‘There could be a right punt on this one’ – Trainer who targets Leicester has sole runner

Roger Varian is one of the best trainers in the country and there is no better man to improve a horse. That is especially the case for handicappers looking to move on to group or pattern company.

Varian has sent six runners to Leicester Racecourse in 2021 and four of them have won. That is an incredible return even though the sample size is relatively small.

It is a clear indicator that he likes to target the track and interestingly he sends just one runner there on Thursday. One would have to think that he is lining the horse up for victory.

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8.45 Leicester

The Next Meeting @leicesterraces Saturday 3rd July Handicap is a modest Class 6 affair on paper. Varian does not train too many horses rated as low as 65 so we would have to assume that the horse is much better than his current rating.

A son of Dubawi, the horse in question is named Athers. He is lightly raced having seen the racetrack just five times in his career so there is plenty of scope for improvement in the locker.

After a debut run full of promise when third at Doncaster last summer (beaten by a horse that was subsequently runner-up in a Group 2 behind Chindit), he disappointed at York when sent off favourite on his next start.

He has run twice this year without threatening but will tackle quick ground for the first time since his career-best run on debut. First-time cheekpieces are also applied and Andrea Atzeni has been booked for the ride. Everything points to a huge run on the way and there could be a right punt on this one.

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