Timeform analysis | Special effort on debut from Asadna

Asadna, a 160,000 guineas purchase from the breeze-up sales, streaked 12 lengths clear on his debut for George Boughey, registering a time nearly a second faster than Pinafore – a progressive and fairly useful handicapper – managed over the same course and distance later on the card.

The performance earned Asadna a timefigure of 109, which is an outstanding achievement for a juvenile of any experience. A timefigure represents the time value of a single performance, whereas a Timeform form rating – which is on the same scale – is an assessment of the merit of a horse’s form.

In the last decade, Caravaggio, who went on to win the Coventry Stakes, is the only two-year-old to have clocked a higher timefigure prior to Royal Ascot. He achieved a timefigure of 115 when winning at the Curragh on his second start.

It’s also a higher timefigure than the last five winners of the Coventry Stakes produced in the race itself.

Reflecting on the performance, Timeform’s two-year-old handicapper Simon Baker said: “Timefigures are maybe the most powerful tool there is when it comes to rating early-season juvenile form and the one Asadna posted at Ripon is among the best we have on record for a two-year-old debutant.

“Indeed, it’s a better timefigure than most Coventry winners produce in the race itself and, while I think it’s important to qualify our praise by acknowledging that the opposition at Ripon were a modest bunch who were plodding home in his wake, Asadna will surely head to Royal Ascot with an outstanding chance.”

Asadna has a Timeform form rating of 109p which is the highest achieved by a juvenile so far this season. River Tiber, who maintained the unbeaten start to his career at Naas on Sunday, is the second highest with a rating of 104p. The pair look set for a fascinating clash in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.

Asadna is not the first juvenile to have clocked a big timefigure on debut at Ripon in recent years as Spartan Fighter and A’Ali both achieved figures in excess of 100 when fighting out the finish to a five-furlong novice in 2019. A’Ali won the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot on his next outing.

The last two winners of the six-furlong novice that Asadna won – Ever Given and Shouldvebeenaring – both went on to win the valuable sales race at the Ebor meeting.

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