Fasliyev has been rated the top two-year-old of 1999 by the International Panel of Handicappers but it is the total of eight Aidan O'Brien trained two-year-olds in the top 18 that grabbed the attention at yesterday's ratings announcement.
"We have not seen a trainer dominating like this since the days of his namesake Vincent O'Brien," said the panel chairman Geoffrey Gibbs while the dominance of the Ballydoyle juveniles throughout Europe was elsewhere described as freakish.
Fasliyev, unbeaten in five starts but now at stud after a career ending injury, is rated at 125, a massive 5lbs clear of his nearest rivals. Those are his Prix Salamandre winning stable companion Giants Causeway and the English trained Dewhurst winner Distant Music.
O'Brien was not surprised with Fasliyev's high rating and said yesterday: "No doubt he was the best two year old I have trained and the pity is we hadn't seen the best of him. He was a big, strong horse and was only starting to come to himself. The sky would have been the limit at three and he was a very special horse."
The Ballydoyle trainer didn't disagree with the panel's high rating of Giant's Causeway and said: "He's a Group 1 winner which speaks for itself. From the time he came here as a yearling he has looked like a racehorse and was a big, mature horse at two."
The next best of the O'Brien team were the Prix Robert Papin winner Rossini (118) and Brahms (117) while Bernstein and the Racing Post Trophy winner Aristotle were each bracketed on 116.
Ireland's representative on the panel, Gary O'Gorman, said: "It appeared something of a freak year but in Ireland other stables are still reeling. There was a lot of discontent among other trainers as it discouraged them from running their horses. But it was quite remarkable to see how precocious some of O'Brien's classically bred two-year-olds were."
On the two-year-old filly front, Ireland had the joint top rated with Michael Grassick's Moyglare winner Preseli while the highest Irish rating overall was achieved by the July Cup winner Stravinsky on 127.
"Stravinsky was a special horse. He was an absolute rocket," was O'Brien's verdict of the Nureyev colt who was joint second in the three-year-old list behind the 135 rated Arc de Triomphe winner Montjeu.
That 135 put Montjeu at joint top of the overall list with the champion older horse Daylami. Just Dancing Brave, Generous, Peintre Celebre and Suave Dancer of the Arc winners since ratings began in 1986 have achieved higher marks than Montjeu.
