Roger Varian

Welcome to our profile of two-time St Leger winning Trainer Roger Varian:

Roger Varian Runners Today

Here are all the Roger Varian horses running today and future entries.

Roger Varian Recent Form

Key Stats

Name – Roger Varian

Date of Birth – 14 March 1979

Racing Yard – Carlburg Stables, Newmarket

Big Wins: St Leger (2), Coronation Cup (2), British Champions Fillies and Mares, Dewhurst Stakes, International Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Racing Post Trophy, Criterium International, Prix d’Ispahan, Prix de l’Opera, Prix Jean Romanet, Prix Vermeille, Moyglare Stud Stakes, Pretty Polly Stakes (2), Dubai Sheema Classic and many more top flat races.

Trainer Profile

Roger Varian moved to the United States in his teens and was a work rider at Hollywood Park. He returned to the UK to ride for a short spell with Josh Gifford over jumps, riding seven winners. He suffered a serious wrist injury in a fall after returning to America in 2001 forcing his retirement from the saddle.

Varian then became assistant trainer to Michael Jarvis at Kremlin House Stakes in Newmarket. He worked there for 10 years before succeeding Jarvis in 2011. He moved from Kremlin House to Carlburg Stables in 2017, the yard previously owned by Clive Brittain.

Roger Varian – Key Trainer Stats

Varian trained 53 winners in his first season and by year three his horses had earned over £1.3 million during the campaign. He achieved his first century of winners in the 2015 season, a figure he has eclipsed for seven of the last eight years. His best year, both numerically and financially, was in 2022 when he saddled 140 winners and earned more than £3.6 million in prize money.

Roger Varian Big Race Wins

Varian hit the ground running, sending out Nahrain to win the Prix de l’Opera in his first season. The filly also won the Flower Bowl Invitational in 2012. He kicked off the 2013 season with Farraaj landing the Winter Derby while other big winners included Ambivalent in the Pretty Polly and Aljamaaheer in the Summer Mile.

The Racing Post Trophy success of Kingston Hill raised hopes of a Derby winner for the yard. The grey ultimately finished runner-up at Epsom before providing Varian with his first Classic in the 2014 St Leger. He won it for a second time in 2022 with Eldar Eldarov. Another top performer trained by Varian was Postponed who won the 2016 Coronation Cup and International Stakes as well as a blistering performance in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Roger Varian – Most Famous Victories

Kingston Hill always had a touch of class, winning a Newbury maiden before taking the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket. His impressive four and a half lengths Racing Post Trophy win put him to the forefront of the Classic betting. The 2000 Guineas proved too sharp where he stayed on into midfield, showing enough to start 15-2 for the Derby. He briefly led at the two furlong pole but could not repel Australia and was beaten a length and a quarter.

After staying on into fourth in the Eclipse over ten furlongs, he came into his own over the St Leger trip when beating Romsdal and Snow Sky. His final career start was in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe where he finished a highly creditable fourth to Treve from a wide draw. Eldar Eldarov’s 2022 St Leger was also won in decisive fashion, the colt beating New London by 2 lengths.

Summary

Roger Varian is very consistent and has shown that he can compete with the best when given the right tools. A second St Leger in 2022 will have whetted his appetite for more Classic success in the years to come.

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