IN most weeks, the introductions to this column pick themselves – a major race and/or a major time performance is the obvious place to start – but that is not the case in this instance. In a quiet week between Epsom and Royal Ascot, the biggest races in Britain and Ireland were Group 3s and the fastest timefigure was a 113 which comes in at 39th in Britain and Ireland this season so far.

The horse who posted that figure was the evergreen Brendan Brackan in the Listed Glencairn Stakes at Leopardstown last Thursday, where he managed to run the mile in a time 3.40s quicker than the dead-heating winners in an admittedly ordinary handicap later on the card.

Brendan Brackan has failed to win in group company since 2013 (Solonaway Stakes at the Curragh), despite several attempts, but is better now than at any time since and could well rectify that situation in the months ahead.

The other listed race on Leopardstown’s Thursday card was the King George V Cup won by Grandee with a timefigure of 101, a number that suggests the Jessica Harrington-trained three-year-old still has a bit to go to break through at group level.

Earlier on the card, there was nothing to get especially excited about with September’s debut win from an overall time point of view – she ran much slower than Spanish Tenor did half an hour later and recorded just a 66 timefigure – but sectionally is somewhat different.

September ran the last three furlongs in about 36.6s, which was easily fastest on the card and fastest by a juvenile at the track so far this year – Winter (36.45s) is one of only four older horses to have bettered that sectional in 2017. Modest overall time or not, September is a filly we are likely to hear plenty more of.