Varian planning direct Classic route for Bayside Boy

English and French Guineas options for Champagne Stakes winner.

Roger Varian reports Bayside Boy will head straight to a Classic for his first run of the season.

But whether that will be the short trip to the Rowley Mile for the Qipco 2000 Guineas or a cross-Channel mission to ParisLongchamp for the French equivalent remains to be decided.

An impressive winner on debut at Newbury last season, the son of New Bay went on to run in all the right races as a two-year-old, beating the Queen’s Derby contender Reach For The Moon in Doncaster’s Champagne Stakes before finishing his campaign with a pair of placed efforts in both the Dewhurst Stakes and Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes back on Town Moor.

A best-priced 33-1 for the first Classic of the season, a visit to HQ is definitely on the radar, with Varian hoping he can continue holding his own at the highest level in his three-year-old season.

He said: “I hope he’s a Guineas contender and we’re still in between Newmarket or Longchamp. I think he’ll go straight to a Guineas, but which one that is, we may be a bit surer of things next week.

“The horse is in good form, has wintered well and done everything right and we’re very happy with him.”

The Carlburg Stables handler could have a strong hand in the Classics and having already seen Eydon throw his name into the picture for some of the season’s top prizes when taking the Feilden Stakes, is also preparing another of his highly-regarded colts, Subastar, for a first outing of the campaign.

The son of Sea The Stars, whose dam is closely related to Dubawi, won nicely at Newmarket in September and looks the type who could thrive when upped to middle-distances this term. He holds an entry for both the Cazoo Derby and Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

Cambridgeshire Meeting – Day One – Newmarket Racecourse
Roger Varian hopes to run Subastar in Derby trial within the next few weeks (Tim Goode/PA)

“It’s too early to say he’s an Epsom contender, but he’s a colt we like and he’s a couple of weeks away from running,” said Varian.

“He’s a laid-back horse so he’s not the easiest to judge at home, but we think he’s a nice one.”

“We hope he’s the type of horse we can aim at a Derby trial, but we haven’t nominated which one. He’s coming along well and improving at home and should be ready to roll out in about a fortnight,” added the trainer when analysing his prospects.

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