SALDIER was not the only significant winner in the Ricci silks in the last week and a bit. The period also saw the impressive return of Douvan, who won the Clonmel Oil Chase with a 162 time performance, and Faugheen, who landed a beginners’ chase at the grand old age of 11, though it was a steadily-run affair and he gets a figure of just 137 even after sectionals have been allowed for.

Douvan’s time was 1.4s quicker on my timepiece than Shattered Love’s half an hour later, the latter carrying 8lbs less and returning a 147 figure with something to spare (sectionals confirm both races were truly run).

Smart novices

Shattered Love herself was just one of the major winners for Gigginstown House Stud recently, with the smart novice chasers Notebook and Battleoverdoyen on consecutive weekend days at Punchestown two others.

Both put up smart performances against more experienced rivals, but Battleoverdoyen edges it on the clock with a 151 win in the Florida Pearl Novice Chase which identifies him as close to the standard required for a Cheltenham Festival win already.

Not only did he account for 149-rated Any Second Now and Ex Patriot readily in a race run at a strong pace, he ran a massive 11.2s quicker overall than the useful handicapper Freewheelin Dylan managed in the next race.

Notebook benefitted from the tame finish of Éclair De Beaufeu in the same colours in the Craddockstown Novice Chase but ran a solid looking 148 in defeating Moon Over Germany by five lengths. Figures in the mid-to-high 150s are around par for Cheltenham Festival novice chase winners.

The unbeaten Honeysuckle made a winning return to action in a minor hurdle at Fairyhouse, though her time (worth a figure of 133) was much the same as 136-rated Diol Ker’s in a maiden an hour later. She had managed 140 at Fairyhouse in April and has few peers among female hurdlers in Ireland on that.

Ronald Pump arguably achieved a bit more in winning a useful beginners’ chase later on the Fairyhouse card, easily fastest of the three races at the two-mile, five-furlong trip and worth a figure of 144 on that alone.

This year’s Cheltenham Champion Bumper runner-up Blue Sari duly got off the mark over hurdles at the first time of asking at Punchestown on Saturday, but not by much in what was a steadily run race, and achieved a timefigure of just 116 in the process.