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Varian Provides Update on Epsom Classic Quartet

Trainer Roger Varian has one colt and a trio of fillies pointing to the G1 Cazoo Derby and G1 Cazoo Oaks on June 5 and 4, respectively. However, Varian, who has only had a single Derby starter previously when second with Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in 2014, is very aware of the unique challenge the Epsom Downs offers to young 3-year-olds.

“I think it's a fascinating Derby,” said Varian, who recently saddled his 1,000th winner. “It looks an open Derby and a very good Derby. There are a lot of different types of horses and for a racing fan it looks fascinating. We are delighted to be involved in it and are concentrating just on our guy.

“The Derby and Oaks are unique. The Epsom test is unique in the whole racing industry globally. We need to get through the next eight or nine days with our contenders without mishap and are very much looking forward to it.”

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Third Realm (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has been pleasing Varian in his development ahead of the Blue Riband. Fifth at first asking at Kempton in November, the bay has not tasted defeat since. He found the Nottingham turf to his liking in a 10-furlong maiden race on Apr. 17, and also captured the Listed Novibet Derby Trial S. as a 14-1 outsider at Lingfield in soft going on May 8.

“I really liked how he had trained between Nottingham and Lingfield and thought he'd run a nice race, so I was obviously delighted with the way it panned out and the ability he showed,” said Varian.

“Although there was a tail wind that day in the straight, it was hard work for the horses in front so I thought David [Egan] gave him clever ride by giving him some cover and shelter from the wind early on. What I was really impressed with was not the winning margin or that he was in front two out and had to hold on–it was the ease by which he got into contention. I love when I watch races the visual impression you get and he looked the best horse in the race.

“I think he has the right attitude for the Derby or for any big race. He seems to conserve energy and is not a flashy worker at home, he just does what you ask him to. His recovery from Lingfield was very quick. You don't want to waste energy in the paddock, on the way to the start, behind the gates or in the first two furlongs. He has got the right mind for the job, we've still got to learn if he's got the engine to bring home The Derby.

“He's not a big horse, you'd call him medium at best, but is very well-balanced and has got gate speed. I'm quite confident he is going to get the trip.

Third Realm will be ridden by Andrea Atzeni in the Derby. The pair worked on Wednesday.

Varian added, “He ticks a lot of the boxes that you want going into the race and he gave Andrea a nice feel yesterday in his last serious piece of work going into the race. We are very much looking forward to the day. He has a great mind, a relaxed character and bit of a cool dude, so whatever Epsom throws at him on the day I would be hopeful he can pass that test.

“We are obviously delighted with how he has progressed. We will have to see how many runners there are at Epsom and where we are drawn and what the ground is, but I think he is the kind of horse Andrea can put anywhere and that is comforting coming into a race like The Derby.”

Varian Trio in Good Order For Oaks

Ali Saeed's Teona (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), third last out in the May 12 G3 Tattersalls Musidora S., is one of three G1 Cazoo Oaks prospects for Varian. Second over the all-weather at Newcastle on Oct. 30, she graduated in her second start there stepping up to 10 furlongs on Nov. 19. The Musidora was her 3-year-old bow.

He said, “She is a big, strong, energetic filly and had a lot of fizz on the day at York [in the Musidora]. She got a little upset at the starting gates. She over-raced a little bit off a very steady gallop. She made a nice move in the straight and then probably got tired in the final 100 yards. There were a lot of positives to take from the race, the biggest being able to give her a day out.

“Of course, the Oaks presents a different sort of challenge and a different sort of test, but I think she is extremely talented and I hope that on the day she does not make the juvenile mistakes she made at York.”

Winless in one start at two, Save A Forest (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) progressed to a maiden win two starts later at Wolverhampton over 9 1/2 furlongs on Mar. 27. She doubled down with a handicap win at Windsor on Apr. 19 and was an encouraging second in the Listed Novibet Oaks Trial Fillies' S. at Lingfield on May 8.

“She has taken a giant step forward after each start of her career and I would anticipate another good step forward from Lingfield,” Varian continued. “Even if you look at her Windsor handicap win, I think the second has since won by six or seven lengths so the form looks quite solid.

“She is an interesting filly–she is very laidback at home and doesn't give us any clues or anything away in her homework. But I love any animals, fillies or colts, who take a step forward with each run. The exciting thing about her is that you don't know when she will reach her ceiling. However she runs in the Oaks, I can almost guarantee it will be a good deal better than at Lingfield as that is the pattern of her progress.”

Rounding out Varian's trio is Shadwell's four-for-three listed winner Zeyaadah (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}).The homebred rattled off a trio of wins-over the Chelmsford all-weather in August, a Sept. 16 novice at Beverley and she capped her juvenile season with a victory in the Listed Montrose Fillies' S. in heavy going at Newmarket on Halloween. In her season opener at Chester, she was only a length off the winner in second in the Listed Cheshire Oaks on May 5.

Despite Zeyaadah's loss, Varian was unperturbed and said, “I was delighted with her at Chester–the visual impression was very good. I know that Jim [Crowley] got a mighty feel from her as he was buzzing when he got off and we think it was a very good run in defeat.

“I hope she will stay, although she is not guaranteed to on pedigree, being by Tamayuz but middle-distance lines in her family should give her a chance, Her running style also gives her a chance.

“She has a relaxed style of running, is a good-moving filly, well-balanced and can quicken so I would hopeful over a trip. I thought if I had had another 10 days she would have been spot on for Chester but I ran her because of the timeframe and led me to think it was a very good run at Chester. I think there is good deal of improvement there.”

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Cazoo Derby Festival and Coral-Eclipse Day Receive Prize Money Boosts

The Cazoo Derby Festival on June 4-5 and Coral-Eclipse Day on July 3 both received an increase in prize money, The Jockey Club announced on Tuesday. Limited spectators returning to racecourses, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, was cited for the increases.

Held at Epsom Downs Racecourse, the Cazoo Derby Festival's purses were increased 12% across the 11 non-Group 1 races. None of the races over the two-day stand will be run for less than £40,000 and no handicaps will be worth less than £50,000. The Cazoo Derby is still worth £1,125,000, the G1 Cazoo Oaks will keep its purse of £375,000 and the G1 Coronation Cup S. has an unchanged prize money of £315,000.

At Sandown Park, prize money has been raised 18% to £900,000 for the entire card. The G1 Coral-Eclipse, part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, has an increased purse of £600,000, and the Coral Charge H. is now worth £75,000, an increase of £25,000. In addition, two races normally run the day prior to Coral-Eclipse Day have been moved to July 3-the £40,000 Coral Day H. and the £25,000 coral.co.uk H.

Andrew Cooper, Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Epsom Downs and Sandown Park, said: “It has been a difficult time for us at The Jockey Club, as it has been for everyone, and in several ways that remains the case. Racegoers generate around 50% of our revenues and so with them away from our 15 racecourses for so long our finances have been significantly impacted and remain so as the pandemic continues.

“However, now we are starting to be allowed a very limited number of spectators back, we are immediately taking the opportunity to boost prize money. Therefore I am pleased to confirm we are able to increase the value of the non-Group 1 races across both days of The Cazoo Derby Festival by 12% and with the prospect of more spectators at Sandown Park, we're committing to boost prize money for Coral-Eclipse Day by 18% above currently advertised values.

“Owners who put so much into the sport have been incredibly patient during the pandemic and this period of huge uncertainty. All of us at The Jockey Club are keen that as soon as the financial picture improves we see that reflected in prize money funding, which is always a top priority at Jockey Club Racecourses.”

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Galileo’s Serpentine Dominates the Derby

It was a clear-record eighth G1 Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday for Aidan O’Brien, but not necessarily with the expected one as Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) went off on his own under Emmet McNamara and did a “Slip Anchor” to score by 5 1/2 lengths. Always clear at the head of affairs, the previous Saturday’s nine-length Curragh maiden winner was still dangerously out of reach swinging around Tattenham Corner and kept grinding to lead home a shock trifecta. Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}), Andrew Balding’s second string behind the fourth-placed 5-2 favourite Kameko (Kitten’s Joy), held on for second at 50-1 by a half length from Ballydoyle’s 66-1 shot Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Derrick Smith’s son Paul summed up the bizarre turn of events in the most bizarre of years. “When you’ve got Galileo and you’ve got Aidan, anything is possible,” he said. “They let him go and he just ran for fun. It was an incredible race to watch and once they’d left him alone I thought ‘this is going to be interesting’. Galileo is the holy one and long may it last.”

Aidan O’Brien was back at base and said, “It’s unbelievable really. He has some pedigree and we always thought he would stay well. Wayne [Lordan] won on him over a mile and a quarter at the Curragh last week and he galloped straight through the line. He went an even pace and Wayne said he couldn’t pull him up. We were happy he wasn’t going to stop and go an even pace. He wasn’t going to come back. He’s another homebred by Galileo. He always had the Derby pedigree. He took a bit of time to come last year and just had the one run. There was no doubt with his performance the last day he had to take his chance. I’m absolutely delighted for Emmet. He gave him an incredible ride, so I’m over the moon. They all run on their merits and we give them the best instructions for each horse to win the race. He stayed well and there was no point waiting with him with no pace. We are always delighted if one of them wins.”

Just over a week previously, Serpentine was a twice-raced unplaced maiden very much on the fringes of the stable’s candidates for this 241st renewal. In the opener on the Irish Derby card, the chestnut had put himself in the picture with a dynamic front-running display under Wayne Lordan and there had been a quiet word that he was fancied to outrun his odds here. For McNamara, the race was as straightforward as it gets and he was able to play Steve Cauthen in isolation as the great Kentuckian had when catching his peers by surprise in 1985. Hitting the first left-hand turn, the eventual first three home were in those positions which suggests the track was playing very much to front-runners on the day.

Much of the race was uneventful, but running downhill to Tattenham Corner Khalifa Sat was at full stride trying to stay within hailing distance of Serpentine and all the fancied horses were already struggling to make any inroads. Just as Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) had in last year’s G1 Irish Derby in these same grey Susan Magnier silks, Serpentine kept rolling and by the half-mile marker it was clear from McNamara’s body language that his mount was still comfortable. A furlong from home, the result was settled with the wall of favourites unable to even get past Khalifa Sat. Finishing in a heap behind the runner-up and the Rosegreen maiden Amhran Na Bhfiann, the riders of Kameko, English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Vatican City (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will perhaps be inflicting self-incriminations for letting the winner go.

According to Andrew Balding, Oisin Murphy was already castigating himself in the immediate aftermath. “Oisin is cross with himself, but I don’t know why,” the master of Kingsclere said. “Kameko ran well to a point and Oisin just felt he emptied out a little bit late on. He will certainly be dropping back in trip and that’s his last run over a mile and a half. We had to give it a go and Sheikh Fahad is a proper sportsman, so he’ll take it on the chin. I’m thrilled with Khalifa Sat, he’s a very nice horse for the future and ran a great Leger trial. Fair play to Aidan, he’s got the ammo and he knows how to use it.”

Ed Walker said of the fifth-placed English King, “The way the race panned out was frustrating, purely and simply. I am thrilled with everything–proud as punch of the horse, Frankie did well from a difficult draw. I have got no excuses, it was just a frustrating race. A Derby with no pace–there is no such thing these days, really–and we needed pace. He has hit the line hard and in another 50 yards he might have been second.”

Aidan O’Brien’s eight Derby winners have been ridden by seven different jockeys and the precedent was there for McNamara to cause an upset. “I think I got a little bit of a freebie,” commented the rider, who had gone so close on Tiger Moth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Saturday’s Irish equivalent. “I had a huge amount of confidence in the horse, having spoken to Aidan during the week. He said he was a horse that is going to stay a mile and six well, he said ‘jump, go your own tempo and just from halfway, from the six to the five, give him a breather’. He said ‘he’ll keep going’ and he was right. All I could here was the horse breathing. He was in a good rhythm, he was relaxed and I couldn’t hear a thing around me. I wasn’t sure, but I knew I was a few clear all right. It’s a bit surreal. I can’t believe it.”

Serpentine, who was beaten a total of 16 lengths when 10th of 11 on debut in a maiden over an extended mile at Galway in September and fifth at The Curragh June 12 before he turned his fortunes around so dramatically, is no surprise winner of this on pedigree at least. His dam is the Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial S. winner Remember When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who was third before being latterly awarded the runner-up spot in the 2010 G1 Epsom Oaks. Her progeny are all by Galileo and are the G2 Kilboy Estate S. winner and G1 Nassau S. runner-up Wedding Vow (Ire), the G3 Blue Wind S. winner Bye Bye Baby (Ire) who was also third in the 2018 G1 Epsom Oaks, the G3 Gallinule S. scorer Beacon Rock (Ire) and the Listed Trigo S. scorer Bound (Ire).
Remember When is a three-parts-sister to the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and G1 Irish Derby-winning champion Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill), as well as being kin to the shock G1 1000 Guineas heroine Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and the G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Queen’s Logic (Ire) (Grand Lodge), who is the second dam of the G2 Lowther S. winner Queen Kindly (GB) by Galileo’s Frankel (GB). Remember When also has an as-yet unnamed 2-year-old colt by Galileo and a yearling colt by the same sire.

Saturday, Epsom, Britain
INVESTEC 241ST DERBY-G1, £500,000, Epsom, 7-4, 3yo, 12f 6yT, 2:34.43, gd.
1–SERPENTINE (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Remember When (Ire) (G1SP-Eng & SP-Ire, $146,679), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lagrion, by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Wrap It Up (Ire), by Mount Hagen (Fr)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Emmet McNamara. £283,550. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $364,410. *Full to Wedding Vow (Ire), GSW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, $316,572; Bye Bye Baby (Ire), GSW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, $231,258; Beacon Rock (Ire), GSW-Ire & MGSP-Eng, $238,190; and Bound (Ire), SW-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Khalifa Sat (Ire), 126, c, 3, Free Eagle (Ire)–Thermopylae (GB), by Tenby (GB). (€20,000 Wlg ’17 GOFNOV; €40,000 Ylg ’18 GOFOR). O-Ahmad Al Shaikh; B-Declan Phelan & Irish National Stud (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £107,500.
3–Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Alluring Park (Ire), by Green Desert. (1,300,000gns Ylg ’18 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Lodge Park Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. £53,800.
Margins: 5HF, HF, NO. Odds: 25.00, 50.00, 66.00.
Also Ran: Kameko, English King (Fr), Mogul (GB), Russian Emperor (Ire), Vatican City (Ire), Gold Maze (GB), Highland Chief (Ire), Pyledriver (GB), Mohican Heights (Ire), Mythical (Fr), Max Vega (Ire), Emissary (GB), Worthily. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Kingman’s Summer Romance Makes All In the Princess Elizabeth

Saturday’s G3 Princess Elizabeth S. at Epsom turned into an extremely tactical affair, with William Buick on the money dictating on Godolphin’s TDN Rising Star Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) to make all. Always comfortable setting a moderate pace shadowed by the G1 1000 Guineas runner-up Cloak of Spirits (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), the one-time exciting Listed Empress S. winner who had threatened to disappear into the wilderness was always holding that rival in the sprint up the straight. Hitting the line with 3/4 of a length to spare, the 9-1 shot was announcing a return to form as Rose of Kildare (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) snatched third, 3 3/4 lengths away.

“She ran in the Guineas, but I wasn’t in a good position–I had a wall of bad horses in front of me,” Buick explained. “It was hard to notice it with the naked eye, but she did a lot of good work in the Guineas. She was staying on past horses. Last year she was obviously very speedy, very sharp, but Charlie was adamant a mile was within her compass. Obviously I got a soft lead today and it definitely suited her. She really deserved that. She’s always been perceived as a nice filly in the stable. I’m just so glad she’s got a group win next to her name and she’s a filly that should go through the grades nicely.”

Summer Romance was two-for-two after her six-length success in the six-furlong Empress at Newmarket in June, but the wheels came off when sixth in Ascot’s G3 Princess Margaret S. the following month. Charlie Appleby felt there were unmitigating circumstances for that flop and she was put away after a subsequent underwhelming third in the G3 Dick Poole Fillies’ S. also over six at Salisbury in September. Returning with an eighth in the June 7 G1 1000 Guineas, where she was almost six lengths adrift of Cloak of Spirits, the grey cut a different figure here even allowing for her rider’s guile on a day where closers were finding it tough.

Charlie Appleby said, “It was a great ride by William and we are very pleased to see Summer Romance win a group three race. She won on debut last year before scoring impressively in the Empress Stakes, but lost her way a little bit afterwards. We felt that she would come forward for her first run of the season in the 1000 Guineas and she has done it well in the end. It is nice to see her get her head in front and, while we have no immediate plans, we can think about looking for some more nice races.”

Summer Romance is out of Serena’s Storm (Ire) (Statue of Liberty), who also produced the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Serena’s Storm is kin to three stakes winners, most notably the G1 Prix d’Ispahan hero Zabeel Prince (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and the G2 Blamey S. winner Puissance de Lune (Ire) and the Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial scorer Queen Power (Ire) both by Lope de Vega’s sire Shamardal. The third dam Serena’s Sister (Rahy) is a full-sibling of the remarkable champion Serena’s Song, whose six individual stakes winners are headed by the G1 Coronation S. heroine and stakes-producing Sophisticat (Storm Cat). Serena’s Storm also has an as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly by Iffraaj (GB) named Serena’s Queen (Ire), and a yearling filly by Dark Angel (Ire).

Saturday, Epsom, Britain
PRINCESS ELIZABETH S. (SPONSORED BY INVESTEC)-G3, £40,700, Epsom, 7-4, 3yo, f, 8f 113yT, 1:44.71, gd.
1–SUMMER ROMANCE (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Serena’s Storm (Ire), by Statue of Liberty
2nd Dam: Princess Serena, by Unbridled’s Song
3rd Dam: Serena’s Sister, by Rahy
1ST GROUP WIN. (300,000gns Ylg ’18 TATOCT; €800,000 2yo ’19 ARQMA). O-Godolphin; B-Round Hill Stud (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £23,081. Lifetime Record: 6-3-0-1, $61,942. *1/2 to Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj (GB)), Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire, G1SW-Eng & Ire, G1SP-Fr, $1,035,044. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cloak of Spirits (Ire), 126, f, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Pivotique (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. £8,751.
3–Rose of Kildare (Ire), 126, f, 3, Make Believe (GB)–Cruck Realta (GB), by Sixties Icon (GB). (€3,000 Ylg ’18 TIRSEP). O-Kingsley Park 14; B-Wansdyke Farms Ltd (IRE); T-Mark Johnston. £4,379.
Margins: 3/4, 3 3/4, HF. Odds: 9.00, 3.33, 14.00.
Also Ran: Onassis (Ire), Fooraat (Ire), Love and Thunder (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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