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| Staff Writer |
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Trainer Roger Varian has not decided whether or not Eldar Eldarov will run in the Long Distance Cup (1.25 pm) on Qipco British Champions Day this coming Saturday. The St. Leger winner is as low as 3-1 for Saturday's contest, but he also has the Prix Royal Oak as a possible end-of-season option.
Varian stated, "A decision on running Eldar Eldarov won't be made until I've spoken again to the owner in the middle of the week. The horse has been in very good form since Doncaster and it wouldn't worry me at all that this hasn't been a race for 3YO so far. But currently he as two options– the Long Distance Cup and the Prix Royal-Oak – and we want to get it right."
Speaking on Monday at Yarmouth, where he rode a double, David Egan reported Eldar Eldarov to be in "fantastic" form and has improved since last month's Classic triumph.
Egan, who has ridden Eldar Eldarov on all five of his starts, commented, "He's come out of his St Leger win very well. I've sat on him a couple of times since and I'd say he's in even better form than going into the Leger. I'm very excited to see him come out.
"He just feels really good, he's working a lot better. He's normally quite laid-back and workmanlike and he's improved a lot. He's only going to get better, but he's going to need to against the older horses,” Egan added further.
Eldar Eldarov, who competes for KHK Racing Ltd., will have to increase his stamina for Saturday's race. After winning the Classic, Varian predicted he would be a Cup horse for the next two or three years, and Egan is keeping his fingers crossed that he can continue to improve at two miles.
"He won a Royal Ascot race on good to firm ground and he was even better on good to soft ground in the Leger so he's very versatile. If there was a bit of rain, I wouldn't be worried, but it's probably going to be good ground. If it is then it'll be the ideal situation for everyone and he'll handle it as well as anyone."