Shadwell group winners Raabihah (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) are targetting the Oct. 3 G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and Sept. 5 G1 Prix du Moulin, respectively, Shadwell Racing Manager Angus Gold revealed on Monday.
A 4-year-old filly, Raabihah was fifth in the 2020 Arc after taking the G3 Prix de Psyche last August and running second in the Sept. 13 G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille. Prior to her victory in Sunday's G2 Prix de Pomone, the chestnut was second thrice as the favourite in the May 2 G3 Prix Allez France Longines, the May 26 G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud and in the Listed Prix du Pays d'Auge at Clairefontaine on Aug. 1. She is also a possible for the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille on Sept. 12.
“I'd love to think we can have another crack at the Arc–that was the reason she was kept in training,” said Gold. “She got beat a couple of times earlier this season. But as (trainer) Jean-Claude (Rouget) said to me yesterday, sometimes with these fillies who have a relatively hard time at three–she was racing at the top table–it can just take them a while to get back to that level.
“We gave her a break at the stud, and it's just taken her three runs to get back up to speed. The distance yesterday is exactly what she should be running over on pedigree.
“It was great to get her back on track, and I don't see any reason why she wouldn't go for the Arc. Jean-Claude just wants to see how she comes out of it first before deciding whether she runs in the Vermeille first or not.”
Undefeated G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. hero Baaeed is in good form for trainer William Haggas. A half-brother to triple Group 3 winner Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), the colt won a maiden at Leicester on June 7 and doubled up in a Newmarket novice on June 19. Given a first taste of stakes company on July 8, he captured the Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. over a mile at HQ by four lengths. His winning margin in the Bonhams Thoroughbred S. was 6 ½ lengths, also at a mile at Goodwood.
“At the moment we are probably going to the Prix du Moulin, that was the latest from the last conversation I had with Sheikha Hissa and William Haggas,” Gold said of Baaeed. “So the number one plan is to go to the Moulin if all is well.
“Obviously before the horse had run it would have been a silly thing to say this is what he would do, but he was a well-bred horse going into it. It just took him a bit of time to come to himself.
“What probably has surprised me is the speed he's shown–maybe it's just class. Before he'd ever ran I'd have thought he was probably going to be a mile-and-a-quarter to mile-and-a-half horse, so to see him doing all this over a mile is hugely encouraging.
“It's a not problem to have but he's showing too much speed, if that makes sense. He's a very exciting horse so we'll see if he can take the next step up.”
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