Photo Credit: Jour de Galop
Explosive Prix de la Seine (Listed) winner Raabihah, now a perfect two-for-two, firmly placed herself in the picture for the classic Prix de Diane (G1) (French Oaks) with a one-sided victory on May 14 at Saint-Cloud, but before she takes on the best fillies in France, she will likely have one more run.
“She has come out of the Prix de la Seine in fine shape and gives the impression she hardly had a race,” said trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. “At the moment, I am perhaps leaning toward the Prix Cleopatre (G3) for her next run, as that gives a bit more recovery time ahead of the Diane, but that is not for certain.”
Accelerating with ease to a four-length tally in the 11-furlong Prix de la Seine, she showed the same instantaneous attack as her initial run, a three-length win at Cagnes-Sur-Mer over an all-weather 10 furlongs on Jan. 23. The daughter of Sea the Stars and granddaughter of 2005 Epsom Oaks (G1) winner Eswarah leads a group of promising Shadwell sophomores under Rouget’s care, including Tawkeel, who extended her record to three-for-three on May 24 at Deauville.
“She was very backward and she first began to show something over the winter,” Rouget recollected. “It was a very nice performance when she won on debut. For those horses that don’t make it to the track at two, Cagnes offers a chance to make up for time with a view to the season ahead.
“In any case, she is among my best fillies,” Rouget concluded. “It’s great because I’ve been training for Sheikh Hamdan for a fair few years now.”
The Diane is scheduled for July 5, while the course and 10.5-furlong distance Cleopatre is on the docket for June 6.
Shadwell Racing Media
