AS ever Irish Champions Weekend provided much to dwell on and, understandably, the focus over the two days rested upon on an enthralling edition of the Irish Champion Stakes.

The race has attracted far bigger fields but in terms of quality this year’s renewal was outstanding and there has not been a better 10-furlong race run in Europe all year.

Just to add to the occasion, the race served up that somewhat controversial finish where St Mark’s Basilica carried Tarnawa steadily left over the course of the Leopardstown straight before a stewards enquiry left the placings unchanged.

Tarnawa may not have had luck on her side last Saturday but, if anything, she emerged from the race with her reputation enhanced and with each week that passes she looks an increasingly compelling contender for the Arc de Triomphe.

Moving away from the actual outcome of the Champion Stakes the race made for fascinating viewing as the small field and the lack of obvious pace made it tactically absorbing.

Steady pace

The pace itself looked steady before increasing markedly off the final bend and afterwards Aidan O’Brien pondered what sort of times the runners did for the last couple of furlongs.

This was an intriguing query from the master trainer as rare indeed is the race where you got three spectacular talents quickening up to such effect in the last quarter of a mile.

Last Sunday, a press room colleague questioned just how slow was the early pace in the Champion Stakes – again another valid query surrounding the race of the year in Ireland.

Sadly though these questions shouldn’t need to be posed as all the way back in 2016 when HRI and SIS struck a media rights deal it was agreed that SIS would introduce sectional timing at every Irish racecourse from the start of 2017.

We are now in the last quarter of 2021 and remain in the dark as to if and when sectional timing will become an established and instructive part of the Irish racing landscape.

The fact that the Champion Stakes posed two pertinent questions surrounding early pace and the speed of the finish illustrates very simply just how worthwhile sectional timing would be.

Furthermore, it has the capacity to add to the sense of occasion that accompany some of the biggest days in the racing calendar. Anything that can further people’s understanding of what is unfolding in front of them can only be a good thing and one only has to look at some footage from top-class American racing from previous decades to realise just how sectional timing can play its part in making a big race an even more enthralling spectacle than it already is.

Ferocious

By way of example a quick review of the 2001 Kentucky Derby is worth calling to mind. In a race eventually won by Monarchos, the ultimately unplaced Songandaprayer set a ferocious early pace with the result that his opening half mile remains the fastest in Derby history.

The excitement generated by these blistering early fractions is readily apparent both from the reaction of commentator Tom Durkin and the palpable ripple of excitement that makes its way through the crowd.

Sectional times weren’t introduced for the purpose of generating excitement but their use is far from one dimensional.

Maiden

On a similar note, but one from a much more modest stage, the opening two-year-old maiden at Galway last Tuesday week made for interesting viewing.

From the very outset of the race the odds-on Swan Bay and second favourite Anchorage went toe-to-toe at what appeared to be a strong gallop.

At halfway you wondered whether the market leaders would be able to maintain their exertions but they did before Swan Bay left Anchorage behind over the last furlong and a half to score by five lengths.

To the naked eye, Swan Bay went quite a gallop and the way he sustained it was striking to say the least.

The visual impression left by this performance was that Swan Bay has Group 1 potential but it would have been nice to be able to measure the initial visual impression against the data supplied by sectional timing.

Alas that isn’t possible. There have been murmurings of movement on sectional timing in the past but nothing has yet come to fruition and sadly this is another area of potential progression for Irish racing that is being passed up.

ON a totally different note but to continue with the Champions Weekend theme, the card at Leopardstown on Saturday provided the perfect template for future high-profile race-days. Over the course of eight races there were just two 35-minute gaps with the rest of the races coming at half-hour intervals.

These half an hour gaps gave the day an energy, a flow, they maintained a good buzz throughout the enclosure and, most important of all, they kept people engaged all day. This is the model that should pursued for similar days.

Of course, broadcasting schedules don’t just revolve around one race meeting and other factors have to be taken into consideration, but anyone who was at Leopardstown can surely agree that this is the way to go when it comes to enhancing a customer and race-day experience.