TIME analysis comes into its own when the performance indicators from other means are absent or unclear.

That describes the state of play with some of the other major winners at the Aintree Grand National meeting who looked almost too good to be true.

Apple’s Jade romped to a 41-length win in the Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle on the Thursday, and her timefigure of 155 has her improving on her Triumph Hurdle effort by 10lb.

Ivanovich Gorbatov was not at his best this time – everything behind the winner recorded remarkably slow closing sectionals – but he might well not have beaten the filly even if he was.

A one-on-one comparison with the Grade 2 Mares’ bumper won by Kayf Grace (116 timefigure) on the same card, after allowance for the effect of obstacles, reflects well on Apple’s Jade.

Annie Power won the Aintree Hurdle by “just” the 18 lengths, increasing her margin over My Tent Or Yours four-fold from the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, and recording a 166 timefigure that was two in advance of her earlier figure.

It should be remembered that Annie Power gets a 7lb sex allowance in such races, so it would, theoretically, take a performance well into the 170s to dislodge her, something only her sidelined stablemate Faugheen (177 timefigure in winning Irish Champion Hurdle) has looked remotely capable of over hurdles at non-staying distances this season.

VAUTOUR FELL

Time analysis suggests that God’s Own (160 timefigure) would not have got near Vautour (174 timefigure at his best) in the Melling Chase had the latter completed and been at the top of his game, and that, also on the Friday, Native River (155 timefigure) put up just about the best time effort by a novice chaser over a distance of ground this season when taking the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

The Bowl Chase on the Thursday makes sense, with or without the times, if you accept that Djakadam ran quite some way below his Cheltenham Gold Cup form in third (and the modest margins by which he beat Dynaste and Taquin Du Seuil certainly suggests that he did).

Nonetheless, Cue Card ran another good time (172 timefigure) in winning easily by nine lengths from Don Poli (165 timefigure again). The latter had a different jockey, softer ground and a less frenetic pace to attempt to keep up with, but achieved a level of form that was scarcely better than his Gold Cup third.

Perhaps Don Poli’s connections will reach for the blinkers next: they won’t have far to look for a pair, as some of the horse’s fans appear to be wearing them still.