We’re getting really excited for  our visit to Carlburg Stables for our Roger Varian Stable Tour on the 12th August. The flat season is in full swing and we’re now firmly on track for Glorious Goodwood  and the remainder of the season promises to be a thriller as the big guns all battle for glory.

We asked the team at Carlburg Stables to highlight some of the horses to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Who knows, you may even spy them during our tour as we take you behind the scenes in the famous yard along the Bury Road.

ZABEEL PRINCE

A trip to Longchamp in May saw Zabeel prince, in the distinct yellow and black silks of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, come away with a Group 1 win in the Prix  d’Ispahan which meant a first success at this level for the son of  Lope De Vega. It followed a very good win on his seasonal bow on the Rowley Mile a month earlier in the Earl of Sefton (Gr 3) and set him on course for Royal Ascot and other big prizes. It hasn’t quite gone to plan in two runs since, in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1)  and the Coral-Eclipse (Gr 1) at Sandown. Those two efforts were over 1m2f and while there were valid excuses for both efforts with the ground at Ascot not to his liking and being squeezed for room  at Sandown when mounting a challenge he now looks set for a drop in trip.

His next assignment will be the Sussex Stakes (Gr 1) at Goodwood over a mile.

Here’s a replay of his brilliant effort when tasting Group 1 glory in France. 

DEFOE

He’s become a firm favourite among many racing fans and the gallant grey deserves all the plaudits. The five-year-old son of Dalakhani  has always threatened to win a Group 1 during his career and he’s always been a name bandied about in the big races so it was amazing to see him claim that top level success in the Coronation Cup (Gr 1) during all of the festivities on Derby Weekend at Epsom. And he proved it was no fluke when following up with another good win in his next start when claiming the Hardwicke Stakes (Gr 2) during the Royal meeting at Ascot.

He is reported to be in good form and returns to Ascot on Saturday and faces a top field in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. There are long term plans for next year already with an eye on the  Sheema Classic at Meydan.

Enjoy a replay of Defoe’s defining moment at Epsom.

PILASTER

She may not have performed  as the team would have hoped so far in 2019 but the plan is to get her ready for the Lillie Langtry (Gr 2) at Goodwood, the race she won last year when providing David Egan with his very first winner at group level.

FLAVIUS TITUS

A horse who is enjoying a really good season so far with two wins and a placed effort from three starts. His most recent win came in a Handicap on the July Course and the gelding is now on course for the Steward’s Cup at Goodwood on the 3rd August, a field in which he finds himself as an antepost favourite on a few shortlists of hopefuls in the field.

SUNDAY SOVEREIGN

He’s yet to run for his new yard since transferring from Ireland but he looks an exciting two-year-old prospect and he may be targeted at either the Molecomb or the Richmond at Glorious Goodwood.

GAME PLAYER

A three-time winner during his career, Game Player is said to be developing into a really nice type. The  four-year-old by Dark Angel was unlucky in his previous effort when third at Ayr and he’s now targeting success at Goodwood in  the Golden Mile.

NAUSHA

The winner of the Musidora (Gr 3) at York in May when winning by a neck didn’t have a good time of it when tested at Group 1 level in her next start in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly. She holds an entry in the Nassau Stakes (Gr 1) at the Glorious Goodwood meeting but she is likely to head to the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1) for her next outing.

DAAHYEH

Another of the yard’s two-year-olds to keep an eye on she ran a really good race when second in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (Gr 2) during the July Festival at Newmarket and while she holds a few entries her next target is likely to be the Moyglare Stud Stakes (Gr 1) in Ireland in September. This filly demonstrated her talent when taking out the Albany Stakes (Gr 3) at Royal Ascot. The Varian team have already been involved with an Albany winner that went on to bigger things when Cursory Glance claimed that race before taking out the Moyglare back in 2014.

Two days after his 20th birthday, jockey David Egan celebrates a first #RoyalAscot win with trainer Roger Varian by guiding Daahyeh to victory in the Albany Stakes 🎂🎉 pic.twitter.com/0vtskcJJyH

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 21, 2019

Would you like to go behind the scenes to see what life is like at Carlburg Stables? Click here to find out more about our Roger Varian Stable Tour taking place on the 12th August.