Varian out to cap fine first season
The youngster certainly looked the real deal when winning a typically warm Newbury maiden on his racecourse debut and he then ran away with the same conditions race at Doncaster that the mighty Frankel had won 12 months earlier.
He will face a far sterner test this weekend with proven Group One winner Power in the line-up but Angus Gold, racing manager for owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, believes the colt is ready to test his powers at the highest level.
“He’s done very well so far and we’ll see whether he’s good enough. It’s the same situation for a lot of them and there is no better race to find out,” said Gold.
“He’s potentially a very nice horse and a big, scopey individual who is very much one for next year.
“But he’s got plenty of talent and if he could run well in a Dewhurst it would be a bonus.
“Power is a Group One winner and an established horse and Bronterre has won a Listed race.
“They are all potentially nice horses and we’ll see who makes the leap forward.
“Ektihaam is a great big horse and I’m sure if we got some rain overnight that is not going to inconvenience him.
“I’m not saying he needs it easy but he is a big galloping horse and probably wouldn’t want it too firm.”
The Andrew Balding-trained Spiritual Star was supplemented for the Dewhurst following a superb display in a course and distance maiden last month.
Like Ektihaam, the juvenile officially has 22lb to find with Aidan O’Brien’s Power, winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and, most recently, the National Stakes at the Curragh.
James Stafford, racing manager for Spiritual Star’s owners Thurloe Thoroughbreds, said: “It’s very exciting to have a runner in a race like this.
“It’s a big step into the unknown – if you like we’re going from one end of the swimming pool to the other.
“But at this time of year there aren’t that many options open to him and we’ll find out whether he’s a Group horse.
“After his last run I think he deserved to have a crack at it and he’s running at a track that he knows and on ground that we know he likes.
“We’re punching with the heavyweights but what ever happens, he’ll be a lovely horse for next year.”
Superlative Stakes winner Red Duke is bound for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf next month, but John Quinn has decided to take in a trip to Headquarters along the way.
“He’s in good form, we’re very happy with him and we’ll see what happens,” said the Malton handler.
“The ground won’t bother him and he gets the seven furlongs well, so it’s just a question of whether he’s good enough on the day.
“We’ve got a month then to get him ready for the Breeders’ Cup – that is definitely the plan.”
A big two-year-old race would not be the same without a representative from the Richard Hannon yard and he runs two, Bronterre and Trumpet Major.
Bronterre is unbeaten after winning a Salisbury maiden and a Listed event at Goodwood, while Trumpet Major landed the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster when he lowered the colours of the reopposing Red Duke.
“We run Bronterre (Richard Hughes) and Trumpet Major (Johnny Murtagh) in the Dewhurst Stakes and, though it looks a hot renewal, I could not be happier with them,” said Hannon.
“Sure, this is a big jump up in class for Bronterre, but he could not have been more impressive when winning his Listed race at Goodwood by five lengths.
“And though he is just starting to go in his coat, he moved beautifully for Hughesie in a spin up the all-weather at Herridge on Tuesday and seems at the top of his game
