THE fastest men and women of the world were plying their trade at the World Athletics Championships in London last weekend, and Goodwood could justifiably claim to have hosted the fastest equine performer around following a vintage edition of the King George Stakes a day or two before.

Soft-ground conditions at Goodwood ensured that no timing records were broken, or anything like it, but time is a relative concept, and in relative terms Battaash did something pretty extraordinary in winning the King George with ease by two and a quarter lengths from the 2016 King’s Stand winner Profitable.

The King George was one of only two races on the straight course that day, but any differences in speed between that part of the course and the round course could be established with some confidence and consistency through the week and with the aid of sectionals.

A winning time of around 59.2s might have been expected of a good King George winner in the conditions. Battaash ran 58.51s in beating his rivals hands down.

That translates to a Timeform timefigure of 130, the highest at the minimum trip since Oasis Dream won the Nunthorpe Stakes in 2003 with a 133 timefigure, which was in turn the best since Dayjur ran 142 when smashing the track record in that same race in 1990.

There have been, however, a handful of fillies and mares in that time whose figures have been slightly lower but who would have been boosted by receiving a sex allowance: Miss Andretti (2007 King’s Stand), Mecca’s Angel (2015 Nunthorpe) and Lochsong (1994 Palace House) all recorded 129 timefigures at five furlongs, while Fleeting Spirit (2008 Temple Stakes) and Lady Aurelia (2016 Queen Mary) managed 127.

It should be noted that Timeform’s timefigures do not extend beyond Britain and Ireland, or else Black Caviar (rated 136 on form) and others would almost certainly entire the picture.

Battaash achieved his outstanding Goodwood time by running efficiently, as far as that can be established from sectionals, and took a step further forward from an excellent 123 timefigure at Sandown the time before.

Profitable gets a 120 timefigure – his best since a 125 in the Temple 14 months earlier – with Marsha, on 114 below her peak of 123, in third.

Battaash and Lady Aurelia are likely to meet head on in the Nunthorpe at York later this month, and lifetime-best timefigures cannot separate them with the latter in receipt of 3lb.

However, Battaash has done it more recently, while Lady Aurelia’s King’s Stand win this year at 125 was down a couple of points on her Queen Mary effort.

This is one showdown about which I am in no hurry to take sides, but it promises to be a race for the ages!