Raheen House

13th-Jul-2017

This is an intriguing renewal of the Bahrain Trophy.  Atty Persse was impressive in winning the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot from a wide draw, Wolf Country ran well in the Dante after winning a listed race at Salisbury, and Crowned Eagle was impressive in beating Secret Advisor at Windsor before he was pitched into the Derby.  All three of those are lightly-raced individuals who have bundles of potential for progression, and Crowned Eagle’s trainer John Gosden has won four of the last six renewals of this race.

And Desert Skyline is not out of it, he ran better than his finishing position suggests in finishing sixth in the Queen’s Vase.

That said, I thought that Raheen House should have been favourite for the race, and I am backing him at 7/2.

Brian Meehan’s horse is a highly-talented horse who still has the potential to go higher still.  He split subsequent Musidora Stakes winner Shutter Speed and subsequent Oaks winner Enable on his debut this season at Newbury in April and, after disappointing a little behind Khalidi in the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood, he returned at Royal Ascot and ran a cracker to finish fourth in the King Edward VII Stakes.

He can be marked up significantly too on the bare form of that Royal Ascot run.  He was held up at the back of the field in a race in which the prominent racers were favoured.  Last into the home straight, he stayed on well down the outside to take fourth place, closest at the finish.  The other four horses who, with him, filled the first five places all raced prominently.

He should get a stronger pace today than he got that day.  Also, the step up from a mile and a half to a mile and five furlongs should suit.  He could go very close.

RAHEEN HOUSE WON (SP 7/2)