THE Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes won impressively by Goliath has received plenty of comment.

It is the going that has come under more scrutiny than anything else. The official going description was ‘Good to Firm’, but that has been questioned by some, including Aidan O’Brien who saddled Auguste Rodin.

He expressed that the team had some concerns that the ground was on the easy side when walking the track prior to the race. If that was the case then conditions would have been against Auguste Rodin who has always produced his best form on quick ground.

An analysis of the final times on the day suggests that the ground was perhaps a little easier than ‘Good to Firm’ but nowhere near good to soft.

The final times on the day are listed below and compared to the RaceiQ Par times with the figure in brackets providing an above or below par figure.

Race 1: 6-furlong maiden: Our Terms 1m16.76s (+2.35secs)

Race 2: 6-furlong Group 3: Simmering 1m15.17s (+1.34secs)

Race 3: 1 mile Group 3: Friendly Soul: 1m 40.21s (+0.18secs)

Race 4: 7-furlong handicap: Northern Express 1m27.37s (+0.53s)

Race 5: 12-furlong Group 1: Goliath 2m27.43s (-3.05secs)

Race 6: 7-furlong Listed Stakes: Al Qudra 1m 28.93s (+1.42sec)

Race 7: 8-furlong handicap: Elnajmm 1m 44.09s (+3.98secs)

Race 8: 5-furlong handicap: Albasheer 1m1.08s (+1.49secs)

All races bar the very strongly run King George produced a final time above par. This can be a function of pace and/or ground.

If we look at how those races were run by utilising the Finishing Speed Percentages (FSP) we can decipher where the data is providing an accurate steer as to ground conditions.

Steadily run races with an FSP well above 100%, are not an accurate guide to the ground but evenly run races are. The FSPs from Ascot are detailed below.

Race 1: 106.95%

Race 2: 103.44%

Race 3: 107.41%

Race 4: 99.69%

Race 5: 98.47%

Race 6: 104.10%

Race 7: 110.59%

Race 8: 106.20%

These numbers suggest that most races were steadily run with fast finishes. The exceptions being races two, four and five. The times of those races suggest that the ground was no worse than good and probably somewhere between Good and Good to Firm.

Whilst Auguste Rodin would have preferred firmer conditions, his defeat has got more to do with how the race was run than anything else. The RaceiQ data is clear that the pace was furious and that those that raced close to it paid the price for going too fast too early in the race and Auguste Rodin was one of the sufferers. The early pace was strong with every runner producing their fastest furlong in the race through the second furlong.

Every runner produced an FSP under 100%, the early gallop sapping energy reserves of them all.

The FSPs of the first five home are:

1st: Goliath 98.47%

2nd: Bluestocking 98.04%

3rd: Rebels Romance 95.74%

4th: Sunway 95.62%

5th: Auguste Rodin 94.56%

The first three were held up with Rebel’s Romance doing best of those who attended the strong early pace.

In a race that produces a slow-motion finish, Goliath was given a tremendous ride by Christophe Soumillon who was clearly aware of what was unfolding in front of him and delayed his challenge for as long as possible.

Goliath finished the final three furlongs in 37.56secs with the runner-up recording 37.83secs. Most of that final three-furlong superiority was made up of a strong final furlong compared to his rivals.

He was the only horse through that furlong to dip under 13.00 seconds as detailed below.

Final furlong splits for first five home:

1st Goliath: 12.96secs

2nd Bluestocking: 13.16secs

3rd Rebels Romance 13.73secs

4th Sunway 13.56secs

5th Auguste Rodin: 14.35secs

Goliath’s final furlong split is representative of him running evenly through the final furlong with all his rivals running a slower split than would be expected for horses running at this level at Ascot on the prevailing ground.

That he could win while not having to quicken, is further evidence that he kept going best while others around him weakened.

Rebel’s Romance in third place deserves plenty of credit having attended the strong early pace and then making his move a long way from home.

He was fastest in the race through the eighth furlong recording 12.17secs, an effort that took him into second place but an effort that with hindsight was somewhat premature.

Goliath is clearly a strong stayer but being a gelding has future engagements somewhat restricted. As for Auguste Rodin, it must be concluded that he was too close to the very strong early pace. While a furious tempo at 10 furlongs plays to his strengths, it may be the case that he does not need a similar tempo over 12 furlongs.

The argument that he is at his best on really fast ground is backed up by his form and I have no doubt that he will bounce back to form, a repeat win in the Irish Champion Stakes not out of the question.

SOME of the most remarkable RaceiQ data that I have ever seen was produced in the Sky Bet City of York Stakes at York on Saturday.

Alflaila sprinted best in a race that was run at an absolute crawl to secure the prize for the second year in succession.

In winning the dash for home, he recorded a remarkable FSP of 122.59%. For a horse to be able to record such a power-packed finish he has to possess plenty of speed and has to be able to save energy in the early part of the contest.

It is a commonly held myth that in slowly-run races a horse needs to be ridden prominently, the truth is that in a slowly run race the horse that can quicken and sprint best is the one to be with.

In this contest Alflaila raced in fourth and last before firing the following final three furlongs to out sprint his rivals.

F8: 10.81secs

F9: 11.04secs

F10: 11.65secs

Alflaila is clearly a horse with a sharp turn of foot and he may run in the Juddmonte International where he will be playing for place money in a race that looks like it could be very strong, headlined by the brilliant City Of Troy.