OK EC I accept the times were all faster but your figures looked a bit questionable. the 36 lengths catching my eye, so I dug a bit deeper
You say on time you got a rating of 174 but you are bordering on the impossible to get there.......I think :blink:
Thistlecrack would have to have run a time of 5min33.60 in last years race on my calculations using your figures
His time this year less 36 lengths @ 4 lengths per second???? is that correct?
So if we place him in Cole Hardens race his time would be 3 seconds faster than any horse has ever covered the distance
The course record is held by the 2000 Word Hurdle winner Bacchanal TIME 5m 36.60s (fast by 4.40s) That BTW was on Good to firm ground
you are ssuming that Cole Harden ran a speed figure last year in line with his OHR though...but he didn't,,you are looking at this in a reverse way which is overcomplicating it a bit imo
if you just look at the 3 mile handicap/WH comparison
Last year...Call the cops win was a solid par speed figure for that horse in the handicap...Cole harden only ran 0.4 seconds faster..making Cole Harden's speed figure only 151. Both races were decently run and the time figure for WH wasn't anything special.
The 3m handicap when truly run is a pretty good marker the world hurdle just on its own..last year CH only beat that race by 0.4 seconds..and it wasn't a pace issue as both finishes showed both were true tests
this year.....again both true tests...but this year Thistlecrack beats the handicap by 6.6 seconds
that one comparison tells you that Thistlecrack is a big figure..and he wasn't even really under pressure to beat the handicap by 6 seconds
this comparison in both years is valid re overall times due to all the races being run to show the true ability of the horses involved
Like i said..i don't usually give the 3m hurdling division any interest,,but this to me was a standout staying performance..which apart from Big Bucks..i've not seen before.
I'll be very surprised if the 2nd horse does not back this up..maybe not if turned out quickly at Aintree..but the 2nd is better than his mark imo and will show it