Juvenile Watch: Ross Millar shares his ones to note from York

This was an easy selection this week.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Monogram made a debut of tremendous promise at the Curragh on Saturday.

Well backed in the lead-up to the race, he was sent off the 4/6 favourite but would have given supporters some concern when breaking slowly from the stalls. However, jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle was clearly confident in his partner’s ability, as he was happy to swing along at the rear of the field while the son of Kingman showed obvious class with his large, athletic stride.

Switched to his left with two furlongs to run, Monogram made stylish progress into contention. I was particularly impressed by his professionalism, as he was persistently leaning into a rival for at least a furlong. When asked for his effort, he took a few strides to find top gear but finished with real zest to get his head in front on the line.

Occasionally, you can clearly pinpoint rides on debutants where education is the main objective rather than the race result. This was a clear example of such a ride. He will have learned plenty from the experience and has immense potential.

It would be no surprise at all if his next run came in Group company. He is currently 10/1 for the Dewhurst and, despite his lack of experience, I would expect him to be well up to that level.

Looked immature on his debut at Kempton when coming off the bridle at the halfway point of the seven-furlong contest. To his credit, though, he showed a good attitude, finding plenty under pressure and finishing to good effect in fourth.

He’ll improve for the experience and can do better next time. There’s plenty of stamina on the dam side of his pedigree, so a stiffer track or an extra furlong would increase his chance.

Wouldn’t have the most precocious pedigree, being by Zelzal out of a mare who showed her best form over ten furlongs. His debut effort when finishing third over seven furlongs at Newmarket was therefore altogether promising.

The two that finished ahead of him were aided by holding prominent track positions, so his effort from the rear of the field can be marked up. He’s well capable of winning a race of this nature, and a step up to a mile would suit him well.

A daughter of Too Darn Hot, she was another who was disadvantaged by track position on debut when finishing fourth at Redcar over six furlongs. The first three home raced up with the pace while she was settled towards the rear.

She showed good pace in the closing stages and, if ridden with less restraint next time, is well capable of shedding her maiden tag.

The York Ebor meeting is now in the rear-view mirror, with plenty of post-race analysis already provided. I won’t offer chapter and verse on each of the juvenile races; instead, I’ll offer my five takeaways from the meeting.

1. HAFFNER undoubtedly appreciated the flatter track and easier ground when winning the Acomb under an aggressive ride from Ryan Moore. He’s the type to do better as a three-year-old, but I’d be surprised if he was near the top of the Ballydoyle pecking order. France might offer him the best race setups.

2. LIBERTANGO is a filly blessed with real pace, and the underfoot conditions will have blunted this weapon, so her win in the Lowther needs upgrading. Connections learned from defeat at Newmarket and reaped the rewards. She looks tailor-made for a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup.

3. SUN GODDESS is progressing at a tremendous rate of knots. Yes, she was by some distance the class filly in Harry’s Half Million, but everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and yet she still won in a hack canter. I’ve been firmly of the opinion that Victorious is the top filly in Ballydoyle, but this performance has me questioning that view.

4. ARAPAHO GOLD is in the mould of his trainer in that he quietly goes about his job and delivers excellent results. It wasn’t the deepest Gimcrack that he won, but he did it comfortably and will surely be better again back on a faster surface. He heads to the Mill Reef next, where he’ll be sure to give his running. To beat him will take a high-class performance.

5. ADONIUS was inconvenienced by the slower ground in Saturday’s Listed contest. He’s worth following again when encountering faster conditions and a sharper test.