ANYONE looking at the times returned from Kempton Park and Warwick last Saturday, and trying to deduce the state of the ground and relative merits of the performances, needs to factor in alterations to race distances as a result of rail movements.
Kempton added up to 80 yards to their races and Warwick knocked off up to 81. That represents a difference of more than five seconds in both cases.
Still, at least the racing and betting public were informed, and in some detail, which is not the case in Ireland. The surface at Kempton was “good” on those times and just about “good to firm” at Warwick, rather than the other way round as might have been imagined without that additional information.
Top Notch took the Listed 32Red Casino Chase on the former course emphatically from Black Corton and Charbel, though it resulted in quite a slow finish (93% finishing speed) and the time was decent rather than better. A difference of 2.8s in favour of Top Notch over the useful handicapper Mercian Prince (who carried 4lbs more) in the previous race prompts respective timefigures of 154 and 144. Top Notch managed a 163 last season, and probably could do so again, but that has him just short of the true top-notchers.
Incidentally, while Black Corton (146) did well to get second at this shorter trip in this grade, his never-nearer effort needs to be viewed in the context of others around him slowing late on.
Big Time Dancer registered a solid 130 timefigure at Kempton in winning the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle, not the race it once was but still competitive at this level.
OK Corral impressed in winning the Listed Hampton Novices’ Chase at Warwick, but a steadily-run four-horse affair means this was never likely to result in a time to match.
He should be able to run into the 140s (had 143 timefigure as a novice hurdler) but this final time is worth just 123.
Both Beakstown (Grade 2 Ballymore Leamington Novices’ Hurdle) and Impulsive Star (Grade 3 Classic Handicap Chase) ran 138 timefigures elsewhere on the Warwick card. The former needs to find something like 13lbs to win at the Cheltenham Festival but connections seem lukewarm about that as a target.
Monday’s card at Punchestown was not especially classy but did have a few performances of interest.
TRIUMPH
Carlo Biraghi was useful on the flat and is being spoken of as a Triumph Hurdle hope after his win in the opening four-year-old maiden hurdle. But it was only a respectable beginning on the clock, faster than the handicap hurdle which followed it yet quite a bit slower than the concluding bumper (in which runners did not have to jump anything, of course).
I have a 121 timefigure on Carlo Biraghi, and he should certainly build on that. Torpillo remains the generational leader on 140, though better figures still should soon be forthcoming.
Dallas Des Pictons achieved a little more in the maiden hurdle over two and a half miles, coming 10 lengths clear and running a 131 timefigure. The race he finished second in at Leopardstown at Christmas could be even stronger than it first appeared.