Baeed wins at Newmarket
Baaeed - exciting prospect

Glorious Goodwood tips: Mark Howard best bet


Unbeaten in three career starts and officially rated 119, there are few hotter properties in Flat racing at present than BAAEED. A well bred son of Sea The Stars and a full brother to the triple Pattern winner Hukum, William Haggas nominated the colt as his horse to follow for 2021 in my own Ahead On The Flat even before he had stepped foot on a racecourse.

That piece of foresight has proved spot on and the Shadwell Estate owned runner can make it four out of four in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes on Friday (2.25).

His three wins were achieved in only 31 days racking up victories at Leicester and Newmarket twice. Overcoming greenness and a wide draw, he quickened up in the manner of an above average performer on his debut at the Midlands venue (second, third and fifth have won since) to win by a length and a quarter.

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Even more emphatic next time at his local track, he stretched over seven lengths clear under Dane O’Neill. Both the runner-up and third are rated 87 and they were made to look distinctly ordinary.

19 later, he returned to the July course and destroyed four opponents by upwards of four lengths in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes. Jim Crowley was on board for the first time and, despite a tardy start, he soon loomed up travelling strongly before rapidly putting the race to bed with his trademark turn of foot. It was a spectacular display.

The runner-up Maximal was fourth in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes on his previous run, the third One Ruler was beaten less than a length in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes as a juvenile, while the fourth and fifth were rated 104 and 109 respectively. William Haggas remains adamant we won’t see the best of Baaeed until next year and possibly over further but this looks a good opportunity to make it four successes over a mile. I don’t think it is unrealistic to suggest he could one of the best horses to have resided at Somerville Lodge – he looks a top notcher.

Everything that could go wrong during Royal Ascot week did just that as far as Ed Walker was concerned with rain scuppering the chances of both Primo Bacio (Coronation Stakes) and Starman (Diamond Jubilee Stakes) amongst other things. Since then, Luca Cumani’s former assistant has seen the latter pulverise the opposition in the July Cup and Came From The Dark and Dreamloper have won Group 3 events at Sandown and Ascot respectively.

The lightly raced GREAT AMBASSADOR was also denied the opportunity to run at Ascot last month missing the cut in the Wokingham Stakes by one. Walker had felt the gelded son of Exceed And Excel was tailormade for the six furlongs cavalry charge. He gets the opportunity to gain ample compensation in the Unibet Stewards' Cup on Saturday (3.40)

At the time of writing, the four year old is number 34 on the list which means he is virtually guaranteed a place in the line up (maximum field of 28 runners). Set to race off at least 8st 10lb, he is out of a twelve furlongs Listed winner. Trained as a two and three year old by Ralph Beckett, he was runner-up to subsequent Group 1 winner Pyledriver at Salisbury as a juvenile and also finished third to the useful Persuasion at this meeting during the same season (had St Leger runner-up Berkshire Rocco behind him).

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A winner at Chepstow, he was campaigned over seven furlongs and a mile as a three-year-old. Sold for 40,000gns in October last year, he joined Ed Walker and the four year old has run two very good races over six furlongs for his new connections in 2021. A two-and-a-quarter lengths winner at Kempton in March off 90, he was then third behind Chil Chil at Newmarket. Held up, he was undone by the steady early pace before staying on at the death – the winner, who has taken the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes since, has the speed for five furlongs and she got first run on the Rowley Mile. Off since (91 days), he goes well after a break and wants fast ground according to his trainer. Available at 20/1 with Sky Bet, Great Ambassador makes plenty of ante-post appeal.

Charlie Fellowes has had the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes on Wednesday (2.25) in mind for his stable star ONASSIS all season. The daughter of Dubawi provided her stable with Royal Ascot success last year when capturing the Sandringham Handicap at odds of 33/1 under the in-form Hayley Turner. She then went on to win a Listed contest over C&D in October edging out the useful With Thanks. That was the last time she raced over seven furlongs.

A half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line of Duty, she hasn’t shone in two starts this term but those runs came over six and eight furlongs. Reappearing from a break of 242 days, she travelled powerfully in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot until tiring inside the final quarter of a mile.

Less than a month later, she reverted back to sprint trips when lining up in the Group 3 Summer Stakes at York. Not surprisingly, the action happened a shade too briskly for Onassis but she kept on well finishing less than five lengths behind Light Refrain in fourth.

Speaking to her trainer afterwards, he indicated this would be her next assignment. Unbeaten on the Sussex Downs, she represents fair each-way value.

It is nine years since a northern trained runner won the Group 2 Unibet Richmond Stakes (2.25) on Thursday. The Kevin Ryan trained Gis A Sub will have his supporters following his cosy win at Pontefract last month. However, the number one hope must be Royal Ascot winner PERFECT POWER who is set to relish the step up to six furlongs for the first time.

A £110,000 purchase at the breeze-ups in April, he is by the all conquering first season stallion Ardad and, having finished a close third on his debut at Newcastle, he hasn’t looked back since. A facile winner at Hamilton (fourth won readily since) a fortnight later, Richard Fahey’s juvenile booked his place at the Royal fixture and didn’t let his supporters down in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes.

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Former champion jockey Paul Hanagan was pushing his mount along with quarter of a mile to travel but he finished with a flourish to lead close home. A head winner from Go Bears Go, the runner-up has landed the Group 2 Railway Stakes in Ireland since (plus the ninth has won subsequently).

Given the fact Perfect Power is out of a mare who won over ten furlongs and his strong finish last time, he is expected to improve over an extra furlong here. The three pounds penalty complicates matters but he looks a high-class two year old capable of defying it.

Henry Candy has been associated with his fair share of smart sprinters over the years with Airwave, Kyllachy and Twilight Son all tasting victories at the highest level. The last named is the sire of the progressive TWILIGHT CALLS who is entered in the 0-95 three year old handicap (5.20) on Thursday.

Owned by Cheveley Park Stud and well bought at £26,000, he failed to get his head in front in three starts as a juvenile finishing runner-up twice at Ascot and Newbury. However, he began his three-year-old career in perfect fashion with a commanding performance at Doncaster in early May. Too keen next time on his handicap debut at Leicester off a mark of 87 later the same month, David Probert’s mount was run out of it late on by Imperial Yellow (second since).

Beaten a length and a quarter, Candy then dropped his charge back to the minimum trip for the first time at Newmarket’s July meeting and the outcome was a positive one. While the winning margin of a neck suggests it was a close run thing, Twilight Calls was value for much more.

That win was gained against a group of largely older horses and even though the handicapper has taken his revenge with an eight pounds rise, he looks up to the task. It looks a case of a future Pattern horse running in a handicap. The quicker the ground the better.


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