Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 20 April 2026

There are certain profiles that I like to see in a horse’s form.

In a previous edition I wrote about the ex-point-to-pointer who showed reasonable form between the flags before joining a yard and finishing down the field in maiden/novice hurdle races, mostly over two miles, before running off a favourable mark in a staying handicap hurdle or chase.

I have seen an increasing number of horses this Jumps season winning with this profile.

On the Flat my favourite profile is a horse with a stout pedigree who has shown ability as a two-year-old over six or even five furlongs.

We have to go back to 1982 for when I first spotted this. The horse in question was Sun Princess, who was bred to stay middle-distances and beyond but she had run second in Ascot’s Blue Seal Stakes over six furlongs on her only start at two.

The following season I bumped into her trainer Major Dick Hern at Epsom before the Oaks and when I raised the matter he said that indeed for her to show such form over that trip at two was “most encouraging.”

As you may be aware, Sun Princess won the Oaks by a record margin of 12 lengths – the first maiden to win the race since 1950 –  before landing the Yorkshire Oaks and the St Leger.

Well, there are plenty of maiden three-year-olds with such a profile this season but the horse who most intrigues me is already proven over a longer trip.

More Thunder was, as you’re aware, trained at two and three by Sir Michael Stoute … someone who liked to work his horses up patiently from trips short of their requirements to their optimum distance.

However, in the case of More Thunder we have the converse situation … a horse trained for a 10f campaign who, when he was moved to William Haggas, was dropped down to six and seven furlongs.

More Thunder, who was unraced at two, won a 10f novice stakes at Nottingham on his second outing and then was placed in his three subsequent outings over 1m 1f – 1m 2f for his former handler.

After moving to Haggas he was immediately dropped in trip to six furlongs and then up to seven furlongs, improving by 30lbs from a mark of 87 to 117 while taking in the Bunbury Cup and the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes before ending his campaign with a bold effort on unsuitably soft ground in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp.

More Thunder has already won over a mile and a quarter – albeit at a modest level – and his style of racing augurs very well for this season’s proposed step up in trip. As you’re aware, he is regularly slowly into his stride before winding up for a late burst.

The trainer intends to aim More Thunder at the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes followed by the Queen Anne. His current mark leaves him 8lbs adrift of the top-rated Field Of Gold but that is a margin he could bridge if, as I hope, he will improve for the step up in trip.

I’ll be back next week with some more reflections.

Bye for now

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