WIN, lose or draw on Sunday, Owen Burrows, Shadwell and Rossa Ryan have a lot to look forward to with their Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby contender Raaheeb. Impressive when making it two from two in the bet365 Classic Trial in April, the brother to Baaeed and Hukum bids to compensate inexperience with class at 4.35pm.

Speaking to The Irish Field, Rossa Ryan reflected: “He’s coming up against horses that are race-hardened, they’ve ran in the [Epsom] Derby, they know the score. We have the advantage that we’re going in fresh, but we’re also very inexperienced. And you have Aidan O’Brien’s battalion to take on as well.”

Ballydoyle accounts for half of the eight horses declared, while sons Donnacha and Joseph have each declared one.

On how concerned he is about Ballydoyle’s tactics ahead of the classic, Ryan commented: “You definitely have to think of what they’re doing; it’s not just a case of jumping out and seeing how the race pans out.

“It’s definitely a big thing to take into consideration of what they’re most likely to do and read between the lines. It’ll be an interesting puzzle to figure out Sunday morning, that’s for sure.”

No worries

While Baaeed was never tested beyond 10 furlongs, Hukum was best over the Derby trip and Ryan is confident Raaheeb will stay the distance. “After Sandown, I didn’t really have a concern about a mile and a half with him. I think he’ll be able to mix it both ways, both mile and a half and a mile and a quarter, no problem. I think, as he gets older, he’ll get quicker, but he’s got a very good way about him, and everything leads you to believe that he should get it.

“Prior to the Derby, he was probably one of the most impressive trial winners. The only one I feared was maybe Constitution River, just because he knows what he’s doing, whereas my lad is still figuring racing out.”

That said, Ryan recognises that we are unlikely to see the best of Raaheeb until next year. “That pedigree has already proven that they really do peak at four, so whatever happens this year, you can nearly guarantee there’ll be a rapid improvement next year.

“Even riding him, you can feel it that way, that when the whole thing comes together as a four-year-old, he is hopefully going to be the next superstar.”