It was not just punters and bookmakers that were left stunned by St Nicholas Abbey’s brilliant Racing Post victory after the son of Montjeu impressed handicappers and ratings experts with an emphatic display at Town Moor on Saturday.
As the flat season drew to a close, many people were left wondering who would be crowned this year’s champion juvenile, but the search was over after the Group 1 at Doncaster at the weekend. Matthew Tester, the British Horseracing Authority's handicapper responsible for two-year-olds, is in no doubt that it is St Nicholas Abbey that deserves the crown.
And Timeform rated Aidan O’Brien’s superstar’s victory as the fifth best juvenile performance since 1994 with a whopping rating of 124.
"At last I am happy. In the Racing Post Trophy I found a group of horses that had read the script and finally delivered what I needed," said Tester.
"The search for my champion two-year-old has been frustrating. Early in the season Canford Cliffs looked like an outstanding candidate. He hacked up in his maiden. He hacked up in the Coventry. Then he was narrowly beaten in the Prix Morny and we never saw him again.
"Then the candidate seemed to be Arcano. He won his maiden. He won the July Stakes. He narrowly won the Prix Morny beating Canford Cliffs and the excellent filly Special Duty. But we never saw him again.
"The Dewhurst came and went with a four-way photo and nothing clearly superior. That was the fourth of our five Group One races and still no champion.
"The Racing Post Trophy on Saturday was the last chance saloon. There were three really strong candidates. Each had raced twice. Each was unbeaten - Al Zir, Elusive Pimpernel and St Nicholas Abbey.
"There was a powerful supporting cast and many would have thought they were in with a chance with two furlongs to go. Al Zir and Elusive Pimpernel were flat to the boards and running on strongly.
"But behind them was J Murtagh who had the luxury of choosing when his horse was going to breeze by them. He asked, the horse answered and we had our champion. He won by almost four unhurried lengths from Elusive Pimpernel with another two and a half lengths to Al Zir. Perfect.
"He relaxed into the race easily, travelled well and moved into top gear quickly. It was all so smooth. He may have only one horse power but this is still a Rolls Royce of a horse.
"The final decision on ratings will be made at the International Classifications meeting in December.
"The two-year-old Classification is a European affair and the ratings are agreed with Germany, Italy, Ireland and France.
"All we have so far are my ideas, but I expect that my proposal to them will be for a 124 rating, well clear of anything else. I would be surprised if my colleagues have seen a better two-year-old performance this year.
"Where would 124 put St Nicholas Abbey in the recent roll-call of champion two-year-olds? With the exception of Teofilo who never ran again, the last half dozen top-rated juveniles all turned out to be classic winners.
"Working backwards, the last six champions were: Mastercraftsman (122), New Approach (126), Teofilo (123), George Washington (124), Shamardal (123) and Bago (121)."
"Not only is he the best of this year though, he is the fifth best juvenile on our figures since Celtic Swing ran away with the Racing Post Trophy in 1994."
Read the Racingbase team’s analysis of St Nicholas Abbey here, where Nick Wilby believes punter should be in no rush to back the horse at 3/1 (William Hill) to win the 2000 Guineas.
