Cazoo Derby Festival: Roger Varian thinks Third Realm “ticks a lot of the boxes you want”
Newmarket trainer Roger Varian thinks his Cazoo Derby candidate Third Realm “ticks a lot of the boxes you want” ahead of the premier Classic at Epsom Downs on Saturday 5th June.
Varian, who has had only one Derby runner previously, said: “I thought he would run a nice race at Lingfield and run very well but he had only had two starts and was going from a novice into a Derby trial. Over the years we have many horses who had won a novice and then gone and tried their worth in a Derby trial and often they come up short as it’s a big ask of a horse and they are hard races to win. 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.
“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. He broke very sharply from the gates at Lingfield but when he was restrained to get into position he dropped the bridle straight away so is has a very relaxed and professional style of racing which I think is vital in these big races.
“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. It was a test on the ground at Lingfield so I’m fairly sure the mile and a half won’t be a problem. Smallish horses have won the Derby and he will suit the race.
“He ticks a lot of the boxes that you want going into the race and he gave Andrea (Atzeni) a nice feel yesterday in his last serious piece of work going into the race. We are very much looking forward to the day.
Varian, meanwhile, also gave updates on his three intended Cazoo Oaks runners; Teona, Save A Forest and Zeyaadah.
Teona was last seen finishing third in the Group Three Musidora Stakes at York earlier this month and Varian was fairly happy with the run.
“We take the positives from the Musidora and these are trials at the end of the day – if you make mistakes and get it wrong it is better to do it then than on the big day. She is a big, strong, energetic filly and had a lot of fizz on the day at York. She got a little upset at the starting gates.
“She over-raced a little bit a 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.”
On Save A Forest, Varian said: “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.
“I am very happy with her condition. As I say, she doesn’t tell you much at home, so it’s not like she would tell you she is an Oaks filly on the gallops but in terms of her afternoon performances it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see her run a nice race.”
Finally Varian was hopeful Zeyaadah would stay the 1m4f trip at Epsom: “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 slogged out a soft ground Montrose Stakes last autumn in the style of a filly that should get a mile and a half as a three year old. She has a relaxed style of running, is a good-moving filly, well-balanced and can quicken so I would hopeful over a trip.
“She definitely still had a bit left in the locker to work on going into Chester. That wasn’t by design but she took an age to come to herself in the spring and only really came to herself about a fortnight before Chester. 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.”