Owners Shadwell have announced that the unbeaten Raaheeb (Sea The Stars) will not run in the Betfred Derby.
A full-brother to the outstanding Baaeed and multiple Group 1 winner Hukum, Raaheeb won his only start at two and was a very impressive winner of the G3 bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown last week.
Plans remained fluid in the aftermath of that success, with Owen Burrows expressing his view that Raaheeb might lack the necessary experience to tackle Epsom.
Unfortunately, that decision has now been taken out of the trainer's hands after his budding star returned stiff from Sandown.
“I have had a long discussion with Owen Burrows regarding Raaheeb's participation in the Derby after his impressive victory at Sandown last week,” Shadwell's racing manager, Angus Gold, said in a statement.
“Owen said that the horse had been stiff for a couple of days following the race but, whilst routine X-rays have revealed nothing untoward, he will have to give the horse a bit more time to get over the race before he goes back into full training.
“Consequently, Owen feels he will not be able to have him in peak condition for the Derby; therefore, sadly, the decision has been made to bypass Epsom and give Raaheeb the time he needs. We hope to have him ready for important targets later this summer.”
Field Of Gold Forced to Miss Lockinge Stakes
Another key runner from last week's Sandown card is also set for a spell on the sidelines, with Field Of Gold being forced to sit out next month's G1 BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury after he was found to be suffering from a bacterial infection.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Field Of Gold was a dual Group 1 winner last year, having followed an unlucky defeat in the 2,000 Guineas with impressive victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes.
Though below that form in two subsequent starts in 2025, hopes had been high that Field Of Gold might be able to rediscover the winning thread in the Lockinge after he kicked off his four-year-old campaign at Sandown with an encouraging second in the G2 bet365 Mile.
However, those plans have now had to be shelved, with the son of Kingman also facing a race against time to be fit for a return trip to Royal Ascot.
“We were very happy with how Field Of Gold ran in his first start this season, but post-race a bronchoalveolar lavage revealed a lower respiratory tract bacterial infection,” read a statement from Juddmonte, the owners of Field Of Gold.
“This will require the horse to have a couple of easy weeks along with some treatment.
“In turn this will cause Field Of Gold to miss the Lockinge Stakes and we hope to have him ready for a return to the races at Royal Ascot or in the second half of the season.”
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