Rahiebb

His first win came at Newcastle in March 2025, and he followed that with a run at Royal Ascot's Queen's Vase — one of the most prestigious long-distance races for young horses in Britain — where he did almost everything wrong. He was slow out of the gates, found himself short of room, and still nearly won. Varian was candid about it: Rahiebb was still learning on the job, immature in the preliminaries, and green throughout. Being beaten only a length in those circumstances was, by any honest reading, a remarkable effort.

Then came Doncaster and a shot at the St Leger — one of Britain's five Classic races and as big an occasion as the sport offers. Rahiebb hit the front inside the final furlong and looked for a moment as though he was going to pull off something special. He was beaten by Scandinavia, but only just, and Varian made no attempt to hide his feelings afterwards: proud of the run, gutted by the result. For a horse still described as a work in progress, finishing second in a Classic is an extraordinary thing.

At distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, Rahiebb has won 1 from 3 races — a 33% win rate — and Varian is clear that extreme distance is where his future lies. Against the very best horses at Class 1 level, he has not yet managed a win from three attempts, but second in the St Leger and second at Royal Ascot are precisely the kind of results that suggest the win at the highest level is coming rather than eluding him. He raced just yesterday, which means he is fit and active, and at four years old, he is right in the middle of what should be his prime years.