Timeform Sectional Debrief: Diamond Jubilee Stakes

The 2015 Diamond Jubilee Stakes had an international feel to it, before the event but even more so after it. Runners came from around the world to take on a sizeable local contingent in the latest leg of the Global Sprint Challenge and keystone of The QIPCO British Champions Sprint Series, and they claimed the first two places.

The US-based winner, Undrafted, was trained by an American, in Wesley Ward, and ridden by an Italian, in Frankie Dettori, while  the runner-up, Brazen Beau, came from Australia along with trainer and jockey, Chris Waller and Craig Williams. The best the British could honestly claim was third with Astaire, though Dettori is of course an adopted Brit while Williams also spent some time riding here.

The overall time of the Diamond Jubilee, when compared to other older-horse races on the day, backs up its standing as a contest of global importance. On average, it has been very similar to that of the big handicap which follows it, the Wokingham, but on this occasion it was 0.51s quicker. That’s no small difference at sprint distances.

Sectionals also identify this year’s Diamond Jubilee as a true contest in terms of pace, run at a strong gallop and with only small mark-ups for some of the principals (if larger ones for some further back for going quickly early and paying the price).

A fair contest in terms of pace, it might have been, but the ride given to Brazen Beau prompted much comment. Drawn 15 of 15, Williams chose to go it alone nearer the stand side than his rivals and might have suffered from being so isolated. The horse still led going into the final furlong and looked like winning until Undrafted got past close home.

Sectionals alone cannot answer whether such tactics made the difference between victory and defeat for Brazen Beau, but they do identify that Brazen Beau ran closest of all to finishing speed par – the benchmark of efficiency at Ascot’s six furlongs – for which the jockey deserves some credit.

Had Brazen Beau been sent on much sooner or held onto for much longer it might well have compromised his chance in a way that was more difficult to defend.

It is worth looking briefly at the sectionals for the principals in the Wokingham for comparative purposes.

Interception ran closest of all to sectional par, as Brazen Beau had done in the big race 40 minutes earlier, but she did it by coming from further back in a race in which the leaders went a bit too fast. The leader two furlongs out in the Wokingham, Suzi’s Connoisseur, got to that juncture about 0.29s (nearly two lengths) sooner than the leader in the Diamond Jubilee (Ansgar), and dropped away to finish twelfth.

Even Interception herself ran the first half-mile about as quickly as did Undrafted, despite being several lengths back upon its completion. The real difference between the top-notch sprinters in the Diamond Jubilee and the good handicap sprinters in the Wokingham came in how they finished their races.

Sectional times allow such comparisons to be made readily between races at the same course and distance and on the same day, but they also, with a bit of effort, allow much wider similarities and differences to be established under widely differing circumstances.

Little or no electronic sectional data is being produced in British racing currently, but Timeform has stepped into the breach with manually-sourced sectionals – like the above and for every race at Royal Ascot throughout the week – for all all-weather racing and for a sizeable amount of turf racing. Details may be found here.