THE battle for recognition as the best active horse in the world is straightforward in some years – such as in Frankel’s era – but much less so in others. The prime candidates on Timeform ratings this year are: A Shin Hikari from Japan; Postponed from Britain; and California Chrome and Frosted from the USA (though it would be fascinating to see what Ireland’s Order Of St George could do against the elite).
Frosted was in poll position courtesy of his demolition job in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont in June and did plenty to bolster his standing when landing the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday. He won by just two lengths from Comfort but was conceding that smart rival weight, and, as much to the point, went round hard on the bridle for much of the way, despite setting some fast early fractions: he was far from hard-pushed at the business end, either. Timeform US came up with a timefigure of 130 (adjusted for those fast early fractions), compared to his 135 at Belmont.
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