THE Cotswold Chase profile of going quite fast early and finishing quite slowly was reproduced in a number of other races on trials day at Cheltenham. Overall times suffer when that happens, so the timefigures quoted have been adjusted to be more informative in line with what the sectionals say about efficiency.

Best of those other races on the clock was the Cleeve Hurdle, won by Unowhatimeanharry with an adjusted timefigure of 165 from Cole Harden (156) and West Approach (152), who both received weight.

That makes the winner the highest-rated hurdler in Britain and Ireland this season on time, though a Faugheen-less campaign is proving less than vintage in that respect to date. West Approach confirmed his status near the top of the novice hurdlers with this effort, the waiting tactics employed on him by Ruby Walsh far from a negative given how things unfolded.

A strong pace did not prevent Un De Sceaux from winning the transferred Clarence House Chase earlier on the card emphatically by five lengths, though his adjusted timefigure of 152 does suggest he might not have beaten an awful lot on the day. It continues to look as if it will take something unexpected to prevent Douvan from winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase at this course in March.

The performance of Uxizandre in second after nearly two years off was undoubtedly meritorious, but he was another for whom the run of the race might have helped. Given his troubles, and a 141 timefigure here, a degree of caution about his prospects seems justified.

Wholestone put up his most convincing effort yet when taking the Classic Novices’ Hurdle with an effort worth an adjusted timefigure of 153, placing him joint-top of novice hurdlers in Britain and Ireland this term alongside Death Duty.

There are several snapping at that pair’s heels, however, and a sense that the picture may be clearer come Cheltenham than it is now.

Defi Du Seuil was left with little to beat in the opening Triumph Trial after Charli Parcs was withdrawn, and the strong pace proved too much for what was left. His time was 4.1s slower than that of the winner of the concluding handicap hurdle, and his timefigure of 110 is well below his Chepstow peak of 140.

The suspicion is that there are a few juveniles out there potentially better than Defi Du Seuil, though which ones they are is still far from clear.