Brian Meehan was pleased to see Rashabar validate his surprise Royal Ascot victory with a strong second-place finish in the Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville.
The Holy Roman Emperor colt, who stunned with an 80-1 win in the Coventry Stakes in June, was priced at 12-1 for his Group One debut in France. While Whistlejacket, trained by Aidan O’Brien, had the advantage of the rail, Rashabar, under Sean Levey, made his challenge from the widest position and was beaten by just three-quarters of a length.
Meehan is considering stepping Rashabar up in the trip but is not rushing to make a decision on his next race.
He said: “The draw didn’t help us, similar to Ascot, but it worked out fine there. No disrespect to the winner, who is a lovely horse, but I believe the draw played a role. The winner had the rail, which may have offered a fresh strip of ground. Rashabar is a top-class horse. I’ve won the Prix Morny twice before with Bad As I Wanna Be in 2000 and Arcano in 2009, but I think Rashabar is even better. I plan to step him up to seven furlongs and see how he progresses. The Guineas next year is definitely on the agenda, and the Breeders’ Cup is also a possibility. We’ll reassess once we get him home and regroup next week.”
Rashabar’s second-place finish followed a similar result for Meehan’s other Royal Ascot star, Jayarebe, who finished as runner-up in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano, giving Economics, trained by William Haggas, a strong challenge.