Raaheeb (Ire)

Tricky in the preliminaries but as professional as it gets in the race itself, Shadwell's key three-year-old Raaheeb (Sea The Stars) stamped his class on Friday's G3 Sandown Classic Trial. Smartly away unlike Ballydoyle's 4-6 market-leader Action (Frankel), Baaeed's full-brother who earned TDN Rising Star status on his Ascot debut in September travelled strongly off the early pace under Rossa Ryan and when committed approaching two out had first run on his peers. Staying on powerfully to the line, the 5-1 second favourite who like his other full-sibling Hukum hails...

Merely a satisfactory debut for Raaheeb (Sea The Stars) at Ascot on Friday would have sufficed, but Shadwell's brother to Baaeed and Hukum was in the winning mood to earn instant TDN Rising Star status with a certain bright future ahead. Almost certainly still a work in progress if pedigree is any guide, the Owen Burrows-trained 7-4 favourite was asked to take control by Jim Crowley approaching the furlong pole and readily asserted for a 1 1/4-length verdict over Pompette (New Bay). "We liked him at home, but he's so...