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Barney Roy ups game as Churchill underperforms

Paul Curtis assesses the big winners on day one

Barney Roy (right) swoops late under James Doyle to land the St James's Palace with hot favourite Churchill (orange cap) well beaten
Barney Roy (right) swoops late under James Doyle to land the St James's Palace with hot favourite Churchill (orange cap) well beatenCredit: Mike Hewitt

Barney Roy took full advantage of a below-par effort from Churchill to land the St James's Palace Stakes on day one, continuing his progressive set of figures with a Racing Post Rating of 122+.

In giving runner-up Lancaster Bomber (119) a slightly bigger beating than when the pair finished runner-up and fourth in the 2,000 Guineas, Barney Roy has clearly improved again and showed a good attitude that augurs well.

Lancaster Bomber, who enjoyed a good trip tracking the pace-setting Rivet, looks the key horse and is credited with further improvement on his front-running Guineas effort. That he had previously been beaten five times by Churchill underlines that the dual Guineas winner was off colour here, as does the reversal of the Irish 2,000 Guineas form with third-placed Thunder Snow (118).

Ribchester cemented his position as the leading older miler with success in the Queen Anne Stakes, replicating his Lockinge-winning RPR of 125 in holding off Mutakayyef (122).

Although arguably unlucky on good to firm ground in last year's Sussex Stakes, this was a first success on fast ground for Ribchester on the back of a career-best performance on soft ground at Newbury. He's now shown top-class form on a range of going, though the suspicion remains that some ease is ideal, under which conditions he could rate higher still.

Those who kept the faith with Lady Aurelia were rewarded with another outstanding display of speed as she followed up last year's runaway Queen Mary success in the King's Stand Stakes.

In thrashing last year's winner Profitable and the Prix de l'Abbaye winner Marsha, Lady Aurelia has shown herself to be every bit the filly she looked last year with an RPR of 124. Profitable (118) has run to the same level as when successful in the race last year, with Marsha (114) running close to her Abbaye figure.

With her sex allowance factored on top of her lofty RPR, Lady Aurelia will take some beating wherever she turns up this year.

St James's Palace RPRs
2017 Barney Roy 122
2016 Galileo Gold 123
2015 Gleneagles 123
2014 Kingman 128
2013 Dawn Approach 126
2012 Most Improved 118
2011 Frankel 122
2010 Canford Cliffs 123
2009 Mastercraftsman 124
2008 Henrythenavigator 128

Results and analysis

Published on 20 June 2017inReports

Last updated 17:45, 22 June 2017

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