Ding ding ding! It's Touleen vs Zanthous round two - top tipsters and trainers have their say on a riveting Rockfel rematch

The market for this Group 2 is, unusually, dominated by two horses last seen in Class 4 company as Touleen and Zanthos renew their rivalry after finishing first and second respectively in a fillies' novice at Leicester this month.

Since 2010, only four horses have won the Rockfel after coming straight out of Class 4 or lower, but the overall record of such runners stands up well against the rest.

The four winners came from a total of 37 runners who were taking the significant step up in grade, and they have outperformed market expectations. Their expected winners' (xW) figure comes in at around 3.5.

Now compare that to the record of those who ran in a higher grade last time and that group are 11 wins from 91 runners, with them underperforming compared to matching market expectations against an xW figure of 11. The value has therefore often been with those from lower grades.

That evidently bodes well for Touleen and Zanthos, but also brings in the possibility of The Prettiest Star making her presence felt. The Starman filly won a maiden at Nottingham by four and a half lengths last month, but that race hasn’t thrown up any subsequent winners.

Two of the last 15 winners came into the race on the back of just one win, and both Al Thakhira (2013) and Commissioning (2022) ended up with a Racing Post Rating of 110 following their Rockfel success. The Prettiest Star will need to improve 21lb to match them.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

Crisfords ready for rematch as Zanthos looks to overturn Touleen

The score stands at 1-0 to Touleen after her Leicester clash with Zanthos, but connections of the runner-up have reason to believe the form of that novice can be reversed in the Group 2.

The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained runner was sent off 4-11 favourite, but she was slowly away and pulled in the early stages, and could not match the turn of pace of her Shadwell rival as she pulled three and a quarter lengths clear.

Yet a faster pace on Friday is expected to play to her strengths, while she also boasts winning form at Newmarket, having last month landed a £40,000 maiden impressively on the July course.

Ed Crisford: 'There's a rematch on and I'm hopeful we'll see Zanthos in a different light'Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Zanthos is owned by Victorious Forever, an entity created last month by two Bahraini princes following the merger of Victorious Racing and KHK Racing. She has been backed to provide the fledgling outfit with a notable success, with the Sioux Nation juvenile shortening to 3-1 (from 9-2) since declarations.

Ed Crisford said: "The race didn't really pan out as we thought at Leicester, although I think Touleen is a very good filly. They crawled early and it turned into a two-furlong sprint. She's come out of it really well and learnt a lot from it. There's a rematch on and I'm hopeful we'll see her in a different light."

Touleen is no bigger than 20-1 for the Betfred 1,000 Guineas next season, with Zanthos available at 66s, and Owen Burrows spoke highly of the unbeaten daughter of Lope De Vega.

"We've been happy with her since Leicester, so fingers crossed we can have the same result," Burrows said. "She can't have done much more than what she's achieved already and William [Buick] was struck on her. 

"It looks a good race, but she deserves her chance up in grade. Leicester is slightly undulating and the ground is similar, so I've got no qualms about the conditions."

What they say

George Boughey, trainer of Awaken
The race didn't go to plan last time. It was a bit of a messy race but she seemed to have come out of it in great shape. Looking back at her second in the Albany over a stiff six [furlongs], she's been crying out for seven for a while. The ground will suit her a lot better too. It's the time of the year when we need to put our name in the hat and see how she gets on.

Karl Burke, trainer of Samra Green
It's a tough assignment for her second run, but she's a lovely filly and a nice one for next year. We're thinking she'll show up well.

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Nandita
She was a good third in the Calvados at Deauville last time when the race developed away from her. She came out of that in very good order and is in great form, although it's a competitive race.  

Ed Walker, trainer of The Prettiest Star
She's been working very well and, although she’s a filly for the future, she’d already be quite high up the pecking order of our two-year-olds. She showed a lot of speed when winning over six at Nottingham in her only start, but she'd stay seven.
Reporting by James Stevens

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