THE comparative sectional times for the three chases run over two miles and six and a half furlongs at Galway on Monday make for interesting reading.

These are hand-timed sectionals from the recordings, so there is a significant margin of error but, at least with races over jumps, you can start and stop when horses land over obstacles, which is a more accurate way to be going about things than trying to take rudimentary readings from marker points on the flat. (The guy with the yellow jacket on the inside of the track always moves.)

The overall time and the visual impression suggested that they went slowly through the early stages of the beginners’ chase, and that notion was confirmed by the sectional times.

Actually, they went over five seconds faster from the starting line to the very first fence in the first handicap chase than they did in the beginners’ chase, and they went almost seven seconds faster in the second handicap chase.

Indeed, they were faster in the first handicap chase than they were in the beginners’ chase at every section, between every fence, with the exception of the final section, the section between the last fence and the winning line.

The novices were over six seconds faster on that section, but it still left them around 19 seconds slower for the course and distance than Call It Magic was.

Conclusions? It was a fine performance in the first handicap chase by Call It Magic, who made all the running at that relatively strong pace under Ruby Walsh and who stayed on strongly up the hill to win well.

He went 19 seconds faster than the novices, and eight seconds faster than they did in the second handicap chase.

Ross O’Sullivan’s horse has now won his two races since he was fitted with a tongue-tie and sent to the front, and Ruby Walsh’s record on him over fences now reads 2111.

His trainer said afterwards that the Indian River gelding had had a back operation during the summer, and it may be that, as well as or instead of, the blinkers that has ignited an improvement in form.

The handicapper raised him by 8lb to a mark of 140, which is not insignificant, but he remains progressive, this was just his eighth chase, and he will be interesting now in a better handicap chase off that mark.

He has never won over three miles, but he was able to maintain a good consistent gallop here, and he finished strongly, so he could do even better stepped up to three miles.

Grey day at Aintree

FITTING that the finish of the Monet’s Garden (grey) Old Roan (kindof grey) Chase at Aintree on Sunday should have been fought out by Smad Place (grey) and Cloudy Dream (grey).