Eton Forever bagged the first Royal Ascot victory for Roger Varian in the Buckingham Palace Stakes
It was truly a wonderful moment for trainer, Roger Varian, when his charge, Eton Forever, landed the Buckingham Palace Stakes on 22nd June, 2012, earning the trainer his first ever victory in the Royal Ascot.
Despite breaking from the far-outside post, the son of Oratorio, out of mare True Joy, bolted through the seven furlong track with a pace that could not be matched, and finished 1 ¾ lengths ahead of the David Marnane trained, Jamesie, while Atlantic
Sport, finished in third place.
The race ended well for these three runners, but race favourite, Global Village, delivered a disappointing performance as he finished fourth.
Under jockey, Neil Callan, the five-year-old bay gelding excelled and picked up the pace at the right time.
He struggled in the final stages of the race, but Callan handled him well and guided him to the finish line.
Roger Varian was ecstatic with the victory of Eton Forever, since he was the last of Varian’s runners to compete in this year’s meet. Varian expressed his pride and pleasure in these words:
"He was our last throw of the dice this week as we have no runners tomorrow. We were hitting the crossbar and the post, but this horse is such a star.
"He was my first ever winner going back to the start of last season and to be my first Royal Ascot winner as well is just unbelievable. This is why we all get up in the morning."
This was also Neil Callan’s last chance to run at the Royal Ascot this year as he commented:
"This was my last chance as I'm at another meeting tomorrow. A couple of my bankers went down, but you dust yourself off and keep trying.”
Neil Callan and Roger Varian also teamed up in the Visit attheraces.com/ascot Handicap at Wolverhampton on 18th June, 2012, when Callan rode the three-year-old, Zowaina, and guided her to a 2 ½ length victory over, Seven Veils.
This victory meant a great deal to the trainer and the jockey alike, and it helped Eton Forever a lot in this race.
Here’s to hoping that the runner keeps on improving in his future races.
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