Appleby's Raasel can become sprint King at Goodwood

Raasel bids to continue his rapid ascent up the sprinting ladder in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood on Friday.

Snapped up for just 10,000 guineas out of Marcus Tregoning's yard two years ago, the five-year-old has proved yet another astute purchase by successful ownership group The Horse Watchers.

After three readying runs in the early part of 2021, Raasel went on to complete a five-timer between September and November and has continued in the same vein this term - winning three of his five starts.

Having proven himself capable of scoring in Listed and Group Three company, Mick Appleby's charge tests the water at Group Two level on his return to Goodwood, where his record stands at two from two.

Pundit and broadcaster Chris Dixon, who partly manages The Horse Watchers, said: "We're really looking forward to it. I went into Mick's on Wednesday morning to see him and he's ready to go.

"This is the race that we've always had our eye on, even before he ran in the Listed race at Haydock. You know that bridge from handicaps to Group races in five-furlong races isn't always massive and we know he likes Goodwood so much, so basically after he won his handicap there earlier in the season, we kind of thought this is where we'd come and it was just a case of how we got here.

"We expect him to run well. This is the next step up the ladder and we'll see if he's good enough, but we certainly hope he is."

Dixon hopes a positive performance on the Sussex Downs can earn Raasel a shot at some even loftier targets later in the year, both on home soil and abroad.

He added: "He's in the Flying Five at the Curragh and he's in the Nunthorpe at York. Whatever happens here, so long as he comes out of it well, I think we'll be running in the