IT was the winner of the Class 2 Novice Stakes at Newbury on Friday that was most interesting over the weekend, writes Page Fuller. Maltese Cross made hard work of his win, but his Time Index of 6.7 out of 10 was the highest of the meeting. This meant that, considering the race conditions, he had the most impressive win time over the two days’ action.

The key to why he looked so workmanlike lies in his stride data. From his three runs so far, we can see that he is a big striding horse, but he is unable to turn his stride over fast enough to quicken. His average stride length in all three starts has ranked the second or third longest in the field, but his stride frequency is lower than his rivals.

This means that he’s never been faster than 39.25 mph, as he can’t get his legs to move fast enough. His ability to turn the revs off will stand him in good stead for marathon distances. His minimum stride frequency of 2.00 strides per second was only faster than one rival on Friday, illustrating how efficiently he covers turf. In the last three years, winners of the Derby and Oaks haven’t dropped below 2.06 strides per second in victory. He holds an entry for the Derby, but based on the performance at Newbury, he looks a group level performer that will be seen to better effect over further.