Rahiebb wins Boodles Yorkshire Cup 2026

Boodles Yorkshire Cup

Group 2, York 16:05
£180,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
1m 5f 188y, Class 1

Friday 15th May 2026

1 Rahiebb 4/1
2 Al Nayyir 11/1
3 Epic Poet 11/1
7 ran Distances: 2¼l, nk, 5l
Time: 3m 0.70s (slow by 4.10s)

Rahiebb wins the 2026 Boodles Yorkshire Cup Stakes 🏆

A winner for @varianstable & @Raydawson101 🥇 pic.twitter.com/56VzX4MXiI
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 15, 2026

Rahiebb sparked dreams of Royal Ascot glory with a smooth winning return at York.

Roger Varian’s son of Frankel finished second in last season’s St Leger behind Scandinavia and was making a slightly delayed reappearance after being withdrawn late from last week’s Ormonde Stakes at Chester.

Ridden patiently by Ray Dawson as Ralph Beckett’s 8-13 favourite Amiloc set the pace, Rahiebb travelled strongly throughout before moving stylishly into contention entering the straight.

Once sent to the front, the 4-1 chance showed plenty of stamina to pull two and a quarter lengths clear of Tom Clover’s Al Nayyir, with Epic Poet staying on for third.

Following the performance, Rahiebb was cut to 7-1 from 14-1 for the Ascot Gold Cup, where he could renew rivalry with his St Leger conqueror.

Varian said: “That was lovely to watch, very smooth, and he’s a lovely horse.

“He had a long season last year and was learning all the time. He debuted at Newcastle in February and ended the campaign in the St Leger.

“He was such a baby last season and still doing a lot wrong despite running so well. He’s matured enormously over the winter. You only had to look at him in the paddock to see what a magnificent specimen he’s become.

“Hopefully his best days are still ahead of him.”

Looking ahead to the staying division, Varian added: “We see him as a Cup horse for all the big staying races and naturally we have to think about the Ascot Gold Cup.

“It’s a strong division but an exciting one to be involved in and he stays very well.

“We don’t know about two and a half miles yet, but I love stayers and he’s a classy horse.

“I think he’s versatile regarding ground conditions. He ran a huge race in the Queen’s Vase last year despite doing plenty wrong before the race even started.

“He was due to run at Chester last week, but the conditions just didn’t feel right and he’s an important horse for us. Thankfully we had this race as an alternative.

“It’s also a big win for Ray. He’s a very good rider who had some important winners last season and I’m sure there’s more to come from him this year.”

Dawson said: “He’s a beautiful horse and has been trained superbly. Tony Proctor rides him every day at home, so I’m the lucky one getting to ride him on the track.

“Connections have been very supportive and this is my first season as Roger’s number one jockey, so we’ve got high hopes for this horse.

“I always felt confident and turning in I knew I was going to win. I just didn’t want to hit the front too soon.”

James Doyle said of runner-up Al Nayyir: “You could set your clock by him, he’s an absolute dude.

“He had a great winter campaign in the Middle East and has come back as good as ever. He’s run some huge races at York before and he’s a lovely horse for the owners to have.”

David O’Meara said of Epic Poet: “We’re delighted, it was another great effort from him.

“He was second in the race last year and third this time. The race set up nicely for him, although they all drifted towards the rail late on and he’s not always the bravest.

“He’s probably back to his very best now and the Grand Cup here at York could suit him well.”