Ryan Moore: Don't underestimate Ruler of the World - this is a proper horse with improvement to come

Ryan thinks there's more to come from Ruler of the World

The handicapper has given Ruler of the World the lowest official rating of a Derby winner this century but Ryan is unconvinced by that assessment and predicts good things to come for the Coolmore colt

It didn't come as any surprise to see the official handicapper rate Ruler Of The World so lowly this week, but if people want to underestimate him - both now and in the future - then I think that will suit Aidan and the Coolmore team just fine.

They know they have got a proper horse on their hands. 

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why the handicappers can't go overboard about the form aspect of his performance in winning the Derby last weekend. It was a slowly-run race and they were all stacked up behind him at the finish.

It clearly wasn't a Classic win in the style of a Frankel but the race dictated that was never going to be the case. And he won clearly and convincingly, so do not underestimate in potential terms, if you can even say that about an unbeaten Derby winner.
 
But you have to look at the bigger picture and remember that Ruler Of The World had made his racecourse debut less than two months before winning the Derby. And I can you tell you now that I still felt him learning as I went through the race at Epsom. There is still plenty to work on there, and hopefully plenty more to come to please the handicappers in future.

I was surprised just what a great feel he gave me throughout the race. Beforehand, I thought he would run well, but I didn't expect the level of ease with which he took me through the race.

I was tracking Dawn Approach, who was already beaten by the time we had gone two furlongs, and my horse gave me a really lovely feel throughout, settling great, beautifully balanced, and he took off when I asked him to quicken.

You may not be able to rate the race that highly, but he was clearly the best horse in there and I would be confident that he would beat any horse that finished behind him at Epsom next time, even though Libertarian and Galileo Rock both ran great races, as did Battle Of Marengo in fourth considering he cut out the running.

I don't know where he goes next, maybe the Irish Derby, but he certainly didn't lack pace at Epsom - like I said, he really flew when I asked him, showing more instant pace and acceleration than he had done at Chester - but I would like to think he would be competitive in Group 1 company over 1m2f as well as over the Derby trip if that option was considered down the line.