CLASSY jumps performances have been a bit thin on the ground of late, though things will undoubtedly change on that score from November onwards. It is worth remembering, by the way, that jumps figures are approximately 35 higher than flat ones, in line with official marks in the two codes.

I had only two winning performances exceeding 150 on time since August in Britain and Ireland - Ballycasey (157) in Gowran’s Champion Chase and Sharp Rise (154) for a handicap hurdle win at Stratford - until the latest week, when they were joined by Garde La Victoire and Hargam.

Garde La Victoire, a very useful novice chaser last season, took his form to an even higher level with a 152-timefigure success at Ffos Las in the Welsh Champion Hurdle, a truly-run race in which the first two finished clear.

The Philip Hobbs-trained seven-year-old has a slightly higher mark over fences but not enough to temper enthusiasm for when he returns to the bigger obstacles.

Hargam is exposed as just below the top level over hurdles (was third in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton last season), but showed that he retains all his ability with a 150-timefigure defeat of Court Minstrel (154, as he was conceding weight) in a listed contest at Kempton.

Hargam has looked like a two-miler previously, but less so on this occasion (touched 22 in running before digging deep) and is bred to get further.

Hidden Cyclone was easily fastest of four two-mile hurdles over the two days of Punchestown’s recent meeting and earned a 145 timefigure for his ready defeat of Rashaan, to whom he was giving 11lb.

Accurate time assessments of Three Stars’ win in the Grade 3 Buck House Novice Chase and Sadler’s Risk’s win in the Grade 3 Irish Daily Star Chase the following day at Punchestown are not so easy, on account of doubts about race distances.

I have the former at 140 but the latter at just 112, the slower pace of Sadler’s Risk’s race reflected by a quicker time from three out despite a much longer overall distance.