Jan Brueghel tops rankings after Coronation Cup triumph
Jan Brueghel's much-improved performance in the Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday has propelled him to the top of Timeform's pecking order in Europe.
That gritty half-length defeat of Calandagan earned Jan Brueghel a Timeform rating of 128 (from 119p) which marks him out as the joint-highest-rated horse in Europe along with last season's King George winner Goliath, who didn't need to be at his best to win a Group 3 at Longchamp on Sunday.
Last season's St Leger winner Jan Brueghel had suffered the first defeat of his career on his reappearance in the Alleged Stakes over an inadequate mile and a quarter at the Curragh in March, but he proved a different proposition with that run under his belt and upped to a mile and a half in the Coronation Cup.
His performance is rated as the best in a Coronation Cup at Epsom since Postponed ran to the same level in 2016.
Timeform's Coronation Cup report read: "Jan Brueghel, who again sweated up (at the start this time), was back over a more suitable trip and produced a much-improved effort after nearly two months off, handling the track well and showing a willing attitude when challenged, despite his slightly awkward demeanour, his rider always looking in control, even when the favourite came close to getting on terms.
"His stable has Los Angeles and Illinois to target at the top middle-distance races, so where Jan Brueghel will go remains to be seen, but he will continue to take plenty of beating at this trip and further, whatever the target."
Lambourn rated second lowest of Aidan O’Brien’s 11 Derby winners
Jan Brueghel's victory kickstarted a highly successful meeting for his trainer, Aidan O'Brien, who also won the Derby with Lambourn (122 from 112p) and the Oaks with Minnie Hauk (119p from 100p).
There was a big field for the Derby, but it was an uneventful race, and nothing looked like landing a blow on the front-running Lambourn from a long way out.
Only twice in the last decade has the Derby winner won by further than Lambourn, who scored by three and three-quarter lengths, but plenty of his rivals failed to fire, notably the other runners at single-figure prices, and he was chased home by outsiders, so it's difficult to take a positive view of the form.
Ruler Of The World is also the only one of O'Brien's 10 previous Derby winners who registered a lower Timeform performance rating than Lambourn, though the likes of Serpentine (122), Anthony Van Dyck (123) and Wings of Eagles (123) all ran to similar levels.
It may not have been a strong Derby, but Lambourn still deserves credit for the emphatic style of success, and sectionals suggest that he wasn't flattered at Epsom but merely received a well-judged ride that sensibly brought his stamina into play.
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Timeform performance ratings of Aidan O'Brien's Derby winners
132 Galileo (2001)
130 High Chaparral (2002)
128 Camelot (2012)
127 Australia (2014)
125 Auguste Rodin (2023)
124 City Of Troy (2024)
123 Anthony Van Dyck (2019)
123 Wings Of Eagles (2017)
122 Lambourn (2025)
122 Serpentine (2020)
120 Ruler Of The World (2013)
Minnie Hauk rated higher than typical Oaks winner
Minnie Hauk (119p from 100p) was the lowest rated of Aidan O'Brien's trio heading into the Oaks, with the form of her Cheshire Oaks win rated a stone lower than Whirl's Musidora victory, but she was the choice of Ryan Moore, and she rewarded that faith by producing a much-improved display to edge out her stablemate by a neck.
Minnie Hauk's performance was better than that of a typical Oaks winner – the average performance rating of a winner over the last ten years is a shade higher than 117 – and she retains the potential to do even better after only four starts.
