Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 5 January 2026

Hi there,

There was plenty of talk in the aftermath of the King George VI Chase about what a great race it was and, as a spectacle, that was the case with the eight-horse field covered by two lengths turning for home and four in a line passing the post.

However for the serious student of form it presented more questions than answers.

I thought beforehand that The Jukebox Man would go close, because he was potentially the horse with the most scope for improvement, but the fact is he was the joint-lowest rated in the field 18lbs behind Gaelic Warrior and 17lbs behind Fact To File. He has now been raised 12lbs, from 156 to an official rating of 168.

Then we had a similar scenario two days later in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown when Affordale Fury, rated second-lowest 19lbs behind Galopin Des Champs and Inothewayurthinkin, landed a few good bets in beating I Am Maximus, rated 13lbs his superior, by two and a half lengths. The winner has subsequently been raised 9lbs, from 157 and 166.

Now without begrudging the winners their due, these results perfectly illustrate the fickle nature of this sport. As Shiekh Mohammed once told me, on the only occasion we spoke, horses are “flesh and blood”, and are subject to the vagaries that apply to all living things.

I would cautiously suggest that the results of both these top races will have little relevance to the Gold Cup come the day, which brings me to the performance of Inothewayurthinkin who, for the second time this season, was never near to challenge.

His seasonal debut appearance in the John Durkan is excusable, as it was over an inadequate 2m 3f and he was plugging away in the closing stages, but his performance in the Savills is harder to accept. The market, which saw him drift from 2/1 ante-post to a very weak 13/2 at the off, forewarned us that he was not going to win … ‘they knew’, to quote the late John McCririck … and this brings me back to the question I raised in this feature a few weeks ago. Who are ‘they’?

Given the access that the integrity services have to Betfair it’s surely not that difficult to identify the movers and shakers in this market, even though the drift was probably more linked to bookmaker intelligence in this particular case. Somebody or some people were leading the charge, and they are the ones of interest, rather than the ones who follow.

In this case it’s understandable that the professional pundits dismiss the performance with a shrug of the shoulders saying ‘It’s all about one day’ … a view clearly shared by the bookmakers, who have generally not lengthened his odds for the Gold Cup … but it does not reflect well on the sport when such a poor run is anticipated in the market. That is the bit that sticks in the craw.

I’m reminded of the late George Carlin’s memorable line: “Its a big club and you ain’t in it.”

As for runner-up I Am Maximus’s subsequent 2lbs drop from 170 to 168, I am lost for words. The handicapper has clearly downgraded the race, as he has dropped the third and fourth by 1lb and 2lbs, yet raised the fifth by 1lb. I have to concede that it can’t have been easy for him.

With Grey Dawning waiting in the wings and Haiti Couleurs back in the picture following his superb weight-carrying performance at Chepstow, I would suggest there are currently easier ways of making a living than trying to unravel this conundrum.

This is, of course, the time for making resolutions and mine would be quite simple … that the stewards both in the UK and Ireland play the ball, not the man. It’s difficult, but the magnitude of a person’s interest should not allow them to be exempt from scrutiny.

Most of you will get my drift.

I belatedly wish you all a peaceful and prosperous 2026.

Bye for now

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