THINGS have been pretty quiet in Ireland since the Dublin Racing Festival, not entirely by design, but Navan’s meeting on Sunday injected a bit of quality.

The Grade 2 Ladbrokes Ireland Boyne Hurdle turned into a sprint in the straight (110% finishing speed compared to 97% for the other two races at the same two-mile, five-furlong), at the end of which Beacon Edge emerged just best over Fury Road.

There is no need to alter their ratings of 154 and 153 respectively even though the run of this race had them running only to figures in the 90s.

I would have expected plenty more from well-beaten-last Tiger Roll if he is to do much at Cheltenham and Aintree.

Truly run

The Listed Apple’s Jade Mares Novice Hurdle was much more truly run and the 131 time rating on the winner Atlantic Fairy could prove to be too low. That does have runner-up and long-standing maiden hurdler Global Equity on a personal best of 129, however.

The Grade 3 Novice Hurdle, transferred from Clonmel and won by Frontal Assault, looks weak of its type and worth a figure of 133 at the most.

Beach good

There is not a lot to go on where the time value of Coko Beach’s Grade 2 Ten Up Novice Chase win is concerned, as it was one of just two races on the Navan card over fences. But the overall time was more than 10.0s quicker than the handicap chase which followed, and it is probably as good as it looks.

Coko Beach turned the tables in the process on Espanito Bello, who had beaten him easily at Naas in December, and the two are now rated 149 and 146 respectively.

Most of the fare on the all-weather at Dundalk is modest at this time of year, but two recent winners there have run good times compared to their apparent ability, Drakensberg posting an 81 figure last Wednesday and Thrumps Dream a 77 one last Friday.

The latter ran even better sectionals on a day when speed-sensing equipment was carried in all races. It is – pun intentional – about time.