October 3rd, 2023.

CURRENT STRING RATINGS AS WE ENTER OCTOBER 2023

TUESDAY (today being 3rd October's version of a Tuesday) as ever, is the day when reassessed handicap marks are made available. As we have had limited runners in the past week or so, we have only one change (Dec dropped 1) so this felt like a good opportunity to remind everyone about what marks the current string has allocated, and how they compare to their best marks with regards their Official Handicap Marks, Timeform Ratings and Racing Post Ratings.

ACED IT
Currently rated at 84 by the handicapper, and has been rated as high as 87. He joined Camilla rated 70 so is still a stone higher than his rating when we bought him.
Ace has won off 70, 76 and 85 and has run second off 85 (twice) and 86.
Racing Post Ratings (RPR) have given him ratings of 96 (in a listed race so maybe flattered) and 95 (three times) all of which were over 2 miles this year.
Timeform rated ACE's best performance as a 95 which was his race at Kempton back in 2021 when he finished 2nd to Naval Commander over 1m2 at Kempton.

MILITRY DECORATION
Dropped 1 to a mark of 70 after his run last week. This may seem harsh as he finished well beaten but the handicapper will have viewed that run as too bad to be true, and won't change anything drastic. Imagine how easy it would be for those who try to "cheat" should one bad run result in dropping a horse 4/5 lbs.
Dec's highest official mark was 79, when he was in Ireland as a 2yr/ 3yr old and his highest rating since we bought him was 74. When we bought Dec he was rated 56 so he is another that is currently rated a stone higher since joining Camilla, and he has won races for us off 55, 65 and 70 as well as win in Ireland off 74.
RPR has rated him as high as 81 (when he won at Southwell) and 79 at Newbury (finished 2nd).
Timeform rated his Southwell win as 80 and has given him 79 three times (Recent Bath 3rd, the Newbury 2nd and his 3rd place in the Jump Jockeys Derby).

TOUCH OF THUNDER
ToT has only had two runs to date and the first was slightly irrelevant as he was eased a long way from home, but he was given a RPR of 89 on his second run. The real test of his credentials will come in the next few months but it is worth noting that the form of his last run has been tested and stands up well. Teds Gift finished just ahead of us and has run 2nd since to a horse that has now 3 from 5.
Timeform gave ToT's second run a rating of 79,

SIEMPRE ARTURO
Arturo is as yet unraced, so ratings are unavailable but the dam was officially rated 79 when retired.

WONDER KING
Another as yet unraced, and with the majority of the family being from France any ratings are tricky to get an angle on.

HERE COMES MCCOY
HCM is officially rated 116 over hurdles and has had a high of 126 before he had his time off. He won a hurdle race of 123 back in 2021 and is clearly well-handicapped if he can show the same level of form when he returns.
RPR rated that win as 126 and his penultimate run was rated 120 so not far off his best at all.
Timeform gave HCM ratings of 117 twice in 2021, and his penultimate run 116, so again feel he is still capable of running close to his best, leaving him very nicely handicapped.

THREE PLATOON
3P has ratings for all 3 disciplines. Over hurdles, his official rating is currently 93 after being as high as 105. He has also been given a chase mark of 93, although that has been one aborted run, so hasn't been tested.
He has run up to RPR marks in the 90s over hurdles, his 3rd place finish at Uttoxeter rated his best and Timeform agrees it was his strongest hurdles run, rating that performance 92.

On the flat 3P is rated 60 at the moment, and has had a career-high mark of 80 as a 3-year-old and 79 as recent as last year. He won his race off a mark of 73, so is undoubtedly well handicapped once we find the key to his confidence and he recovers from his injury.
RPR has given him ratings of 83 four times, including his win and Timeform gave him 85 for his win and actually gave two of his placed runs a better rating of 86.

INDICATION ROCKET
Rocket is rated 58 currently, after a career-high mark of 61. He won off 55 and has finished 3rd twice off 61. He still has scope but needs things to fall right, and to settle a little better.
RPR gave him a high mark of 64 the day he won, and 63 on one of his third-place finishes, and his penultimate run was rated 61 so not far off his best.
Timeform rated his win as a 66 and also his subsequent 3rd at Wolves, also a 66.

LOUBIERE
Our 2-year-old filly is now rated 53, after two runs at 55. She is beating herself so needs to calm down and show the potential she clearly has on the track. Her second start saw her record her best RPR but is still a lowly 51, and Timeform agrees that was her best performance at a 52.
The form of her runs has worked out well, and it is too soon to be concerned but LOUBIERE absolutely needs to improve on these ratings when she returns to the track.