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Varian hoping Saddadd might be the one to Eclipse O’Brien
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Fri 3 Jul 2026
Denying Aidan O’Brien another Coral-Eclipse is the unenviable task facing Saddadd on Saturday – but Roger Varian is confident the “best days should still be ahead” of his star middle-distance performer.
The Sandown Group One feature has proven a Ballydoyle benefit in recent years, and O’Brien has once again assembled a crack team of Eclipse contenders as French Derby one-two Constitution River and Hawk Mountain are joined by stablemate Flushing Meadows.
However, buoyed by a fine first appearance at the top level in the Curragh’s Tattersall’s Gold Cup, Varian is optimistic his dual course scorer should not be underestimated.
Varian said: “We’re looking forward to it and I’m really happy with the horse. This has kind of been the plan since he won the Gordon Richards and he did nothing in Ireland to derail us thinking he could run well in an Eclipse.
“I thought he came out of Ireland with great credit although he didn’t win and he’s been good in his training ever since. We’ve minded him and his best days should still be ahead of him and in my opinion he belongs at this level. I just hope he proves that on Saturday.”
Saddadd may have had to settle for third in Ireland in a race won by Ed Walker’s Almaqam, but he finished ahead of the likes of O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk that afternoon, with runner-up Bay City Roller franking the form at Epsom on his next start.
“I thought the winner and second probably had track position on him throughout at the Curragh and for whatever reason Aidan’s filly didn’t give her true running,” continued Varian.
“It probably just left us with a bit too much ground to make up, but you had to be impressed with what he did late on in the home straight. It’s a hard place to make up ground I think from what I’ve seen watching racing there this year and from what people have said.
“I think you could upgrade that performance and given it was against a proper Group One field – often it can be a bit soft that race but it was a proper Group One this year – he emerged with great credit on what was only his eighth career start.”
O’Brien’s duo met in the French Derby last time out with little between them, although Constitution River did overcome a wide draw.
“They both ran really well at Chantilly but of course Hawk Mountain had a much better draw than Constitution River. There has been a smooth preparation for both since Chantilly so we are happy to let them take each other on again,” O’Brien said in a Hong Kong Jockey Club media release.
“Sandown and Chantilly are quite similar though Sandown is a bit stiffer but that shouldn’t be a problem for them.”
Also heading to the race boosted by a sterling effort in elite company are the connections of Gethin, after his first outing in the Wathnan silks saw him put up a tremendous fight to Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard.
He will make his first Group One start over the same track and trip after Owen Burrows resisted the temptation to move up to 12 furlongs, with his team hopeful of another bold showing.
Gethin (left) gave Ombudsman a scare (John Walton/PA)
“We were delighted with his first run for us in the Brigadier Gerard and he’s lightly raced having only run six times, so we think he is still open to progress,” said Richard Brown of Wathnan, who will also see Harry Charlton’s King’s Gambit don the old gold and peacock blue in the contest.
“He’s a big boy and we think he’ll only get better with age and experience and you’ve got to be looking forward to running him.
“I’m sure Ombudsman wasn’t properly would up when we met in the Brigadier Gerard, but I also think we’ll improve from that run. I know he was getting 7lb which is a lot of weight, but if you are somewhere within 7lb of Ombudsman at the moment then you are in a very good place.”
Supplementing the Irish challenge is A Boy Named Susie for Donnacha O’Brien, who like the Gethin team has elected to remain at a mile and a quarter having had the option to step up in trip for last weekend’s Irish Derby.
The son of Starspangledbanner was cramped for room when an eyecatching fourth behind Constitution River and Mountain Hawk in the Prix du Jockey Club, with the younger O’Brien hoping to prove a thorn in his father’s side having booked Oisin Murphy to do the steering.
A Boy Named Susie in action at Leopardstown (Niall Carson/PA)
He said: “I think he’s a horse that has been a bit unlucky and he’s certainly unlucky not to be a stakes winner somewhere along the way. I think he’s coming and mentally he’s starting to get it together.
“It’s hard to know if he’s improved since France. His weight is pretty similar and his work’s been good, but he’s always been a good work horse and there’s no metric that I can tell you he’s a 10lb better horse now than he was at Chantilly.
“I guess the question is whether he was unlucky in France or not. That is something we’ll figure out on Saturday, whether if we’d followed the pace we would have been able to beat them or whether we’d have paid for that late on. That is where you’re hoping the few lengths will come out of.”
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