ROBBIE Power was good on Supasundae in the Coral Cup, but he was even better on Sizing John in the Gold Cup, and you can argue that he was at his best on Rock The World in the Grand Annual.

Power settled Sizing John and eased him into a lovely rhythm. Keen over the two fences in front of the stands with a circuit to go, perhaps he thought that this was it, up the chute to the finishing line, he had never before been asked to go around again. Power had him settled again quickly, moved easily down the hill to the third last, moved out around Djakadam and Native River as they rounded the home turn, saw a stride at the second last fence and the race was over. Magic.

The magic continued in the Grand Annual. Power kicked Rock The World off in the front rank, but he obviously thought that the pace was too strong, so he allowed his horse drift back in the field. He was no better than 18th or 19th of the 24 runners as they rounded the turn with a circuit to run.

Again, Power made ground down the hill on the inside, wheeled to the outside early in the home straight, and delivered him. It was the ride of a man who was bursting with confidence.

Speaking of confidence: Jamie Codd on Fayonagh, Davy Russell on Presenting Percy, Bryan Cooper on Apple’s Jade, Noel Fehily on Special Tiara, Denis O’Regan on Tully East.

RUBY’S MASTERCLASS

And then there was the Ruby Walsh masterclass on Thursday, four winners, four very different rides. Yorkhill may have been the best horse in the JLT Chase, but he may not have been able to show it without a ride that smuggled him around the inside rail. And Un De Sceaux may have won the Ryanair Chase with any other rider on his back, but he may not have without the presence of mind that Walsh displayed in allowing him stride on over the two fences in front of the stands, after which Willie Mullins’ horse morphed into a relaxed leader.

Let’s Dance was probably the best mare in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, although it still needed a pace judge to determine that they were going too fast up front. But it was on Nichols Canyon that Walsh may have made the biggest difference of all. He held up off the pace, sat still on the run down the hill, moved to the stands rail at the top of the home straight, and delivered him with a run that saw him get home by three parts of a length from Lil Rockerfeller.

There is a chance that the quality of the ride made a difference of more than three-parts of a length and, in sport, that is the greatest difference of all: the difference between defeat and victory.