So what was the stronger Guineas?

As is often the case when the Australian Guineas and Randwick Guineas are run on the same day, much of the talk leading into Saturday was what was the stronger 1600-metre Group 1 for three-year-olds?

Flemington's version had the highest-rated horse – Jacquinot, with a peak Timeform rating of 120 – but the general feeling was the Sydney ensemble might have had a little more depth at the top end.

At least until Osipenko, who had won the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at his previous start, came out just before the scratching deadline on Saturday morning due to an elevated temperature.

The Randwick Guineas would have been a tough watch for those associated with the Chris Waller-trained colt, who would have only needed to repeat his Hobartville effort to win.

The son of Pierro ran 116 to win the Hobartville, which was three pounds superior to what Communist was awarded for his Guineas performance.

That is the same figure Communist ran in the Group 2 Callander-Pressnell (1600m) last spring, when beaten narrowly by Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile.

It was the lowest-rating edition of the race since it had its name changed from the Canterbury Guineas to the Randwick Guineas and dropped to 1600m in 2006.

The previous lowest mark returned by a male winner was 118, by Inference, Le Romain and Shadow Hero.

The Australian Guineas was also a low-rating edition, but comes out slightly superior to the Randwick version.

Legarto is the sixth filly to win the race, doing so in 112, which rated most similarly to Shamrocker (114) in terms of female winners of the race first run in 1986.

Triscay, Miss Finland and Mosheen all won the Australian Guineas in 122, while Mystic Journey returned a figure of 120.

The first two male horses home, Attrition (116) and Japanese Emperor (115) both returned higher ratings than Communist, while fourth-placed Bank Maur was also awarded 113.

Jacquinot, the Golden Rose and C F Orr Stakes winner, had his chances cruelled by an awkward getaway but peeled off the fastest last 800m of the race and second-fastest last 600m and 400m (behind Bank Maur) to earn a rating of 112+.

 

Clarity around juvenile picture?

The Golden Slipper picture generally becomes a little clearer following the running of the Todman Stakes and Reisling Stakes a fortnight out from the two-year-old major and Cylinder, not for the first time, set a new benchmark for his age group.

The Exceed And Excel colt went 115 to defeat Red Resistance (112) in the Todman, which was one pound superior to what Little Brose went to win the Blue Diamond.

Cylinder's Todman number was a four-pound improvement on what he went to win the Silver Slipper Stakes, which at the time, was the highest-rating two-year-old race of the season.

His Todman number was down on Timeform high 123s posted by Clan O'Sullivan and Real Saga, but up on the six-year average of 114.

It was the same number Anamoe went two years ago before an unlucky Golden Slipper second placing and only two pounds down on what Farnan went the start before winning the Slipper.

On the fillies' side of things, Learning To Fly kept her unbeaten record in tact and elevated from the 106s she ran at her first two starts to 109 in the Reisling.

She's not in the league of Alinghi or More Joyous, who both went 122 in the Reisling, or even Overreach (121), but it was the same Reisling figure posted by Estijaab the year she went on to win the Slipper.