THE Punchestown Festival will be dealt with from a time point of view in next week’s Time Will Tell and there was not a whole lot going on in the jumps world in the immediate post-Aintree slot.

The best winning timefigure of all (154) came from Theinval, who ran a remarkably quick time for the seldom used extended two-mile chase on the opening of Ayr’s Scottish Grand National card, not the only race which suggested the ground was by then quicker than the “good” officially reported.

Joe Farrell recorded an on-par timefigure of 140 in winning the big race in a stirring finish with Ballyoptic (154), while another novice, Bigmartre, was less impressive against the clock in running a 128 timefigure when winning the Future Champion Novices’ Chase elsewhere on the card.

INTERESTING

Meanwhile, there was an interesting card on the flat at Navan the following day, with some big equine names of the future, the present and (it remains to be seen) possibly the past on show.

The highlight was the Vintage Crop Stakes, in which Order Of St George did not have to run especially fast, by his standards, to see off Lord Yeats and Clongowes, but did it with sufficient authority that there is every reason to imagine he will be as good this year as previously.

His timefigure comes out at 99, but his finishing speed was approximately 112%, indicating that stamina was not much tested despite the 14-furlong trip and fairly soft ground.

The Broghie Man and Speak In Colours found their rivals in various states of unreadiness at this stage of the season and came clear in the Listed Committed Stakes.

It was a listed-calibre time, rather than something better, with both returning 106 timefigures, but the runner-up in particular looks as if he can go higher than this still. Sioux Nation and, in particular, Different League have plenty of restoring of their reputations to do.

Mary Tudor emerged comfortably best in the Listed Salsabil Stakes, but this was an all-out test of speed, with the filly running just a 79 timefigure accompanied by an approximately 112% finishing speed. Runner-up Hazel Bay made a promising debut, but it should be remembered that this form may well prove not the most reliable.

The card opened with an interesting maiden fillies’ for two-year-olds, with the daughter of Scat Daddy, So Perfect, seeming to do especially well to get up late on to score by a short-head. Her timefigure of 85 leaves her needing to find plenty of improvement if pitched into group company, but plenty of improvement has to be a strong possibility judged on the style of this.