THERE was plenty to catch up with from the fortnight I was away, even leaving aside the Breeders’ Cup, expertly dealt with by James Willoughby in my absence.

There are new horses at the top of a few of the jumps divisions in terms of timefigures, including a completely new top-four among chasers.

Pride of place goes to Bristol De Mai, who gets a 164 timefigure for his half-length defeat of the ultra-reliable Blaklion when conceding that one 6lb in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby a couple of weeks ago. Bristol De Mai was the fastest chaser of last season also at one stage but went the wrong way in his last few starts: he is certainly able when on song.

Close on his heels this time round is Disko, who got a 163 timefigure for the same margin of defeat of Ballyoisin (who was receiving 7lb) in the Grade 2 Chase at Down Royal on the same day. Unlike, Bristol De Mai, there seems no reason to be concerned about how Disko will go from here, for he has been steadily progressive to date. He could prove top-class.

One further reason for confidence about Disko is that the third in the Down Royal race, Ball d’Arc, has won since, and in a good time.

The Gordon Elliott-trained gelding gave weight and a beating to five rivals in the Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase at Naas last Saturday, posting a 159 timefigure in the process.

In third place among chasers is Waiting Patiently, who retained his unbeaten record over fences with a 161 timefigure in a listed intermediate chase at Carlisle on November 5th.

Waiting Patiently ran the two and a half miles 4.0s quicker than did Mister Whitaker in winning a handicap earlier on the card and was carrying 16lbs more than that fairly useful horse to boot.

In fourth place is Politologue, who put in a 160 timefigure when landing the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter from another proven fast-time horse in San Benedeto (158 timefigure).

All of that quartet are six-year-olds and relative youngsters in chasing terms, so it augurs well for the season ahead that they have achieved so much – on the clock and not just on form – at such an early stage.

You might have expected to see Might Bite’s name among the leading chasers on time, given his prodigious ability and a comfortable win over the smart Frodon in a listed intermediate chase at Sandown on Sunday. But the clock – which identified him as high-class at an early stage as a novice – shows that the Sandown race is not especially solid.

Might Bite’s time was 1.5s slower than the veteran handicapper Houblon Des Obeaux later on the card and results in a timefigure of just 140. The earlier race was around 30 lengths behind at halfway and resulted in a finishing speed of 101.4% for Might Bite when something in the mid-90s could be expected had the race been truly-run.

You might also have expected to see Outlander up there after his win in the Champion Chase at Down Royal near the beginning of the month, but the back-to-form nine-year-old ran the three miles less than 5.0s quicker than a modest handicapper on the same card and comes in at 150 on time compared to his lifetime best of 165.