18.30 Newcastle, Novice, £16,000, 3yo/up, 8f (AWT)
WALEEFY (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) bids to build on his encouraging debut third at Lingfield two days before Christmas with the eyes of the world watching as is inevitable when you are a half-brother to Shadwell's brilliant Baaeed (GB) and his fellow Sea The Stars-sired sibling Hukum (Ire). Like that pair under the tutelage of William Haggas, the homebred was slowly away on debut but has that experience under his belt meeting a newcomer of note in Ballylinch Stud's 250,000gns Tatts Book 1 purchase Las Ramblas (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a Roger Varian-trained half-brother to the G1 1000 Guineas heroine Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

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14.30 Leicester, Mdn, £7,000, 3yo/up, 10fT
NAQEEB (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is a half-brother to none other than Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who also began his career at this track before scaling the heights for Shadwell and William Haggas. Unsurprisingly, the same trainer is handed the opportunity to manage the career of this Derby-entered homebred, whose half-siblings also include last year's G1 Coronation Cup hero Hukum (Ire) also by Sea The Stars.

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The first Shadwell colourbearer to earn the Horse of the Year accolade, the William Haggas trainee added another four Group 1 victories to his pair earned in 2021, posting wins in the Lockinge S., Queen Anne S., Sussex S., and International S. in succession. His only loss in an 11-start career was a fourth-place finish in the G1 Champion S. on QIPCO British Champions Day in October. It was announced on Tuesday that the son of Aghareed (Kingmambo) would stand for £80,000 at Shadwell's Nunnery Stud in 2023.

Also shortlisted for Horse of the Year were G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}), quadruple Group 1-winning stayer Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and three-time Group 1-winning sprinter Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). G1 Champion S. hero Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) and dual Group 1-winning miler Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) were fellow nominees in the Cartier Older Horse category.

His Highness The Aga Khan's Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) was named the Cartier 3-Year-Old Colt on the back of victories in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, G1 Eclipse S., and G3 Prix de Guiche. Runner-up in Alpinista's Arc, the Jean-Claude Rouget trainee was also third in the G1 Irish Champion S. He follows Sinndar (Ire) (Grand Lodge) (2000) and Dalakhani (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) (2003) in earning the 3-year-old colt award for the owner-breeder. This year marked the centennial of The Aga Khan's operation.

Already awarded the title of Cartier 2-Year-Old Filly, Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) became just the third filly to also take the Cartier 3-Year-Old Filly title. The Cheveley Park Stud homebred is in good company, however, as the earlier two winners are none other than Divine Proportions (Kingmambo) in 2005 and Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2016. The John and Thady Gosden-trained bay scored an imperious victory in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation S., and, after a second-place finish in the G1 Falmouth S., she bounced back with a gritty win in Deauville's G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois.

Kyprios proved unstoppable in the stayers' ranks throughout a six-start 4-year-old season, collecting victories from April through October. Trained by Aidan O'Brien for Moyglare Stud and the Coolmore partners, the chestnut's victory in the Listed Vintage Crop S. kickstarted a tour de force, quickly followed by the G3 Saval Beg Levmoss S. a month later. Stepped up to Group 1 company, the colt delivered in the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup S., Irish St. Leger, and the Oct. 1 Prix du Cadran was a 20-length demolition job.

A hardy veteran of the handicap ranks, Highfield Princess proved a revelation when cut back to sprinting trips for owner-breeder John Fairley and trainer John Quinn. In action from February through November, the 5-year-old scored her first group win in the G2 Clipper Logistics S. at York in May, her fifth start of 2022. She earned her first top-drawer tally in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest two starts later at Deauville on Aug. 7, and then added the G1 Nunthorpe S. returned to the Knavesmire and in the Curragh's G1 Flying Five S, in August and September, respectively. Connections opted to try for an international Group 1 four-timer at the Breeders' Cup, but her draw and a rough trip did her no favours, and she was a close fourth.

Part of a legion of Group 1-winning juveniles for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners in 2022, Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) got the nod as the Cartier 2-Year-Old Colt. He won six of his eight starts in a busy 2-year-old campaign which culminated in a two-length victory in the G1 Middle Park S. The Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Westerberg silksbearer also captured the G1 Prix Morny, G2 Prix Robert Papin, G3 Marble Hill S. and the Listed First Flier S. Set for stallion duties at Coolmore Ireland in 2023, he was second by a nostril in the G2 Railway S. en route to championship honours.

Blackbeard's Cartier 2-Year-Old Filly counterpart is Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}). The Ralph Beckett-trained filly, owned by Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen, was first or second in all five starts in 2022. After taking the Listed Empress Fillies S. in late June, she was only a half-length back of 'TDN Rising Star' Mawj (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) in the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. at Newmarket a month later, and returned to winning ways in the G3 Princess Margaret S. at Ascot on July 23. Lezoo defeated subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine Meditate (Ire) No Nay Never) in the G1 Cheveley Park S. back at Newmarket to end her season on a high in September.

The recipient of the Cartier/The Daily Telegraph Award of Merit is owner-breeder Kirsten Rausing of Lanwades Stud. Besides celebrating her homebred Alpinista winning the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Rausing was also the breeder of G1 St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), as well as recent Australian Group 1 winners Zaaki (GB) and Durston (GB). In addition, Rausing serves as an integral figure in the sport's governance and administration, while through her Alborada Trust, she has also provided vital funding for a host of causes in racing and wider society.

Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier UK, said, “We have been fortunate to witness another exceptional year of European horse racing and I am delighted to celebrate an outstanding group of horses at the 32nd Cartier Racing Awards. Baaeed lit up the season with four brilliant victories and he is a worthy recipient of the Cartier Horse of the Year award. We are also thrilled to honour Kirsten Rausing, who has given so much to the industry, with the Cartier/The Daily Telegraph Award of Merit. It is a privilege for Cartier to be able to recognise these champions of the sport and my deepest congratulations go out to all of this year's winners. I would like to extend special thanks to Racing Post, The Daily Telegraph and Sky Sports Racing for their continued support of the awards.”

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Stephen Collins, European bloodstock manager for Shadwell, said, “Baaeed's fee reflects his current status as the champion turf horse in the world for 2022 and also his impeccable race record and superb pedigree, being a direct descendant of Height Of Fashion (Fr), the dam of top-class performers Nashwan, Nayef and Unfuwain.

“The 135-rated Baaeed is a wonderful addition to the Shadwell stallion roster and we have been inundated with enquiries for nominations. We have been overwhelmed with the response from breeders from all over Europe and further a-field.”

Rated 121, Minzaal will stand at Shadwell's Irish base, Derrinstown Stud in Co Kildare.

Collins said, “At a fee of €15,000, we have no doubt that Minzaal will prove very popular with breeders. He's a strong, good-looking individual who was a very high-class 2-year-old and developed into an exceptional older sprinter, winning the Sprint Cup in devastating style. His immense talent combined with his superb attitude will stand him in very good stead for what we firmly believe will be an equally successful stallion career.”

The Nunnery Stud roster also contains crack miler Mohaather (GB), whose fee remains unchanged at £15,000 while first-season sire Tasleet (GB)'s fee has risen to £6,000 (Jan. 1, special live foal) from £5,000 in 2022. Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) captured the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. Eqtidaar (Ire)'s fee remains at £5,000.

Collins added, “The forthcoming sales will see Mohaather's first foals sell at public auction, which will be exciting for us all. We have a number of very nice foals by him on the farm and very much look forward to seeing how his other progeny are received in the sales ring over the coming weeks.

“Tasleet's yearlings sold well at public auctions throughout the autumn, which is no surprise given Bradsell's success in the Coventry Stakes and other eye-catching performances from the sire's progeny in 2022. Eqtidaar's first yearlings through the ring have also been making their mark with his progeny realising up to 12 times his stud fee.”

Also based at Derrinstown Stud is Awtaad (Ire), whose fee has been kept unchanged at €5,000. Former Derrinstown stalwart Tamayuz (GB) has been pensioned, and former Derrinstown Stud resident King Of Change (GB) has been moved to Micheal Orlandi's Starfield Stud in Co Westmeath for the 2023 breeding season.

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Surprisingly, Bay Bridge's success provided Sir Michael Stoute with a first positive outcome on the programme since Champions Day was recalibrated in 2011 and a first in the contest for the veteran conditioner since Kalanisi (Ire) (Doyoun {Ire}) outgunned Montjeu (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) in 2000. “Bay Bridge was very brave and I am absolutely thrilled,” Stoute said. “The staff have done a great job with this horse and we are all delighted. He was in very good shape coming here. He came back from Sandown with a knock and we had to back off him, so he's been very consistent this year with the exception of that race. We thought the favourite was unbeatable, or I did, but I thought he had a great chance of being second, because he was in terrific shape. I'm delighted to have won two Group 1 races this year, the staff have been brilliant and it's down to them.”

While Stoute was rekindling memories of yore, it has been a breakthrough year for winning rider Richard Kingscote. “It is surreal really,” he said. “I guess we came here knowing we have a nice horse, but we were taking on one of the best around. You cannot be afraid of one horse. They've always liked Bay Bridge back home and it's perfect to ride beautiful horses like this. He looked like he would have a big one in him and, on that ground, he showed he is a really lovely animal. He was a bit fresh and ran with enthusiasm for the first three-quarters of the race. He was going well into the turn and, when the others tried to put a bit of pace into it, he responded and knuckled down when William [Buick] came to us on Adayar. He put in a very good effort.” Reflecting on a banner season, Kingscote continued, “I am very grateful to everyone for having me. Two spectacular horses have made it a great year.”

Last year's G1 Derby hero Adayar was making his first start in elite-level company since running fifth in last year's renewal and his renaissance thrilled Charlie Appleby. “We know Adayar's back on the top table again and I am delighted,” the trainer commented. “It is always in the back of your mind when you've won a conditions race, but he is where he was when he left off last year. There were no excuses there, William said they didn't go quite as strong a gallop as you would like, but he committed when he did. That was always the plan and he stuck to his guns well. We were beaten by a horse that we know has always had plenty of potential there and has been waiting for the ground.”

Reflecting on a first defeat in 11 starts for Baaeed, William Haggas admitted, “It is deflating, but he is still a good horse and I'm sad he didn't win for him and his connections as well as all the people at the yard who have worked tirelessly to get him there. There you go, it's horse racing. Jim [Crowley] felt Baaeed just couldn't pick up in the ground. All I know is he didn't win and I need to watch it again. I was busy watching the others as well and I tend not to make an assessment straight after. Let's hope this is eradicated from people's minds quite quickly. My Prospero couldn't quite nut Adayar on the line for second, so it looks like we'll have to wait for next year until we have a go at the Trainers' Championship. My Prospero ran a magnificent race and has lots to look forward to. He is a beautiful horse, a great big horse and I think he has a good future. Dubai Honour ran well, but James [Doyle] said they went no gallop for him.”

For rider Jim Crowley, Baaeed's defeat was down to one factor alone. “The ground, simple as that,” he insisted. “I turned into the straight and, normally, he would be able to do it on good to soft, but that kick just wasn't there. It was heavy weather really and as soon as I went for him I knew I was in trouble. In the past, it has just been instant, but it just wasn't there, simple as that. It is unbelievable the journey we have been on. He is a very special horse and it is sad that he does not finish his career unbeaten as we have come so far. Baaeed has captured the imagination and I'm sorry we couldn't do it today. He is a special horse still.”

Bay Bridge is the fourth of seven foals and one of two scorers from three runners out of a half-sister to G2 Prix Eugene Adam victor Shimraan (Fr) (Rainbow Quest). He is kin to the hitherto unraced 2-year-old filly Stormy Sea (GB) (Territories {Ire}) and a yearling colt by Time Test (GB). His stakes-winning third dam Shemaya (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), who produced G1 Prix du Jockey Club second Shamkiyr (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), is kin to G3 Prix Allez France victrix Shemima (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), herself the dam of G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Cormorant (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) and Listed Prix Madame Jean Couturie victrix Shemala (Ire) (Danehill). Descendants of Shemala, herself a daughter of G1 Prix de Diane heroine Shemaka (Ire) (Nishapour {Fr}), include G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Shakeel (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}).

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO CHAMPION S.-G1, £1,300,000, Ascot, 10-15, 3yo/up, 9f 212yT, 2:09.46, g/s.
1–BAY BRIDGE (GB), 133, c, 4, by New Bay (GB)
1st Dam: Hayyona (GB), by Multiplex (GB)
2nd Dam: Shemriyna (Ire), by King Of Kings (Ire)
3rd Dam: Shemaya (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-James Wigan & Ballylinch Stud; B-London Thoroughbred Services Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute; J-Richard Kingscote. £737,230. Lifetime Record: 10-6-1-1, $1,284,847. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Adayar (Ire), 133, c, 4, Frankel (GB)–Anna Salai, by Dubawi (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £279,500.
3–My Prospero (Ire), 129, c, 3, Iffraaj (GB)–My Titania (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire). O/B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-William Haggas. £139,880.
Margins: HF, NO, 1 1/4. Odds: 10.00, 6.00, 22.00.
Also Ran: Baaeed (GB), Stone Age (Ire), Dubai Honour (Ire), Helvic Dream (Ire), Mac Swiney (Ire), Royal Champion (Ire).

Baaeed is beaten! Bay Bridge wins the QIPCO Champion Stakes at @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/KaQdl7Js6X

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 15, 2022

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“We just haven't got him back in time, he had a very little issue so he'll have a winter off,” she said. “He's too nice to risk, he's won a Group 2, he's too nice.

“You can't do that sort of thing for selfish reasons, you've got to look after the horse because we're going to need him next year.”

Haggas was more upbeat regarding stable star Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) who is aiming to maintain his unbeaten record in the G1 QIPCO Champion S. on Oct. 15.

“He's great, we're lucky to have him and we're looking forward to it but at the same time it will be sad as we'll be sad to see him go,” she said.

“He's been a fantastic horse and we'll never have another like him. It looks like the race will decide the championship with Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) there.”

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“He did a bit of work with me last week with Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who runs in the Arc, and then he did a bit of work with Michael and Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) two days ago,” said Hills, speaking from Newmarket. “We're all on target and he's in good form. We're all happy.”

Baaeed kicked off his 4-year-old season with a victory May 14 in the G1 Al Shaqab Longines S., and added the June 14 G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot on June 14. He added the G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Goodwood in July and was last seen devastating the G1 Juddmonte International S. by 6 1/2 lengths over Sunday's Arc entry Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) on Aug. 17.

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Both Saratoga and Deauville benefit from a heady atmosphere that might easily induce a perilous incaution when a yearling stands there shimmering on a sale rostrum. But it was ever thus, and the market at both Fasig-Tipton and Arqana exhibited remarkable buoyancy when measured against historic standards.

We know that bloodstock tends to lag somewhat behind other indices of recession, and conceivably this will prove to be some final, decadent flourish before the bulls start to draw in their horns. But it may also turn out, as when bloodstock showed such startling resilience during the pandemic, that the outlook simply looks different to the affluent elite on whom our industry so candidly depends. Inflation may be a bolting mustang; there may be wars and rumors of wars; political discourse may be ever more acrimoniously polarized. None of it seems to matter to these guys.

To be fair, in certain states American investors can increasingly entertain the possibility that their racetrack programs can aspire to something vaguely resembling viability–even if some benighted horsemen appear masochistically determined to erode that equation with their stubborn litigations. But the parallel strength of the market over the water suggests that a lot of people must also be animated by less tangible dividends.

(To listen to this column as a podcast, click the arrow below.)

That being so, we must always remember how destructive to our sport is the contamination of bad publicity. No shortage of that, of course, in an average week–and this one has been no different. Equally, however, we must acknowledge our debt to those priceless horses and horsemen that do succeed in capturing the public imagination; to those that intrigue outsiders, and inspire them to enter and contribute to our community, whether as fans and handicappers or as buyers of seven-figure yearlings. And it's also been a week, either side of the ocean, that has magnified those positives.

First and foremost, we have had a fresh reminder of the captivating grandeur within the compass of the Thoroughbred. Raised in distance for the first time, Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) also raised his game anew to reach a pantheon lately shared, on European turf, perhaps only by his sire and Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

Someone as tediously insistent as me, on the importance of a transatlantic cross-pollination, is hardly going to neglect the opportunity to highlight the way Baaeed's pedigree combines gene pools that have since become disastrously bisected. No fewer than 11 of the 16 contributors to this grass titan's fourth generation were bred in North America. Mr. Prospector is sire not only of Baaeed's fourth dam; but also of his damsire, Kingmambo; and of Miswaki, whose daughter Urban Sea gave us Sea The Stars. And look who's here, as sire of the third dam: the great enigma himself, Arazi!

Galileo, half-brother of Sea the Stars, sire of leading stallion Frankel (GB) | Emma Berry

Sea The Stars, specifically, combines two transatlantic cocktails. Start with his sire Cape Cross (Ire). He's by Green Desert, himself a son of Danzig out of a daughter of Sir Ivor and Courtly Dee; and out of Park Appeal (Ire), whose genes (by Ahonoora (GB) out of a Balidar (GB) mare) are no less evocative of a completely different world. As for Urban Sea, the epoch-making dam of Sea The Stars (and Galileo, of course), she similarly blends a classic American brand (Miswaki was by Mr. Prospector out of a Buckpasser mare) with a mare whose parents both channelled doughty German blood.

Much the same kind of thing happens along Baaeed's bottom line. That Mr. Prospector fourth dam we just mentioned, for instance, is actually out of the British matriarch Height Of Fashion (GB), who was by Bustino (GB) and saturated with other indigenous influences. So, really, can anyone look at Baaeed's pedigree and still understand why most breeders, either side of the Atlantic, no longer want to mix turf and dirt lines?

So much for Baaeed's past. As far as his future is concerned, we must naturally yield to the judgement of those who have brought him this far with such skill. But it must be said that the horse stands in danger of leaving us with the same wistfulness as did Frankel, who similarly spent most of his career beating up proven inferiors at a mile before stepping up in trip only in his penultimate start–and in the same York race that Baaeed won this week. The plan has long been to remain in step with Frankel by also bowing out over 10 furlongs at Ascot, but the door is apparently still ajar to going to the Arc instead.

In declining to run either at Longchamp or at the Breeders' Cup, Frankel was left exposed to the charge that he never went looking for trouble. Suspecting him to be one of the best of all time, everyone was comparing him to specters past–yet he never measured himself against plenty of good ones then alive and well, and available for racetrack competition.

The fact is that Baaeed finished the new trip at York ravenously, and is a full-brother to a Group 1 winner at 12f (and Group winner at 14f). So let's hope that the desire to preserve his immaculate record does not discourage connections of another great horse from exploring the full range of his brilliance.

If a sporting gamble happened to misfire, it wouldn't take a cent off his value. In terms of his legacy, he has nothing to lose and much to gain. And, as we've been saying, there's a wider consideration–one might almost say, a wider obligation–to make this game as engrossing as we can; to showcase charisma, and retrieve the news agenda from the bad guys.

Happily, that is just what is happening at Saratoga this summer, with D. Wayne Lukas back on center stage Saturday with his latest Classic winner squaring up for her decider with Nest (Curlin). Last week we highlighted the way Lukas appears to be reversing the ageing process, as a rejuvenated force in the sales ring as well as on the racetrack. He promptly produced another exciting juvenile in Bourbon Bash (City Of Light), who won his second start by eight lengths and looks eligible to extend his trainer's record of eight wins in the GI Hopeful S.

This is the first foal out of a stakes-winning Violence mare named Buy Sell Hold. Sell or hold is an adequate conundrum for most people right now, trying to read the alarming runes in less singular markets. How long our own marketplace can remain insulated by such unquantifiable factors as horses like Baaeed, and horsemen like Lukas, remains to be seen. But history tells us that we will find out soon enough.

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Speaking to ITV Racing on Thursday afternoon, the trainer said, “I was thrilled to bits, I watched it home last night with Maureen [Haggas] and it was a great watch.

“Ultimately the decision is with Sheikha Hissa and I'm sure it [Arc] will be discussed and every option is open–it's got to be after what he did yesterday.

“We'll see what evolves. I think the only chance of seeing him more than once [before retirement] is if he doesn't go for the Arc and goes Irish Champion and Champion. I think you'll only see him once [more] in England, but as I say it's not my decision. We'll discuss it and as long as the horse is OK all options are still open.”

Haggas did provide an update on his 10-for-10 stable star to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, and added, “He seems fine, he's trotted up good–he's lost a bit of weight but we're happy with him and very proud.

“I'm open to suggestions, that's always been our plan to go to Ascot but plans can change. I'm not saying for a minute they're going to, but the only thing I will say is it's nearly two months now to Champions Day and that's quite a long time.”

“That's the perfect fit if he was to have another race, so that's obviously open for discussion,” Haggas said of the Sept. 10 Irish Champion S. “He's in the race and we'll just see what happens but he'd have to be in pretty rude health to be going to Ireland, so we shall see.”

Shadwell's Angus Gold told Sky Sports Racing on Thursday, “It was always William's plan to end up at Ascot. Obviously, there was a lot of talk about the Arc yesterday and would we consider that.

“I spoke to Sheikha Hissa briefly after the race and asked if she would even be thinking of the Arc, but she said she thought it best to stick to William's plan and end up at Ascot so for the moment we'll stick with that.

“I'm sure she will talk to her family when she gets home and there'll be another discussion, but that is what she said yesterday and unless William changes his mind I'm sure that is what she'll want to do.”

Since taking the G1 Prix du Moulin and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. in 2021, the bay added the G1 Lockinge S., G1 Queen Anne S., and G1 Sussex S. in May, June and July, respectively. The International was his sixth consecutive Group 1 victory. The colt has now been awarded a rating of 135 off of that effort, third to only Frankel (GB) and his own sire (136) since the rankings began 18 years ago.

The BHA Head of Handicapping Dominic Gardiner-Hill said, “I will be raising Baaeed seven pounds from 128 to 135 for his success in the Juddmonte International yesterday–a figure only bettered by Frankel and Sea The Stars since the inception of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings in 2004.”

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The Knavesmire Appreciation Society

   Betting on the Juddmonte International is of no consequence this year, as it was in 2012 when all who gathered on York's expanse were there just to witness the passing through of the one of the modern racing greats. After the Southern tracks have had their fill, it is time for Shadwell's best performer beyond sprint trips for some time to grace the renowned Yorkshire venue and provide the county with the opportunity to bear witness to his prowess.

There is nothing in this flat, speed-favouring terrain that should hold any fears to a performer who has been able to explode into life on the undulations of Goodwood and Newmarket and over the stiffer concourse of Ascot. If anything, his effort in the May 14 G1 Lockinge S. at the similarly even track of Newbury was his most deadly to date and York could be his ideal playing field.

Where Are the Weaknesses?

William Haggas is right to point to the similarities between Baaeed and Sea The Stars, with the father and son identical in the way they could and can turn it on at any point. Bred to be a mile-and-a-half-plus horse, the current world leader is also armed with an abundance of fast-twitch fibres which have served him so well over a mile. His sectionals at Royal Ascot were astonishing, but there is going to be rain from Tuesday evening onwards and there is also the fact that two of his stablemates Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) and Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) have returned dirty scopes in the last few days. Angus Gold is taking a step back from undue worry. “I've heard they've had two and a half millimetres and unless they have a three-hour storm, I can't see it is going to make too much difference to the ground and we'll take what we're given,” he said. “As far as I know, when I spoke to William last he's fine. They scoped him and he's clear. Like you and I though, if something is brewing, you're not going to perform at your best. So hopefully it is not, but until we know otherwise there's no point making a thing about that. So far, all the tests have been good and he goes there in as good form as we can have him.”

Mishriff Magic Or Misdemeanour?

Twelve months ago, Prince Faisal's Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) was in domineering mood here for his finest hour on turf and, while his four subsequent runs have yielded only one up-to-standard effort, it could be that this track brings out the very best in him. Along with that, the 5-year-old has developed a tendency to give away ground at the start which almost certainly cost him the Eclipse and ruined any conceivable chance in the King George. Thady Gosden is keen to be part of the combined stress test for Baaeed in this new discipline. “It's interesting and Baaeed is obviously brilliantly talented. He relaxes well and you would be shocked if he didn't get the trip, but he's taking on top class mile-and-a-quarter horses and I think it's fair to say that it's a stronger division than the miling division at the moment,” he said. “Mishriff seems to be in similar form now as he was when he went to York last year. He ran a huge race in the Eclipse and was perhaps unlucky there. His work gives us a pretty good measure of where he's at and he's in very good form. Whatever happens, it's going to be an exceptional race.”

How Will It Play Out?

   Stamina will be required on Wednesday, with Ballydoyle's High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on hand to try and draw the sting from his rivals on the front end as he almost did at The Curragh when narrowly denied in the May 22 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. That performance suggests the once much-vaunted 4-year-old is not too far below this level and if gifted too much of a lead may prove difficult to reel in at a track which has always favoured front-runners. Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) would probably be best-served by being placed near the front, with his stride length particularly advantageous at this track. Trainer Charlie Appleby, who suffered a disappointing reversal on Sunday as Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) dipped below his best in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois, has a direct line to Baaeed through the G1 Sussex S. runner-up Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). “Baaeed is top-class with an outstanding profile, who holds everything in front of him, but we feel we have the right horse to take him on and make a race of it,” he said. “Native Trail's work has been great. The condition of this horse is second to none. He is thriving, you can see that in him as an individual. You ask, and he delivers.”

Classic Dreams At Stake

   With the St Leger just over three weeks away, the time is nigh for any latecomers on to the scene for the Doncaster Classic to show their wares. York's G2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur S. is a select affair this time, with Godolphin looking to strengthen their hand having already enjoyed G3 Gordon S. success with the ante-post favourite New London (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Fellow Charlie Appleby trainee Secret State (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), a son of the demoted 1000 Guineas winner Jacqueline Quest (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and half to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line Of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), has achieved the notable feat of winning the kind of 3-year-old handicaps at Royal Ascot and Goodwood that are hotbeds for future pattern-race performers. The re-opposing Deauville Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who was getting four pounds from him when a head second in the Royal meeting's King George V S. June 16, has since been runner-up under a penalty to New London at Goodwood but Appleby is keen to wait and see when it comes to Secret State's Leger credentials. “We are lucky to have New London, who is currently favourite for the St Leger, which has always been his target. As for Secret State, we will make a decision regarding his trip after the Voltigeur,” he explained. “There's a question mark over whether he would get a strong one-mile-six. We will see in time.”

El Bodegon Back On Home Soil

James Ferguson may have Deauville Legend, but he is also in the enviable position of saddling El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Voltigeur and any significant rain will aid his cause. Five of his last six starts have come in France, with wins in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and G3 Prix de Conde last term followed by placings in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Grand Prix de Paris. “He hasn't won in England since Sandown and people forget what happens abroad,” his trainer said of the flagbearer, whose one outing in that period resulted in a deflating seventh in the G2 Dante S. here May 12. “His last two runs have been very solid and back up to the level we know of him. He is very tough and he proved last time out in the Grand Prix de Paris that he stays a mile and a half no problem. He has been good from day one, while Deauville Legend has been getting progressively better and better and at the moment the plans are for them both to end the season down in Australia and this is the perfect stepping stone for both of them.”

Acomb Appetiser

There is a fascinating renewal of the G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. before the big two races on day one, with Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Local Dynasty (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in action just 12 days after his impressive debut over this seven-furlong trip at Newmarket. A relative of the sire's Yibir (GB), who came to the fore in the Voltigeur last year, and Wild Illusion (GB), he showed he was able to run fast in the closing stages of his racecourse bow but has no soft touch here. Even faster is the July 7 Doncaster maiden winner Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who gave Local Dynasty's TDN Rising Star stablemate Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}) a scare also over six furlongs at Newmarket July 29. A half-brother to the speedy Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) from the family of Wunders Dream (Ire) (Averti {Ire}), he could be a pure sprinter and this test will tell Jane Chapple-Hyam more.

Classic Prospects On Trial

The Acomb has at least three other juveniles who could conceivably shape up into Guineas types, with Juddmonte's Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) particularly appealing after beating three subsequent winners over this trip at Newbury July 15. Juddmonte racing manager Barry Mahon said of the Andrew Balding-trained 550,000gns half-brother to the G2 Mill Reef S. scorer Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), “He is a horse that Andrew likes. This has been the plan since he won his maiden. He is quite a late foal, so he is still developing and hopefully there is a bit more improvement to come. He is not a big horse, but he is progressing and I would imagine in the second half of the season he is hopefully going to be rocking and rolling.” Edward Bethell has a big week ahead and it starts with Fiona Carmichael and Ballylinch Stud's exciting Oviedo (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who showed the kind of gears needed for this level when scoring on his sole start over this trip at Doncaster July 21. One of a few with stamina in his pedigree, his dam is a half to two talents in Chriselliam (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and Lope De Vega's Very Special (Ire).

A Hectic Start?

Also in the mix for the Acomb is Highclere's July 16 Newbury six-furlong novice winner Hectic (GB) (Massaat {Ire}), an imposing Richard Hannon-trained colt running in the same colours as last year's surprise winner Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). “I watched him work at the weekend and he worked very nicely and looked great,” Highclere's managing director Harry Herbert said. “It's a race we won last year with Royal Patronage and were second in the year before with Spycatcher–we know when you go there you're taking on some very highly-regarded rivals. We will throw him in the deep end and hope he runs well, certainly his home work has been impressive and his debut was outstanding when he made all at Newbury and went away again when they pressed him. He's always been considered a very nice horse and we're excited to see him move up to this level.”

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