Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 26 January 2026
February 4th, 2026 | Marten's Perspective
Trials Day at Cheltenham on Saturday could have been an opportunity to showcase jump racing at its best, but instead it exposed three of the most troubled and contentious areas of the game.
Dan Skelton has made it clear all season that Grey Dawning’s main target is the Gold Cup, but he appeared to be ridden in the Cotswold Chase on Saturday with an air of indifference. Something along the lines of ‘win if you can, but it’s not all about today.’
Not for the first time this season the market forewarned us, as he started a weak even-money favourite having been around 4/7 in the days beforehand and the morning of the race.
A kick from the subsequent winner Spillane’s Tower at the start wouldn’t have helped and a mistake at the second last cost him some ground and momentum, but Grey Dawning is a horse who finds plenty when asked and on this occasion the question never seemed to be put to him with any degree of purpose.
Despite that he was staying on nicely from the last and my immediate reaction was that he was the best horse in the race.
I reminded clients in the morning that this was a trials day, comparing it with the equivalent day in France for the Arc, but with over six weeks to the festival surely that is sufficient time for a horse to recover? Also the winner’s prize … over £70,000 …. was not to be sniffed at.
The injury sustained by Sir Gino highlighted the risks horses and riders take every day for our entertainment.
Apparently this latest affliction is not related to the horse’s previous injuries, but in an industry where public perception is uppermost in the mind this sort of thing doesn’t help the image on a high-profile day, especially so when it applies to a top-class performer.
Then the day ended with the discovery of a large hole on the track. You will know all the details but, in my view, mindful of previous occasions when holes unexpectedly appeared on the tracks at Doncaster and Ayr, and in this case the added issue of the fast approaching sunset, the potential risks to horse and rider far outweighed the benefit in running the race.
When there is any element of doubt the safety of the horse and rider must be paramount, above and beyond any commercial considerations. In this instance there was no time to check for other holes, with the situation greatly exacerbated by the fast-fading light and the consequent implications in the event of a close finish, which was indeed the case.
Bye for now
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