SIZING EUROPE IS OFF THE SCALE GOOD

After watching the video of his win at Punchestown and comparing his times with other races I have to say SIZING EUROPE (42) is a very special horse. Given his strapping physique and the way he's always overjumped hurdles he looked sure to excel over fences. But even so the run he put up to win a hot Grade 3 novice chase by seventeen lengths at Punchestown was amazing. It was almost off the scale for a novice chaser on my ratings.

I concede that it's tricky making speed ratings for Punchestown as the course can be reconfigured quite radically. To make sense of the times you've got to use a stop watch to clock the sections. The safest solution is to find a race that looked strongly run from the video and then clock how fast they ran from the same point in another race.

The 3m 1f handicap chase on the card was clearly a true run affair and they clocked 4m 31.4 for the last 2m 1f of the contest. If Sizing Europe had run the same time when adjusted for the shorter trip of his race he should have clocked 4m 25.9. In fact he covered the last 2m 1f in 4m 21.5, which makes him thirteen lengths a mile faster than the winner of the handicap chase. That's mind boggling.

Sizing Europe just lobbed along through the race, cruised clear and won with any amount in hand after jumping like a buck.

This is a very smart horse indeed. In fact Sizing Europe is so smart I'd like to see him tackle experienced chasers instead of sticking to the novice ranks. After all he's now rising eight and has no time to waste.

I see no reason why Sizing Europe shouldn't stay three miles. He's a very deep chested sort that's already won over two and a half miles on heavy ground. So I'd like to see him go for the King George or the Ericcson Chase over Christmas rather than one of the obvious novice targets.

DONNAS PALM NOT FAR OFF CHAMPION HURDLE CLASS

DONNAS PALM (38) performed brilliantly on his first four starts last season. He won three of them and was a neck second to the brilliant Hurricane Fly in the Grade 1 Royal Bond in the other. I still maintain he might well have won that race if it hadn't been run at such a crawl which enabled Hurricane Fly to use his flat race speed to beat Donnas Palm in the ensuing sprint finish.

After those four runs Donnas Palm's form fell apart. He finished tailed off last in three of his four subsequent outings and got beat seven lengths into second by Mikal d'Haguenet in the other.

Trainer Noel Meade says he had all sorts of tests made on Donnas Palm to find the reason for his loss of form but found nothing. He now thinks his later flops were because Donnas Palm is probably best fresh.

This explanation makes a lot of sense as Donnas Palm is a rather narrow sort which means he carries less condition than most horses and almost certainly needs longer to recover from a race as a result.

Donnas Palm certainly seemed to prove the theory right when bouncing back to win a maiden on the flat following a six month break before romping home in fast time in a Listed hurdle at Punchestown last week.

At Puchestown Donnas Palm crused into the lead entering the straight and jockey Paul Carberry was able to take several leisurely looks back over his shoulder. Carberry barelyn needed to move a muscle yet Donnas Palm clocked a solid Grade 3 time. It's hard to believe he couldn't have pulled out at least another four lengths, maybe eight, and that's enough to put him bang there with the very best hurdlers.

As long as he's kept fresh I plan to keep on following Donnas Palm. He looks a seriously good hurdler to me.

I was impressed with the way OH SO HUMBEL (20) set a scorching pace while pinging the hurdles before tiring on his first run in nearly six months. Like a lot of front runners he seems best dominating small fields and has won both times he's run in races with less than ten runners following a recent outing. Next time he hits a small field I'll be interested in his chances in a lower class contest. It could be a good idea to send him novice chasing as he has the size for that and is a bold jumper.

NOLL WOLLOP HAS A BIG FUTURE

NOLL WOLLOP (35) only just sneaked into pattern territory on my speed ratings when taking a good mile maiden for juveniles at the Curragh. But this good looking, mature colt was clearly green as grass. His ears were going all over the place and he just didn't know what to do as he ambled along, moving easily in the closing stages. He only prevailed in a photo but I'm convinced he could have opened up by two or three lengths if he'd realised he was supposed to extend himself more. Add to this the fact that trainer Tommy Stack says he'd prefer faster ground and I reckon we have a horse with a big future.

MASTERCRAFTSMAN MAY LACK FINISHING KICK NEEDED FOR BC CLASSIC

I thought FIERY LAD (37) was a good bet to beat MASTERCRAFTSMAN (40) in the big prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Dundalk. The Coolmore colt lacks the turn of foot normally needed to win on synthetic surfaces whereas Fiery Lad can produce a terrific burst of finishing speed. Indeed, with a bit of racing luck Fiery Lad might well have won all his previous eight starts on Polytrack.

However, as is so often the case with Aidan O'Brien's best horses, Mastercraftsman was supplied with a pacemaker who went twelve lengths clear with a decent filly Jim Bolger runner at a searching gallop. As a result Mastercraftsman didn't have to produce the kind of finish that will almost certainly be needed if he is to follow up this win at Santa Anita.