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Varian plans to be patient with Gala Stakes winner Sallaal
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Fri 3 Jul 2026
Roger Varian plans to adopt a patient approach with Sallaal after seeing him successfully graduate to Listed level in the Davies Insurance Solutions Gala Stakes at Sandown.
The four-year-old is bred in the purple as a son of Frankel out of top-class racemare Nahrain, making a half-brother to both triple Group One winner Benbatl and 1000 Guineas heroine Elmalka.
Sallaal has taken a while to realise his potential, but a winter gelding operation appears to have helped as following a comeback second at Epsom, he turned a competitive Oaks day handicap into a procession back on the Surrey Downs four weeks ago.
A 4-5 favourite stepping back up in class, Varian’s charge raced with his usual enthusiasm in the slipstream of the pacesetting Boiling Point and dug deep for Ray Dawson inside the final furlong to score by a length and three-quarters from the staying-on Persica.
Varian said: “This was a very different test to Epsom which was a big field and a strong gallop, and today looked a lot more tactical in a small field.
“I was a bit nervous because of the different set-up and I wasn’t sure if he is quite the bravest, but he is getting better. He got to the front early and results can change late in the final furlong here so it wasn’t over until it was over.
“He was good though, I thought, and he was pretty dominant crossing the line in what looked a strong Listed race.”
The Newmarket handler is keen not to raise his sights too high just yet with a horse he still views as a work in progress.
“We’ll take small steps and there is no rush as he’s a horse who should be around for a couple of years. I had in my mind if we went well today something like the Rose Of Lancaster which is a Group Three and we could be back at Haydock by then,” he added.
“There’s other options as well but I don’t think we’ll be flying up the ladder, we’ve got a Listed win under his belt and we can climb gradually.
“He’ll stay at 10 furlongs for now and he will stay a bit further, but he just raced a bit keen in Ray’s hands today with no gallop on.”
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