LADBROKES have been in the news recently, and not all of it in a positive context, but their sponsorship of the two-day Newbury “Hennessy” Meeting can be considered a success judged by the standard of racing on offer.

First, though, it is worth noting a feature of the event that seems to have gone largely unremarked, and that is the state of the ground.

This was officially a mixture of “soft” and “good to soft”, but times suggest it was not that testing. The big race – now known as the Ladbrokes Trophy – was the fourth-fastest this century, and other races were also faster than usual.

I had the ground on the border between “good” and “good to soft” throughout, and Timeform have gone with the former for chases and the latter for hurdles. That is worth bearing in mind when considering how this form will translate elsewhere.

The Ladbrokes Trophy should prove solid form, on this sort of ground at least, for it was fairly well-run and resulted in a good overall time. The race time from three out (668 yards from the finish) of 44.5s equates to a finishing speed of 102.3% and reflects well on the first two, who went clear from that juncture.

Total Recall gets a 154 timefigure and runner-up Whisper – who was conceding him a stone in weight, including a 4lb penalty – gets a 168. The latter is second only to Bristol De Mai (176) among chasers this term.

Nothing else got close to that across the two days. Willoughby Court posted a 135 timefigure in winning a Grade 2 novice chase on the Friday and Elegant Escape a 136 in doing the same on the Saturday, both rather slower than might be expected.

IMPROVED

Beer Goggles took some notable scalps in the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle on Friday but might well not have improved by as much as would appear at face value.

His overall time was only a little quicker than The Organist’s in a handicap soon after and sectionals show that he got an easy time of things up front.

Beer Goggles gets a timefigure of 145 (runner-up Unowhatimeanharry 149) and The Organist 138. Thistlecrack (131) shaped as if quite some way off being fully fit in fifth in the former race.

Dame Rose registered a decent 136 timefigure in beating Cap Soleil convincingly from the front in a listed mares’ novices’ hurdle on the opening race of Saturday’s Newbury card, and there were respectable handicapping timefigures later on the card for Gold Present (141) and Old Guard (136).

High Bridge’s modest 105 timefigure for winning the Listed Gerry Feilden Handicap Hurdle reflects a time that was fully 6.0s slower than Dame Rose’s over the same distance, with all that difference, and more besides, being lost by the second flight.