Horses to follow
Spotted by the Trackside team and noted in its raceday text messaging service
Rahiebb
3yo, c, Frankel-Playful Sound (Street Cry)
Trainer: Roger Varian
Breeder: Newsells Park Stud
Owner: Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum
Race: June 18: Group 3 Queen’s Vase, Royal Ascot
It looked to be another useful renewal of the Queen’s Vase at this year’s Royal Ascot, a race that has been won by future top-flight stayers such as Stradivarius (2017), Eldar Eldarov (2022) and Illinois (2024).
Whilst there was little criticism to be levelled at the impressive winner Carmers, it was the third-placed Rahiebb who caught the eye as a possible horse to follow for the future.
Trained by Roger Varian, the deep-chested, burly colt had all the physical attributes of an eye-catcher but jogged and pulled throughout the preliminaries, leaving the paddock for the start in a heavy sweat.
His progressive headway at the 2f marker to dispute second marked him out as a colt to watch going forward and breeding suggests that a return to middle-distances may prove key.
The son of Frankel is out of the four-time-winning mare Playful Sound (Street Cry), who was seen to her best effect over 1m2f but has already produced a 7f juvenile winner.
Rahiebb holds an early entry in the Great Voltigeur Stakes (G2) over 1m4f at the York meeting.
Publish
2yo c, Kingman-Nay Lady Nay (No Nay Never)
Trainer: John and Thady Gosden
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
Owner: Juddmonte
Race: July 4, Tattersalls EBF Novice, Sandown
There was plenty of discussion regarding the ride of Colin Keane aboard debutante Publish in the Tattersalls EBF Novice Stakes at Sandown, with the colt struggling to find a clear run before making eye-catching progress to finish second behind Pacifica Pier.
He is a big, raw colt with plenty of maturing and filling out to do and anything that was achieved at Sandown should be bettered later in the season.
He boasts an interesting pedigree – his dam Nay Lady Nay was a broodmare purchase by Juddmonte for $1,700,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale from Hidden Brook.
She was a winner on Turf at Grade 2 level at Churchill Downs over a mile when trained by Chad Brown, and is a full-sister to Aidan O’Brien’s high-class juvenile Arizona, who won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
It is also the family of the Italian 1m1f two-year-old Group 3 winner Fathayer and the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) and Prix Morny (G1) winner Dabirsim.
Catullus
2yo, c, Invincible Spirit-Communicate (Dubawi)
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Breeder: Godolphin
Owner: Godolphin
Race: July 11, Weatherbys British EBF Maiden, Newmarket
In a 12-runner colts and gelding maiden, there is always going to be a horse who catches the eye with green behaviour in the preliminaries – Charlie Appleby’s Catullus came into the pre-parade with plenty of fanfare, shouting throughout and greeting all newcomers as they arrived.
Despite his obvious inexperience, the son of Invincible Spirit produced an eye-catching run to finish best of the rest behind Distant Storm and Constitution River – making considerable headway in the closing stages despite hanging left with a furlong to run.
It would be fair to imagine we might see a more professional version of Catullus next time and he has a smart-enough pedigree to envisage that he
can make an impact in at least minor black-type company.
His dam Communicate (Dubawi) is out of the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes winner Discourse, who produced three individual black-type performers, and is a half-sister to Bandini (Fusaichi Pegasus), winner of the 1m1f Blue Grass Stakes (G1).
Venetian Prince
2yo, c, St Mark’s Basilica-Arabian Queen (Dubawi)
Trainer: Andrew Balding
Breeder: LIttleton Stud
Owner: J C Smith
Race: July 11, Weatherbys British EBF Maiden (Colts & Geldings), Newmarket
It seems a bit of a cheat to put in a second horse-to-follow from the same Weatherbys-sponsored 7f colts and geldings maiden at Newmarket’s July Festival, but it is a race that tends to throw up future winners – in 2024 the contest was taken in emphatic style by this year’s star Field Of Gold.
Venetian Prince is the sixth foal out of Jeff Smith’s great Group 1-winning mare Arabian Queen, best remembered for her defeat of Golden Horn in the Juddmonte International (G1), and he is another carbon copy of his siblings.
From a paddock perspective, Arabian Queen’s offspring – think See The Fire, Royal Playwright, Spirit Mixer – tend to earn the tag “always present well”.
They’re a good-looking bunch and Venetian Prince fits into the same
mould, as a smart, compact chestnut colt.
He ran commendably for a debut effort to finish sixth in a hot race and looks likely to produce a juvenile success before the end of the season.
New Vega
2yo, f, New Bay-Envega (Lope De Vega)
Trainer: Simon & Ed Crisford
Breeder: Montcastle Bloodstock Ltd
Owner: Sky Racing ClubRace: July 12, Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies’, Newmarket
Professionalism was the name of the game in the Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes and the previous experience of Orion’s Belt played to her strengths as she took a comfortable victory.
It was the second-placed New Vega who caught the eye on her racecourse debut, having been bought for €450,000 at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale by Alessandro Marconi, and is now in Sky Racing Club ownership.
It was a considerable upgrade on her £50,000 price tag at Goffs Premier Yearling Sale when purchased by her two-year-old consignor Johnny Collins’ Brown Island Stables.
She was relatively professional for a debutante and you could see why
she appealed at the breeze-up sales, a well-balanced two-year-old ready to race but with the scope to train on as an older filly.
The daughter of New Bay was prominent and kept on well for second, indicating that a good win would be well within her capabilities going forward.
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