Owen Burrows plans to bring Raaheeb back to 10 furlongs this season after the previously unbeaten colt finished fourth in Sunday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh.
The Shadwell colt arrived in Ireland with a perfect two-from-two record, but the move up to a mile and a half in Group 1 company proved too much at this stage of his development.
Burrows said Raaheeb’s jockey Rossa Ryan felt the son of Sea The Stars did not quite see out the trip, with the trainer telling Sporting Life that the colt will now stick to a mile and a quarter for the remainder of the campaign.
Autumn Plan Now Likely For Raaheeb
Raaheeb was clear in fourth behind Benvenuto Cellini, but Burrows stressed he had “not lost any faith” in a horse still learning his job after only three career starts.
The Lambourn trainer indicated Raaheeb will not be rushed back in July, with targets from the second half of August into the autumn now set to come under consideration as the team look for the right ground and tempo.
The update keeps Raaheeb in the three-year-old middle-distance picture, but changes the immediate brief: less Derby stamina test, more controlled 10-furlong progression before connections revisit longer trips as a four-year-old.
