Trio well placed to emulate Ghaiyyath as world’s best

Godolphin’s exceptional 2021 so far has been acknowledged in the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings, with homebred colts Mystic Guide, Essential Quality and Adayar featuring among the highest-rated horses in the world this year.

Ghaiyyath took the Longines World’s Best Racehorse title in 2020 following an exceptional campaign that saw the son of Dubawi allocated a rating of 130 by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

Mystic Guide is the joint highest-rated dirt horse in the world with a rating of 122 following his victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline in March.

The four-year-old has improved with each of his eight career starts for Michael Stidham and is set to make his first appearance since his Meydan triumph in the G2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park in early July.

Essential Quality and Adayar share top spot as the world’s highest rated three-year-old with a mark of 121 following their Classic victories earlier this month. Both colts will be hoping to cement their position over the coming months as they tackle the best of their generation and older opposition.

On the racecourse, a low-key week nevertheless saw several Godolphin horses enjoy Stakes wins, with Ranier edging out Kementari in the Listed Wayne Wilson Plate in Australia and the ultra-consistent Pixelate notching a fourth Stakes win in the USA.

Creative Flair could be set for a trip stateside herself for the G1 Belmont Oaks after making all in a Newbury Listed race, while Parchemin opened up middle-distance options when getting up on the line in the Listed Prix Ridgway in France.

Godolphin’s team for Royal Ascot will be spearheaded by the Classic generation, with Highland Avenue and La Barrosa taking aim at the feature race for three-year-old colts on day one, the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes.

Yibir, Kemari, One Ruler and Creative Force will be seeking Group wins during the meeting, while exciting juvenile New Science will be hoping to follow Pinatubo with success in the Listed Chesham Stakes.

Final Song ran an excellent race to take third in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2019 and this year’s G1 Al Quoz Sprint runner-up will be looking to continue her resurgence as a sprinter in the G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

In France, Philomene steps back up in distance as she bids to provide Godolphin with a first victory in Sunday’s G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly. The Dubawi filly was an effortless winner of the G3 Prix Penelope earlier in the season but was denied a clear run when coming home a close sixth in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.