Flat Stable Tour: Roger Varian on the stable's key runners for 2026

Horse Racing

Fri May 01, 2026 · 2M ago

Roger Varian guides Graham Clark through his hopes and expectations as the 2026 Flat season starts to go through the gears.

Group One success might have eluded trainer Roger Varian last year, but one look at his team for this season suggests fighting it out for top level honours will pose no problems.

For just the third year in his career the Newmarket handler failed to hit the target at the highest level in 2025, although the figures show it was far from a frustrating campaign. A haul of 89 domestic winners, which included victory for My Cloud in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, helped Varian smash through the £2 million barrier for the fifth season in a row, and ninth in total since taking out his licence in 2011.

It has already been a solid start for Varian this season with Saddadd showcasing his talents by registering the first pattern race success of his career with a smooth success in the Group Three bet365 Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown Park. And although a setback has ruled My Cloud out of the campaign, there are plenty of others in behind that, having been nurtured patiently, look set to hit the heights this season and get Varian back in the hunt for more Group One honours.

Varian said: “It was a respectful season, numerically. We lacked a Group One win, which is only the third season we haven’t had one. It seems to be every fifth year as we didn’t have a Group One winner in 2015 and in 2020.

“We've got to get back on the Group One table this year. We got great pleasure out of My Cloud winning at Royal Ascot, however unfortunately he will not be part of the team this season as he has had a setback and will be out for the year which breaks my heart.

“We nearly bagged the St Leger, which would have been our third one, but it was always going to be a rebuilding year after what Charyn had done the year before. I thought we laid some nice foundations for this year, and I think we can still be satisfied with last year, but only satisfied as you know we always want more, but it keeps us hungry."

ROGER VARIAN HORSES 2026

AL AZD

“It took time for the penny to drop but he has done well the last two times. I knew he would love fast ground so I was pleased to see it unfold the way it did last time out at Doncaster.

“The handicapper has had his say and he is rated ninety two now. I don't know whether to keep running him or put him away and wait for a King George V handicap. He stays, but he can quicken.

“He has been busy since January so maybe we might give him a bit of a breather and train him for Royal Ascot. I'll have to speak to the team but I'm pleased that he sort of pulled his finger out. He runs in blinkers, and his attitude has been questioned, but I don’t think he's ungenuine. I think he's a little bit misunderstood.”

ALWAYS HAPPY

“She is a nice filly that won well on her debut at Southwell and she could run at Hamilton on Sunday, but there are other races for her around the corner. I think we will go in another novice next and then we will see.

“I hope she can develop into a nice filly for the summer, but the next race will tell us more. I hope she is a stakes filly in time.”

ANTIPODES

“I do like this horse. He had an injury after his win at Windsor, however he is now back tipping away. There are three races that come sort of towards the end of May that he could start his season in.

“He's not ready to run yet, but he should be ready at the end of May. He is a likeable horse. He is rated eighty nine, which is a tough mark to open in handicaps, but hopefully he has got the scope to progress.

“I’m not sure he would quite be man enough by the time Royal Ascot comes. I would soon rather feel my way with this horse. He is quite an immature horse so he just wants kid gloves I think. He might be a nice horse down the road sometime.”

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AQPAN

“He is doing well, but Christian (Demuro) didn’t think he stayed seven furlongs in the Greenham. He challenged, probably to a disadvantage, out in the middle, when the action was unfolding on the rail.

“He kind of got to the Title Role, but he wasn’t able to get by it and then in the final hundred yards he kind of dropped off and the jockey thought he was a bit weak at the trip.

“Robert Winston, who rides him a lot at home for us, he thinks he is starting to feel more and more like a sprinter. We might drop him back for the Carnarvon Stakes at the Lockinge meeting back at Newbury. If he wins that then we would be entitled to look at a Commonwealth Cup, but if he wasn't, then we might have to lower the bar a bit.”

AVICENNA

“I think he definitely deserves to take his chance in the 2000 Guineas. He needs to improve an awful lot to be bringing the Guineas home, but we don't know that he can’t.

“He ran well enough in the Craven to deserve a go, and he has definitely come forward. Whether he's come forward enough and whether he's good enough we will have to see, but I think it's a year to be brave.

“We are confident of his condition and confident that he will like the conditions, a strong-run mile on good to firm ground. He handled the track fine in the Craven. We used it as a trial, and it was a good trial. He didn't win, but he showed himself well enough. It wasn't the strongest Craven with the two coming out, but he was kind of ridden to learn a bit more.

“He didn’t have a hard race, but with a steady gallop on fast ground he was probably out of his ground. So winning was always going to be difficult after they'd gone a furlong.

“I’m looking forward to running him. He could well stay ten furlongs, but he has got to learn to be a professional over a mile first."

BINTAZIZA

“I don’t think she beat a lot on her debut, but she couldn’t have done it any better on her first start for us as we would always leave a little bit of improvement there. "I thought she would win, but I didn’t think she would take them apart like she did.

“She had worked nicely before that victory. I very nearly ran her at Newbury over seven furlongs in the race that Synchronicity won as I thought she would have run well that day, but she qualifies for those maidens for band C and D horses as she wasn’t that expensive.

“I sent her up to Newcastle thinking she would win up there, but the way she won she might have won at Newbury, however we shouldn’t get carried away on the back of one run.

“She is another that will now run under a penalty next time. We will take our time with her, but if she runs well next time carrying a bit of weight she could be a filly for the Distaff on Eclipse weekend at Sandown Park. We will just gradually let her find her feet.”

BOTAGOZ

“She is a nice filly and the plan now is to run her in the Michael Seely Memorial Stakes at York. She is in the Prix de Diane, in case she proves good enough and that we think a step her up to ten furlongs.

“She has a Coronation Stakes entry in case we want to stay at a mile and looks good enough for that. She has looked impressive in two starts now. I think she looked very good at Nottingham last time under a penalty.

“Her next run is going to tell us that bit more as we are still guessing a little bit, but I think she's a nice filly.”

CALICO BLUE

“He ran well the other day at Sandown Park. There is not a lot for him in May that I like to be honest. He could be better back over six furlongs, but I might be tempted to go straight to the Palace at Holyroodhouse at Royal Ascot.

“I didn't think he'd be sharp enough the other day, but he was. Sandown is a stiff five, but I think at Ascot you get that championship pace which would bring him into his own even more.

“They went at a strong pace at Sandown, to be fair, but he was entitled to be a bit rusty the other day so I thought it was a really good run. We will have to see how he progresses before considering going up in class. He has done nothing wrong. He has run four times and never been out the first three.”

CLASSIC CUVEE

“She is a nice filly, but she kind of lost her way after winning her maiden and maybe I asked too much of her. She has got plenty of talent so we will try and get some black type with her.

“Off her mark you could look at going to handicap with her, but she will try and get some black type as she has a great pedigree. The Height Of Fashion down at Goodwood could be a good spot for her.”

COCONUT COVE

“She is going to run in the Cecil Frail Stakes which is a Listed race at Haydock Park near the end of May. She is a winner, and she is quite talented, so we will try and get some black type with her. Craig Bennett is an owner breeder so therefore black type is important.

“She is from a good family. She has won her maiden and she wasn’t disgraced in the Bosra Sham at the end of last season behind the Nell Gwyn winner Azleet, who finished second that day. That form tells you she is not far off black type.”

DISTANT SHORE

“We will probably start her in a novice, but we hope she can progress to one of those Listed races over seven furlongs like the Eternal Stakes at Carlisle or the Queen Of Scots Stakes up at Musselburgh in early June.

“I had her in the Fred Darling, but it was the wrong thing to consider starting her there, and I’m glad I didn’t. She has got a lot of pace and she's quite hot mentally. I'm not saying she will win another novice as they're hard to win, especially over a seven pound penalty, but it's a kinder start instead of dropping her into a Fred Darling as she didn't have the experience for that.”

ENFJAAR

“He would have won the Wolverton at Royal Ascot last year but he just got the door shut on him at the wrong time. He is going to go to Goodwood for the Festival Stakes. If he wasn’t to win at Goodwood then the Wolverton might be a race for him, but if he was to win he would carry a penalty and that makes the Wolverton a bit harder.

“We might look away from Royal Ascot at something else. His first run will dictate what we do, but he is in great form and I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Enfjaar wins the Jon Smith's Cup

FONDO BLANCO

“He has been slow to come to hand, but he could get there in time for a run pre-Royal Ascot as he could be a Buckingham Palace horse.

“We pitched him into Listed company on his final start last season at Nottingham but he didn’t quite get home that day. He won't be ready to run until the end of May so it'll be a case of getting one run under his belt, or going straight to Royal Ascot. I like this horse and he can run well fresh, but he does like to have a bit of cut in the ground.”

GLORY OF THE SEAS

“He showed a really challenging attitude at Newbury on his last start as he was very colty in the preliminaries.

“Although the winner looked very good, I don't think he gave his true running. We will take him to Chester for the mile and a half maiden next and we will get a mark after that. I like the horse as he was my only Derby entry.”

GOLDEN CONQUEROR

“He runs in a novice contest under a penalty at Kempton Park on Thursday. We will see how he fares and it will probably be handicaps after then but I like the horse.

“We will stick to seven furlongs for now but I'm not sure long term as he is a powerful horse.”

INDALO

“We would love to run him in the Royal Hunt Cup with maybe a run before. We might take him to Newbury on Lockinge weekend for the mile Class Two handicap that My Cloud won last year.

“I had him at Newmarket this weekend, but I took him out as he was not quite ready, however it was a good run in the Cambridgeshire on his final start last year.

"He is not the most straightforward as he can be keen in his races, which I think those strong run races like the Cambridgeshire and Royal Hunt Cups really suit him. He has plenty of ability and he is capable of bringing home a nice summer prize.”

LITTLE DORRIT

“She will be nice this year, but she is not quite ready yet. The Lester Piggott Stakes, a Listed race at Haydock Park, might be a good starting point for her.

“Off her mark there is not a fillies' handicap I can see in the calendar that she can run in so it will be straight into stakes company and she deserves to get some black type.

“She was a slow burner and I don't know if I could have done things differently last year. She ran very well in the Galtres up at York and she ran incredibly well at Doncaster off a big weight where she was beaten three noses and was somehow fourth. She will do well this year.

“She didn't run as a two-year-old so there's no reason to think she won't be a much better four-year-old.”

MOBBERLEY ROSE

“She won well on her debut at Wolverhampton in March, but I’m not quite sure of the strength of it. Craig Bennett, who owns her and bred her, has been incredibly patient.

"He is going to have to continue to be patient as she has just needed a bit of time after that first run, but she is coming back to herself now. The plan will be to run her in another novice under a penalty before we see where she lands.”

RAAMMEE

“He has been slow to come to hand. I don't really have a running plan for him, but he is a horse we like and we hope he can have a good year whenever he gets ready.

“He is rated ninety five which is a tough mark. He got penalised for winning two ordinary races on the all-weather, but he won them well. I don’t have a firm plan with him. He is probably a miler, and he might be able to go a mile and a quarter, but I wouldn’t need to start him any further than a mile.”

RAHIEBB

“He was a very immature horse and he was learning all the time. He was a work in progress. It was a great run in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot as he did everything wrong. He didn’t behave very well and he didn’t race very professionally, but he still nearly won it.

“That was a clue at how good he could be and then it was a very good run in the St Leger. I’m very happy with him as we speak. I’m going to start him in the Ormonde at Chester.

“We will go to the Ormonde and then we will see what we do. He is entered in the Ascot Gold Cup and he should be a proper cup horse for races like the Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Cup.

“I like the track and I like the trip in the Ormonde. I always thought all winter that I would start him off in the Sagaro, but he has not been beyond a mile six furlongs yet, however he will get two miles no problem.

“I don’t know if he will win the Ormonde, but I think he'll hit the line strong. I love horses hitting the line strongly, especially on the back of the layoff, so I prefer to go slightly under their best trip first time back so that is the thinking behind the Ormonde.”

Trainer Roger Varian

RAVISHING

“She has been slow to come to hand. She needs some sunshine and warmth on her back. I would say the end of May is probably a starting point, but she is nice and she could progress over six or seven furlongs.

"It was a good run on her only start at Ascot last year.”

RIDE THE THUNDER

“He is a horse that stays well. We just need to get him up a few pounds in the handicap and maybe we can then look at the Copper Horse at Royal Ascot.

“He is off eighty eight at the moment so he would probably need to win to get to Royal Ascot. He does need to improve, but he wasn’t over raced as a three year old. He is a Night Of Thunder out of a Sea The Stars mare so he could be a better four year old."

SADDADD

“I'd have been disappointed had he not run well and I was delighted with him. I think we ought to look at the Tattersalls Gold Cup with him. He has come out of the Gordon Richards incredibly well and he has now won his Group Three.

“We could go for the Brigadier Gerard under a penalty, but I think the Curragh would suit him so why not have a go. He is one we looked after last season with his four year old career in mind.

“We will see how we get on in Ireland, but having seen him go so well over the course and distance at Sandown Park he would be a nice horse to get to the Eclipse. He is entered at Royal Ascot in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, but we will see how he gets on in Ireland first before we cement anything.”

Saddadd has the measure of King Of Cities

SALLAAL

“He is a very talented horse, but we have just got to see if he is brave enough to reach his full potential. However, we have gelded him and this could be his year. He is another one we minded most of last year. I was delighted with his performance at Epsom and we have to take the positives out of the run.

“I was very keen to switch him off on his first try over a mile and a quarter and see him finish having seen him be a little bit keen last year. We had to ride him fairly cold from the outside stall, and there was no pace. Credit to the winner as he kind of controlled it and he got away from us.

“He finished his race off well. I would love to go back to Epsom at the Derby Festival as there is a valuable mile and a quarter handicap for older horses and that will be Plan A.

“I think in a stronger run race, with a bigger field, and from a kinder draw we will be able to ride him less cold now he has that run under his belt. He could be one for a John Smith’s Cup later in the season or one to take aim at Goodwood later in the year. He is a nice older horse and it was good to see him get the mile and a quarter at Epsom."

STARLIGHT TIME

“He is going to start over a mile at Ascot on May 8. He could potentially be a Britannia type, but we will see how we go. He has done well over the winter and I like this horse.

“He did well last year. He is a bit fragile, so we have space between his runs, but he won two of three, and he's rated eighty six. He is not a star at this stage, but he is a jolly likeable horse that can go well again this year.”

TAROT

“She is a nice strong filly and I think she'll improve as a three-year-old. She could start in a fillies handicap at Chester at the end of May. She's not quite ready to run yet.

“Her mark of eighty five should be workable. It is not an easy mark as you're straight off top weight in a Class Four, but I like the filly and she is strong.

“She did nothing wrong in her four runs last year. It took me a bit of time to work her out. She is one we hope can have a fun summer with. I think six will be her trip as I think she will get quicker with the more she does.”

WECHAAD

“He is training nicely. He will either go for a Class Two handicap at Ascot at the Victoria Cup meeting or he will go for the valuable seven handicap at Goodwood at the Cocked Hat meeting.

“He is on a mark where he should start off in a handicap and then we'll see how he can progress afterwards. We did pitch him in the Horris Hill last year and he didn’t disgrace himself in it. He was good at Doncaster before his run in that.”

Flat Stable Tour: Roger Varian on the stable's key runners for 2026