Roger Varian | Horse Racing Free Tips

Varian Loses Two Listed Races Over Feed Contamination

The Roger Varian-trained fillies Angel Power (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Queen Daenerys (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) have been disqualified from listed wins at ParisLongchamp in September as a result of the well-documented Gain feed contamination saga that also saw Aidan O’Brien scratch his four runners from the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. France Galop has revealed that 12 horses tested positive for the prohibited substance Zilpaterol as a result of the feed contamination, but all the trainers involved-including Varian, who was the only overseas trainer affected-have been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Varian, who withdrew all his runners in the coming days when the situation came to light on Oct. 1, told Racing Post on Friday, “I am very disappointed for the owners of Angel Power [King Power Racing] and the owner of Queen Daenerys [HH Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa], that through no fault of our own these two horses were found to have traces of Zilpaterol in their system.

“From the very first days that we learned about this situation it was clear we were dealing with a contaminated feed scenario, one that I as a trainer had no prior knowledge of or reason to suspect might arise. I would like to thank Gain Equine Nutrition for the speed with which they made the industry and public aware of the situation. I am grateful to France Galop for recognising that no blame was attached to the trainers who were caught up in this unfortunate situation. And finally, I would like to thank King Power Racing and HH Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for their understanding and support over the period of time since we first learned about the positive results.”

Zilpaterol is a synthetic substance that is used to promote weight gain in cattle, but that is unregistered in Europe. Martin Ryan, Head of GAIN Equine, said at the time the contamination came to light, “We apologise sincerely to our valued customers for the inconvenience caused by this incident and we are committed to promptly keeping you fully informed. A thorough investigation and trace back of all feed ingredient sources is underway as a matter of urgency to determine how this external contaminant could have found its way into some batches of our equine product.”

The other trainers involved with positives were David Cottin, Fabrice Chappet, Simone Broggi, Jean-Philippe Dubois and Jacques Ortet.

Angel Power has progressed to win the G3 Pride S. and the G2 Premio Lydia Tesio since taking the Sept. 3 Prix de Liancourt. Queen Daenerys, who like her stablemate was winning a black-type race for the first time in France in the Sept. 10 Prix Joubert, has not run since.

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Racing League Teams Taking Shape

John Gosden, alongside fellow Newmarket trainers Sir Mark Prescott, Robert Cowell and David Simcock, will make up one of the dozen teams of the Racing League tournament which begins next summer. Another Newmarket team is comprised of Michael Bell, Ed Dunlop, James Fanshawe and Roger Varian. Clive Cox, Nicky Henderson, Charlie Hills and Jamie Osborne are representing Lambourn. Another team is Mick Appleby, Michael Dods, David O’Meara and Paul Midgley. Mick Channon has joined Paul and Oliver Cole, Eve Johnson Houghton and Hughie Morrison. France will also send a team combining trainers Philippe Decouz, Gavin Hernon, and Edouard Monfort.

The Racing League will see 12 teams of 30 horses each compete over 36 races during a six-week period at Newcastle, Doncaster, Lingfield and Windsor. Each event is worth £50,000, with an overall prizemoney of £1.8 million for the series beginning on July 29 and running until Sept. 2.

In November, six previous teams were released: Tim Easterby and Richard Fahey; Charlie Fellowes, Hugo Palmer and George Scott; Andrew Balding and Richard Hannon; George Baker, David Menuisier, Gary Moore and Amanda Perrett; Roger Charlton, Alan King, Martyn Meade and Brian Meehan; and, representing Ireland, Joseph O’Brien and his brother Donnacha.

Jeremy Wray, Racing League Chief Executive said, “We are really pleased to have such an illustrious group of trainers forming the 12 teams and are delighted to be adding an international flavour with the teams from Ireland and France. The next step will be for each team to select their three jockeys.”

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O’Brien Family Runners Withdrawn From Sunday’s Arc Card Due To Zilpaterol Positives, Possible Feed Contamination

A total of 11 horses trained by Aidan, Joseph, and Donnacha O'Brien will be withdrawn from Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe card at Longchamp after a French lab returned positive urine samples for the banned substance Zilpaterol, Racing Post reports.

Four of the O'Brien runners – Mogul, Japan, Sovereign and Serpentine – were set to test Enable in the Group 1 Arc. Fancy Blue, a leading contender for the G1 Prix de l'Opera trained by Donnacha O'Brien, will also scratched.

The withdrawals were announced after Gain Equine Nutrition advised customers to stop using its feed after some batches were found to have been contaminated with Zilpaterol, a substance that's unlicensed in Europe, but is used in the U.S. and elsewhere, primarily to promote weight gain in cattle.

Urine samples from the O'Brien horses were cleared by the Irish Equine Centre, but Aidan O'Brien told Racing Post that a difference in testing methods between the Irish and French laboratories might have produced different results. O'Brien said the Irish test is primarily used to find the drug in cattle, instead of horses.

The Zilpaterol contamination had already caused five positives in France over the past few weeks, and trainer Roger Varian, who also uses Gain products, scratched all seven of his British runners on Saturday, as well.

In 2013, feed made in a California mill and contaminated with Zilpaterol caused a rash of positives in that state, and reached as far as Hong Kong when the feed shipped overseas.

Gain is one of the most widely-used feeds in England and Ireland, meaning a large portion of their racing populations could be exposed to the contaminated feed. However, Racing Post reports that John Gosden, trainer of top Arc contender Enable, does not feed Gain products, thus the mare is not at a risk to scratch due to the contamination.

A statement from the Ballydoyle Twitter account on Saturday read:

“Unfortunately, the results of the urine samples taken from the horses yesterday have come back positive from the French laboratory. There is a possibility that the contaminant may have left their system by the time of racing tomorrow, however we have no guarantee of this, and in order to protect the integrity of racing, we have decided to withdraw all our horses from racing tomorrow. Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien will do likewise.”

Record Returns Continue During Tattersalls Ireland Yearling Sale’s Closing Session

Day two of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale was in some ways a repetition of Day 1 – the session topped again by a colt consigned from Clare Manning's Boherguy Stud, bred by her grandfather Jim Bolger (Lot 260).

The April-born New Approach colt, a full-brother to the Bolger-bred and trained New Treasure, winner of the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes, was bought by Robson Aguiar. He signed for Ebonos at £190,000 (US$242,016), purchasing on behalf of Amo Racing and trainer Roger Varian.

There was plenty of interest around the ring and underbidders included Dwayne Woods and Matt Coleman.

Consignor Clare Manning said of her two session-topping colts: “I knew the two of them were lovely individuals. Although they're quite different types, they're both extremely nice individuals in their own ways, and the updates were obviously big boosts. I thought they'd be popular but they've both completely exceeded expectations. They've both really pulled it out of the bag.

“It couldn't have gone any better really. To get one touch like that is unbelievable, never mind two.”

The other six-figure sale in the day two session was £155,000 (US$197,426) given for Lot 421, a Grove Stud-consigned colt by Night Of Thunder, also a son of New Approach.

He was one of 15 lots bought over the two days by the father and son team of Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock, the sale's leading buyer numerically and by spend. Trainer Stuart Williams was underbidder.

The two-day September Yearling Sale Part I produced a strong and a more-than-satisfactory set of results with its average of €24,145 (US$28,274) on a par with 2019, and its median of €17,582 (US$20,589) a fall of 12 percent. Four yearlings sold for £150,000 (US$191,070) or more, another record for the September Yearling Sale.

The aggregate dropped by 15 percent to €7,992,107 (US$9,359,123), but the clearance rate was a very healthy 84 percent throughout the two-day sale.

At the conclusion of the September Yearling Sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Matt Mitchell commented;

“The venue for the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale was new, but the fundamentals of the sale remained the same. We had a catalog of quality yearlings catering for all sectors of the market and the clearance rate of 84 percent demonstrates the enduring appeal of the sale, even in these challenging times.

“The obvious highlight was the new record top price of £325,000 (US$413,978) for Jim Bolger's outstanding Teofilo colt consigned by his granddaughter Clare Manning and we are delighted that his support of the September Yearling Sale has been so richly rewarded. The feature of the sale has, however, been the depth to the trade from start to finish. We have had a record number of lots sell for £150,000 (US$191,070) or more and buyers from throughout Britain and Ireland have been competing with a strong overseas contingent, most notably from Italy.

“Relocating the sale was not an easy decision and we would like to thank the vendors and purchasers, all of whom have contributed to the success of the past two days. The sale has displayed a remarkable resilience under the circumstances and is a tribute to the professionalism and commitment of all concerned.”

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