Final countdown for Baaeed, with brilliant colt all set to sign off in style

Molly Hunter
October 14, 2022 3:19 pm

‘It’s up to him now and up to me to stop talking and let him do his thing’.

Baaeed will command the attention of the racing world when he bids to finish his illustrious career in perfect fashion on Qipco British Champions Day.

The brilliant colt, who is owned by Shadwell and trained by William Haggas, did not appear on a racecourse until his three-year-old season, winning at the first time of asking when landing a Leicester maiden last June.

He has been in the ascendancy ever since, rising up through novice races to Listed and then Group events without finding a horse able to better him.

A dual Group One winner after at the close of his first season, the son of Sea The Stars set out this term with a burgeoning reputation to upkeep and an intriguing question mark over how far his stamina could be stretched beyond a mile.

After straightforward successes in the Lockinge, the Queen Anne and the Sussex Stakes, Haggas tested the waters at a 10-furlong trip for the first time in the Juddmonte International at York in August.

Baaeed was the centre of attention in the paddock before the Juddmonte International (PA)

Baaeed not only survived the extra two furlongs, he thrived, cruising to a facile six-and-a-half-length victory over previous winner Mishriff.

That display of stamina opened previously ajar doors, with the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at first dismissed only for a rethink to suggest Paris could be on the agenda after all, before that was eventually vetoed in favour of the Qipco Champion Stakes – which had always been ‘Plan A’.

The race will be Baaeed’s last and brings to a close the thus-far flawless career that a great number of racing lovers hope remains intact.

“It’s been very nice at the sales actually, I’ve been walking around looking at yearlings and so many people have kindly wished us luck for Saturday,” Haggas said.

“I think a lot of people who love horse racing, and there are plenty of us, want to see him strut his stuff and win the race. I think they want to see a really top horse unbeaten.

Baaeed before the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood (Adam Davy/PA)

“I think it’s terribly important (to be unbeaten) now we’re nearly there, we’ve got one race to go.

“Frankel was, obviously, but few are unbeaten in a career at that level. Of course we want him to win every race he runs in, it would be sad if he was beaten – but only for us, it wouldn’t be sad for the people who beat us!”

Baaeed will face eight rivals at Ascot, with Charlie Appleby’s Adayar looking the danger after an injury-delayed campaign that has seen him take to the track just once as a four-year-old.

Last year, however, he landed both the Derby and the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes before finishing fourth in the Arc and then fifth in the Champion.

“He’s obviously a very good horse, he’s won the Derby and the King George,” Haggas said.

“I know he’s a fresh horse, arguably his best form is over a mile and half. Charlie’s horses are running really well and he’s talking him up big time, whether that’s to knock an hour off my sleep at night or he genuinely feels that, I don’t know!”

Baaeed on the Newmarket gallops during the Henry Cecil Open Weekend (Mike Egerton/PA)

Baaeed won his maiden by over a length, but it was his second run at Newmarket that really piqued Haggas’ interest, with his subsequent Listed victory in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes enough to inspire the trainer to put in a call to the handicapper and see if his high estimations were shared.

He said: “He was just a nice horse with a nice pedigree and we have a few of them. After his second race, when he won his novice by seven lengths or more, I thought ‘it’s not bad, this’, then he won the Listed race and I rang Dominic Gardiner-Hill, who is the senior handicapper.

“He is neutral, obviously, I said there seemed to be a bit of hype about the horse and asked what he made of him and he said ‘to be honest, William, I’ve given him 121, which is a hell of a rating after winning a Listed race, but I could have easily given him more. I felt like I couldn’t put him higher than the Guineas winner, which was Poetic Flare, at this stage of his career.’

“He couldn’t put a Listed winner ahead of a Guineas winner, and rightly so, but when Dominic said that to me I thought ‘crikey, this must be something a bit different’.”

That certainly proved to be true, and while anticipation is building for Baaeed’s final run, Haggas is content that he has the horse in the best possible form and accepts he will be able to do no more once jockey Jim Crowley is legged up on Saturday.

Jim Crowley celebrates winning the Queen Anne Stakes on Baaeed at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

He said: “The weather we can do nothing about, the draw we can do nothing about. If we do our job then it’s up to Jim, if Jim continues to do what he’s been doing so far then hopefully he’ll run to his best. If he does that he’s got a good chance.

“I don’t believe much in pressure, I have a sign in my office that has five words in big capitals, saying ‘worry is a futile emotion’.

“There’s not a lot of point in worrying about things you can’t do anything about, we can do something about his well-being, and so far he’s passed every test. We’re very happy at this stage.

“It’s been very hard this year to keep to my other little adage, which is that it’s better to keep your mouth closed and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt! I’ve been talking a lot about this horse, it’s up to him now and up to me to stop talking and let him do his thing.”