The racing world watched in awe at Zarkava's destruction of a quality Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe field at Longchamp yesterday with every expert waxing lyrical about the Aga Khan's unbeaten filly.

Lester Piggott described her as "exceptional", Willie Carson said she "was the best filly since Allez France" and her trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre added that Zarkava is "out of the ordinary".

The praise is unanimous, but exactly what performance did the three-year-old daughter of Zamindar put up?

Zarkava is rated at just 127 by the British horseracing Authority's senior handicapper Phil Smith, making her merely the best threeyearold filly since Bosra Sham and some 7lb below Curlin, the world's top-rated horse.

Smith said: "We have Zarkava rated at 127 after the Arc. She went into the race on an unexposed 124, and you could argue she is still unexposed on 127. It was certainly her best performance to date."

Smith came to his mark of 127 by weighing up the merits of beating Youmzain by two lengths. Youmzain is rated 125 and third-placed Soldier Of Fortune 124. On that logic you can see his point but there will be plenty of arguments about rating her 4lb inferior to Bosra Sham. Zarkava also lost about two lengths at the start and no doubt has more improvement in her.

But will the Aga Khan let her run again as a four-year-old? The scenario seems unlikely but he said: "The decision about her future has not been taken yet. She won't race again this year and I will discuss next year with my team."