Ratings rethink required as Pinatubo was never that good in the first place

Pinatubo is back. More specifically, he is back to winning ways after his Prix Jean Prat triumph this month. But what he isn't back to is the sort of vertiginous rating he earned for his nine-length victory in last season's National Stakes.

Pinatubo will never again scale those heights. Even if he encounters limited opponents on the same bottomless ground over which he won at the Curragh, he will never again match his official rating of 128. That's because he never ran to a rating of 128 in the first place.

As much is telegraphed by the collective exploits of the horses he beat in Ireland. The vanquished seven have since contested 21 races. None has been able to win a race of any description.