We look back at all eight Group 1 races over Cup week and how the ratings stack up.
Coolmore Stud Stakes – Tentyris (124)
Unfortunately we didn't get to see Tentyris in the Champions Sprint but what we did see on Derby Day was outstanding.
He's run to 124 at Racing & Sports in a big, fast time figure on quick ground, up from 115+ prior at Caulfield.
Since the turn of the century, 124 is only bettered by five Coolmore winners – Weekend Hussler at 126 tops the list from Home Affairs, Flying Artie, Exceedance and Gold Edition all at 125.
124 sits alongside North Boy in 2001 and Alinghi in 2004 (both run as a Group 2), and sits one pound higher than Switzerland and Zoustar at 123.
It's well ahead of recent winners In Secret and Sunlight (120), Ozzmosis (119) and Merchant Navy (118).
Tentyris is now the highest rated three-year-old. Remarkably, Godolphin have the top three with Beiwacht at 123 from his Golden Rose win and Tempted at 122 from her Everest second placing.
Victoria Derby – Observer (110)
Observer was given an outstanding ride by Mark Zahra to win the Derby, only needing to improve a pound on his soft win in the Vase which rated 109.
The pace was not overly quick and most were finishing fast, including the winner, who got the mid-race breather he needed to run out the trip despite perhaps not entirely wanting all of 2500m.
110 for a Derby is still quite low, with only Johhny Get Angry (108) rating lower to win the Classic. It ties with last year's winner Goldrush Guru and 2022 winner Manzoice, well below the top-rated winners Polanski and Lion Tamer at 121, who just edged Efficient at 120.
Riff Rocket (what could've been) ran to 115 in 2023 which is one of the better Derby ratings in recent times, while Hitotsu went 116.
I'd be a bit warmer on Observer than the likes of Manzoice and Goldrush Guru. I doubt he relished 2500m and his prior two ratings were just as good, if not arguably a bit better given the way he achieved them.
Empire Rose Stakes - Pride Of Jenni (125)
One of the highest rating performances of the week came on Day 1, Pride Of Jenni winning her second Empire Rose in what is clearly the best winning performance in the race's history, at least since 2000.
She was ridden to perfection by Declan Bates who had literally 0 sectional adjustment after accounting for how efficiently she was ridden.
125 is Jenni's equal-fourth highest rating behind her 129 QEII win, her 127 All Star Mile win and her 126 Feehan Stakes win of 2024. It ties with her Champions Mile win in 2023 having run 121 in the Empire Rose that year, which is when the Jenni as we know it began.
Typhoon Tracy (123) and Sacred Choice (120) are the only other horses to crack 120 in an Empire Rose.
Melbourne Cup – Half Yours (122*)
Half Yours was awesome completing the Cups double on Tuesday under another perfect ride by Jamie Melham, relishing the two miles and soft conditions to win dominantly.
He improves his RAS rating from 120 to 122, although I think the Timeform scale is probably more appropriate here, which saw him go 114 in the Caulfield Cup and 120 in the Melbourne Cup.
That scale has Makybe Diva as (in my opinion), the rightful highest rated Cup winner this century at 129 from Protectionist 128 and Without A Fight/Verry Elleegant at 127.
120 actually sits alongside another Cups double winner Ethereal who was 116 in the Caulfield Cup prior.
It's far better than last year's winner Knight's Choice who ran to 114, which was the equal lowest rating Cup winner with Brew in 2000.
The average winning Timeform rating for the Melbourne Cup this century is 120.48 so Half Yours is bang on there, while the median is 123.
It'll be interesting to see the path they take with Half Yours. No doubt the Cups will be on the mind next year, and I'd probably suggest a Tancred Stakes is his goal in the Autumn if they have a full campaign.
VRC Oaks – Strictly Business (112)
This was some win, and some training performance by small-time trainer Thomas Carberry who went from a 1400m Ballarat maiden to a Group 1 VRC Oaks romp in the space of 13 days.
There was no fluke about this win either. On ground that Racing & Sports has five pounds slower than Derby Day, Strictly Business has run 0.78 seconds (around 5 lengths) faster than Observer, which equates to around 12 pounds on the clock.
It's hardly the first time the Oaks has outrated the Derby but the 112 rating itself is strong compared to recent winners.
Zardozi and Treasurethe Moment both ran to 111 in their wins while Miami Bound went 110, as did She's Extreme. Willowy at 105 is clearly the lowest rating Oaks winner on record, while Mosheen (120) tops the list.
Champions Sprint – Giga Kick (122)
Giga Kick matched his first up rating at Caulfield with a thrilling victory in the Champions Sprint.
With Tentyris scratched at the barriers and Joliestar better on dry, it came down to the two best wet trackers in the race as Zahra threw him over the line to deny Magic Time. In all honesty, the jockey was probably the difference late.
122 is well down on the best winners of a Champions Sprint which is unsurprising given the current strength of sprinters.
Black Caviar tops the list at 133 while Nature Strip hit 130 twice in this race.
Recent winners have rated down, with Sunshine In Paris (118) and Roch 'N' Horse (119) occupying the two lowest spots on the list, although Imperatriz did go 123 in 2023.
Champions Mile – Ceolwulf (125)
Arguably the race of the entire carnival, it was an absolute humdinger between Ceolwulf and Pericles who clearly headed the winner and looked all but home before the Wulf rallied late.
This was clearly the fastest time figure on the card in ground that was getting very heavy by this stage and the margins back through the field are greatly exaggerated given the conditions and pace.
The time rating of 125 is the best performance on the clock he's ever produced and matches his RAS rating peak, which he's run in his pair of King Charles' wins.
Fast races and tests of stamina are the key to Ceolwulf and he got that in spades here. Off his past two ratings of 125, he has claims as the best horse in the country. I'd love to see them go back to 2000m in the Autumn and I daresay they will.
125 is the equal highest rating in the Champions Mile this century, matching Testa Rossa, Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni. Only Alligator Blood (120) has been below that mark since the race became the Champions Mile.
Champions Stakes – Via Sistina (125)
Speaking of back-to-back 125 ratings, Via Sistina has done just that in her past two starts, matching her Cox Plate rating with a dominant win in her second Champions Stakes.
The heavy ground was of no issue whatsoever and the race couldn't have worked out better for her, tracking up three-wide with cover and ripping home to score well.
The pace wasn't particularly strong, actually run in an identical time rating to the Cox Plate. Funnily enough, she won by the same margin here as she did last year, although this year it was Zambardo of all horses running second.
Previously rated 78, his official rating will skyrocket off this, but the performance is a clear new peak, running to 118 at Racing & Sports, up from 105 last start in a BM78.
It'll be interesting to see what he does in the Autumn now, because I imagine he'll have to be aimed up in top races. If they can manage his rating, I'd have to think he'd be a Caulfield Cup chance next year.
As for Via Sistina, she rounded out a fantastic carnival. 125 is one pound lower than her 126 performance in the race last year. That list is topped by the great So You Think at 130 while recent winners include Arcadia Queen (124), Zaaki (123) and Atishu (120).
I assume Via races on in the Autumn before retirement. She's clearly a rung below her level last Spring, and even in the Autumn this year, but she's still the top dog at 2000m in the country.
Can she hold that mantle, with Ceolwulf breathing fire and Autumn Glow (maybe, hopefully) stepping up in trip? Time will tell.
