The Derby showed race analysis is evolving - the next step might not be far away

It was appropriate that a couple of in-depth interviews with Steve Cauthen popped up around last week's Investec Derby. The differing analyses of his all-the-way win on Slip Anchor in 1985 and Serpentine's success on Saturday made clear how things have changed in recent years.

The received wisdom from Cauthen's day had always been put in human terms: 'typical American rider', 'clock in his head', and so on. While Emmet McNamara got due credit for his superb ride, most of the post mortem has focused instead on hard numbers.

Sectional times have long been a figurehead for the movement towards a more quantitative means of assessing horseracing in this part of the world. It has taken a decade or more, but the last week has shown that the battle for their acceptance is effectively over.