MUCH was made of Cyrname’s “silencing the Doubters” through his win in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on Saturday, and in terms of his ability (never reasonably in question) and aptitude for going left-handed (I plead guilty to doubting this), he settled some questions emphatically.

In terms of his stamina for a testing three miles the jury should still be out. The ground was not as soft as might have been expected and the pace of the Charlie Hall was remarkably tepid. It played more like a two-and-a-half miler, and Cyrname was shown in an especially good light.

His time was only a little quicker overall than that of 122-rated Hear No Evil in an ordinary handicap chase earlier on, and it was only really from the last that much of a difference opened up.

The bare time of the Charlie Hall is ordinary, but Cyrname can be rated 167 and staying-on runner-up Vinndication 163. Remember that Cyrname stopped as if shot at the end of a gruelling King George VI Chase last December.

Other notable winning jump efforts were put up at Wetherby by Shan Blue (147) in a novice chase, by Duffle Coat (131) in a listed juvenile hurdle, by Mrs Hyde (138) in a listed mares’ hurdle, and by Roksana (148) in the Grade 2 West Yorkshire Hurdle.

Carlisle on Sunday played host to a couple of significant winners in the shape of Imperial Aura (152) in the Listed Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase and Sojourn (147) in a gruelling marathon handicap chase.

The hurdler Kid Commando (148) and the chaser Regal Encore (151) were smart handicap winners at Ascot, with the former looking one who is going places as a two-miler.

The Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter this Tuesday went the way of the promising Greaneteen in a smart overall time and with some splits to match (pace slackened only slightly mid-race). He is now rated 156 when about 170 would usually be required to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March.