Varian anticipating Classic performance from Glen Buck

Roger Varian is backing the hat-trick-seeking Glen Buck to land a telling blow in the BetUK All-Weather Easter Classic at Newcastle on Good Friday.

Although Glen Buck thrived over a mile and a half when excelling at Southwell in the early stages of 2025, the Carlsburg Stables handler has no qualms about dropping back in distance for one of the feature events on All-Weather Championship Finals Day.

“This has been his target for a while and hopefully he is ready to run a big race,” said Varian.

“We know he stays a mile and a half, but I think we might get away with the drop back in trip at Newcastle. It is a stiff track and you have to get the trip well, plus I think he is adaptable enough.”

Glen Buck claimed the scalp of Andrew Balding’s Old Harrovian on his penultimate start, with the six-year-old franking the form when scoring over course and distance on his next outing.

He was handed a hefty rise ahead of his rematch with the Varian entrant and Balding said: “He won very well at the trials meeting, but the handicapper had his say and it will be interesting to see if he can defy a 9lb rise. We think we have him in good shape.”

Mick Appleby’s Penzance and Simon and Ed Crisford’s Charlotte’s Web are other track-and-trip scorers amongst the field, with the latter attempting to regain the winning thread having seen her four-race winning run ended when beaten a neck in the AWC Middle Distance Trial at Lingfield.

Hooking was third in this last season and represents the French team of trainer Philippe Decouz and World Cup-winning owner Antoine Griezmann.

Also in the mix is James Tate’s Smart Hero, who has been in top form this winter and is another in the field going in search of a three-timer.

The trainer said: “We’ve left him a little bit unexposed deliberately for this and he seemed to step up markedly from a mile to a mile and one and a half furlongs and he really looked if he went that little bit further, he could improve again.

“Obviously he does need to settle and he does need to show that stays the mile and a quarter, but I thought the mark of 94 would get him in the race which it has, so we’re very optimistic and it’s a huge pot to aim at.

“He was impressive at Wolverhampton and the handicapper obviously raised him, but it didn’t look like the rise he gave him would have stopped him that day. If he can produce a similar level of form over this extra furlong, you’d like to think he goes in there with a leading chance.”