Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 9 June 2025

I made no secret that I did not hold a strong view on the Derby and readily concede that this time a week ago the winner was not on my mind.

Having said that, had I followed up the train of thought outlined in my Daily Bulletin I would have had him in my shortlist. I had also advised that the market could prove especially significant with the Ballydoyle horses and so it proved, with Lambourn attracting support from around 14/1 on the eve of the race to 13/2.

In the absence of Matt Chapman’s traditional pre-race chat with Michael Tabor we had no insight as to what Aidan O’Brien had told the owners, and I would be extremely interested to know the source of the market support for the winner.

Mind you, the favourite Delacroix was also very steady at 2/1 and I suspect that if Tabor had stepped in he would have backed Delacroix to win and saved each-way on the winner.

O’Brien is to be commended for granting so many interviews, both before and after a race, but his unique and often gushing vernacular tends to conceal more than it reveals. For example, one thing that he never compares in public is the relative merits of his contenders or horses from different generations.

Having noted on the Friday that the winners of the races on the round course had all been prominent from the outset, on ground that was evidently riding slower than the official description, the Derby was going to become quite a test.

In the knowledge that Lambourn was one of only two runners who had won over a mile and a half, his rider Wayne Lordan decided to make this a stiff test from flagfall.

He was followed home by Lazy Griff, who had run second to him in the Chester Vase, with Tennessee Stud, who had won a Group 1 over 1m 2f in heavy ground last season, plugging on into third.

I remember making out a strong case for 2013 winner Ruler Of The World and Wings Of Eagles four years later because in open Derbys they had at least confirmed that they would stay the trip when running in the Chester Vase over the extended mile and a half.

On Saturday the first three home probably had the strongest evidence of stamina from their form and pedigrees, but what of the others?

The favourite Delacroix was jostled and bumped early in the race and was never travelling thereafter. Ryan Moore looked after him up the straight and despite being beaten 16 lengths his earlier form actually received a boost from the result, having beaten Lambourn at Leopardstown in March and Tennessee Stud in May.

O’Brien will probably follow a 10f programme with Delacroix from now on and I expect him to do well.

There were a few eye-catchers, none more so than New Ground, who came from a long way back to finish fourth having fought for his head on the outside of the field from flagfall.

Less obvious was the performance of Nightime Dancer, a son of Ghaiyyath out of an unplaced daughter of Sea The Stars, who was last and still way back turning for home before staying on strongly to finish eighth, 10 lengths behind the winner and six lengths clear of the favourite back in ninth.

Richard Hannon handles this type of horse very well and I expect the St Leger will come up for discussion, with a Cup programme next season.

Stanhope Gardens ran well to finish fifth despite appearing not to handle the track. This was a good effort given he lost a fortnight’s work in April.

The Lion In Winter looked too immature to handle the rough and tumble of the race. He carries his head quite high and was lit up from his outside draw with nothing to keep him company. He has not had a clear run this season and could prove quite a challenge to his trainer both physically and mentally.

There will be plenty of fallout from this year’s Derby but once again Ballydoyle’s tactic of approaching the race mob-handed when they don’t have a horse they rate as championship class yielded rich dividends.

Given the awful form shown by the Dante horses and the overall impression from the Derby I am of the opinion that this year’s three-year-old colts are a modest bunch and that it will be the filly Lake Victoria who will prove the season’s top performer provided she gets over her setback.

Bye for now

Why wait a week? Receive Marten’s free horse racing publication Weekly Roundup the day it is written in full for free every Monday evening by clicking here & signing up for our free Newsletter

© Copyright in all Marten Julian Publications is strictly reserved by the publishers. No material therein may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from Marten Julian.