As far as Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International is concerned, it is up a trio with varying credentials in Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) to halt the momentum of Ballydoyle's at once unassuming and impressive colt. He needs this win to match the five-in-a-row Group 1 tally of one of the current regime's initial superstars Giant's Causeway, who was beaten in the Irish 2000 Guineas in which Paddington began his sequence. Shape shifting between supreme miler and 10-furlong horse just like the “Iron Horse” before him, he remains in pursuit of the seven consecutive elite-level triumphs of more Rosegreen royalty in Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire).

After mastering the stern uphill climax of the Eclipse and the unorthodox gradients of Goodwood, fast and deep turf, the latest test comes on the Knavesmire's level playing field which catches out only the complacent. What can possibly go wrong? Aidan O'Brien can't pinpoint a weakness. “He's an amazing horse really and all he's done is progress with each race,” he reiterated on Tuesday. “There's nothin much else I can say about him, every time we've asked him a question he keeps coming up with it. The ground is fine and we know he stays the trip. He went to the Coral-Eclipse for his first run over a mile and a quarter, so this is a little bit further on a flatter track.”

This is Frankie's last chance to edge Lester Piggott for the outright record of six wins and it would be a freakish turn of fortune if Jim Crowley's suspension meant that it came on Wednesday on Shadwell's Mostahdaf. One of the least heralded of the big guns that lined up for Royal Ascot's G1 Prince of Wales's S., the Clarehaven slow-burner left nobody in any doubt that he was the only member of that particular cast made for a fast-ground mile-and-a-quarter test as he dished out a humbling beating to Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) et al.

The evidence of Riyadh and Royal Ascot suggest Mostahdaf is finally the finished article, but the question is whether that extra strength brought about by maturity is the equivalent of the seven pounds weight-for-age he advances to Paddington. John Gosden is looking forward to finding out now that the cards have fallen right with the wet spell behind us. “There's no change in Plan A, it was always to give him the time,” he said. “He benefited from time between Saudi Arabia and running in Dubai through to June and, again, we've taken a similar spacing with him.”

On Mostahdaf's surge up the Rankings, Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold admits to having underestimated the 5-year-old as he headed to the Royal meeting. “If I'm honest, I was a bit surprised to see him win [the Prince of Wales's] quite like that, but I probably shouldn't have been after the way he won in Saudi earlier this year. He was very impressive there and really quickened,” he said. “I thought he ran well in the Sheema Classic at Meydan too, where Equinox just killed him off the bend and he didn't get home but I was still surprised to see just how well he was travelling against a proper group one field at Royal Ascot and just how well he quickened.”

Ballydoyle vs The Gosdens is the modern-day customary tale in these kind of events and it is significant that the Newmarket father-and-son axis bolster their challenge with Imad Al Sagar's beloved Nashwa here. Last year's G1 Prix de Diane heroine failed to see out this trip on testing ground on her return mission in Goodwood's G1 Nassau S., but had previously looked to be peaking in the G1 Falmouth S. over a mile and this faster surface is a prerequisite over this distance these days.

Hollie Doyle is keen to put the 4-year-old's latest effort behind her and she could be the fly in the ointment with her invaluable fillies' allowance. “They had an easy time on the front end and Nashwa moved up like the best filly in the race, but she'd possibly been further back than ideal on that ground which probably blunted the turn of foot she showed in the Falmouth,” she said. “She takes her races very well and I'm hearing good reports from home through Teddy Grimthorpe.”

Already a winner over this course and distance in the G2 Dante S., King Power Racing's The Foxes (Ire) has to do much better than a subsequent fifth in the Derby and second in the GI Belmont Derby Invitational. “The others may be proven at a higher level, but I do feel The Foxes is an improving horse and we haven't seen the best of him yet,” racing manager Alastair Donald explained. “It looks like he'll get his preferred conditions of fast ground and we know he likes the course and distance. It might end up being a trappy race and, you never know, it's worth being there.”

Gregory The Key Player In The Great Voltigeur…

With Mostahdaf facing such a stern challenge on Wednesday, Frankie might give the York faithful the flying dismount they crave after the preceding G2 Great Voltigeur S. where Wathnan Racing's unbeaten  Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) looks a solid proposition. Despite carrying a three-pound penalty for his G2 Queen's Vase exploits over two furlongs further than this mile-and-a-half contest, he looks a genuine stayer with speed. Ballydoyle's representative Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) had the pace to be third to The Foxes in the Dante and to get closest to one of his generation's bigwigs King Of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in a slowly-run G2 King Edward VII S., so if Gregory can usurp him and Godolphin's G3 Bahrain Trophy winner Castle Way (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}) with the odds slightly against him the St Leger will loom even larger on his horizon.

Big Moment For Keatley In The Acomb…

Adrian Keatley has been slowly making a name for himself from his British base and in another Wathnan Racing acquisition in Ballymount Boy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) he has the right material to make waves in the always-important G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. Looking in need of this extra furlong when a length second to the subsequent G1 Prix Morny hero Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in the G2 Richmond S. over six at Goodwood earlier this month, he sets the standard and it is just a case of whether he can contain the flow of unexposed types.

“We thought a lot of our horse going to Goodwood, so we weren't by any means surprised by his run and we appreciate that the winner now looks very good as well–it's all stacking up,” his trainer said. “He went from a four-runner novice race at Hamilton into a group two and it was a massive step, a massive ask, and he answered all the questions bar one. We think he could be a top-class seven furlong horse or miler for the future.”

With two Guineas winners in Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) winning this in the last five years, it pays to watch the untested colts closely and Cogitate (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) is one of the more intriguing. Trainer Charlie Hills said of the Newbury novice scorer, “His work has been good and we think he could be a nice horse for the future. He travelled very well [at Newbury], he's got a good attitude and a good temperament–I was really taken by his first run. He's a big, scopey horse and he should be a nice horse for next year as well.”

Also in the mix is Ballydoyle's Naas maiden winner Edwardian (No Nay Never), the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Ascot maiden scorer Indian Run (Ire) (Sioux Nation) and the course-and-distance winner Loose Cannon (Ire) (Territories {Ire}) from the William Haggas stable.

Classic Rematch In Yorkshire Oaks…

Thursday's G1 Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks will see the G1 Irish Oaks one-two Savethelastdance  (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) square up again after a field of 10 was confirmed on Tuesday. Shadwell's G1 Nassau S. heroine Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the key member of the older brigade, while in the supporting card's six-furlong G2 Lowther S. the G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up and Weatherbys Super Sprint winner Relief Rally (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) encounters eight rivals including Ballydoyle's impressive Curragh maiden winner Cherry Blossom (Ire) (No Nay Never).

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Trained by Owen Burrows, Alflaila is on a four-race winning skein, taking the July 29 G2 York S. over the same course and distance as the International.

“It's unlikely at this stage that we would run the two against each other, I would think,” said Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold.

“God willing, Mostahdaf stays in good shape–he'll be the one to represent [in the International]. Obviously, we will leave Alflaila in just in case something went wrong.”

“Sheikha Hissa may decide to run the two together. But at the same time if he didn't go there, we may look to supplement Alflaila for the Irish Champion.”

Shadwell has also penciled in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks for Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), victorious in the G1 Nassau S. at Goodwood in her latest start Aug. 3. The 4-year-old is trained by Roger Varian.

“She's never run over this trip before and nobody has ever particularly said she needs that trip,” said Gold. “She's so tough and she's such a little star of a filly that she might well stay. On pedigree, the mare [Hadaatha] I think would have stayed–she was by Sea The Stars out of a Linamix mare. And Al Husn's by Dubawi–they can do anything.

“She a very easy filly to ride and she's got a heart the same size as her. So, she might well get it and it would be fun to try it, but we're in the luxurious position of her already being a Group 1 winner now, so we'll just see how Roger and his team feel she is and whether she's ready to go again.”

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“Hukum will run if and when we get some rain,” confirmed Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold. “It was a touch and go situation Saturday. We were longing to run him, but [trainer] Owen [Burrows] just felt in the end that, while we could run him and he could win it, he might come back a bit sore after it and we'd all look silly.”

He continued, “We kept him in training and spent a lot of time getting him right again after his injury last year and he just felt it was too big a risk. It is frustrating but sensible.

“Very much the idea is the King George. If the ground was good or even if it was good to firm, we might have to take a chance. That's the big day. We will see how we are going nearer the time.”

Gold also confirmed that G1 Prince of Wales's victor Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) will miss next week's G1 Coral-Eclipse S., a race that has been earmarked for G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}).

“Mostahdaf has come out of it very good, said Gold. “I spoke to [trainer] John Gosden [Saturday] and he says he is bouncing.”

“The Eclipse is off the cards for Mostahdaf. We still have Anmaat in, ground permitting. If he's in good form and conditions look suitable, hopefully, we will go there with him.”

“I think we will be sitting still with Mostahdaf and, hopefully, get him to York in the same form in August.”

Listed winner Al Asifah (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who finished sixth after being supplemented to Thursday's G2 Ribblesdale S., will also be given some time off, according to Gold.

“We'll give her a break now and get her back in the autumn,” he said. “I still think she will be a very nice filly. We haven't even discussed targets. We will give her some gentle downtime, three weeks or so, then bring her back and take it from there.”

Dual Group 2 winner Mutasaabeq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) will also be given a freshener following an eleventh in the GI Queen Anne S. Tuesday. Victorious in the G2 bet365 Mile at Newmarket May 5, the 5-year-old came home fifth in Newbury's G1 Lockinge S. May 20.

“We'll see what there is for him, but we will just give him a bit of time now,” he explained. “He's had three runs relatively quickly, but he's the sort of horse who could easily come out and win another Group 2 later in the year.”

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“They've all been happy with him at home, so with the season starting we need to know where we are with him,” Angus Gold said. “He's still entered in the Guineas and I'm imagining that will come too quick for him, but let's see how we get on Thursday. He's the least experienced in the field and it will tell us a lot more in terms of his class and the track and all those things. It's a learning curve.”

The Case For Chaldean…

He may not be running until Saturday, but Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is indirectly involved in the Craven with Indestructible (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) just half a length behind Juddmonte's leading 2000 Guineas contender in York's G3 Acomb S. and 3 1/2 lengths in arrears in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster, where Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was behind. Now with Karl Burke, Amo Racing's big Guineas hope is up to a mile for the first time and racing and operations manager Tom Pennington believes that will see improvement.

“His pedigree suggests he will get a mile and he got seven furlongs well last year as a two-year-old,” he said. “The form is there. He has to make the improvement from two to three, but he definitely has the scope to do that and the form is in the book so he will be a nice three-year-old going forward hopefully.”

King Power's course-and-distance G2 Royal Lodge S. winner The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) will provide Chaldean's trainer Andrew Balding with more of an idea where he stands ahead of the May 6 Classic, while Isa Salman Al Khalifa's G3 Horris Hill S. third Ancestral Land (GB) (Sioux Nation) can not be left out of equations.

“His whole demeanour gives us the impression he will get a mile and we hope that will be possible,” trainer Clive Cox said. “I trained his dam to win over five furlongs, but he is a horse that has done exceptionally well physically and he hit the line well over seven last year.”

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Brian Sheerin: To what degree do you think Baaeed (GB) helped to secure the future of Shadwell given he reached his pomp during a difficult time for the operation?

Angus Gold: I don't think it could be overstated how important Baaeed coming along–and the timing of it–was. It was extraordinary, really, as Sheikh Hamdan spent a lifetime in this business and had been trying to breed these top horses. He sadly died in March but then Baaeed came along in June and turned out to be a real champion. I was quoted on this before and I appreciate it might sound weird to some people but it was almost as if Baaeed had been sent to help his family to take on the mantle and show them what could happen when you get lucky and get a top horse in this sport. The timing of it was extraordinary and very relevant.

Obviously Sheikha Hissa is fascinated and very interested in the business but I'm not sure the rest of her family were as interested as she was from the outset. Racing and breeding was very much Sheikh Hamdan's thing but she was very keen to learn and get involved whereas I'm not so sure the rest of her brothers and sisters shared that enthusiasm. For them to be able to share a horse as good as Baaeed, when they are now all doing it together, I think it was extraordinarily important. To have a proper horse like Baaeed come along, it gave everyone a lift. Everyone was struggling when Sheikh Hamdan died as he was a remarkable man. To go back to it, the timing of Baaeed was hugely significant and you could never underestimate the significance of Baaeed to everyone, and particularly Sheikh Hamdan's family.

BS: You could say that the Aga Khan was placed with a similar dilemma when his father died so it's fantastic that Sheikha Hissa has continued the legacy.

AG: It would have been terribly sad if they decided not to continue the legacy. But, let's be realistic, it costs a lot of money to run an operation the size of Shadwell so it was understandable that they didn't want to continue with the numbers that they had before. As well as everything else, it is important that we generate a bit of income to help finance the whole show. With Minzaal (Ire) at Derrinstown, Baaeed at Nunnery, to go with Tasleet (GB), who has had an encouraging start, Eqtidaar (Ire), who we need to try and get more mares to and Mohaather (GB), who has had some nice foals, we can start to get a bit of income in which should offset some of the costs involved in running the operation. That will help them going forward.

BS: I saw William Haggas speaking the other day where he mentioned that he felt he ran Baaeed in the wrong race on Champions Day. What way do you look back on Baaeed's career? Is it tinged with regret, like William, or is it more closely related to thanking your lucky stars for coming across what was officially the best turf horse in the world last year.

AG: How could you be disappointed? Maybe William is looking for perfection. I wouldn't say we ran him in the wrong race at all. To me, it was the ground that was against him in the Champion S. Pure and simple. Other people might have different theories but it was very obvious early in the straight at Ascot that it wasn't going to happen. He was struggling and couldn't pick up on that ground.

It's very rare in my experience to find a horse who is as effective on heavy ground as he is on top of the ground. Obviously, Frankel (GB) won on very bad ground, which shows how remarkable he was. But, for me, I would never say it was the wrong race to have run him in. I would have loved to have run him in the Arc because it's the greatest race in the world. But that would have been completely the wrong race to run him in as it turned out with the way the ground came up. I think we ran him in the right race but the conditions went against us.

I always wanted to step this horse up in trip because that is what his pedigree suggested but we didn't get to do it because he kept winning top-class races over a mile. It was his class and his speed that made us keep him over a mile for as long as we did. It wasn't until York until we got the chance to step him up in trip and everyone saw how brilliant he was that day. I was disappointed for the horse. I would have loved had he gone to stud unbeaten. But how could anyone be disappointed with a horse who had done so much for us, the operation and the general public? He won 10 out of 10 before [his] first and only defeat. Not many do that.

BS: John Oxx took part in this Q&A at the beginning of the season where he explained how happy he was for Sea The Stars (Ire) to have a top-class miler. I know you are quoted as saying you were surprised by the speed Baaeed possessed given his pedigree. With all of that in mind, what do you think the overriding influence Baaeed will have at stud and what type of mares have been booked in to see him this year?

AG: His pedigree is more middle-distance but, as John said, Sea The Stars had the class to win the 2000 Guineas. Slow horses can't do that. He was an extraordinarily classy horse who was able to carry his speed over a-mile-and-a-half. I was purely surprised by how much speed Baaeed had for his pedigree but, then again, he looked a sharper horse. Physically, he's a strong, powerful horse who looked like he might be more of a shorter runner but then his full-brother [Hukum (Ire)] stays a-mile-and-a-half well. I'm not clever enough to tell you but I would imagine he will breed plenty of middle-distance horses but, equally, if he breeds them like himself, obviously he's going to put a bit of speed into them. I would imagine he will get a selection but I have learned over the years that you should never ignore pedigree and he's by a horse who had the class and speed to win a Guineas but also won a Derby and an Arc and is from a staying female line. I would expect him to get a lot of high-class middle-distance horses, like Frankel and Sea The Stars. If he is half as good as they are, I think we'll be doing alright.

BS: You touched on Minzaal. I was at Derrinstown for the Irish Thoroughbred Stallion Trail where nominations manager Joe Behan spoke of the massive buzz that he has created there and how he has proved something of a tonic for the place after the passing of Sheikh Hamdan.

AG: Firstly, we all miss Sheikh Hamdan, and I spoke to him most days in my life. We also missed his guidance and nobody knew what was going to happen after he died. Also, we had to sell a lot of horses in a short space of time when he died. Again, that is not a secret. For Derrinstown, Tamayuz (GB) had just retired so they needed fresh blood and it was lovely to get a horse like Minzaal, a very good sprinter, who will hopefully attract a lot of mares and breathe new life into the place.

BS: Was that the thinking behind sending Minzaal to Derrinstown? Was it that there was a void that needed to be filled or did you think that he was a stallion who would do particularly well in Ireland over anywhere else?

AG: I used to say to Sheikh Hamdan that our responsibility is to feed the studs. Whether that's England, Ireland or America, although that is a bit more polarised now, it's imperative that we try and blood new stallions but everyone in the business will tell you hard it is to do that. I've done this job for 36 years now and I've seen how few good horses manage to get retired to stud. It's vital when you have an operation the size of Derrinstown, you need to be getting stallions in there. It was really important and, as Joe said, it should give them all a lift and hopefully we can get a lot of decent mares into him.

BS: Speaking about the stallion roster, you must have been thrilled by how Mohaather's first foals were received last year?

AG: I don't like to beef horses up because I am old-fashioned and I prefer to let them do the talking but, in my experience, Mohaather was out of the ordinary as a racehorse. What he did that day in winning the Sussex, I haven't seen a turn of foot like that since Kingman (GB) won the Sussex himself. I think he was a well above average horse. I mean no disrespect, but I think if he was trained by a John Gosden or an Aidan O'Brien, I think more people would have realised how good he was. Just because Marcus Tregoning has a smaller string, I don't think people appreciated what a good horse he was.

He's an important horse for us but you've got to see that transferred and people liking the offspring, and right throughout the year, even before the sales, I kept getting good feedback on the foals he was producing. That was a lovely thing to hear but obviously you want to get to the sales and see them for yourself. I think we saw athletic, strong-bodied foals with a good walk and attitude by him. Physically, they looked the right type, and to see some of the people who bought them was important. It has been a very encouraging start for him.

BS: At what point were you given the green light to go and buy yearlings again last year?

AG: There wasn't a point. Sheikha Hissa said to me that she was hoping to come to the sales and, when she did come over, she expressed how she wanted to mainly concentrate on fillies because the stud is the most important thing and we needed to get some fresh blood in. We only bought one colt, who funnily enough is by Showcasing (GB) and is closely-related to Mohaather, but the rest were all fillies. We bought two well-bred fillies for a lot of money in Book 1 and then Sheikha Hissa came back and we bought some more in Book 2. It's going to be a long and slow process building everything back up. We were so lucky last year the way everything came together but obviously we are going to miss the superstar Baaeed this year. We know we are going to be quiet for a while but it was lovely to see Sheikha Hissa's commitment to building the studs back up and hopefully we'll get the odd stallion along the way.

BS: You bought a good mixture of yearlings. There were Showcasings and Siyounis (Fr) but you also bought some of the progeny by the unproven stallions as well. Was there a particular type of horse you targeted?

AG: There's never a set policy. Some people say that they don't want to touch horses by unproven sires but Too Darn Hot (GB) is a beautifully-bred horse and was obviously a high-class racehorse. Look, we don't know if they can run but you've got to go with your gut instinct and there's every reason why he'll make a good stallion. We also bought a couple of fillies by Land Force (Ire) who is a beautifully-bred horse who showed plenty of speed. He probably didn't retire to stud with the race record that they would have hoped for initially but he's a very good-looking horse and I loved the stock by him. I see no reason why he won't get runners.

You have to take a chance on some of these things and hope they come off. It's very interesting, I've been in Australia for the past few weeks and I've been keeping an eye on how the Too Darn Hots and Blue Point (Ire)s have been selling. They have sold really well. In a perfect world, you would go with proven stallions, but I have found that over the years we have done well with going for unproven horses. As long as they come within budget and are within reason, you've got to give it a go.

BS: You've been Shadwell's racing manager for 36 years. Who would you say have been your biggest influences?

AG: I can never think of a clever answer. I got very lucky in that I started off working in the racing business and then I went to London to work in the city in insurance for four years. I decided that it wasn't for me and I wanted to get back into horses. Michael Osborne, who ran the stud at Sandringham, was good enough to take me on and give me a chance. I spent two seasons there, so he was hugely important in my life and pushed me in the right direction.

You need to get lucky along the way and so many people helped me, including Hubie de Burgh, who interviewed me for the job with Sheikh Hamdan. I was 27 years old when I was interviewed for the job and had absolutely no experience at all. I have just kept my head down and they have let me learn from my mistakes. You just hope to learn from the many top-class people along the way. I've just been very lucky to have worked for such a patient man who was so passionate about the business.

BS: It takes a bit more than luck to hold down that position for such a long time. For such a big job, you've clearly had a lot of fun and still do have a lot of fun doing the job.

AG: Sheikh Hamdan was my boss and I did what I was told within reason. If I felt we were doing something wrong, I would tell him. We had a good working relationship and he was passionate. That was probably the best thing of all; the passion he had for racing and breeding. There aren't many people in his position who are willing to put in the time that he did. He used to watch the videos of the mares and foals that he would be sent from America and Ireland and he watched every single race and then go back and watch the replay when he was finished work.

He was the minister for finance, so he was working hard during the day, but he managed to fit in time to keep on top of the whole operation. He was incredibly hands on and every mating went through him. You learn that, the great thing about this game is, once you start to think you know something, something will come along and prove you wrong. You learn never to get too big-headed and to take what comes. You could buy the most beautifully-bred horse for an awful lot of money and it could get a respiratory infection and never be the same again. That's why, when you get a horse like Baaeed, he needs to be celebrated.

I enjoy working with people and was just very lucky to work for a man like Sheikh Hamdan for so many years. Every time I think I'm having a bad day, I think back to the time I was sitting on a tube train going to work in London with a lot of people who hated doing what they were doing for a living, I realise that I am lucky enough to wake up in the morning and go looking at horses on the gallops or do whatever it is that I am doing on a given day. It's been a big lesson in life for me to try and enjoy what you do in life. If you're lucky enough to have something that interests you in this game, you are well ahead of the rest of the field already. We're not curing cancer or doing anything particularly clever. In this case, all we are trying to do is buy and breed horses who run faster than others. I'm still fascinated by it and still love it. I'm very lucky to do something that I do love.

BS: When you speak of this game having an unrelenting ability to tame lions, there was a story you shared about Makfi on the TDN Aus Podcast that illustrated best how this game can humble you and how loyal Sheikh Hamdan was as well.

AG: His phrase was, 'we had no luck with this horse.' It was an emotional time for me. I felt very small and felt awful for the people at Derrinstown who bred the horse. I was told to get rid of a lot of 2-year-olds who weren't looking as though they were going to measure up and, at that stage, it didn't look like Makfi was. He came out and made fools of us by winning the 2000 Guineas the following year. It was a huge learning curve but to have Sheikh Hamdan in my corner, and for him to behave in the way that he did, he was unbelievably classy and said, 'we had no luck with this horse now forget about it.'It was the most humbling thing that happened in my professional life. I felt so bad for so many people. I offered to resign at the end of the year and he got very angry. He told me to forget about it and that was the class of the man that he was.

BS: Last year proved that life after Sheikh Hamdan is not all doom and gloom for the Shadwell operation. What can we expect to see from Shadwell this year in the sales ring?

AG: It will be built up slowly. We've trimmed it down, as the family wanted, and they are learning. I don't expect to be back buying to the level that we were. Sheikh Hamdan was extraordinary. He supported this business immensely. Even I was taken aback by the amount of horses he would buy and the support he showed people. People like him are one in a million. All I want to do is help Sheikha Hissa and her family for as long as they want me and to build things back up again. I don't mean numbers, I mean quality. I want to get it on a sound footing for them to take forward and enjoy long after I am gone.

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The rest of the 2022 G1 Coronation Cup victor's campaign was derailed by a hind leg injury acquired during that 4 1/4-length defeat of 2021 Coronation Cup scorer Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}). After surgery to insert three screws, the Owen Burrows trainee is now back in training after a lengthy break, and will be targeted toward summer prizes.

Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold said of the six-time group winner, “He has been back in training a while now, so as long as he stays in one piece, he will remain in training. There isn't a plan. There is no point having a plan in January, as we don't know if he will be sound in the middle of February.

“I would think he will be out from the middle of summer onwards. We need to take one step at a time with him. There is no point making a plan in case it all goes wrong.

“Hopefully we can stay on track.”

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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.

A decision over what fee Baaeed will stand for in his debut season at stud has yet to be decided upon with Gold insisting that the six-time Group 1 winner is no less of an exciting stallion prospect despite losing his unbeaten record when fourth on his final start in the G1 Champion S. at Ascot on Saturday.

Gold said, “I'm not a huge fan of making excuses for horses. I saw William [Haggas] saying that, when a horse gets beaten, it is usually because they haven't run fast enough. My own personal feeling is that the ground blunted his speed.

“People have their own ideas, it's what this game is about, lots of opinions. People will say that he was positioned too far back. I can't have that. He moved up beautifully coming to the bend and Jim [Crowley, jockey] pulled him out.

“On the top of the ground, I'd have expected him to quicken, like he normally does. This horse has a turn of foot. That's his potent weapon. But it just wasn't there at all. He just plugged away very gamely.”

He added, “Some other people will say that he didn't stay. Well, with the greatest respect in the world, you only have to look at York to knock that theory on the head. Visually, York was by far and away his most impressive run. So, I refuse to subscribe to that theory.”

The fact that Baaeed could not better stablemate My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) (third at 22-1) when suffering a shock defeat at the hands of Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) in Saturday's swansong suggests to Gold that the horse who drew comparisons to his sire Sea The Stars and even Frankel (GB) did not show his true colours at Ascot.

He explained, “William knows where they are in terms of talent and, the fact Baaeed couldn't get past him [My Prospero] tells you everything you need to know. That's not trying to be rude about My Prospero in any way.

“With a horse who can quicken like Baaeed can, there's not many who can do it on the top of the ground at that level and be as effective on the other extreme. It puts into perspective how fantastic Frankel was–he was able to overcome that horrible ground but our horse couldn't do it.”

He added, “While it was disappointing he didn't go out unbeaten, he's no lesser horse in my eyes anyway.  We're just thrilled to get him back in one piece and hopefully he'll be going to stud.”

Details of that second career at stud are being ironed out chiefly between Sheikha Hissa al Maktoum and Derrinstown Stud's Stephen Collins and an announcement can be expected by the end of the week.

Gold said, “We'll be announcing plans in the next few days and we're all hugely excited about his stud career. I am not involved in the stud side but I have had a lot of enquiries from about 10 weeks back.

“Lots of people, some serious breeders, are very keen to use the horse. He's the new kid on the block so, hopefully, if we price him right, he will appeal for a considerable time to come.

“There's always a new horse around so that's where we've got to be careful. If we can set the fee correctly so that breeders can use this horse happily, they will use him not just next year, but going forward.

“To be honest, we're still discussing and obviously Sheikha Hissa and her family are involved in those talks, as is Stephen Collins [manager at Derrinstown Stud] in Ireland and several people here. We want to get it right and, for the horse's sake, it's important that we do.”

Minzaal, the highest-rated son of Mehmas (Ire), went out in a blaze of glory after it emerged that he fractured his knee when rocketing to a breakthrough Group 1 victory in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last month. Details about his planned career at stud will also be made public soon.

Gold said, “Again, it's still being discussed but the one thing I do know is Sheikha Hissa has said that we will definitely be holding onto the horse. He will be standing at one of our studs in either England or Ireland and hopefully we will have a decision to announce in the near future.”

On Hukum, he added, “Hukum went back into training yesterday [Monday]. Sheikha Hissa is very keen to keep him in training next year, obviously he will be an older horse, but he just hit his top form when unfortunately undone by an injury.

“We looked after him at the stud after that and, touch wood, he has healed really well.

“Sheikha Hissa is particularly fond of this horse and was keen to see him race on next year. He has gone back to Owen Burrows and, all being well, will be back on the track next year.”

Shadwell ended a two-year drought at the British yearling sales in style by snapping up 10 youngsters at Book 1 and Book 2 this month as Sheikha Hissa marked her first trip to Park Paddocks.

The world-famous operation is reported to have a juvenile team in the mid-50s to look forward to next term. However, it's a colt in the current crop of juveniles, Naqeeb (Ire), a Nathaniel (Ire) half-brother to Baaeed, who is drumming up interest ahead of an intended debut in the coming weeks.

Gold said, “Aghareed (Kingmambo) [the dam of Baaeed and Hukum] is 13 now. She has a Nathaniel 2-year-old, who is a nice type of horse, a bigger, longer and scopier horse to Baaeed, as you'd probably expect.

“Hopefully William will get this horse out in the next two or three weeks. She has a very nice Night Of Thunder (Ire) yearling colt who is a late May foal so I doubt he'll be particularly early or precocious but he's a nice type of horse.

“Unfortunately the mare was barren to New Bay (GB) this year but she is back in foal to Sea The Stars now. Touch wood, there is still a lot to look forward to with her.”

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As the unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) returned triumphant for the ninth time, she said, “[He's in] every conversation, every conversation. He's part of my life now. My father bred him. It's a 40-year, even longer, process so it just feels very homey and it's nice to have a horse like him. I'm very lucky.”

The sheikha, in company with friends and family and the longstanding Shadwell racing team of Angus Gold and Richard Hills, watched the 4-year-old colt claim his fifth consecutive Group 1 victory on the big screen in Goodwood's parade ring, with a cheer going up from her entourage as Baaeed eased down crossing the line. As a long odds-on favourite, the William Haggas-trained colt, poised and at ease in the preliminaries, made it seem so straightforward: the best horse in the race had the perfect run through before being pulled wide in the straight by Jim Crowley and cruising home to win. 

It is a scene that must have been played out myriad times in the minds of those closest to him but nothing in racing can be taken for granted, and as Baaeed surged clear to win, the tension among the Shadwell camp seemed almost visibly to dissipate as hugs and handshakes were exchanged.

“I was absolutely nervous but it is always good to see him,” admitted Sheikha Hissa. “We thought he was going to miss this race and go straight to York but we kept him here and it turned out well, but I will always be nervous.”

Though the crowd has seemed a little thinner for the first two days at Goodwood, the tiered banks around the parade ring were packed both before and after the G1 Qatar Sussex S., those present rightly craning for a glimpse of the top-rated horse in the world. 

“It's very heartwarming to see that people love this horse. I feel like it's a win for everyone really,” said his owner after Baaeed had duly obliged those who turned out to see him by conjuring up yet another victory. It was his second at Glorious Goodwood following last year's win in the G3 Thoroughbred S., the last time he was seen in anything other than top-level company. His next appearance will be a foray into uncharted territory as he steps up to ten furlongs for the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York.

“A mile and a quarter definitely,” said Sheikh Hissa, confirming that Baaed will be asked to race beyond the mile that has conquered so easily time and again. “He's ready and I can't wait to see it.”

She added, “It's lovely to see a horse who tries and has his ears pricked the whole time. We were discussing whether to run him in the Sussex last year or not but I stated 'no', we didn't want to rush him. So he's back now and he's won the Sussex and I'm very happy.”

Sheikha Hissa is all too aware of the legacy of her father's bloodstock empire, which over four decades was responsible for 19 European Classic winners from an initial winner in Britain in July 1980. One of the cornerstones of the operation's broodmare band from its earliest days was Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}), whose high-achieving offspring include the Derby, 2,000 Guineas, and King George winner Nashwan (Blushing Groom), and whose influence is felt still through her fifth-generation descendant Baaeed. That continuity of bloodline could well provide a foundation of a different form for Sheikha Hissa's tenure at the helm of Shadwell with the eventual stallion career of Baaeed. 

It is an eventuality which has already been alluded to by William Haggas, and Angus Gold, Sheikh Hamdan's racing manager for 25 years who now performs that same role for his daughter, spoke of the importance of Baaeed to a new-look, slimmed-down Shadwell.

“From a breeding point of view he's such a valuable proposition now. We have a new, fledgling operation and for Sheikha Hissa and her family he is so important to that,” Gold said. “If we are lucky we will have him for 16, 17, or more years, however long it is if everything goes well. And if he happened to be a successful stallion he is so important to our operation that we need him to be breeding rather than to keep racing, I would imagine, but that is not my decision obviously. We will see what the family decide.”

He, too, is looking forward to Baaeed being tried over a new distance. 

Gold said, “He's so relaxed in his style of racing that he will give himself every chance of getting it. Jim [Crowley] said just now that when he got towards the line and he heard the crowd cheering he just pricked his ears and almost pulled himself up. I don't see any reason why he can't go further, and I would be amazed if it's lack of stamina that beats him.”

As Sheikha Hissa applauded her champion's departure from the winner's enclosure and the presentations were completed, Gold admitted to a sense of relief after Baaeed had again maintained his spotless record.

“For me, almost the most special thing is that it's a culmination of all Sheikh Hamdan's work in trying to breed an absolute champion,” he added. “We were lucky in the early days with Nashwan and Dayjur and some really good horses, but this horse is a fifth-generation homebred from Height Of Fashion, whom he adored and got him going early on in the breeding world, so to have this horse 40 years on is really special. I'm so thrilled for Sheikha Hissa, and for her family. They had a hard time last year without him, and for this horse to suddenly appear, it's almost like he was sent.”

The post ‘He’s Part Of My Life Now’: Sheikha Hissa Pays Tribute To Baaeed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Hukum made the breakthrough at the highest level when storming to Coronation Cup glory at Epsom on Friday and now his racing career hangs in the balance. 

For Burrows, Friday's win also represented a memorable first at Group 1 level, with the trainer describing the success as “massive” at the time. 

However, just three days after Hukum's greatest day on a racecourse, Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell Estate, revealed the 5-year-old may never grace the track again.

He said, “He's got a fracture in his hind leg so we've had to put some screws in it. Obviously he'll be out for the rest of this year. It's a shame as he'd just won his first Group 1 with a career-best.

“We haven't got as far as deciding if he will return to training as it's early days. From one point of view he just seemed to be hitting his best form so with that in mind you'd say yes, but at the same time he'll be a back-end 5-year-old this year.”

Gold added, “We haven't had a chance to discuss that and won't make a rushed decision as he'll be in his box for a bit. We'll make a decision on that later in the year.”

“It's a real shame, sadly, especially for Owen as Friday was a huge result for him, but you've got to take the rough with the smooth.”

The post Hammer Blow as Hukum Ruled Out For Season With Leg Fracture appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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It is here on Thursday morning that Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum arrives with Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold and advisor Richard Hills to watch her homebred Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) have his penultimate exercise under Jim Crowley before his start in the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic on Saturday. It is a poignant moment, as a year ago to the day the racing world was saddened by the death of Sheikha Hissa's father, Sheikh Hamdan, a man revered and admired across the industry as one of loyalty and modesty. The latter is borne out by the fact that his many runners over his 40-year involvement with horseracing ran in the name of Hamdan Al Maktoum – his regal title dropped for his involvement in the sport he loved the most. And a glance back over the many tributes paid to Sheikh Hamdan this time last year is a reminder of how frequently the word loyal occurred when those closely associated with him, particularly his trainers, recalled their relationship.

It is not difficult to imagine that Sheikh Hamdan appreciated and rewarded loyalty in others. Over the years when visiting Sir Michael Stoute's Freemason Lodge in Newmarket he would have had many opportunities to witness Stoute's longtime assistant trainer Owen Burrows at work, and when the time came for Burrows to start training under his own name, it was Sheikh Hamdan who installed him as a private trainer, in 2016, at Kingwood House Stables in Lambourn. 

It is no secret that, with the horses now running under the banner of Shadwell Stable, the operation is significantly smaller than in Sheikh Hamdan's time, and it is a reduction that will be felt by a number of stables. It has precipitated a slight change of scenery for Burrows, his wife Lynn and their two children to Farncombe Down Stables, still in Lambourn, and a smart 40-box yard previously used by Shadwell as a spelling and rehabilitation facility. Though Burrows is now a public trainer, support from the Maktoum family remains, through Sheikh Ahmed, and also his niece Sheikha Hissa, the owner of the regally-bred stable star Hukum.

“I have a huge amount to be thankful to Sheikh Hamdan for, he was such a good man, you only had to hear the way people talked about him,” says Burrows a couple of hours after overseeing Hukum's morning exercise alongside his ownership team.

“Like him, Sheikha Hissa is really keen on racing,” he adds. “Before Super Saturday she came and watched Hukum a few times and the other morning she came out to the yard and was feeding him Polos. She's very passionate about it, which is brilliant. 

“We all understood the operation had to trim right back but it is wonderful to hear that she wants to come to England and go racing. Richard Hills said after the first conversation he had with her that it was just like speaking to a female version of her father and, to me, that is almost the biggest compliment you could give her.”

Sheikha Hissa doubtless has much to look forward to this season back in Europe. The five-time Group winner Hukum and his even starrier full-brother Baaeed (GB)–the pair descending from Height Of Fashion (Fr), the bedrock of Sheikh Hamdan's breeding operation–will be at the forefront of her equine team. Hukum has stolen a march on the unbeaten Baaeed so far in 2022 as he has run once and won once, securing his place in the Sheema Classic line-up with his victory in the G2 Dubai City of Gold. He will be one of six runners for the Shadwell Stable on Dubai World Cup night.

Hukum is an important flag-bearer for Burrows. He was his first Royal Ascot winner when landing the King George V S. on only the third start of his life, helping to make Sheikh Hamdan the leading owner at the Royal meeting of 2020. His victory earlier this month at Meydan means that Burrows now boasts a perfect record in Dubai from his sole runner there. 

“He's been so consistent, he's always run well,” says the trainer, “The Sheema Classic is a very strong race but I think he deserves his chance back in Group 1 company. We've only tried him in it once – in the St Leger as a 3-year-old – and he didn't quite get home. He won over a bit further last year but I never really felt he was going to be a Cup horse; he's got a bit more speed than people give him credit for.”

Reflecting on his Super Saturday victory, Burrows adds, “That was obviously massive for me, and also for the whole operation. That was the first horse we brought out here since Sheikh Hamdan passed and for him to go and do that was perfect. It was a prep run, and obviously on ratings he was the best horse, but he was drawn 14 of 14 and that made it a but more difficult. I'm glad we decided to come out for that race. I felt it would have been asking a lot to bring him here just a week before the Sheema Classic.”

Now five, Hukum is exactly the type of horse with which Sir Michael Stoute would have excelled. Having made just two starts at two, he went straight to Royal Ascot for his first run at three. The 12 years spent with Stoute provided a valuable lesson for Burrows, and hopefully through his progressive campaigner he will reap the rewards of that as this season gets properly underway.

“Covid interrupted Hukum's 3-year-old season a little bit,” Burrows says. “He was rated 91 so he was thrown in for the George V but he got quite badly struck into at Royal Ascot so had to have a bit of time off.

“We're under no illusion, we know he has to find seven pounds, but having had a prep run here and some sunshine for three weeks it has brought him forward. I was talking to Richard and Angus yesterday, and we agreed that if we are competitive on Saturday I think it lets us know where we sit back home in England, because these are the best in the world. It will help us to know whether we are looking later in the year – at the King George, or possibly the Arc at the end of the season. It's exciting.”

On the other side of the world on Saturday, another former Burrows star, the 2000 Guineas runner-up Massaat (Ire), will be represented by his first two runners in the Brocklesby S., the opening 2-year-old race of the British turf season. In the trainer's yard currently, there are 17 juveniles, constituting roughly half the team. There is no son or daughter of Massaat there yet, but the breeze-up sales are just around the corner.

“This has to be a building year,” he says. “We will be trying to get the numbers back up. There's room to put some more boxes in and I'd love to get up to around 60 horses.”

Burrows admits that he is not the most tech-savvy pop trainers, and he is currently learning to embrace the joys, and otherwise, of social media.

“Being Sir Michael's assistant for all those years, obviously we didn't do that kind of thing,” he says with a smile.

But even without that association, it is hard to imagine the modest Burrows enjoying the often brash, look-at-me era of Twitter and Instagram. As one who grew up in a National Hunt stable when his father was Head Lad to David 'The Duke' Nicholson, and who then rode as a conditional for such luminaries of the jumping world as Martin Pipe and Josh Gifford, Burrows seems more at home in the school of traditional horsemanship, where the horses do the talking for you.

Hukum has already done just this, and it would be no surprise to see him trumpeting his likeable trainer's abilities a little louder through this year.

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