Wechaad

Roger Varian, who trains Wechaad at his Newmarket yard, sees genuine potential but draws a clear line between promise and proven ability. The trainer watched his charge run well at Doncaster and again in the Horris Hill, a top-level race for three-year-olds, but he is not rushing the horse back into action. Varian plans to target the summer grass racing season — around May onwards — when seven-furlong handicaps come up thick and fast. Races like the Jersey Stakes or the Britannia, well-known contests with decent prize money, fit the bill perfectly. The trainer's assessment is frank: Wechaad is a nice horse, but he still needs to prove whether he is very nice. Right now, with just one win from ten races and thirteen months since that breakthrough, he remains a work in progress.