FIVE-runner group races in France do not always tell us an awful lot, but last Sunday’s Prix Ganay was more informative than most.

It was run at something close to a true pace – 104% race finishing speed for final 600 metres – and in an overall time that looks remarkably good.

It was not the much-vaunted Ghaiyyath who came out on top, but last year’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Waldgeist, who surged through late on and gets a 125 timefigure, raised to 130 on sectionals.

He is not necessarily better than when a close fourth to Enable in the Arc, but he is already right back to that level, which means he should be hard to beat in coming months.

Ghaiyyath (118) looked largely beaten on merit on ground that was nowhere near as soft as being reported officially, though he is still worth at least 120 for his all-the-way win in a false Prix d’Harcourt.

The Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) winner Study Of Man (also 118) made a perfectly satisfactory return in pipping Ghaiyyath for second by a short-head.

Morgan Le Faye continued to look a speedier, if not definitely better, version of last year’s model by returning another 116 sectional rating in winning the Prix Allez France Longines.

Holdthasigreen gets an impressive 119 sectional rating for winning the Prix de Barbeville, though he did get the run of things a bit more than second-placed Way To Paris.

In a busy week, there were plenty of other winning efforts to take note of, not least that of Cape Of Good Hope in winning the Investec Blue Riband Trial at Epsom with a 106 time performance.

One imagines there are several higher up the Ballydoyle pecking order than him at this stage, but the brother to Highland Reel could well improve again at 12 furlongs.

Pink Dogwood cemented her position as favourite for the Oaks at Epsom – at a surprisingly short price the way I look at it – with a workmanlike victory in the Listed Salsabil Stakes at Navan, worth a 100 sectional rating, with runner-up Encapsulation (who came from further back) on 103.

King Of Comedy ran a 111 timefigure at Yarmouth, Safe Voyage a 115 at a rain-affected Haydock, Hey Gaman a 113 at Leicester (Listed King Richard III Stakes), New Graduate a 111 at Ripon and Eagles By Day a 96 at Salisbury.