Monday, 31 March 2025: A look at how the win of Light Infantry Man stacked up from a ratings perspective

LIGHT INFANTRY MAN winning the TAB Australian Cup

The Australian Cup always shaped as a race that one of the males engaged was going to need to run a new peak to win and that is exactly what Light Infantry Man did.

The Ciaron Maher-trained import continued his progression post his gelding operation with a strong win in what was a quickly-run edition of the 2000-metre weight-for-age contest.

Light Infantry Man won by two lengths in a time of 2:00.41, which earned him a Racing And Sports rating of 122, which was up from the 119 he ran when third in the Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m) at his previous start.

That 119 figure was the equal highest rating carried into the Australian Cup by any of the males engaged, shared by Group 1 Toorak Handicap winner Attrition and another Maher import, Middle Earth.

Light Infantry Man's new career peak was the same number Cascadian ran to win last year's Australian Cup, which are the highest-rating editions of the race since Humidor went 125 to win the 2017 edition.

Light Infantry Man's cause was helped by the fact the mares who held the benchmark figures going into the race ran below their best.

Runner-up Deny Knowledge equalled her best of 118 and third placegetter Zardozi elevated her peak number from 116 to 117, but the strongly-run 2000m appeared to get the better of Atishu, who went in a 120 mare but could manage only 116 in fourth.

Her dip was nothing like what we saw from the easy $3.80 favourite Pride Of Jenni.

The seven-year-old ran 129 this time last year when winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and while she has not replicated that number, she did head in off a 123 win in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m).

The reigning Horse of the Year, who, it should be noted, was eased down over the concluding stages by jockey Craig Newitt after being beaten soon after straightening, was given a mark of just 100.

That is her lowest figure since running to 95 when seventh in the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes (1400m) on Derby Day 2022.