BRITAIN’s All-Weather Championships have just completed their fourth year, and it is generally acknowledged that the initiative has been a success. There has been a steady rise in the quality of the racing through the winter, and not just at the top end, while the Finals Day at Lingfield Park on Good Friday draws good-quality fields and sell-out crowds.

The latest Finals Day saw good winning efforts from Sovereign Debt and Convey, horses more often seen in listed or group races, though both got into tactical contests and recorded unexceptional overall times, equivalent to timefigures of 85 and 93 respectively.

Better timefigures were posted by Winning Story (98 in breaking the course record in the Marathon), Kimberella (112 in the Sprint) and Second Thought (104 in the 3YO). The last-named once again impressed on sectionals and looks the type to make his mark on turf.

Other notable time performances on all-weather recently have included the wins of Khafoo Shememi at Kempton (111 timefigure, and much quicker than two good races on the same card) and Forest Ranger at Newcastle (107 timefigure, though sectionals do show that the leaders went too quickly, helping his come-from-behind style), and the second placing of Medahim at Wolverhampton.

The last-named got turned over at a short price by Original Choice in a handicap at Wolverhampton on Monday but did not get the run of things as much as the useful winner. Medahim had run very fast late on when winning on his only previous start at Kempton and is likely to remain on a winning mark on the back of this. His sectionals make him a mid-100s horse.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained War Secretary should scale even greater heights following his recent listed win at Dundalk, which came with a 101 timefigure despite his touching 599/1 in running. Dante, Derby and Irish Derby entries suggests connections think that this seven-furlong trip will be far from his limit.

It was not on all-weather, but Zhukova made a highly satisfactory return to action with a win in a listed race at Cork, though we learned nothing new about her on the clock: she ran a 117 figure at Naas last season but just a 77 in a falsely-run contest here.