IT is fair to say that the 2019 Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton was an odd race which takes a bit of unravelling.

On the one hand, you had a back-to-back winner storming 21 lengths clear of classy rivals in a time much quicker than the Grade 1 novice chase at the same distance a bit earlier; on the other, there were just five runners, and four finishers, and more than a suspicion that none of the beaten horses fully gave their running.

As often, time analysis can help in providing at least some of the answers.

That winner was, of course, Clan Des Obeaux, and his margin of victory has been surpassed in the race in the modern era only by the great Kauto Star in 2009.

But a comparison with novice race – run in Kauto Star’s name, and won by the smart Slate House – must acknowledge that the King George was much more truly-run, while the splits in the King George show emphatically that it was far less a matter of Clan Des Obeaux finishing strongly than everything else stopping alarmingly in the home straight.

Finishing speed

Clan Des Obeaux ran his race efficiently, with a close-to-par finishing speed (from the third-last) of 98.5% of his overall race speed. But Cyrname, Footpad and Aso struggled home in under 90%, which is the kind of figure seldom seen other than from stragglers in testing conditions and on stiff tracks.

The winner deserves credit for a high-class effort on the clock – I have nudged him up to a new personal best of 171 – but not anything like what would have been justified if his rivals had run to form.

Cyrname and Footpad were still bang there and going alright turning in, but ended up running times of just 151 and 146 (compared to 176 and 168 at their recent bests), and simply failed to stay. Both should still be major players back at a bit shorter.

It is more difficult to explain what happened to Lostintranslation, who did not really have a time to back up his impressive visuals, but who should have been a clear second at least given how things panned out.

Instead, he was trailing when pulled up, having made mistakes.

Clan Des Obeaux probably deserves to be regarded as top dog among the staying chasers right now, but he was in a similar position this time last year and finished only fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. On that occasion, and at a still longer trip, he was the one who looked slightly lacking in stamina.

That Slate House win struck a blow for achievement over promise, in that he could boast smart form from a competitive handicap going into this.

However, the lack of pace in the Kauto Star played to his strengths and a fairly narrow defeat of Black Op is probably not top-drawer.

I have him rated at 153 and Black Op at 149 after some upgrading for sectionals.

Another novice, in Commanche Red, was not far behind them on 144 for his win in a novices’ handicap at two and a half miles earlier on the Kempton St Stephen’s Day card.