Watch And Learn: Christmas racing timefigure reflections including Bravemansgame

Christmas might be the time for peace on earth and goodwill to all if the proclamations that are nearly everywhere at this time of year are to be believed, but the racetrack over jumps at this time of year, when competition is at its fiercest outside the Cheltenham Festival, remains one spot where no quarter is given.

The last few days have seen some equine reputations enhanced, and at the same time others have collapsed.

On the training front, Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott were dominant in Ireland while domestically Paul Nicholls suffered some high-profile setbacks but still walked away from the ring with one arm in the air after Bravemansgame took the King George.

Nicholls is one of just two trainers, incidentally, to have sent out six winners or more domestically on the 26th and 27th of December since 2012; in contrast, as the balance of power has shifted across the Irish Sea, Irish trainers have managed that feat 11 times in the same period despite far fewer opportunities, with Willie Mullins’ 10 winners this year the second time he has hit double figures.

That show of force – a completely different picture from the years 2000-2012 when Irish only managed the feat twice – is a stark reminder that it isn’t the time of year to get things wrong with the first of the big spring Festivals less than three months away and owners old and new casting envious glances across the water. With so much to cover, I’ll skip through the leading performances on a day-by-day basis.

All eyes on the 19th on Punchestown’s rescheduled John Durkan Memorial card were on Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs and he threw down the gauntlet to reigning champion A Plus Tard with a highly impressive win in a career-best 167 timefigure, still some way short of the 178 A Plus Tard posted at Cheltenham in March but far from all out to do so.

Fakir d’Oudairies has seldom shown his form at Punchestown, so I’d be inclined not to make too much of his 13-length defeat, but third-placed Lifetime Ambition is a reliable sort on the clock so there's every chance Galopin Des Champs can scale the heights A Plus Tard already has when tested further, though the latter’s late withdrawal from the Savills Chase casts further doubt on his current well-being.

Later in the card Appreciate It added some much-needed spice to the Arkle picture with a winning debut over fences in the beginners chase. His winning timefigure (112) in coming home unchallenged wasn’t fast and his finishing split from 3 out was barely any faster than Galopin Des Champs managed despite running the final circuit around four seconds slower, but he showed the engine is still there and for all Jonbon still sets the standard for me in the two-mile division, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Appreciate It won a Supreme by twenty-four lengths whereas Jonbon was beaten twenty-two lengths in his.

Naas held a very informative card on the 20th with pride of place from a timefigure perspective (145) going to Journey With Me in the opening beginners chase over what clearly is a good deal further than the official two and a half miles race distance despite the track going out of its way to record supposedly accurate distances on its hurdles track. He wasn’t too convincing to my eyes over the last couple of fences after jumping fluently and might not be wanting to go any further for now.

Over hurdles, Impaire Et Passe and Halka du Tabert both created good impressions. The former landed a maiden hurdle (replay below) in a 126 timefigue upgraded to 138 after sectional upgrades from three out are incorporated, though had his overall timerating been calculated using either the omitted usual 2 out (from which he came home from over three seconds faster than any of the other hurdles winners, including Grade 2 winner Inthepocket who carried 4lb less) it could have been nearer 150. Quotes of 10/1 for the Ballymore look more than fair.

Halka du Tabert was one of two horses I mentioned in my last column as worth following from last season’s Irish point to points (the other Hurricane Harvey won at Chepstow last week at 16/1). I’m loathe to label her the ‘new Honeysuckle’ just yet, but a 122 timefigure was a good start even if she was over a second and a half slower from the last than Impaire Et Passe. She’s been quoted for the Mares’ Novice but I imagine her future is at two and a half miles and not two.

Pembroke, a winner for the Skeltons the same afternoon at Ludlow, is also worth a mention. A 131 timefigure is pretty smart considering his was the last race of the day and he came home from two out getting on for two seconds quicker than any of the other hurdles winners despite easing down after the last. I wouldn’t be surprised if connections want to save his new mark of 136 for one of the Festival handicaps, as he’s a lot better than that.

Fairyhouse’s card on the 21st kicked off with three chases that included the reappearances of both El Fabiolo and Ha D’Or, last seen finishing first and second in the International Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. El Fabiolo had won that particular battle quite convincingly and made the more promising start over fences on the clock, recording a 145 timefigure compared to Ha D’Or’s 129, though the latter, who jumped much the better of the pair, is open to plenty of improvement from that perspective if lacking the pace to be a significant player going forward at the minimum trip.

Star of the show on the clock on Boxing Day was undoubtedly Bravemansgame who gave trainer Paul Nicholls a 13th win in Kempton’s flagship race. A 172 timefigure at the conclusion of a strongly-run race thanks to the efforts of his stablemate Frodon is easily a career high and puts him right up there with the best of the current three-mile chasers, an accolade L’Homme Presse also deserves for all he’d have beaten two lengths or so had he not come down at the last.

The front two are likely to meet again in the Gold Cup, but that race would seem far-fetched now for not only Envoi Allen, whose Down Royal form was highlighted in this column back in November as being extremely dubious and about whom trainer Henry de Bromhead could hardly have been less convincing in arguing the step up to three miles was what had transformed him, but also Ahoy Senor whose career is in danger of heading down the swanee.

He might have won two Grade 1s but Grade 1s at Aintree when plenty of horses are over the top usually take far less winning than do those at Cheltenham and the pre-race talk about him being tried in cheekpieces only then not to wear them doesn’t fill me with confidence connections will turn him around even if he does get rerouted over hurdles.

The King George was run nearly 8 seconds faster than the Kauto Star over the same trip won by Thyme Hill. Thyme Hill had looked a ponderous jumper in his races over fences to date, but despite a steadyish pace (timefigure 133) not ideal for one placed in the Stayer’s Hurdle he had too much class and stamina for the non-staying McFabulous in a race that’s probably not worth a lot in all honesty.

Constitution Hill won the Christmas Hurdle, like the other Grade 1s sponsored by Ladbrokes, as easy as he liked without coming off the bridle in a 152 timefigure from stablemate Epatante who was ridden to beat the others, and it’s impossible to see him being beaten at Cheltenham all being well.

Paisley Park got the better of Goshen and Champ in a Long Walk that was just about well enough run to bring the winner’s stamina into play, but, as I‘ve said before, good though this form is it will be underwhelming if something younger can’t step up and land the Stayers’. Rare Edition looked a very smart prospect when winning the opening novice hurdle in a 140 timefigure, not least given his pedigree suggests he’ll be a fair bit better stepped up to two and a half miles. He’s almost certainly Graded class and he strikes me as a very likely type for the Betfair Hurdle given the good records of novices in the race.

There wasn’t much to enthuse about on times on Boxing Day at either Leopardstown or Limerick, with Saint Roi (149) doing best at the former venue and Gerri Colombe (133) at the latter. Saint Roi took advantage of a race that fell apart with both Fil D’Or and Hollow Games running below form and doesn’t yet look Arkle standard to me, though the turn of foot Gerri Colombe unleashed to maintain his unbeaten record under Rules despite dropping back in trip suggests connections will have trouble choosing between the Brown Advisory and the Turners.

None of the races over hurdles at Leopardstown were particularly strongly run. One-time Derby winner High Definition got off the mark on his hurdling debut in a 122 timefigure despite some very novicey jumping, while Triumph Hurdle favourite Lossiemouth proved far too good in the Grade 2 Knight Frank Juvenile, settling a very steadily-run race (timefigure just 79) with a sparkling turn of foot after some fluent hurdling.

Sky Bet Supreme favourite Facile Vega didn’t disappoint with a very smart display in the Paddy Power Future Champions Hurdle on Leopardstown’s Tuesday card. His performance didn’t impress everyone from what I read on social media, but from a timefigure perspective he could hardly have done any more with his 151 figure being the second best recorded by a novice ahead of the New Year since Timeform began producing jumps timefigures in 2015 behind only subsequent Ballymore winner Envoi Allen (who had posted a 152) in 2020.

Facile Vega was one of six winners on the card for Willie Mullins whose Blue Lord won the Paddy’s Reward Club Chase in a high-class 168 figure. For all Captain Guinness finds the testing 17 furlongs at Leopardstown as far as wants to go, this looks rock-solid form and puts the winner in the picture for both the Champion Chase and the Ryanair.

Over at Kempton Boothill paid a compliment to Jonbon with a well-timed challenge to win the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase in a 141 timefigure, though the equivalent race for established chasers over the same trip, the Desert Orchid Chase, ended up being run in a slower overall time (136 timefigure) and considerably slower finishing fractions after the winner Editeur du Gite ran himself into the ground but not before drawing a race-ending mistake out of Edwardstone and exposing the current standing of former Champion Chase runner-up Nube Negra in the process.

I’ll deal with the rest of the Christmas/New Year program in my next column.

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.