“It’s probably like doing the Tour de France on a motorbike,” William Haggas said here on Wednesday, having watched Jim Crowley steer the exceptional Baaeed to the ninth win of his 14-month career in the Group One Sussex Stakes. “It must be a wonderful feeling for Jim in a race of that nature, you pull him out and he goes there on the bridle.”
Baaeed was sent off at 1-6 to maintain his unbeaten record, the shortest price for the favourite in this race since Frankel won at 1-20 a decade ago, and though his winning margin over Modern Games, the French 2,000 Guineas winner, was less than two lengths, there was never a point when defeat seemed even faintly possible.
“Out on the track, he doesn’t pull, doesn’t need a lead, he just goes off and travels away,” Haggas said. “[Then] he comes there cantering and they’re all off the bridle.
“I said to Jim in the paddock, we’ve got him for two more races after this so let’s just enjoy him and make the most of him, because he will most likely go to stud at the end of the year and I’ll spend the rest of my training career trying to find the next one.”
Modern Games was running on Wednesday as a late substitute for his stable companion Coroebus, after the 2,000 Guineas winner was ruled out due to a foot problem on Monday morning, and as a result, this race told us little about Baaeed that we did not know already.
The final two starts of his career, however, could see him put to a serious test. A long-awaited step up to a mile-and-a-quarter awaits at York next month as Baaeed follows the same path as Frankel to the International Stakes.
Baaeed is currently a 4-7 chance to extend his unbeaten record to 10 races on the Knavesmire next month, and is expected to conclude his racing career on Champions Day at Ascot in October, in either the Champion Stakes, at 10 furlongs, or the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile.
Nottingham
1.00 Dandy Alys 1.35 Sharron Macready 2.05 Willard Creek 2.40 Zumurud 3.15 Definite 3.50 Scudamore
Stratford-On-Avon
1.25 Give Me A Moment 1.57 Pencreek 2.32 Rogue Mission 3.07 Cardboard Gangster 3.42 Yauthym 4.20 Chapati 4.55 Defi D'Oudairies
Goodwood
1.50 Vee Sight (nb) 2.25 Al Karrar 3.00 West Wind Blows 3.35 Nashwa 4.10 Miss Jungle Cat 4.45 Swayze (nap) 5.20 She's Hot
Epsom Downs
5.55 Andaleep 6.30 Heat And Dust 7.00 Greased Lightning 7.30 Queen Of Burgundy 8.00 Be Lucky My Son 8.30 Volenti
Salisbury
6.15 Only The Brave 6.45 Batal Dubai 7.15 Mehme 7.45 Run To Freedom 8.15 Songo 8.45 Arcadian Friend
“He’s got everything,” Crowley said afterwards. “A turn of foot, you can put him anywhere in a race, you can make the running, or you can drop him out. Good horses like that, they just tick all the boxes.
“I don’t have any worries about him going 10 furlongs. I wouldn’t have any worries if he went a mile-and-a-half, he’s that type of horse. It’s just a real pleasure to be part of him.
“ It’s funny, I’m not a great sleeper, but I always sleep well the night before riding him. I don’t have any worries and he gives me confidence, and hopefully I give him some confidence as well.”
Earlier on the card, Trillium, the only filly in an eight-strong field, showed an abrupt turn of foot to accelerate past Rocket Rodney, the even-money favourite, in the closing stages of the Group Three Molecomb Stakes on the way to a comfortable one-and-a-quarter length success.
“We will look at the [Group One] Prix Morny [in August] and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint,” Richard Hannon, Trillium’s trainer, said.
“She looks like a very tall, strong two-year-old, kind of in the Happy Romance mould, although she is not as “long” as [last year’s useful juvenile] Happy Romance. I would love to think she is a filly for next year, but she is a Group winner now and that would be a bonus.”
Nashwa can justify Nassau odds
Some backers instinctively shy away from short-priced favourites at Goodwood given the track’s long-standing reputation as a punters’ graveyard where fancied horses often struggle to get a run, but odds-on shots have a solid 70pc strike-rate at Glorious Goodwood since 2018 and Nashwa (3.35) should improve it further in the Group One Nassau Stakes on Thursday.
John Gosden’s filly found her stamina stretched in the Oaks in early June but still finished a commendable third behind Tuesday and Emily Upjohn, and then posted a career-best performance to land the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) under a well-judged front-running ride by Hollie Doyle.
The drop back to a 10-furlong trip was clearly important to Nashwa there and while she still has a little to find with Dreamloper and Lilac Road on the ratings, Thursday’s race will be just the sixth start of her career.
Goodwood 1.50 Vee Sight attracted plenty of money before his handicap debut at Sandown in June and won with enough in hand to suggest an 8lb hike in the weights will not hold him back.
Goodwood 2.25 This may not be a Richmond Stakes with its usual depth and Al Karrar is interesting at around 7-1. He is taking a big step up in class after landing a Windsor maiden in June but he posted a strong time given the ease of his win and is sure to come on for the run.
Goodwood 3.00 Hoo Ya Mal changed hands for £1.2m in mid-June following his two-and-a-half length second in the Derby and is apparently heading to Australia, but gets a chance here to bank around 10pc of his purchase price before he goes. New London and West Wind Blows both look like tough opponents, however, and the latter makes most appeal at the likely odds. Simon & Ed Crisford’s colt was a dozen lengths behind Hoo Ya Mal in the Derby but ran much better than the bare form suggests and resumed his progress with an easy at Hamilton two weeks ago.
Goodwood 4.10 Miss Jungle Cat stayed on well to win at York on her nursery debut earlier this month and should appreciate this step up to seven furlongs.
Goodwood 4.45 This lightning-fast five furlongs should suit Swayze’s front-running style and the Muir/Grassick stable’s runner is a fair price at around 6-1 to follow up a career-best win at Haydock last time out.
