Roger Varian keeping faith with Coronation Stakes absentee Mot Juste
Mot Juste, taken out of Friday's Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot because of the easy ground, can still make her mark at the highest level this season, according to trainer Roger Varian.
Bred and owned by Robert Barnett, Mot Juste displayed her talent with a fluent victory in the Oh So Sharp Stakes in October and then finished second to stablemate Qabala in the Nell Gwyn Stakes on her first appearance of 2019.
She was hampered when 13th of 15 in the 1,000 Guineas when last seen, but Varian has confidence in the daughter of Distorted Humor who had been declared for the Coronation Stakes on day four of the royal meeting, but will not take part.
Varian said: "She didn't run badly in the 1,000 Guineas and got stuck for room when she needed it most. She's a much better filly than her Guineas run. Her Nell Gwyn run would tell you that, and that form stood up in the 1,000 Guineas.
"She'll bounce back, but she needs fast ground. She's in the Prix Jean Prat, which could be an option. She's got an entry in the Falmouth and has a Group 3 penalty for some of these summer races still, so we're looking at top-level races for her, but later on in the year she's going to have other options if she's not up to Group 1s, but I'd keep faith for now and put a line through her Guineas run.
"Her Oh So Sharp win and second in the Nell Gwyn point to her being pretty useful; she just needs a sound surface to show it."
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Published on 21 June 2019inRoyal Ascot
Last updated 10:56, 21 June 2019
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