"World Class" last weeks ratings.

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

TOP OF THE CLASS: Rachel Alexandra 124 (Kentucky Oaks, Churchill Downs, 1m1f, May 1)

KENTUCKY DERBY and 2,000 Guineas weekend traditionally throws up two of the best colts of their generation, but last week it was a filly who climbed to the top of the three-year-old division on Racing Post Ratings.

Rachel Alexandra was long odds-on to land the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and she was as dominant in the race as she was in the betting.

The brilliant bay, from the first crop of Medaglia D'Oro, always travelled well under a confident Calvin Borel and she coasted clear in the straight to win in sheer isolation, a full 20 lengths clear of the chasing pack, earning a career best RPR of 124.

Although she couldn't have won any easier, the race was light on talent, and the runner-up, Stone Legacy (86), seems lucky to have made the frame in a Grade 1 event judged on her previous figures.

It was a similar story of not-much-to-beat for Rachel Alexandra on her previous start in the Fantasy Stakes, where she scored by an easy eight-and-three-quarter lengths from Afleet Deceit (90), and again when heavily eased down to land the Fair Grounds Oaks the time before that.

The Hal Wiggins-trained filly currently ranks second to Rags To Riches (125) on the list of recent Kentucky Oaks victors, but that filly proved herself against the colts by landing the Belmont Stakes, and it now looks time for Friday's winner to tackle the colts, or indeed the older fillies and mares, to prove just how good she is.

Borel was merely a passenger aboard Rachel Alexandra, but the colourful Cajun needed every fibre of his technical savoir-faire to get 50-1 outsider Mine That Bird home in front in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Settled in a detached last through the early stages, Borel judged the fractions perfectly on the sloppy Churchill Downs track and was cruising past toiling rivals turning for home.

He eventually ran out a six and three quarter length winner from synthetics-specialist Pioneerof The Nile (109), who just nosed out Musket Man (109) and Papa Clem (109) in a tight finish for the placings.

The form is hard to take too seriously, but the winner looks worth a chance to confirm his face-value RPR of 121 – though he is unlikely to have things fall quite so perfectly in his favour next time.

The son of Birdstone currently ranks alongside another shock winner, Giacomo, as the worst Kentucky Derby winner in the last ten years on RPRs.

In Britain, Sea The Stars picked up the best RPR in the Newmarket Classics this weekend, running to a mark of 123+ when landing the 2,000 Guineas by a length and a half from the Brian Meehan-trained Delegator (120).

The winner is a Cape Cross half-brother to the outstanding racehorseand sire Galileo and it would be no surprise to see the unexposed sort improve on this effort when stepped up to 1m2f later in the campaign. He currently ranks second to Rachel Alexandra on the global three-year-old list.

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 124
4 Fabulous Strike (US) Carter H 122
Two Step Salsa (UAE) Wasel Trophy 122
6 Albertus Maximus (US) Donn Handicap 121
Einstein (US) Santa Anita H 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

TOP TURF PERFORMERS
1 Gladiatorus (UAE) Dubai Duty Free 127
2 Deep Sky (Jap) Osaka Hai 124
Paco Boy (GB) bet365 Mile 124
4 Sea The Stars (Ire) 2000 Guineas 123
5 JayPeg (SA) Jebel Hatta 122
Russian Sage (SA) Jebel Hatta 122
Super Hornet (Jap) Yomiuri Milers Cup 122
8 Apache Cat (Aus) Australia Stakes 121
Asakusa Kings (Jap) Kyoto Kinen 121
Company (Jap) Nakayama Kinen 121
Dream Journey (Jap) Sankei Osaka Hai 121
Scenic Blast (Aus) Newmarket H 121
Takeover Target (Aus) T J Smith Stakes 121
Tazeez (GB) Earl Of Sefton 121
Vision D'Etat (Fr) Prix Ganay 121

Fame And Glory on top of the world - last week


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

TOP OF THE CLASS: Fame And Glory 120+ (Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, Leopardstown, 1m2f, May 10)

NEW Derby favourite Fame And Glory posted the best performance in the world last week according to RPRs - but he stands in third place among Epsom contenders with a rating of 120+ for his easy success in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial on Sunday.

However, the Derrinstown has been a good stepping stone for Classic success in recent years, with Sinndar, Galileo and High Chaparral all scoring at Leopardstown before going on to do the Epsom-Curragh Derby double.

Aidan O'Brien's latest winner could well add another Derby to that impressive tally, as he is the highest rated winner of the 1m2f contest in the last ten years, a pound higher than High Chaparral and Galileo.

That doesn't, of course, mean that he will end up running as well as that duo did at Epsom, but it is certainly not a bad thing for those expecting the son of Montjeu to extend his unbeaten run into June.

The form of Sunday's race is fairly easy to assess, as they went a good clip and Mourayan (107), Fergus McIver (106) and Hail Caesar (101) have all run within a pound of their Ballysax figures.

Fame And Glory has clearly improved since then, extending his margin over Fergus McIver from one length to five-and-a-half lengths, and he did it in some style, travelling much the best throughout and quickening clear inside the final furlong to score readily.

He currently sits third behind Sea The Stars (123) and Crowded House (121) in the Derby pecking order.

In Japan, Jo Cappuccino moved up to second in the domestic three-year-old standings with an RPR of 119 for his two-length win in the NHK Mile Cup at Tokyo on Sunday.

Silver Frost (119) ran to the same figure when landing the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Lomgchamp on Sunday, while Elusive Wave moved to the head of the European three-year-old fillies' standings with an RPR of 117 for her victory in the Pouliches.

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 124
4 Fabulous Strike (US) Carter H 122
Two Step Salsa (UAE) Wasel Trophy 122
6 Albertus Maximus (US) Donn Handicap 121
Einstein (US) Santa Anita H 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

TOP TURF PERFORMERS
1 Gladiatorus (UAE) Dubai Duty Free 127
2 Deep Sky (Jap) Osaka Hai 124
Paco Boy (GB) bet365 Mile 124
4 Sea The Stars (Ire) 2000 Guineas 123
5 Jay Peg (SA) Jebel Hatta 122
Russian Sage (SA) Jebel Hatta 122
Super Hornet (Jap) Yomiuri Milers Cup 122
8 Apache Cat (Aus) Australia Stakes 121
Asakusa Kings (Jap) Kyoto Kinen 121
Company (Jap) Nakayama Kinen 121
Dream Journey (Jap) Sankei Osaka Hai 121
Scenic Blast (Aus) Newmarket H 121
Takeover Target (Aus) T J Smith Stakes 121
Tazeez (GB) Earl Of Sefton 121
Vision D'Etat (Fr) Prix Ganay 121