Horse racing news: Majborough is Timeform’s highest-rated horse in training after Dublin Chase rout
Majborough produced the best performance of the jumps season so far when slamming Marine Nationale by 19 lengths in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday, earning a lofty Timeform rating of 179.
Il Etait Temps, who looked beaten when suffering a tired fall in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last month, had previously topped the two-mile division on a rating of 172 courtesy of his emphatic victory in the Tingle Creek Chase.
Galopin des Champs, who will contest a strong Irish Gold Cup on Monday, was Timeform’s highest-rated jumps horse in training on 175 but has now been surpassed at the top of the ratings by his younger stablemate.
Unrelenting gallop by Majborough
Timeform chase handicapper Phil Turner said: “Naturally, a wide-margin win on ground which had to pass an early-morning inspection will prompt plenty to question the reliability of the form, particularly as none of Majborough’s five rivals ran anywhere near their recent best.
“The latter point, however, probably owed more to the unrelenting gallop set by Majborough than anything else and the stopwatch suggests his performance is every bit as good as it looked, one which has rocketed him to the top of the Timeform ratings for jumpers currently in training.”
Majborough may have impressed on Sunday but there will still be questions to answer in the Champion Chase, according to Turner.
He added: “The combination of first-time cheekpieces and more positive tactics than of late resulted in Majborough’s most fluent display to date, though that is unlikely to quash debate about his jumping during the build-up to Cheltenham – particularly as mistakes proved costly in last season’s Arkle Chase over the same course and distance, whilst stable-companion El Fabiolo blundered away his chance when 9/2-on favourite for the Champion Chase on the back of winning the 2024 Dublin Chase.
“In truth, Majborough is likely to remain something of a white-knuckle ride on that score for punters until he’s produced a string of sure-footed displays similar to Sunday’s, but it bears repeating that he’s now shown form a notch above his likely rivals at Cheltenham.”
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Timeform’s two-mile chase ratings
179 Majborough
172 Il Etait Temps
168 Jonbon
167 Marine Nationale
166x El Fabiolo
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