The May Carnival at Warrnambool may be done and dusted for another year but the jumps season looks to be just warming up if results at Sandown on Wednesday are anything to go by.

The highlight of the three jumps races on the Sandown card was undoubtedly the return to jumping of Australia’s champion jumper Black And Bent who strolled away to effortlessly record a record-breaking tenth straight success over obstacles.

He didn’t need to show his best form to come out a comfortable winner but his performance suggested that his best is still well within his compass going into the season ahead.

Events that unfolded in the race prior, a maiden hurdle over the same 3300m course 35 minutes earlier, suggested that his best may well be needed.

On Racing And Sports Ratings Black And Bent is the best jumper to race in Australia this century. His 2011 Grand National romp retuned a figure of 113 with the last jumper to run to that figure over obstacles in Australia, JJ Houlihan’s Moon Chase, who dominated the jumps scene in 1999.

Wednesday’s maiden hurdle certainly lacks the lustre of Grand National’s, Galleywood’s and the like but Macedonian’s performance, winning by a widening 20 lengths, retuned a figure of 98+ and laid down the foundation for a jumps season to savour.

Macedonian ran roughly 7lbs slower than Black And Bent on Wednesday but he was largely untested in doing so and there is no doubting that he can do better this campaign, particularly if his jumping improved as it should with experience.

That sort of performance is one of a handful of recent pieces of form that shows the improving quality of jumps racing in Australia in recent times, no doubt a result of the improved calendar and funding boost put towards the sport by Racing Victoria and the Victorian Government in the last couple of years.

Racing And Sports’ ratings show a marked increase in the overall quality of jumpers in Australia with median and mean ratings up sharply on what was seen in the mid-2000’s.

Black And Bent at 113 sets the standard, at least in the view of Racing And Sports, but the likes of Macedonian, Gotta Take Care and Black And Bent’s stablemate Brungle Cry are all now rated within the top handful of jumpers to run in Australia in recent times and upcoming clashes between these gallopers are sure to attract attention.

Throw in a lightly raced and promising stayer like Wells, an impressive maiden hurdle winner at his only try over jumps to this point and a good second in the Listed Andew Ramsden over two miles on the flat last start, and the quality of jumps races looks only set to keep on rising.

Racing And Sports top 10 hurdlers of the 21st century

Black And Bent - 113

Regal Royal – 101

Gotta Take Care -101

Karasi – 99+ (did perform at a higher level overseas)

Oncha - 99