THERE was some excellent sport on offer at Gowran Park’s Thursday meeting, with the highlight the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase, in which Champagne West put up a highly impressive performance in defying 11st7lb to win by seven and a half lengths from Ucello Conti.

It is difficult to put a confident rating on this effort, as it was one of just two races over larger obstacles on the card, but 164 is probably not excessive.

Champagne West is a reformed character since joining Henry de Bromhead over the summer, though it must still be wondered how well his previously suspect jumping would cope with the fences at Cheltenham.

Shaneshill made up for some disappointments this term by winning the John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle with a timefigure of 151, from Snow Falcon (who conceded him weight and gets a personal best of 155), Clondaw Warrior (149, two below his recent peak) and De Plotting Shed (better than ever on 150). The evidence is, however, that this bunch are a bit behind the very best staying hurdlers.

The opening maiden hurdle winner Bon Papa landed the odds with little fuss but impressed on the clock for this grade with a 134 timefigure. His time was 3.7s quicker than recorded by Getabird in the bumper, with the latter – who had looked a staying type when recording one of the best bumper times (116) on his only previous start – at least showing that he is not devoid of speed here.

J.P. McManus had a couple of good winners at Naas on Saturday, with Sutton Place recording a 157 timefigure - the third best by an Irish-trained hurdler this campaign - in defeating the useful Supasundae readily in the Limestone Lad Hurdle. Though it must be acknowledged that Sutton Place took a while to get on top in a race in which the middle stages were particularly fast, he may be a longer-term project.

He picked up only a 5 lb penalty for this in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and, along with Footpad (mentioned elsewhere), looks as well-treated as any in that race. Anibale Fly had only to match his previous best timefigure of 146 to win the Woodlands Park 100 Club Novice Chase from A Genie In Abottle (who was repeating his 145 previous best), but the pair were a long way clear and there would not be many better staying novice chasers around.

Arpege d’Alene currently has the best timefigure (147) of those quoted prominently in the betting for the National Hunt Chase.

Vroum Vroum Mag could have gone to Gowran Park but instead pitched up at Doncaster for what appeared an easy opening in the olbg.com Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle, for which she went off at 1/5. She was clearly well below her best in scrambling home by a head from Midnight Jazz, and nothing in the overall time (worth a 127 timefigure compared to her recent best of 151) or the sectionals adequately explain why that was so. They are not machines, of course.

Better time efforts at Doncaster were put up by Constantine Bay (148) and No Hassle Hoff (142), the one-two in a ding-dong finish to the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices’ Hurdle, in which they ran from three out nearly as quickly as Vroum Vroum Mag did later on at nearly a mile shorter.