Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 28 September 2026

I was left feeling a little confused by the outcome of Saturday’s Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

It came as no surprise to see Sun Goddess win as she did, especially following the hefty support that she attracted beforehand, but I never expected Senorita Bonita to drop away so tamely.

Drawn in stall one, she seemed to be travelling well within herself and took the lead approaching the final furlong, but just when you expected her to find that sparkling turn of foot which had been such a feature of her previous starts, she virtually stopped to nothing, dropping away to finish fifth, four and a half lengths behind the winner.

In her four previous outings, including her defeat in the Queen Mary Stakes, it was at that point that she produced a change of gear. This was never more so than in the Prix Morny at Deauville just over a month ago.

If she had quickened on Saturday and been caught, then I would accept that she wasn’t good enough, but the manner in which she lost ground so quickly having been perfectly poised to pounce tells me that she was not right.

It’s at times like this that I so regret not being able to see the horses in the flesh, as the paddock might have yielded a few clues … the condition of her coat, any change from how she had looked in June or signs of her coming into season.

Her form tied in to within a pound or two of Sun Goddess and Libertango, so she should have been up with them at the finish.

The race was run in a course-record time, but her three previous victories had been over the 6f trip, including in soft ground in the Prix Morny. Of the three, she has the stoutest pedigree.

Simon Crisford will put the filly through all the tests in the hope that something comes to light. It is possible that she has had enough for the season, having been prepared for the Breeze-Up sale in the spring and been primed for Royal Ascot in June, but I think that unlikely.

I still expect her to line up for the 1000 Guineas in May, for which Sun Goddess is now a top price of 2/1. You can get 50/1 about Senorita Bonita.

Returning to the theme that I visit so often in these Roundups, once again the money spoke loudly for the winner, just as it had in the previous race for Haffner, who had been heavily supported from 4/1 to 7/4.

Given the many millions turned over by the Coolmore operation, it never ceases to surprise me that betting still has a part to play. Perhaps it revolves mainly around Michael Tabor, and people then follow him in.

It’s the Arc this weekend, with a few light showers in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday but then forecast dry for the rest of the week.

This is one of the races in the calendar where the draw plays a significant part, with only five winners since 2001 coming from double-figure berths.

All will be revealed on Thursday evening.

It’s a race that has been good to me, ever since I nominated the 50/1 outsider Gold River way back in 1981.

Bye for now

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