THE remark “you only worry about time when you are in jail” has generally been attributed to racehorse trainer Luca Cumani, with the implication being that such considerations as one horse running faster than another do not really matter.

Cumani is a shrewd cookie who probably knew full well that he was being glib where racing is concerned. A knowledge of times explains much of what has gone on and can aid greatly in predicting what may yet happen.