IN top-class horse racing, small margins matter whether they be a horse getting a bad trip, causing interference, chasing too strong a gallop or racing on ground that is different to the described conditions, and data analysis of the race times at Leopardstown on Saturday suggests that the ground was faster than advertised.

The ground was described as good and that remained the going description throughout the nine-race card. This was not backed up by the data, which suggests it was at least good to firm if not faster.