Varian looking at starting options for The Platinum Queen

Roger Varian has identified races at York and Haydock as potential starting points for The Platinum Queen ahead of a crack at the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Cotai Glory filly was one of the stars of the 2022 Flat season when trained by Richard Fahey, justifying ambitious campaigning from previous owners Middleham Park Racing by picking up a silver medal in the Nunthorpe and plundering the Prix de l’Abbaye at ParisLongchamp in October.

She was sold to Katsumi Yoshida for 1.2million guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale and she will now sport the colours previously worn in the UK by Flotus when she makes her first start for Varian, having also swapped the northern racing hotspot of Malton for Newmarket in the close season.

Her new trainer has nominated the five-furlong King’s Stand Stakes as the three-year-old’s Royal Ascot target and is considering either York’s Westow Stakes (May 18) or the Temple Stakes at Haydock (May 27) as options to first blow away the cobwebs.

“I think there’s the Listed race for three-year-olds at York or there’s the Temple Stakes and we would like to run her before Ascot,” said the Carlburg Stables handler.

“We would like to run her in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot, but it would be nice to get a run into her beforehand and those would be the two options I think.”