Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 13 October 2025

There is so much media coverage of racing these days that it was refreshing to be reminded of the value of old-fashioned ‘inside’ information over this last week.

Andrew Balding has always struck me as being a sound judge, and I reckon those close to him would have been tempted to have a little of the 25/1 on his Dewhurst winner Gewan.

In the post-race interviews afterwards he said that the colt was ‘overpriced’ and that anyone who had seen his work beforehand would have fancied his chance. Indeed, if you judged him on his Acomb Stakes run, where he had Distant Storm four and three-quarter lengths away in third, then his claims were strong but since then he had been beaten at Doncaster.

The colt seems particularly well suited to fast ground, so perhaps conditions weren’t quick enough for him on that occasion, but he was also keen in the early stages of the race and he may not have been quite right. I like the way he sticks his neck out and he could thrive on the summer ground next season.

The other example from Newmarket of the value of being close to the yard came just over an hour earlier in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes, which was won by Aidan O’Brien’s Pierre Bonnard. The son of Camelot had been 5/1 in a place the night before, and he was strongly supported again at 11/4 down to 6/4 in the half-hour before the race.

Stable-companion Endorsement was steady at 5/2, but there was little doubt beforehand that the market momentum was behind the winner. Both colts came here from maiden company so there was no obvious edge, but I suspect Aidan O’Brien had a strong inkling that Pierre Bonnard would be the pick on this occasion, and those close to him stepped in accordingly.

The third instance of the benefit of being at the hub of the action came in a more traditional guise. This was in the 7f 0-55 nursery at Wolverhampton on Saturday evening, in which Calypso Breeze – who had beaten just three horses home in her previous three starts – showed much improved form to win at 9/2 having been 16/1 (much bigger on Betfair) the night before.

The trainer Denis Quinn gave the stewards a perfectly valid explanation for the improvement but, again, those close to the trainer would have had a significant edge over the general public.

In my view this is how it should be. As the late Queen used to say about the royal family, there must not be too much daylight shone upon the magic.

Bye for now

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