound shy of topweight Al Riffa who is rated 125, and it'll be interesting to see what happens in the Cox Plate which should be far more genuinely run.

Theoretically, that should suit Sir Delius' stamina, but whether he's now looking for more ground and might be a bit too dour for the big, high-pressure sprint around The Valley remains to be seen. The beaten brigade have work to do, including Via Sistina who was maybe a pass mark in third.

She wasn't exactly jumping out of the ground late but three slowly run races this time in haven't given us a great guide. In some markets, she's been replaced by Sir Delius as Cox Plate favourite and if that's the case on raceday, she's an incredibly enticing bet, especially with Sir Delius possibly taking a bit longer to hit top gear which may not suit The Valley.

Half Yours is also worth touching on from a Caulfield Cup perspective. He was excellent, backing up the 116 RAS rating he posted in the Naturalism, going 118 here with a fast finishing fourth.

The splits were strong from back in the field and he'll go into the Caulfield Cup as the clear weights horse at 52.5kg.

In terms of recent Caulfield Cup winners and their Timeform ratings, which operate on a much stricter, pound for pound weight scale, Half Yours is rated 116. That is only good enough to win one of the past 25 Caulfield Cups, with Durston (110) carrying 51.5kg in 2022.

Last year Duke De Sessa was rated very similarly, also coming off a fourth in the Turnbull and carried 52kg to win the Caulfield Cup in a rating of 121.

Half Yours is in a similar boat- all the pieces are there to say he's the rightful favourite, but he probably does still require a peak performance to win (which isn't unlikely).

Epsom Handicap

Autumn Glow answered the Group One call with a relatively fuss-free win in the Epsom Handicap, matching her 122 rating from the Theo Marks win prior.

Beating the previously 109 rated Fully Lit by 1.4 lengths makes it harder to rate her too highly, even accounting for the weight she carried compared to that horse.

She met Pericles at weight for age (-2.5kg as a four-year-old mare) and beat him by 1.5 lengths. Pericles is a rock solid horse and did go 120 in the Tramway, just regressing slightly to his modal rating of 117 on Saturday.

The ride by McEvoy was exactly what punters wanted to see and I daresay there's still more to come from Autumn Glow. I'd love to see her run in a Cox Plate because she still seems to hit a flat spot and pick up again late, but regardless, a fast run Golden Eagle can see her spike again fourth up.

Compared to Epsom winners gone by, 122 is still right up there, matching Secret Admirer and Winx as mares to win the Epsom, four pounds ahead of Probabeel at 118.

The Metropolitan

Royal Supremacy was given a gun ride by Robbie Dolan to win The Metropolitan with 50kg, running to a RAS rating of 113, which matches his international peak at Newmarket before coming to Australia.

It was mentioned in this column during the Winter when he won in fast time at benchmark 88 level that The Metropolitan would be the perfect race for him and thankfully the long term play came off.

In terms of Metropolitan winners, this is on the lower end. 113 is in line with Come Play With Me and Montefilia in recent years but behind Land Legend (115) last year.

Going forward, I'd be surprised if this form stacks up in a Caulfield or Melbourne Cup. Vauban didn't have the best of luck but will be similarly weighted in tougher races.

The form through the Turnbull is far stronger, and even the Bart Cummings won by Valiant King with a rating of 115 set up by the overcooked tempo has out rated this.