THERE wasn’t much racing midweek but there is plenty to write about from last weekend.

We kicked the weekend off with the rescheduled Lawlor’s of Naas fixture on Friday, which provided us with a few upsets.

Quilixios dropped down in trip from three miles to two miles and turned over the red-hot favourite, Mister Policeman.

Through our RaceiQ glasses, we saw a deeper confirmation that Mister Policeman needs further. For starters, he was slower, posting a fastest speed of 34mph compared to Quilixios’ 35.56mph, but it was the final furlong that told us the most.

Mister Policeman posted a time 0.54secs quicker than Quilixios, which suggests he was staying on strongly having been outpaced into the second last.

Going that extra half a mile will also give him a better chance with his jumping, as he lost 0.24 lengths in total through jumping throughout the race.

Quilixios, on the other hand, was slick enough to think he will cut it at the top level, gaining 7.22 lengths on the field through his jumping alone. Will the form of this race turn out to be deeper than most people think?

The other surprise was produced by Readin Tommy Wrong in the Grade 1 feature.

What most impressed us at RaceiQ was the way the 16/1 winner stayed on at the end of the race. The field quickened up significantly with half a mile to go but, aided by a slick run up the inside, Readin Tommy Wrong outstayed them.

This was reflected in the sectionals which reveal the winner simply slowed up less than any of the others, suggesting he may get a little further in time too.

In Britain it was the Siviniaco Conti Chase that took the headlines on Saturday at Kempton. With Edwardstone pulling hard and expending too much energy, it quickly became a two-horse race between Banbridge and Pic D’Orhy.

Banbridge had previously threatened to be a top-class horse and used this as an opportunity to stamp his authority on the two and a half mile chase division.

Better jumping

It was up the straight his quality really showed in both jumping and speed. He approached each of the last three fences quicker than Pic D’Orhy and, crucially, when he got in tight at the third and second last fences, he only lost 4.32mph and 4.66mph respectively.

However, when Pic D’Orhy put down at the last, he lost 5.67mph, losing far more momentum. In a sport decided on fine margins, it is mistakes like this which can make the difference.

At Warwick, Grey Dawning also confirmed his Cheltenham credentials, making a classy bunch in the Hamptons Novices’ Chase look a little bit average.

Many people had questioned whether he stayed before this race, myself included, but he certainly proved us wrong.

The pace was strong from the start and it didn’t let up, courtesy of Broadway Boy and Apple Away. In fact the third furlong of the race was the fastest.

Yes, Grey Dawning looked to be coming to the end of his tether towards the end, but he was left alone when the others couldn’t keep going and he still managed to finish with an finishing speed percentage [FSP] of 104.14%.

In comparison runner-up Apple Away recorded an FSP of 98.82%.