Handicapper’s verdict

VARDY has been raised six points by the handicappers to a new merit rating of 134 for his performance in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate last Saturday.

This makes him a 1.5kg better horse than Sun Met favourite Hawwaam who was one of those unsettled by the long delay at the start and has been left unchanged on 131.

Last year’s Met winner Rainbow Bridge, beaten a length and a quarter in third despite pulling hard for his head in the early part of the race, has been left on 134 but runner-up One World has been raised three points to 130 while Twist Of Fate (fourth) has been upped two to 129. The only other runner to have his rating changed is Undercover Agent who finished with only the pacemaking Crown Towers behind him. He has been dropped three to 124.

Handicapper Matthew Lips said yesterday: “It is impossible to know which horses were affected by the delay, and by how much, but we may have been slightly conservative as a result.”

Convincing Cartier Paddock Stakes winner Queen Supreme has been raised five points to 122. If she were to be supplemented for the Met she would receive 2.5kg as a filly plus a further kilo Northern Hemisphere allowance. The deadline for supplementary entries was yesterday in the original race conditions but this was extended until tomorrow when the first entries were published.

Driving Miss Daisy, who ran a tremendous race for a threeyear-old in the Paddock Stakes to finish second – and at 44-1, has been upped by five to 115. Third-placed Silvano’s Pride has been dropped two to 117 while disappointing favourite Front And Centre (fifth) has also come down by a kilo and is now rated 120. Santa Clara (seventh) is down three to 117.