YOU do not often see valuable handicap chases won in the style in which Chatham Street Lad won the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup on the New Course at Cheltenham last Saturday, let alone by a novice who had previously run only in ordinary contests.

Fifteen lengths and 12, in a 17-runner field that had seemed to contain some well-treated and smart chasers, had that “too good to be true” look to it, but the clock does not lie (even if our interpretation of it is sometimes found wanting!) and the clock says it was as good as it looked.

Chatham Street Lad was 6.2s (approaching 30 lengths) faster than Fusil Raffles had been when winning a novice chase a bit earlier on, with all of that difference, and a bit more besides, coming from two out.

As much as Chatham Street Lad looked like a fresh horse as he bounded clear, Fusil Raffles had been doing a fair impression of wading through treacle. Their respective finishing speed percentages (from two out) were around 99% and about 81%.

Chatham Street Lad’s overall time looks solid compared to the other chase on the card, and compared to standard times, also. The upshot is that he comes out at 157 on my figures, one that only Allmankind (160) has surpassed among novice chasers this season, though few have had the same sort of opportunity to put up such a big rating.

Fusil Raffles, who very briefly headed this division, remains on 152 but may not have had to run to that here, worth just 141 on the bare form and time.

I would not place maximum store by what he achieved here in a three-finisher contest on his first attempt at beyond two miles.

While there were some slow motion finishes across the two days at Cheltenham, some media remarks about the ground were wide of the mark. It was primarily “soft”, and tending towards good to soft on the hurdles course, judged on times.

Chatham Street Lad clocked an identical average speed as Coole Cody had in winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup on the Old Course a month before.

So, Chatham Street Lad is a very smart novice chaser, at least on soft ground with a good pace at around two and a half miles, difficult to anticipate though this effort was.