Hot To Trot: Varian has another century in his sights

Flat trainer: Roger Varian

Roger Varian has trained more than a hundred winners in three of the last four years (he only just fell short on the other occasion) and is well on course to pass that milestone again after a particularly rewarding month. September’s highlights included Pierre Lapin’s victory in the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury last weekend (one of three winners on the day for the yard at different tracks) and Daahyeh’s success in Friday’s Rockfel Stakes. Another exciting two-year-old winner in recent weeks was Molatham, successful in a listed race at Doncaster.

Kempton is the track where the stable has had the most success, so it’s worth noting its entries there in particular in the coming week. Dubrava led close home to win over seven furlongs there on her latest start and she could bid to follow up over another furlong in the fillies’ handicap on Tuesday. Revolutionise was another Kempton winner last time out, and he could bid for another course-and-distance success in the six-furlong handicap on the same card (also entered at Nottingham on Wednesday). Two-year-old Maqtal won a maiden at Yarmouth last time but the American-bred colt has the right sort of pedigree for the all-weather, and could get the chance to improve again in Wednesday’s novice contest over a mile. In the mile handicap on the same card, another Hamdan Al Maktoum colt, Khuzaam would be interesting back over the same course-and-distance as his maiden win last winter; he didn’t shape badly after an absence and wind operation on his recent return to action at Yarmouth.

Jumps trainer: Tim Vaughan

It has been a fine start to the jumps season for South Wales trainer Tim Vaughan. He has 23 wins on the board, which is already more than half of last season’s score, and not far off the yard’s total for the whole of the 2017/18 campaign. While only two wins have been added to the tally in September, there have been six seconds this month indicating the stable is holding its overall form into the autumn. This month’s wins have come at Sedgefield and Kelso (Le Milos) and the stable which won the 2011 Scottish Grand National with Beshabar has a good strike-rate when sending its runners to northern tracks. Both winners this month have been ridden by the yard’s 7 lb conditional Charlie Price.

Our first winter runner makes the long trip to @KelsoRacecourse worth while! Under a fantastic ride by our conditional Charlie Price #timvaughanracing #feedyourdesiretowin pic.twitter.com/MaJlPhBnVo

— Tim Vaughan Racing (@TVaughanRacing) 18 September 2019

Akkapenko, the Sedgefield winner, could bid to follow up in the selling handicap hurdle at Newton Abbot on Monday where the yard has several entries. Fairly useful hurdler Trixster could make his debut over fences in the novice chase, while Irish import Barntown has some of the best hurdling form on offer in the novices’ hurdle. Another potentially interesting debutant for the yard is Tippingituptonancy entered in the maiden hurdle. She was runner-up to last season’s Aintree Grade 2 mares’ bumper winner The Glancing Queen on her only start in Irish points. Vaughan also has several entries at Southwell on Tuesday. They include the in-form Danboru who could go for a third win of the season in the three-mile novices’ hurdle, and winning Irish pointer Norwegian Woods who could bid for a first win under Rules in one of the handicap hurdles on the card.

Under the radar: Jim Goldie

Jim Goldie had a frustrating time of it at Ayr’s biggest Flat meeting earlier in September where he drew a blank but saddled four seconds, three of those beaten narrowly. Those runners-up included the yard’s current standard-bearer Nicholas T who represented the yard in the Cambridgeshire this weekend, a race in which the stable’s Nanton made the frame three times, including when runner-up at 66/1. However, Goldie’s near-misses at Ayr demonstrate that he has his team in rude health, something also evident earlier in the month when he landed a double at Redcar. With meetings coming up at Hamilton on Monday and Ayr again on Tuesday, there should be opportunites for further success at the trainer’s local tracks.

Burmese Blazer has been in better form than his recent form figures would suggest, and he looks the more interesting of the stable’s two entries in the opening amateur rider’s handicap on Hamilton’s all-sprint card. He was third in a better-quality race there last week. Tuesday at Ayr looks like being a busy day for the yard, but among the entries worth highlighting are Remmy D who shaped very well when third at Hamilton last week (entered in first and last race on the card) and Tommy G, who was in the ‘wrong’ group in the Bronze Cup here last time but could bid for a fifth course win – he has options over six or seven furlongs.