Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 24 August 2026

There has been much to take out from the racing programme over the last few days.

One surprising feature was the defeat of all bar one of Aidan O’Brien’s Group-race runners at York and Deauville.

A week ago, who would have predicted that Christmas Day, Constitution River, Minnie Hauk, Man’s Best Friend and Diamond Necklace would all get turned over?

His only two winners at York were Haffner, who won the Group 3 Acomb Stakes on Wednesday and Sun Goddess who, in fairness, would probably have gone very close in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes had that been her preferred target.

As has been well documented, she powered home in the valuable sales race in a time fractionally faster, with 2lbs more weight, than Libertango had taken in the Lowther Stakes 35 minutes earlier.

By the way, I was disappointed that the pundits on ITV and Racing TV expressed surprise at the manner of her win.

She had performed in a very similar style just 11 days earlier in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, before thundering home in the final two furlongs.

Although York was her sixth race, she seems to be developing stamina, having been kept busy with four runs in May and June, including the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Sun Goddess shapes as though she will stay a mile, although that is not necessarily backed up by her pedigree.

Of more immediate interest is the prospect of her coming up against Senorita Bonita and Libertango in the Cheveley Park Stakes in a month’s time. Now that really could be the race of the season.

I’ll leave it to the number crunchers to assess the sectional timings of Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Morny, but visually the turn of foot displayed by Senorita Bonita was stunning.

A lot can happen in the next month, but the line through Libertango’s form in the Albany Stakes and Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, suggests there is no more than a couple of pounds between the three fillies.

I would just bring in one factor that will not be in the public domain.

Many years ago, when Simon Crisford was Newmarket correspondent of the Racing Post, he used to help me out with my Dark Horses publications and he was, with one notable exception, the best judge of gallops work that I knew.

He was always a realist, so when he spoke about Senorita Bonita in such glowing terms, I took serious notice.

By the way, I know that some of you will be intrigued as to the best judge of my acquaintance … the ‘one exception’.

Those of you who were with me in the late 70s and 80s may have an inkling, and the clue is to be found in the colours of a colt who made a sparkling debut in a 7f maiden at the Curragh on Saturday.

Monogram, a son of Kingman and the second foal of a 1m/9f winning daughter of Night Of Thunder, was backed into 4/6 to beat a field of 15 unraced rivals, but he did not leave the impression that this was intended to be anything more than a quiet educational spin round.

Last away and still with just one behind him two furlongs out, he was switched wide by Dylan Browne McMonagle and, under the gentlest of nudges, the colt lengthened to stretch past the entire field, getting up in the last stride to beat Salt Lake by a short-head, with the third three and three-quarter lengths behind.

There is no form to work from and the time was slower than for the two Group 2 races over the same trip later in the day, but he is one of six horses that Joseph O’Brien has in the Dewhurst.

My one guarded word of caution regards his sire. I’ve noticed that a few of Kingman’s progeny can be tricky, which is perhaps why this colt was given such a considerate introduction to racing.

Just to conclude, I gather that Joseph O’Brien has ambitious plans for the Oaks winner Thundering On when the rain returns this autumn.

The concern would be the subsequent form of the Epsom Classic but, for a young man whose demeanour reveals absolutely nothing, there was an old-fashioned twinkle when her name was brought into a conversation with him last week.

We have the fun and frolics of the August Bank Holiday falling upon us this weekend. There is sure to be something hiding away somewhere.

Bye for now

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