Fame And Glory overtakes Sea The Stars

WORLD CLASS: An analysis of the best performances of last week according to Racing Post Ratings

TOP OF THE CLASS: Fame And Glory 126

Trainer: Aidan O'Brien (Ire)

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, The Curragh, 1m4f, June 28

FAME AND GLORY leap-frogged Sea The Stars to become the leading global three-year-old after landing the Irish Derby on Sunday.

That wasn't the only major rating achieved on the weekend, however, as the best distaff performers in America were primed to dazzle the crowds from New York to Hollywood on Saturday.

In Ireland, Fame And Glory improved significantly on his Epsom Derby performance to post an RPR of 126.

Teed up by a blistering pace, the son of Montjeu's stamina really came to the fore and he ran on strongly to the line to register his fifth career win from six starts.

It would be hard to argue that Aidan O'Brien's colt had been unlucky behind Sea The Stars at Epsom, but he certainly seems to have stepped up on that effort here.

Indeed, direct lines through Golden Sword, Masterofthehorse and Gan Amhras all give the impression that Fame And Glory put up an improved display on Sunday with the race run to suit.

While an RPR of 126 puts him 2lb ahead of his Epsom conqueror, Sea The Stars remains open to further improvement and he will have his chance to regain top spot in the Eclipse Stakes on Saturday.

In America, expectations were buzzing coast to coast.
In the east, fresh from beating the boys in the Preakness, Rachel Alexandra looked set to do another demolition job back against her own sex at Belmont Park.

In the west, last year's champion filly Zenyatta was fancied to defy a massive weight and maintain her unbeaten record in the Vanity Handicap.

Both great fillies lived up to their billing with stunning performances, but little was learned about the question all racing fans are desperate to see resolved: which of these superstars is truly the queen of American racing?

Rachel Alexandra was first up and she faced just two rivals in the Mother Goose Stakes: the promising Todd Pletcher-trained filly Malibu Prayer, and recent Grade 3 scorer Flashing.

Malibu Prayer made the running, but she went off a bit too fast for her own good and weakened in the straight as the winner powered on relentlessly to the line, scoring by 19¼ lengths.

The furious fractions set by the runner-up means that you probably can't take the winning margin too literally, but the clock doesn't lie and a winning time of 1m46.33s shows this was another world-class performance from the Steve Asmussen-trained filly.

She was rated to her Kentucky Oaks RPR of 124+, which proves, yet again, that she is head and shoulders above the best fillies of her generation in the US.

Less than 15 minutes later and last year's champion asserted her claim to the crown.

Zenyatta had to give upwards of 13lb to the whole field in this handicap contest and, though she made harder work of it than she normally does, she strode on strongly to the line to take her unbeaten run to 11.

This was the biggest weight she has ever had to carry (9st3lb) and for a brief moment in the straight it looked like she might not pick up the pacemaker, who shouldered just 8st2lb.

However, sheer class and tenacity saw her come home comfortably in the end by two-and-a-half lengths.

Front-run fly-weight Briecat sets the standard to her best RPR of 104, whichputs the winner level with Rachel Alexandra on an RPR of 124+.

That equals the career-high figure she achieved when landing last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic in October and leaves the distaff division in a devilish bind at thetop, with two superb horses clear of the remainder.

Rachel Alexandra might have looked like Robert Patrick in Terminator 2 this season, storming away from her rivals in the manner of the unstoppable T-1000, but connections have turneddown the call to star alongside Governor Schwarzenegger at the Breeders' Cup on account of the synthetic surface.

With the gold and maroon corner unwilling to race on 'plastics', it will be down to the turquoise and salmon-pink cornerto switch to dirt for the heavyweight match-up of the season.

Zenyatta's owner Jerry Moss is eager for the contest to go ahead and he has put forward some suggestions of potential meetings with the leading three-year-old, but it mightnot be until later in the season that a suitable fixture can be decided upon.

Judging by all the rules connections have laid down, we may have to wait until a race like the Ruffian in September or the Beldame in October, both run at Belmont Park.

These two have proven their dominance time and again over their own sex and age group and they have nothing left to beat but each other.

TOP TURF PERFORMERS

1 Gladiatorus (UAE)        Dubai Duty Free        129

2 Scenic Blast (Aus)   King's Stand   127

3 Fame And Glory (Ire)   Irish Derby  126

3 J J The Jet Plane (SA)   Windsor Listed race  126

Paco Boy (GB)        Queen Anne        126

6Sacred Kingdom (HK)        KrisFlyer Sprint        125

Yeats (Ire)        Ascot Gold Cup        125

8 Ask (GB)   Coronation Cup    124

Deep Sky (Jap)        Osaka Hai        124

Mastercraftsman (Ire)        St James's Palace        124

Sea The Stars (Ire)        2,000 Guineas        124

Vision D'Etat (Fr)        Prince of Wales's        124

Vodka (Jap)        Victoria Mile        124

Youmzain (GB)    Coronation Cup   124

TOP DIRT/AW PERFORMERS

1 Well Armed (US)        Dubai World Cup        128

2 Big City Man (KSA)        Golden Shaheen        124

Rachel Alexandra (US)        Kentucky Oaks/Mother Goose  124

Zenyatta (US)        Vanity Hcap        124

5 Fabulous Strike (US)        Carter Hcap        122

Summer Bird (US)     Belmont Stakes   122

Two Step Salsa (UAE)        Wasel Trophy        122

8 Albertus Maximus (US)        Donn Hcap        121

Einstein (US)        Santa Anita Hcap        121

Friesan Fire (US)        Louisiana Derby        121

Gayego (UAE)        Mahab Al Shimaal        121

Mine That Bird (US)        Kentucky Derby        121

Success Brocken (Jap)        February Stakes        121