Baaeed confirms world number one status with Queen Anne success
Baaeed (4 c Sea The Stars – Aghareed by Kingmambo) produced yet another scintillating performance to win yesterday’s Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Royal Ascot, taking his career tally to eight wins from as many starts and cementing himself as the world’s best racehorse.
The now four-year-old burst onto the scene last season, stringing together six consecutive wins beginning with a debut novice success and culminating with a second top-flight victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), beating then top-rated miler Palace Pier (Kingman).
Reappearing this season, the son of world-class middle-distance horse Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) sauntered clear of his rivals in the Lockinge Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Newbury, promoting himself to the highest-rated horse on Earth with a three and a quarter length win over the re-opposing Real World (Dark Angel).
Again ridden by owner Shadwell Estate’s retained jockey Jim Crowley, the colt was sent off as the 1-6 favourite and tracked the Daniel Tudhope-ridden Real World, primed by the most-winning trainer of this race Saeed bin Suroor, on the far side as the pack split into two groups.
Ranging upsides at the two-furlong pole, Crowley sat motionless as the others asked their mounts for more.
A mere shake of the reigns from the 43-year-old jockey saw the William Haggas-trained colt sweep into the lead and career away under hands and heels riding, merely kept up to his work inside the closing stages to beat old rival Real World by one and three-quarter lengths to open the royal meeting in style.
There was a four-length gap back to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Order Of Australia (Australia) in third.
“It doesn’t get any easier than that,” Crowley told ITV Racing. “Everything went smoothly, he got a lovely tow into the race and I just let him stretch out in the last furlong. It was like clockwork.
“It’s the absolute pinnacle, you spend your whole life waiting for a horse like him to come along and you’ve just got to enjoy it. There’s a lot of pressure, but I love it. It’s why we do it.”
The win confirmed Baaeed’s position as the best miler since the mighty Frankel (Galileo), who won the Queen Anne Stakes by 11 lengths at odds of 1-10, and also opened up the option for a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr 1, 1m) in November, with the Queen Anne holding a ‘win-and-you’re-in’ status.
The fifth foal out of the Listed-winning Kingmambo (Mr. Prospector) mare Aghareed, Baaeed could also step up in trip for the Juddmonte International (Gr 1, 1m 2f) according to his trainer, being a brother to recent Coronation Cup (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Hukum.
“I thought Baaeed won nicely. He didn’t do a lot really. I need to see it again, but he looked like he tracked the right horse, the second horse [Real World], and won very well. He was not really extended,” Haggas said.
“He travels well and settles well. That is a really important part if we are going to go further. I will speak to Sheikha Hissa and Angus Gold, but I think we are all quite keen to give it a go [step up in trip] and that will be at York. It’s whether we slot Goodwood in, in the meantime. It’s potentially Goodwood next.
“He is obviously a good miler and is bred to get further. I think we’d like to try it and I think it would be remiss of us not to. The easy option is to stay at a mile, but I think we will give it a go.