ANYONE hoping for a bit of clarity in the two-mile hurdling division following the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown on Saturday was in for a disappointment. Instead, there were more unanswered questions at the end of it than in a general knowledge round of Celebrity Mastermind.

“What has happened to Samcro?” is one. “How could a horse of Tombstone’s ability finish third in a Grade 1?” is another. “What did the winner Sharjah achieve?” is a third.

On that last query, the answer is “not a lot” in terms of time. The Ryanair Hurdle may have been 5.0s quicker than the concluding bumper (in which the runners did not have eight hurdles to negotiate), but that is because the latter was even more steadily run.

In a wider context, Sharjah looks worth a figure of 149 at the very most on time here, some 19 behind reigning Champion Hurdler Buveur D’Air at his best.

Tombstone, last seen getting well beaten in a handicap, was only five and a half lengths adrift in third, running to a figure of 142, and even that may flatter him. Samcro’s huge reputation has never been entirely backed up by the clock, but the degree to which he emptied here, having looked by some way the likeliest winner between the last two, surely suggests all was not well.

Still, Sharjah could do no more than win, as he had won the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown and the Galway Hurdle – both with timefigures of 155 – previously. He has a smart turn of foot and seems more straightforward than several in this division.

RESPECTABLE

It was a respectable run from Supasundae (144 timefigure) in second given that he needs further or more of a test at the minimum trip than this represented.

Time comparisons between the three hurdle races on the card at two and a half miles were more enlightening, if at a lesser level. Good Thyne Tara (134 timefigure) was slightly quicker in winning the Grade 3 mares’ hurdle than Castlebawn West (133) was in taking the maiden hurdle, and both were a good deal faster than was Clash Of D Titans (96) when landing the novice handicap later on.

There were just two chases on the Leopardstown Saturday card, with Delta Work again impressing on the clock when winning the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase by wide margins from Mortal and Blow By Blow.

This is worth a timefigure of 155 by my reckoning, one higher than he managed when beating Le Richebourg narrowly at Fairyhouse earlier in December. Le Richebourg had, of course, upheld that form already by repeating his 154 timefigure in victory on the opening day of the Leopardstown Christmas meeting.

Delta Work is as good a staying novice chaser as seen so far this season in Ireland or Britain, though Santini is one who may well have the potential to improve past him.

Speaker Connolly’s emphatic win in the opening handicap chase is worth a 133 timefigure and suggests he and runner-up Poker Party (125 timefigure) deserve significant rises in their marks.