By Tom Frary
Up in class and up against milers proven at the top level on Sunday, Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) went through the motions in the manner of a true professional to collect the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. Sent off the 1-2 favourite having shown rare talent in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. at Newmarket July 8 and the G3 Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood July 30, the William Haggas-trained bay was sent into third early by Jim Crowley and waited outside with no threat of interference. Seizing the lead from the aggressively-ridden Novemba (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}) approaching the furlong pole, the homebred held Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) to score by 1 1/4 lengths, with Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) a short neck away in third. “He's a super horse who is improving all the time and still learning,” the winning rider said. “He was idling in front and is very exciting. It's the first group 1 in Europe for Sheikha Hissa, so I'm pleased for her. He's a very easy ride and travels well and stays a mile very well.”
Maiden winners who impress on the clock as well as visually are often false dawns, but Baaeed went forward from his eye-catching debut at Leicester June 7 to register a stunning 7 1/2-length success in a Newmarket novice 12 days later. If there was any chance of a bubble bursting, it would have happened in a fiercely-competitive renewal of the July Course's Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. but his answer was a four-length success as lacking in drama as it is possible to see from a lightly-raced 3-year-old so soon after his introduction to racing. That was on good-to-firm, but as the soft dried out to produce a tacky surface at the Goodwood festival he just churned out another star display when the 6 1/2-length winner of the G3 Thoroughbred S. Demanding a tilt at a race such as this in the process, the speedier and classier version of his full-brother Hukum (Ire) was just as unfazed surrounded by winners of a Breeders' Cup, a mile Classic and a super-strong Falmouth.
It was the heroine of the latter contest who broke best, but Jim Crowley was keen to close the door on Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as Ryan Moore sent on Order of Australia and then Novemba surged by and into isolation in front. That misjudgement of pace by Bauyrzhan Murzabayev meant the G2 German 1000 Guineas winner was an irrelevance up ahead and with Baaeed sticking close to Order of Australia the tactics were already sorted out by the time the home turn was navigated. From the two to the one, the deciding factor was that the Haggas star was quicker than his Ballydoyle rival as Victor Ludorum put up his best performance in some time on a real going day.
“It looks like he was a little bit fresh today and slightly jumped on the bit as the German filly went by and he didn't have cover, but he stayed on nicely in the straight,” Maureen Haggas said. “In fact, he had a little bit of a battle which he hadn't had before so that will be good for his education. I'd imagine there will be some improvement to come, but it will be more from the learning process than physically. Now he's had a battle he might be even better. I would say the [Oct. 16 G1] Queen Elizabeth II [at Ascot] is the logical next race, but we don't want to run him on ground that is too soft so we'll see nearer the time. There is also the Breeders' Cup. He's very lightly-raced and a brand new horse really, so hopefully he might stay in training as a 4-year-old but that's up to his owners.”
Baaeed rates as the fastest group 1 winner for his illustrious sire so far, which is a surprise given that his aforementioned full-sibling Hukum has won two renewals of the G3 Geoffrey Freer S. over 13 furlongs and a G3 Silver Cup over a mile and three quarters. The dam is the Listed Prix de Liancourt winner Aghareed (Kingmambo), who is a daughter of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and GI Flower Bowl Invitational heroine Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). The fourth dam is the Listed Cheshire Oaks runner-up Bashayer (Mr. Prospector), a full-sister to the dual listed scorer Sarayir who is in turn responsible for the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation S. heroine Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway). Bashayer is kin to the legendary champion Nashwan and the four-times group 1-winning Nayef et al. Aghareed's unraced 2-year-old filly by Intello (Ger) is named Zaghaareed (GB), while she also has a yearling colt by Nathaniel (Ire) and a colt foal by Night of Thunder (Ire).
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DU MOULIN DE LONGCHAMP-G1, €450,000, ParisLongchamp, 9-5, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:39.13, g/s.
1–BAAEED (GB), 126, c, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Aghareed (SW-Fr), by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Lahudood (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahayeb (GB), by Arazi
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (GB); T-William Haggas; J-Jim Crowley. €257,130. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 5-5-0-0, €363,855. *Full to Hukum (Ire), MGSW-Eng, $303,834. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Order of Australia (Ire), 130, c, 4, Australia (GB)–Senta's Dream (GB), by Danehill. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Mrs A M O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €102,870.
3–Victor Ludorum (GB), 130, c, 4, Shamardal–Antiquities (GB), by Kaldounevees (Fr). O/B-Godolphin; T-Andre Fabre. €51,435.
Margins: 1 1/4, SNK, 2HF. Odds: 0.50, 6.20, 6.80.
Also Ran: Snow Lantern (GB), Novemba (Ger), Lope Y Fernandez (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.
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