THE cards are on the table now as regards Cheltenham. They will be subject to some revision in the coming days, but it is unlikely that we will be seeing any potential Festival competitors on the track between now and the Festival. Nonetheless there was some very interesting action last weekend, not least at Fairyhouse, Kempton and Naas. Some of the races at these meetings made for interesting data analysis and I will put them under the sectional microscope.

Maximus impresses but jumping a slight concern

I Am Maximus was well backed to win the Grade 3 Bobbyjo Chase on Saturday and he duly obliged by 14 lengths to add another signature success at Fairyhouse to his CV.

The race was run at a steady gallop with Minella Crooner taking the field along through very steady sectionals for the first mile and a half. Thereafter the pace picked up with I Am Maximus taking up the running with three furlongs to go. He completed those furlongs in 63.33secs, fully 4.13 seconds faster than the runner-up Vanillier. He won the race with a particularly fast penultimate furlong where he recorded 14.85secs, as compared to Vanillier who could only muster a 16.08secs furlong. This was an impressive burst of speed for a staying chaser proving that he is far from a one-dimensional stayer.

Things could have been different though if Jody McGarvey had not sat tight at the last. I Am Maximus seemed to lose concentration and wandered on the approach before making a mistake. The Race IQ data tells us that he lost 8.85mph through the jumping envelope which is measured as being 30 metres before a fence or hurdle and 30 metres after that obstacle. For context through the race he typically lost much less speed at his fences, for example at the third he lost 3.77mph and at the fifth he lost 3.77mph.

The error at the last was part of a bigger jumping picture which suggests there is room for improvement. His three rivals all jumped better than him. Below are the lengths gained or lost for all of them through the race.

1. I Am Maximus: -3.56 Lengths

2.Vanillier: + 0.64 Lengths

3.Minella Crooner: -0.14 Lengths

4. Fury Road: +3.16 Lengths

The Drinmore painted a similar picture where I Am Maximus put in the worst round of jumping losing 4.81 lengths but still won by two and a half lengths. I Am Maximus is clearly a very talented racehorse who could jump better but will perhaps always do things his own way.

Ferny makes a very satisfactory comeback

After 26 months off the track Ferny Hollow returned at Naas on Sunday with a solid winning performance. If there had been any chinks in his armour, he could have been found out here because this race was run at a good even gallop courtesy of Ash Tree Meadow.

Ferny Hollow travelled strongly, racing in fifth early on before moving into the race as the pace picked up with four furlongs to go. He was then faster than all his rivals through the final four furlongs recording 63.05secs compared to the runner-up who finished the race off in 64.37secs. Rather than quickening Ferny Hollow kept on strongly off the decent gallop. His finishing speed percentage (FSP) of 102.62% tells us that he ran the final four furlongs 2.62% quicker than he ran the previous mile and a half. In essence he ran evenly and was able to sustain his speed.

His jumping was good. The Race IQ data tells us that he was best in the field, gaining 6.34 lengths. He was particularly good at the last fence where he gained 2.31 lengths with a tremendous leap which suggests that the energy reserves had not run dry and that his finishing effort could have produced a better FSP if he had been asked for maximum effort.

This was a very satisfactory return to action for Ferny Hollow who according to connections will probably bypass Cheltenham.

Final flight crucial in Adonis

Fine margins in top class sport make a big difference and that was certainly the case when it came to the win of Kalif Du Berlais in the Adonis at Kempton on Saturday.

He gained a three-quarter-length win over Givemefive and survived a stewards’ inquiry having drifted to his right on the run-in. He was a shade quicker than the runner-up through the final four furlongs clocking 55.03secs compared to 55.21secs for Givemefive. That his final furlong was only 0.07secs better than the second tells us that it was not a fast finish that propelled him to victory. We need to look elsewhere to find where he gained an advantage.

The Race IQ jumping data reveals that throughout the race Kalif Du Berlais was marginally inferior to Givemefive with that horse gaining 0.19 lengths on the winner. Their figures are below.

Kalif Du Berlais: (+3.47 lengths)

Givemefive: (+3.66 lengths)

However if you dissect those figures it is clear that a superb jump at the last where Harry Cobden saw a great stride made all the difference. At that hurdle the numbers read very differently.

Kalif Du Berlais: (+2.46 lengths)

Givemefive: (+0.79 lengths)

That difference of 1.67 lengths at the final hurdle was the difference between winning and losing for Kalif Du Berlais who is reported to be giving the Triumph Hurde a miss and his future may well lie over fences next season.

Battle It Out can score again

I fancy Battle It Out is a horse a good way ahead of his mark. On his first try at two and a half miles off a mark of 130 he bolted up by 13 lengths and the data set he produced backs up the striking visual impression that he made. Having raced in the rear in 8th for much of the contest, he made relentless headway from six furlongs out, and his final four furlongs of 59.82secs was 3.45secs quicker than the runner-up Shantreusse. That finishing surge saw him record an FSP of 107.81% which tells us that his final four furlongs were 7.81% quicker than the preceding two miles.

His jumping was equally as impressive. He gained ground at 11 of the 13 fences leading to a cumulative gain of 12.03 lengths. Such was the verve with which he jumped the last, he gained 5.87 lengths at that fence alone. There is a lot more to come from him judged on his complete dominance in this race.

It should be added that Charlie O’Dwyer, who can claim 5lb, impressed with how he handled this horse, timing his challenge to perfection.