Shadwell’s Baaeed blitzes Lockinge rivals on seasonal bow at Newbury
Future Shadwell stallion Baaeed maintained his brilliant unbeaten run by blitzing his rivals in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on his four-year-old bow on Saturday.
The William Haggas-trained colt travelled powerfully just behind the leaders in the prestigious mile contest and surged clear of his rivals when asked to quicken by jockey Jim Crowley.
He crossed the line with three and a quarter lengths to spare over the high-class Real World, with Group 1 winners Alcohol Free and Mother Earth well beaten.
Saeed bin Suroor said: “Real World ran a big race and I am very happy with his performance.
“We will look at Royal Ascot for him now – he has an entry in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes but it’s more likely that we go back up in trip for the G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.”
Baaeed’s record now stands at seven victories from as many starts, having also taken competitive renewals of the Prix du Moulin and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last year. He will head to the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot next, with the Juddmonte International a longer-term target.
“I’m very lucky a horse has come along like this,” said Crowley ater the race. “That was just like a piece of work to him, He hit the front, pricked his ears like he did in France and he’s just very easy to deal with. He’s everything you want in a racehorse.”
Baaeed’s record now stands at seven victories from as many starts, having also taken competitive renewals of the Prix du Moulin and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last year.
Baaeed is another outstanding performer for Shadwell by the world champion Sea The Stars, ater the likes of Al Aasy, Hadaatha, Hukum, Mutakayyef, Raabihah and in particular Taghrooda.
He represents the best of Shadwell breeding, being a full-brother to multiple Group winner Hukum out of Aghareed, a Listed-winning daughter of Kingmambo and Shadwell’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Lahudood.
In turn, Lahudood is descended from the late Sheikh Hamdan’s wonderful blue hen mare Height Of Fashion, whose offspring included the champions Nashwan and Nayef.
It was a fantastic day for Shadwell at Newbury all round, as it was also represented by the valuable handicap winners Israr, who is by Muhaarar out of the mighty Taghrooda, and Muraad, a son of Dark Angel.
MODERN GAMES RETURNS TO G1 POULE D’ESSAI DES POULAINS: Breeders’ Cup hero Modern Games makes his three-year-old return in the G1 Poule d’essai des Poulains, with Tribalist also lining up in the mile Classic for colts at Longchamp, France, on Sunday, 15 May.
Modern Games enjoyed a meteoric rise during the second half of last season for Charlie Appleby, winning four of his six starts.
Ater scoring in a Newmarket maiden and a Doncaster handicap, the Dubawi homebred readily took the G3 Tatersalls Stakes on the Rowley Mile before ending his campaign with an exhilarating victory in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar.
Charlie Appleby said: “Modern Games has done well from two to three and I can’t fault his preparation. He has done everything that we have asked of him and we are looking forward to seeing him back in action. We are very happy with his draw in stall four and there should be no excuses.”
Tribalist makes his Group-race debut on the back of three promising efforts this season, including when finishing strongly to go down by three-quarters of a length to Lassaut in a Longchamp conditions race on Thursday, 21 April.
The Andre Fabre-trained son of Farhh powered to a five-length maiden success at Saint-cloud in early April and started his year with another second behind Lassaut on the all-weather at Chantilly in March.
His jockey Mickael Barzalona said: “Tribalist has enjoyed a nice preparation and worked well earlier this week. With a decent trip round, he should have a good chance of geting placed.”