Baaeed team set sights on Moulin gold

Unbeaten colt to switch up to Group One level in France.

Baaeed is to get the chance to test his mettle at the highest level in the Prix du Moulin at ParisLongchamp on September 5.

William Haggas’ three-year-old was unraced at two but has quickly made up for lost time.

He won on debut at Leicester in early June, followed up at Newmarket two weeks later before returning to HQ for a Listed race a fortnight after that.

Baaeed faced his stiffest test to date at Goodwood in a Group Three but oozed class, winning by six and a half lengths without coming off the bridle and while he could have gone back to Goodwood for the Celebration Mile, connections have decided he has earned a crack at the best.

“At the moment we are probably going to the Prix du Moulin, that was the latest from the last conversation I had with Sheikha Hissa and William Haggas,” said Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.

“So the number one plan is to go to the Moulin if all is well.

“Obviously before the horse had run it would have been a silly thing to say this is what he would do, but he was a well-bred horse going into it. It just took him a bit of time to come to himself.

“He won well at Leicester and if you’d said to me then he would be racing in a Group One in four races then yes, of course that would be a surprise, but we always thought he was a horse with huge potential.”

Given Baaeed is a brother to Hukum, who ran in a St Leger and is at his best over a mile and a half, Gold did admit to expecting Baaeed to be at his best over further than a mile.

He said: “What probably has surprised me is the speed he’s shown – maybe it’s just class. Before he’d ever ran I’d have thought he was probably going to be a mile-and-a-quarter to mile-and-a-half horse, so to see him doing all this over a mile is hugely encouraging. I guess that just shows class.

“It’s a not problem to have but he’s showing too much speed, if that makes sense.

“He’s a very exciting horse so we’ll see if he can take the next step up.”

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