BRILLIANT BAAEED LEADS HOME BRITISH-BRED 1-2-3 IN QUEEN ELIZABETH II STAKES
The brilliant BAAEED (GB) confirmed himself an outstanding miler with a scintillating success in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, leading home a 1‐2‐3 for British‐bred horses in the season’s climactic mile race.
Billed as a clash of the generations between the four‐year‐old PALACE PIER (GB), whose only prior career defeat came in this race last year, and the year‐younger Baaeed who has scorched his way to glory this summer, the race didn’t disappoint.
Frankie Dettori on the John and Thady Gosden trained Palace Pier betrayed signs of anxiety through the race, checking on the location of his rival, while Jim Crowley, riding Baaeed, never hinted at any worries.
Dettori made the first move on Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s four‐year‐old son of KINGMAN (GB) but Crowley on Baaeed was alive to the play and countered. Both horses possess a thrilling burst of acceleration in the later stages of their races but the crown of champion miler passed to the Shadwell Estate Company and Sheikha Hissa’s son of champion SEA THE STARS.
Trained by William Haggas, Baaeed was a neck ahead of Palace Pier at the line with the Group 1 Nassau Stakes winner LADY BOWTHORPE (GB) by NATHANIEL a length and a quarter back in third for William Jarvis and Emma Banks.
The presentation, by Her Majesty The Queen, of the trophy to winning connections after the race named in her honour symbolised the journey taken by Baaeed’s family. His fifth dam HEIGHT OF FASHION won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile in the royal silks of her owner‐breeder The Queen and became a foundation mare for the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum who established Shadwell.
Baaeed’s dam AGHAREED won the Listed Prix de Liancourt, also at Longchamp, and is by KINGMAMBO and out of the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes winner LAHUDOOD (GB).
Baaeed’s year older full‐brother HUKUM has won four Group 3 contests including the Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot earlier this month.
Speaking to GBRI after the race, Tom Pennington, who is Marketing and Nominations Manager for Shadwell expressed the team’s delight at a remarkable day which saw horses in their blue and white silks claim half the races on the British Champions’ Day card.
“You never go into to a day like this expecting to win three races,” he said. “We were hopeful about Baaeed and his homework, by all accounts, had been very encouraging. Eshaada’s Ribblesdale form had worked out really well with the winner going on to win the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu and Roger produced her beautifully, but you don’t think you are going to win two Group 1 races and the Balmoral Handicap (won by ALDAARY {GB} for William Haggas and Jim Crowley) on Champions’ Day.
“Baaeed is a serious horse. He’s unbeaten, already a dual Group 1‐winning miler and has proven himself to be right out of the top drawer beating Palace Pier. It is incredibly exciting to think what he can go on and develop into next year.
His sire Sea The Stars is a grandson of Sheikh Hamdan’s dual Group 1 winning sprinter and influential sire Green Desert and Shadwell has enjoyed plenty of success breeding to Sea The Stars during his stud career.
“Shadwell have had great success with Sea The Stars and we’re thrilled to have bred arguably his best miler. Baaeed also descends from our iconic blue hen Height Of Fashion and it gives everyone great satisfaction that the foundations Sheikh Hamdan laid during the organisation’s infancy are the cornerstone of our success today.”