ENFJAAR CHASING MELBOURNE CUP GLORY FOR ROGER VARIAN
Newmarket trainer Roger Varian is one short of his 30th Group/Grade 1 victory and he will look to achieve that in Australia to add to his impressive global resumé when ENFJAAR contests the Group 1 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
Varian has already made his mark in various jurisdictions with Group 1 wins in Britain, France, Germany, Ireland and the UAE and Grade 1 wins in Canada and the USA. He has also trained Black-Type winners for owners from 11 countries in the last 10 years.
The trainer is no stranger to Flemington and came close to Group 1 victory at the racecourse in 2014 when he saddled FARRAAJ in the Mackinnon Stakes. The gelding finished third less than a length behind the winner.
Enfjaar has been a consistent sort since his gelding operation at the end of his three-year-old campaign. The six-year-old has finished in the top four nine times in his last 12 outings.
He was offered at the Tattersalls February Sale earlier in 2026 but remained with Varian after agent Alex Elliott bought him for 120,000 guineas. His season highlight came at the Qatar Goodwood Festival when he won the Group 3 Glorious Stakes.
Enfjaar travelled to Australia after that win and competed in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup to finetune his preparation for the Melbourne Cup. He ran very well to finish third, beaten only a length behind winner KINGSWOOD (GB) on what was his first overseas race.
Varian spoke to Great British Racing International (GBRI) about his Melbourne Cup contender:
“We were delighted with his run in the Caulfield Cup and my team out there have been very happy with his form since the race. He seems to have really improved his condition in the last three to four days and George Tregoning who has been preparing him since they reached Australia is very pleased with the horse.
“I always had the hope that he was a very good horse but he was a bit fragile when he was younger. We had to give him the time to grow, which he did. He only had a dozen races before his five-year-old campaign and raced three times in 2025.
“We are looking forward to competing in the Melbourne Cup next week and he should be there with a good chance. Australia was in our mind from early in the season, but this plan solidified itself after his Group win at Goodwood.
“He is owned by a partnership involving the Spence and Standish families since February. They have enjoyed a great year with him and have taken a lot of joy. Hopefully the journey is far from being over.”