THERE was a plethora of top horse racing action around the globe in the last week but there can be only one place to start any review - at Chantilly, with the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which provided Aidan O’Brien with a historic one-two-three from just three runners.

As training performances go, that will take quite some beating, by anyone, anywhere, in our lifetimes. As a performance by the trio of horses themselves go, it was very good if not quite in the vintage category for a race which has strong claims to be regarded as the best in the world over the years.

That said, the clock adds substance to some of the more favourable interpretations of the result. Found’s time of 2m 23.61s was faster, by half a second or more, than any Prix du Jockey Club run at 2,400 metres in history. Bering’s 2m 24.1s in 1986 was not just a race record but a course record at the time.

Good though Found is (especially at this stage of the year), that sort of time could only have been achieved by her on ground that was faster than the official “good”. Other times on the day back that up also.

That time was also only likely to have been achieved in a race run at a good gallop and the sectionals confirm that this was the case. Whereas the “par” finishing speed % (the late speed compared to average speed for the race overall) at Chantilly seems to be in the region of 101%, this year’s Arc came in at 98.0% for the last 600 metres, indicating a strong early pace and relatively slow finish.

By comparison, the three main Arc Trials at this course the previous month had all resulted in sprint finishes, with finishing speeds well in excess of 110%.

Found herself was, sensibly, a few lengths off the pace for most of the way, before surging to the front with less than 400 metres to go and her own late sectional of 35.88s comes in at a fraction over 100% speed.

Meanwhile, every one of her rivals finished more slowly than their average speed, even those like Siljan’s Saga and Savoir Vivre who closed from some way back.

It might have been good to firm going but that pace certainly sorted the wheat from the chaff. I have Found and runner-up Highland Reel (who conceded 3lb) both running 127 timefigures, with Order Of St George on 124, though the last two would get upgraded slightly on sectionals.

Postponed, who had thrashed Found at Epsom in June and who had beaten Highland Reel at York in August (when he got a 128 timefigure), was not in the same form here and Makahiki ran even worse. But the 2016 Arc looks solid form in nearly all other respects.

Found will go to Santa Anita for a defence of her Breeders’ Cup Turf crown at least as good as ever, though an on-form Postponed and an on-song Flintshire would make that race tough for her.