ROYAL Ascot was not the only horseracing event of international importance in the last week by any means. In particular, Belmont race track in New York hosted an outstanding card which included the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the US Triple Crown. The race went to Creator by a nose from Destin, as all three legs this year went to different horses.

The finishing speed of the Belmont (the speed in the closing stages as a % of the average speed for the race overall) was 97.3%, which is much closer to par than the 94.4% of the Kentucky Derby won by Nyquist and the 94.1% of an even more strongly-run Preakness won by Exaggerator.

On Timeform form-based figures, Nyquist (rated 126) is the best of the US classic crop, from Exaggerator (125), with the Belmont one-two both on 122. None of them is an American Pharoah, however.

American Pharoah, in his turn, was no Frankel, or so it seemed. But, like Frankel, plenty of good is being done to his reputation after his retirement by one to whom he was manifestly superior when racing.

American Pharoah beat Frosted each time they met, including by a comfortable five and a half lengths in the Belmont 12 months ago. But the latter returned to “Big Sandy” on Saturday to put up apparently one of the performances of the modern era in the Metropolitan Handicap.

Handicaps in the US are not quite like handicaps in Britain and Ireland, in that the best horses are usually let in lightly. Frosted ran off a mark of something like 122 on Timeform ratings (117 on World Thoroughbred Rankings), which was well within his capabilities to win from.

ASTONISHING

Frosted did not just win, however: he won by an astonishing 14 and a quarter lengths, recording a Timeform US figure of 135, which is the best anywhere in the world this year. His toiling rivals were all previously rated at least 113 in form terms.

That 135 is the kind of figure that may well not be surpassed this year, though one who will have a better chance than most of doing so is Flintshire, who took the Manhattan Stakes on turf on the same card in explosive style.

Flintshire was a superb performer when based in France, but one who got placed more often than he won at the highest level, seeming to lack a bit of acceleration. That was not the case here, as he ran the final 2f of the 10f in around 21.5s, resulting in a Timeform US figure of 129. Now on Lasix, he could well be even better.

Lastly, a quick word on the French equivalent of the Champion Hurdle, which took place at Auteuil last Sunday. The Paul Nicholls-trained Ptit Zig won but would probably not beat Un de Sceaux and the French star Blue Dragon again.

Sectionals confirm the visual impression that the last-two-named did far too much too soon (16.2s per furlong by the end, having been 14.2s/f only a half mile from home), with Un de Sceaux looking a blatant non-stayer at the extended 25 furlongs to boot.

The remaining four days of Royal Ascot will be covered in next weeks’ column