William Haggas

Cheltenham is behind us and, yes, we still have Aintree and Punchestown to come of the major jumps fixtures but, with the clocks on the turn, really the only thing to think about now is the return of the Flat. The turf season makes its staggered return in Ireland on Sunday, and in Britain the following Saturday. France is already racing ahead and packed in four stakes races at Saint-Cloud last Saturday, with the Listed Prix Omnium II providing the first TDN Rising Star on the European turf for 2023...

by TDN AusNZ Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) continued the success story of British trainer William Haggas in Australia when he captured the G3 Sky High S. (2000 metres) at Rosehill (video), beating fellow French-bred 6-year-old gelding Zeyrek (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) when holding on in a photo finish. It won't be a huge surprise to the team at home, as you may remember Haggas serving a warning on Protagonist late last month when he told TDN AusNZ readers, "You shouldn't underestimate him, he's quite a smart horse." Still,...

Four horses trained by William Haggas are in good form in advance of planned starts in Australia in the coming weeks. Competing on Saturday are Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stables colourbearer Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who will run in the 1500-metre G1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens. "They're lovely people and this filly came to us by accident really," said Haggas, who has already saddled three-time Australian Group 1 winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) Down Under. "She was bought to go to the States and then missed her flight...

Group 1 winner Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}--Wild Blossom {Ger}, by Areion {Ger}), has been sold to Ballymore Stables and PMB Racing and will travel Down Under to compete in the Sydney autumn carnival, according to a tweet by PMB Racing's Paul Moroney. Formerly trained by William Haggas for M.M Stables, the 4-year-old colt won the G3 Winter Derby this February and was a game victor of the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in May. In his latest effort, he was ninth in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de...

Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has officially joined Nunnery Stud from trainer William Haggas and is now the headline act for Shadwell's 2023 stallion roster. Shadwell's European bloodstock manager Stephen Collins and racing manager Angus Gold were at Haggas's Sommerville Lodge to watch Baaeed's groom Ricky Hall lead the superstar colt onto the horsebox where stallion manager Mark Dean was waiting to oversee the 30-minute journey to Nunnery Stud.  Baaeed's jockey Jim Crowley, along with Richard Hills and Michael Hills, were also in attendance as those closest to Baaeed...

14.25 Saint-Cloud, Mdn, €27,000, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT Christoph Berglar's homebred NIGHT OASIS (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is kin to two black-type performers out of a stakes-placed half-sister to MG1SW sire Novellist (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) and this term's G1 Irish Oaks heroine Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Waldemar Hickst's representative is confronted by nine in this debutantes' contest, including Haras d'Etreham's 200,000gns Tattersalls December foal Sea Salinas (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who is a Francis Graffard-conditioned half-sister to G1 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Sortilege (Ire) (Tiger Hill {Ire});...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Monday's Insights features TDN Rising Star Desert Hero. 2.30 Redcar, Novice, £8,000, 2yo, 9fT DESERT HERO (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) earned TDN Rising Star status on debut at Haydock in June before finishing third to Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in Sandown's G3 Solario S. and...

Shadwell will announce details relating to Baaeed (GB)'s stud career later this week, according to the owner-breeder's racing manager Angus Gold, who also revealed that Group 1-winning sprinter Minzaal (Ire) will be joining their roster ahead of the next year's breeding season. However, Baaeed's brother Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), whose career hung in the balance after he suffered an injury when winning the G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom, returned to training with Owen Burrows on Monday and is expected to make a return to the track in 2023....

William Haggas is looking to the future after Baaeed's shock swansong defeat in the Qipco Champion S. at Ascot on Saturday by revealing the six-time Group 1-winning superstar's younger brother is set to make his debut soon.  Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {GB}) lost his unbeaten record on his 11th and likely final start on Champions Day when finishing fourth, beaten a little under two lengths, behind Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}). That was despite being sent off as a prohibitively short-priced favourite at odds of 1-4. Haggas was...

No longer a force to be reckoned with in the major events across Europe, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's stalwart Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) provided the deflated William Haggas stable with a much-needed boost on Sunday as he signed off with a hard-fought success in the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris. Haggas issued a statement after the race to the PA news agency which read, "I'm absolutely thrilled to bits and we would like to call it a day with him now. He's been a fantastic servant and it is...

Just 11 years old in its reconstructed state, Ascot's QIPCO British Champions Day is not yet the supermassive black hole it longs to be, but its gravitational waves are enough to draw in a sufficient quantity of racing's brightest year upon year to justify its title. Saturday's binary stars are the turf overlord Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the miling dame Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose orbits have been steadily coming closer into view over the past weeks. In the case of the former, this final act of...

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will conclude his racing career against eight rivals in Saturday's £1.3-million QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot, with the unbeaten luminary drawn in stall one as the final fields were confirmed on Thursday morning. Like the 2016 hero Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the William Haggas flagbearer is on the inside in a contest that should be staged on ground no worse than soft and very likely good-to-soft. Last year's Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB})...