ONE race caused me more head-scratching than the others in the past week, and that was the Group 3 International Stakes at the Curragh last Sunday.

You do not have to rate Up Helly Aa, Raise You and Sonnyboyliston especially highly (I have them at 104, 107 and 108) to think that smashing them up by seven and half lengths and more represents seriously good group form, and that is what Helvic Dream did.

Sectionals show the race to have been close to truly run, though the overall time does not fully back up the visual impression. I have Helvic Dream on 116 – a Group-2-winning figure – and have the others slightly or (in the case of Sonnyboyliston) a lot below form. Other notable older horse wins in the period under review came from Happy Power (117) in the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket, Angel Power (105) in the Pride Stakes on the same course, Euchen Glen (110) in the rescheduled Cumberland Lodge Stakes at York and the Fozzy Stack-trained Lady Wannabe (110) in the Darley Stakes at Newmarket.

Dakota Gold looked good in beating The Tin Man and Brando in a rescheduled Bengough Stakes at York, but his overall time comes out much the same as that of Gulliver, winner of the Coral Sprint Trophy later on, once weight carried is allowed for.

I have them both on 112, which is Group-3-winning standard rather than better, and time comparisons reflect well on Nastase (103, could be more), who was less than 1.0s slower than both of them in winning a listed race, carrying a bit less weight while just a two-year-old.