Goodwood main target for Achilles winner Raasel

Improving sprinter could head for Ireland next.

Mick Appleby is hopeful there is more improvement to come from Raasel following his Achilles Stakes success at Haydock on Saturday.

The five-year-old joined Appleby’s yard in 2020 after being purchased for 10,000 guineas from Shadwell via the sales ring at Tattersalls in Newmarket.

After a quiet early season on the all-weather, he turned to turf in the autumn of 2021 and went on to win five successive races over five furlongs.

This year the chestnut has been upped in grade, taking on a trio of high-class handicaps over the same sprint trip before beating dual Group One runner-up Dragon Symbol on his Listed debut on Merseyside.

While the next plan of attack is not set in stone, Appleby has the Group Two King George Stakes at Goodwood in mind after a potential tilt at the Rockingham Handicap at the Curragh.

“He’s very well, the handicapper has stuck him up 7lb, so he’s on 108 now,” said Appleby.

Mick Appleby has high hopes for Raasel
Mick Appleby has high hopes for Raasel (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We did half think of supplementing him for Royal Ascot, but we’re not going to go down that route.

“We’re not 100 per cent sure where we’ll go next, we’ve got Goodwood in mind but we’d like to find something before then.

“He might go to the Rockingham at the Curragh, he’s got any entry there so that’s a possibility.

“Hopefully he can improve even more and he could possibly end up an (Prix de) L’Abbaye horse if he just keeps progressing the way he has done.”

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