TIME analysis can really come into its own over jumps, in which sphere non-finishers and wide margins sometimes make horses look better or worse than they really are. A bit of both was in evidence in Irish jumps racing in the period under review.

Some of the interest went out of the Poplar Square Chase at Naas last Saturday when the favourite Cash Back came down at the first but that should not detract from the winning performance of Notebook, who slammed Fakir d’Oudairies and Djingle by 12 lengths and 11 in what appears a really good time.

Margins might have been exaggerated slightly as the two beaten horses weakened late on, but this looks like a 170-rated performance by Notebook (the highest by a chaser this season so far), who had beaten both Cash Back and Fakir d’Oudairies as a novice.

Notebook can play up in the preliminaries, but there are unlikely to be significant crowds at Cheltenham in March and 16/1 underestimates his claims for the Champion Chase: I have got involved.

Call Me Lyreen was the other notable winner on the Naas card, in the Old Persian at Glenview Stud Fishery Lane Hurdle, which he took from Wolf Prince and with a 143 effort on time. That places Call Me Lyreen high up in the pecking order among novice hurdlers seen so far.

Presenting Percy had looked good in winning a listed chase at Thurles on Thursday, but he recorded an overall time 3.9s slower than Eurobot had managed in a mere beginners’ chase half an hour earlier, and this form should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Presenting Percy strictly ran a time of just 114, but he can be left on his 160 from last season.

Eurobot may well prove useful, and now has a 143 time rating to back that up, but he was fractionally down on Lord Royal (144) when that one came down two out having jumped well to that point.

Percy paused

Energumene put up a fine performance visually and a spectacular one on the clock in winning a beginners’ chase with ease at Gowran Park on Friday, running the two and a half miles a good deal faster than 150-rated Annamix shortly before and nearly two furlongs faster than 120-rated Hostage To Fortune in another beginners’ chase soon after.

Only the “proximity” of Fort Worth Texas – beaten 18 lengths into second – stops Energumene going off the scale. As it is, I have him on a time rating of 154, which suggests he will be a major force in novice chases this campaign (though at what distance is less clear at this stage).

Minella Indo was an emphatic winner of the Grade 2 chase at Navan last Sunday but beat relatively little (runner-up Brahma Bull is rated 150) and did not run especially fast. He remains on 163 but seemed to run to 156 at the most here.

Blackbow was the other chase winner on the card, in a beginners’ event, and turned in a healthy 144 performance in beating 139-rated Entoucas.

The Grade 3 Monksfield Novice Hurdle elsewhere on the Navan card looks a rather weak race of its type, and not just because the overall time of it was unexceptional.

The principals finished in something of a heap, though the winner, 133-rated Fakiera, showed a good attitude again in getting up late.

Castra Vetera confirmed herself one of the best active bumper performers by winning her third such race at Navan, albeit in an unremarkable time. A rating of 130 underlines that she should do well when switched to hurdling.