Connections to adopt patient approach with ‘immature’ Raaheeb

Irish Derby fourth Raaheeb may have just two more outings this season, with connections backing him to return a better and much stronger individual at four.

The Owen Burrows-trained three-year-old, who is a full-brother to the brilliant Baaeed as well as 2023 King George hero Hukum, won the Sandown Classic Trial in April before suffering defeat for the first time behind Benvenuto Cellini in last month’s Curragh Classic.

On both occasions it has been a case of two steps forward followed by one step back as the Sea The Stars colt once again pulled out stiff following his Irish exertions, the same issue which prompted the team to rule him out of a tilt at the Derby at Epsom following his Sandown success.

“Raaheeb was stiff after Sandown and he was a bit scratchy again after the Irish Derby and, again, we are just giving him a bit of time,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owner-breeders Shadwell.

“We will start him back this week but he is a horse who, physically when you look at him, is still a shell of a horse. He is immature so we have to mind him.”

Raaheeb looked a big danger to all three furlongs from home in the Irish Derby, but faded in the straight under Rossa Ryan, eventually finishing eight lengths behind Aidan O’Brien’s back-to-form winner.

“Rossa was very pleased with him up to the three-furlong pole and said he thought he was going to go and win, but physically he didn’t stay on the day. That was as much to do with maturity as a lack of stamina though,” Gold added.

“He is a full-brother to Hukum who got better and better as he went on and this horse looks very like him. I’m sure as long as we can keep him in one piece he will be a better four-year-old than he is at three.

“In terms of numbers of runs we might only have a couple more this year. We will see at the end of August and into September if the ground eases.”

Shadwell’s unlucky Coronation Stakes runner-up Touleen, trained like Raaheeb by the Lambourn-based Burrows, is on course to drop down in grade for the Group Three Valiant Stakes at Ascot on Saturday week as she looks for a first victory since landing a Leicester novice event last September.

Gold said: “Arguably she was unlucky at Ascot, but the fact is she is our best filly and she still hasn’t won a race (this season)

“If we can make her a Group Three winner then we can go back to being more ambitious during the remainder of the campaign. Obviously there are no guarantees, but you would think if she was to run the same sort of race as she did at Royal Ascot she would have a nice chance.”