Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 7 October 2024

I think most of us felt beforehand that there was no outstanding candidate for the Arc but I have to admit that I didn’t really fancy Bluestocking to win.

The thing that most surprised me was how significant the betting market proved before the race.

Bluestocking was available at around 11/1 in the morning but was very strongly supported down to 11/2 while the runner-up was backed from around 16/1 down to 89/10 – about 9/1.

Then there was the negative move for Look De Vega, who had been vying for favouritism at around 5/1 in the days leading up to the race but drifted out to 9/1 before settling at 7/1. Again this proved an accurate pointer, with him finishing way back in 13^th, 18 lengths behind the winner.

It is on occasions such as this that I would love to know who was behind the market moves. There was nothing that I was aware of about the winner or Look De Vega in the public domain, and it wasn’t as if a leading tipster had expressed a strong opinion.

Obviously it was a strong pointer that connections of Bluestocking had stumped up 120,000 Euros to supplement the filly but even so she was coming here on the back of a hard season, having raced every month since May, and she had twice been beaten – by 25/1 chance Goliath in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and then when fourth to City Of Troy in the Juddmonte Stakes at York.

She had beaten Aventure in the Prix Vermeille, but had been all out to do so and appeared to have a hard race in the process.

The intention after York had been to keep her competing against her own sex but her Vermeille victory caused a rethink and her wellbeing at home gave them further encouragement.

It was disappointing that we didn’t see City Of Troy or Calandagan here. Given their superiority over the winner at York they must have been leading players had they been in the line up, while King George winner Goliath – like Calandagan – was excluded because he is a gelding.

Of the others Los Angeles ran much as I expected, racing up with the pace and staying on strongly to the line for third. He is a most imposing model and could prove the pick of this year’s middle-distance three-year-olds that stay in training at four.

Sevenna’s Knight outran his odds, keeping on well for fifth, but my selection Delius never figured and ran below his previous form with Sosie.

Earlier on the card Zarigana was just pipped by stable-companion Vertical Blue. I had noted that she had a high head carriage and was prone to hang on her first two starts and she again looked around on Sunday when pulled out to challenge. She will turn out to be the best of these but I suspect there will always be something slightly wayward about her.

There isn’t much of Ramatuelle but she has a load of class and a formidable turn of foot, as we had seen when she quickened a couple of lengths clear in the 1000 Guineas only to get caught close home.

Subsequently third in the Coronation Stakes, this drop back to seven furlongs and a more patient ride in the Prix de la Foret worked the oracle as she beat Kinross by three lengths with something in hand.

I would fancy her to beat Notable Speech and Porta Fortuna around Del Mar’s sharp track in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

We have two exciting days at Newmarket on Friday and Saturday, with nine Group races including the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and Fillies’ Mile.

Bye for now

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