THE final week of August was a quiet period internationally as well as domestically, though the final knockings of Deauville turned up some good performances. Best of all was the win of Telecaster in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville, in which he showed he stays 2,500 metres (12.5 furlongs) in the mud and returned a 116 rating in winning by six and a half lengths, though it should be noted that an unexceptional handicapper finished a bit close for comfort in fifth.

Stunning Spirit (113, Prix Quincey) and Breathtaking Look (110, Prix de Meautry) were Group 3 winners on the same Sunday card, the latter paying a compliment to Dream Of Dreams, who had thrashed her the time before.

Channel Maker (120) was the best winner in the US, of the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga, while Win Win Win (114) came from a long way back to take the Forego Stakes at the same track.

Tiz The Law clear on figures

This weekend sees the delayed Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, a race which is Tiz The Law’s to lose on the figures, but in which he and the other most fancied contenders have been drawn on the outside (a small but significant disadvantage over the years).

Tiz The Law is rated 125, with Authentic and NY Traffic on 119 and Honor A.P. on 117, but they will occupy stalls 15 and up in an 18-runner field if all go.

The only other runners I have rated 110 or higher are Max Player (110), third to Tiz The Law in both the Belmont and the Travers, and King Guillermo (111), second to the now absent Nadal in the Arkansas Derby in May. The latter would have been an appealing bet at big odds but was withdrawn on Thursday.