© Photo Healy Racing
Roger Varian is riding on a crest of the wave with his fillies and his more circumspect approach with True Cyan could pay dividends in the Sky Bet Fillies’ Stakes at York on Friday.
The KHK Racing-owned daughter of No Nay Never made the perfect start in a Newmarket maiden last autumn and was not disgraced when fourth in the Nell Gwyn when returning to the Rowley Mile for her second start.
She was left in the 1000 Guineas until the declaration stage, with Varian electing to solely rely on his subsequent winner Elmalka while giving True Cyan that little bit of extra time.
That decision could prove a smart move as the Carlburg Stables inmate now challenges for Listed honours, with her team buoyed by recent Classic results both home and abroad.
“I think she will run well and she has trained really nicely since the Nell Gwyn,” said Varian.
“That form is starting to look good with the third (Kathmandu) being second in the French Guineas and the first two (Pretty Crystal and Dance Sequence) not being disgraced behind our horse in our Guineas.
“I thought she was a bit fresh in the Nell Gwyn, she raced without cover and I thought she did well to finish where she did.
“I’ve some belief in her and think she’s a nice filly.”
Varian’s hand in the one-mile contest is strengthened by Zenjabeela, who will be partnered by Oisin Murphy, while the chief danger to True Cyan could prove to be Charlie Appleby’s Devoted Queen, who maintained her unbeaten record on the same Kempton card Noble Speech thrived last month.
“Devoted Queen is in good order and I feel that she is ready to step up to this level now,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.
“She is a good-moving filly and ideally we would like decent ground, but she goes into this in great shape.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Spiritual was behind True Cyan in the Nell Gwyn and has been set some stiff tasks since winning a Leicester novice last summer. She tackles a mile for the first time in the hands of Kieran Shoemark.
Grant Tuer’s Bellarchi is quickly returned to the track for this shot at black type having toughed out an Ascot handicap last Saturday, while Kevin Ryan’s Bolsena also graduates to a higher level having bolted up at Newmarket during the Craven meeting.
The latter will be partnered once again by Ryan Moore, who told Betfair: “She was impressive when winning her maiden for me at Newmarket.
“This is a big leap up from maiden company, and she is currently only rated 87, but she has a great pedigree, being a half-sister to Triple Time and any number of other very good horses, so the potential is there to springboard off her current rating into this grade.”
The other Listed action on the card is the Clipper EBF Marygate Fillies’ Stakes for two-year-olds, which features a quick return to action for Tom Dascombe’s Lily Agnes winner Seraphim Angel.
The daughter of new sire Sergei Prokofiev was fourth behind Hugo Palmer and Michael Owen’s reopposing It Ain’t Two at Newmarket on debut and both are likely to be among the protagonists as they lock horns again.
One of the other key players in the five-furlong event looks to be Ollie Sangster’s Running Queen, who built on an encouraging fourth in a hot Newbury maiden when getting off the mark in a competitive Salisbury conditions event recently.
“It was a good performance at Salisbury and she seems to have come out of the race well and is in good form so we thought it would be nice to try to get some black type with her,” said Sangster.
“She’s always shaped like a nice filly at home and has shown plenty of speed. She improved from her first start to Salisbury and hopefully she can keep improving.”
