THE snow arrived too late to threaten British racing fixtures on Saturday but led to a wipe-out on Sunday. However, there was high quality stuff on show at Punchestown and Cork (though the latter ran only five of the scheduled seven races due to bottomless conditions).

Pride of place goes to the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Sizing John, who was superb on his reappearance in winning the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase by a smooth seven lengths from Djakadam.

This is not the easiest race on which to put a timefigure – being one of just three chases on the card, all over different distances – but sectionals confirm it was well-run and I am going for a figure of 170, which is two higher than Sizing John’s previous best.

That has Djakadam (163), Sub Lieutenant (161) and A Toi Phil (157) all at, or very nearly at, their best also. For now this looks like proper form.

Sizing John’s timefigure has him better than any chaser in action at present bar Bristol De Mai (176). He may have to wait until Cheltenham to clash with that rival, as connections ruled out sending the seven-year-old over for the King George.

WINNERS

Other winners at Punchestown included Getabird (127 timefigure) in a maiden hurdle, Avenir D’Une Vie (128) in a beginners’ chase and Hollowgraphic (119) in a bumper.

The last named was particularly impressive in a race run at a much stronger pace for a long way than the useful novice hurdle which opened the card, and ended up 3.2s faster than that race overall. These are early days but there has been no faster bumper performer this season than Hollowgraphic, though whether or not he needs conditions like these remains to be seen.

Incidentally, the best bumper timefigure of the season so far in Britain came at Exeter just two days earlier from the Fergal O’Brien-trained Time To Move On (118), so that division is really beginning to heat up.

TESTING

The ground at Cork prompted the most testing going allowance I have calculated since a meeting at Plumpton in January 2016 which also got abandoned halfway through for being unraceable.

It is best to take performances under such conditions with a pinch of salt but there seems no reason not to reinstate Un De Sceaux’s recent best timefigure of 163 after he ran away with the Hilly Way Chase in a time 9.8s quicker than recorded by Shattered Love (125 timefigure) in winning a Grade 3 Mares Novice Chase half an hour later.

Fabulous Saga’s win by about a furlong in the Grade 3 Kerry Group Stayers Novice Hurdle could be anything, but it doesn’t look any better in time terms than his previous best of 135.