THE weekend just gone was quite a quiet one in Ireland, with a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Naas on Sunday, won by Chosen Mate with a timefigure of just 103, but nothing else above Grade 3.

The Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Saturday was not a great deal quicker than the ordinary maiden hurdle which preceded it, and Way Back Home can be credited with only a 124 timefigure for beating hurdling newcomer Morosini (119).

TIMEFIGURE

The best timefigure on that Fairyhouse card came from Rathvinden in victory in the Bobbyjo Chase, in which he accounted for Alpha Des Obeaux by three and a half lengths and returned a 153.

The best at Naas on Sunday came from Cadmium, who beat Doctor Phoenix at two miles and posted a figure of 154.

Midnight Run claimed a notable scalp in Column Of Fire in the concluding bumper at Naas and can be rated 124 (just behind the divisional leaders) on time and sectionals combined.

It is worth having a quick look at Thurles last Thursday week Thursday, when Real Steel returned a useful figure of 142 in winning the opening rated chase and the unheralded Invincible Cave ran surprisingly fast to win a maiden hurdle by fully 36 lengths.

That earned the latter a 140 timefigure, and he is an interesting runner for staying handicaps if the assessor does not overreact.

GRUELLING

The other big jumps race in Britain was the Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle, which went to Crosspark by a neck from Mysteree, but in quite a quick finish by this race’s gruelling standards. Those two get timefigures of 138 and 130 respectively.

There was quite an interesting meeting at Exeter last Friday week, when some of the proceedings were obscured by fog.

Dawson City ran a solid 138 timefigure in winning the Devon National Handicap Chase, and I thought that Get In The Queue had put up the best timefigure by a bumper performer this season in the finale until closer inspection suggests the time being widely used is around 4.0s too fast.

As it is, Get In The Queue gets a 120 timefigure, which makes him narrowly best of the Brits, if some way behind the best seen in Ireland to date.

Epatante was impressive in winning the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Exeter, but the time was far from special at 104.

Vision Des Flos got due reward for his consistency in defeat with a 149-rated win in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell on Sunday.