SOFT ground and strong winds failed to dampen the spirits of those who attended the seventh British Champions Day at Ascot last Saturday, though they did make time analysis trickier than usual.

In the event, however, one performance stood out both on visuals and on the clock as being exceptional even by the high standards already set by the showpiece occasion.

That performance was, of course, Cracksman’s in winning the QIPCO Champion Stakes by seven lengths from the Irish Champion runner-up Poet’s Word and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Highland Reel, who himself shaped encouragingly after a break.

Cracksman was thoroughly dominant on his return to 10 furlongs, always close up in a race run at a true pace and storming clear once sent about his business with three furlongs to go. He stopped the clock at 2m 11.75s, which was fast for the conditions and equates to a 128 timefigure from Timeform, the second-fastest (behind Battaash on 130) of any horse in Ireland and Britain this year.

What’s more, Cracksman’s closing sectionals suggest he could have run faster still, and, unsurprisingly, are what you would expect of a colt who may well be even better at the trip of 12 furlongs at which he has done most of his racing.

His final three furlongs of 38.35s (finishing speed 103.5% of his average race speed) is impressive, but even more so was a final furlong of 13.0s, the fastest race sectional on a card which included Group 1s at six furlongs and a mile, and four to five lengths faster than might be expected of a horse of his calibre under the conditions. No wonder the rest couldn’t keep up!

You can forget the Cracksman who got beaten at Epsom in a Derby for which he had precious little experience (having missed a good-to-soft Dante Stakes at York due to “unsuitable ground”) and who got beaten at the Curragh in an Irish Derby in which he was left with too much to do. The horse we have seen since is much better than those who beat him back then.

Would Cracksman have won the Arc at Chantilly had he run? I am inclined to think so. There is not much between him and Enable on form and on times, mindful that Enable would receive a sex allowance. But if, like me, you think he would have been even better on Saturday at 12 furlongs and against still stronger opposition then it tips the balance in his favour.

The 2017 flat season has been a bit of a slow-burner, but it arguably kept the best until (nearly) last. With Cracksman and Enable – plus the likes of Battaash, Harry Angel and Order Of St George – likely to remain in training, the prospect of the 2018 campaign is one to warm the cockles during the long winter months!