PICKING a highlight from the numerous classy events and individual performances which took place in Ireland and Britain over the festive period is not easy, but the contest which got the pulse racing most was probably the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Monday.

Few of the leading staying chasers were absent, though two of those who did run – Minella Indo and Delta Work – departed early on in a race that ended up being run at a pretty searching gallop on what was soft ground.

The overall time and time from three out were slower than when Delta Work won the year before in what itself had been a slow-motion finish.

Kemboy and Melon were up with that pace from a long way out, but were softened up sufficiently as a result to be picked off by A Plus Tard, who stayed on to wrest the spoils at the death.

This is not the easiest of races on which to put a time rating, by virtue of being one of only two chases on the card, and the only one at three miles, but it looks solid enough even if rather a lot of the contenders ended up running poorly.

A Plus Tard gets a figure of 170, something he has promised from time to time previously, Kemboy is now back on 169, and Melon’s 168 is easily his best over fences but in line with what he was once capable of over hurdles. By way of comparison, Al Boum Photo is 171 at his best.

The winner, who was tongue-tied, was running at a trip as far as this for just the second time and clearly stays better than some of us imagined. A Plus Tard has winning form at Cheltenham as well, of course, so he deserves his place as around third favourite for what looks a pretty open Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

Allaho in fourth looked more of a Ryanair Chase than Cheltenham Gold Cup contender, not for the first time, in emptying late on, though it’s fair to say he now has a bit more to prove in terms of his ability.