Saturday at England’s world-famous Ascot Racecourse saw a true feat in modern horse racing history reached when the Harbinger truly outclassed the quality Group One <strongKing George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes field.
It was a stunning record breaking win where Harbinger obliterated his competitors by a huge 11 lengths in what was his first Group One race.
It was a stunning record breaking win where Harbinger obliterated his competitors by a huge 11 lengths in what was his first Group One race.
A win by that margin does not come about often at such an elite level, and the Sir Michael Stout-trained powerhouse has since been confirmed as a true champion by Timeform – the company who evaluate a horse’s performance without any bias.
Harbinger was awarded a conditional rating of 142 – conditional as the four-year-old needs to prove it was not a one-off occurrence, and so will not receive the rating officially until the end of the season.
If the rating is sustained, Harbinger will go down in international racing folklore being just 0.5 kilograms behind Brigadier Gerard and Tudor Minstrel and one kilogram behind the top-rated horse in history Sea Bird II.
The French-trained legend was based at the stables of Jean Ternyck and won the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1965 – earning himself a rating of 145 which has never been topped.
Stoute has never won the Arc, and so will target the four-year-old which has quickly become favourite for at $2.75 and could be a very safe option.
Harbinger may go for a preparatory race before the French showdown on the 4th of October – so keep checking back here and we will keep you informed.
