Baaeed Pounces For QEII Glory At Ascot

Unbeaten in five prior starts heading into Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot, Shadwell Estate Company's Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) fought back a stellar field in the one-mile Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” contest to stay perfect with a commanding performance over the track's straight mile. Backing up a Leicester maiden win and a 7 1/2-length novice rout at Newmarket in June, he went three-for-three with a four-length tally in the July 8 Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. back at Headquarters before producing an explosive display in Goodwood's July 30 G3 Thoroughbred S., winning by daylight once more. The homebred bay went postward for this date with destiny coming back off a career high in ParisLongchamp's Sept. 5 G1 Prix du Moulin, but was usurped for favouritism in the betting by the year-older five-time Group 1 victor Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Baaeed was sharply into stride alongside a host of rivals and was eased back from a prominent early position to race several lengths off the tempo in sixth through halfway. Inching closer on the bridle to loom large soon after passing the quarter-mile marker, the 2-1 second choice joined Palace Pier and reigning champion The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) approaching the final furlong and was driven out once gaining an edge to hold the rallying cry of his chief rival by neck. The Revenant paid for his attempt to match the front two in the closing stages and was collared for third nearing the line with the running-on Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) concluding her career by finishing 1 1/4 lengths adrift of the protagonists.

“I think Jim [Crowley]'s words were that he coped with the ground, rather than loved it, and he's beaten the best miler in Europe,” said trainer William Haggas. “What can I say? He's done it and I'm thrilled to bits, but shaking a lot. I watched it, I was walking around a bit and trying to get up to my 10,000 steps a day.”

Fresh off a victory with Eshaada (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares, Crowley added, “I think Baaeed could be a World Champion. He's just a beast, he keeps getting better and it was magical. He's come such a long way in a short space of time and it's a great buzz to ride a horse that good. He was a little bit fresh in my hands because I didn't have any cover, but he was really tough. It was a great race and I thought the first couple of furlongs were sensible enough. Then, from four down, the pace was just relentless, which I thought really suited my lad, and I'm pretty sure he would stay further if he had to. He's got a great mind and there doesn't seem to be any chinks in his armour. He travels so well, the stronger they go in a race the better for him, and he's got a very good turn of foot as well. William [Haggas] has done a fantastic job with him. He probably wasn't 100% going into France and he got the job done, so it was nice to bring him here in tip-top condition. The ground was a bit slow for him and on quicker ground I think he would pick up better, but he's a proper champion. I know Sheikh Hamdan will be looking down, smiling, and I owe him everything. He gave me this opportunity, he chose me to be his jockey and although he's not here to see it, it's nice to be able to repay him.”

“Sheikh Hamdan would have loved this,” insisted Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold. “It is a great day for the team and his family as he marks his legacy the year he died. One Group 1 winner is enough, but to have two on the big day is very special. Baaeed has shown so much and, no disrespect to his previous opponents, he had never beaten a horse of Palace Pier's class before. It is just very exciting and what a fantastic horse race. Baaeed only started his career in June and it was so exciting to see those two punching away at the end of the year. Baaeed had a proper fight on his hands and he proved up for it. I'm amazed how much speed he has, he stays and has a fantastic attitude. This is a stallion-making race, which is very important for the operation, Sheikha Hissa and her family going forward. That's important for them for the breeding and it's also great to have Eshaada winning a Group 1 too.

Looking ahead to the future, Gold added, “He hasn't had a hard life so far, he has done what has been asked of him the whole way through and I can't see why he wouldn't go on next year. He's done everything we could possibly ask him, we need him as a stallion and he doesn't have to prove himself by going to the Breeders' Cup [meeting]. The plan always was to see him run again next year and I imagined he would be better over a mile-and-a-quarter, but I'm eating my own words now. Sheikh Hamdan's family are very keen to take it on and Sheikha Hissa is very keen. Obviously, it was a huge operation and I think they just felt we needed to trim it, which is perfectly understandable. We have a lot of horses in the sales over the next six weeks and we'll see what we're left with. We'll hope to keep the best ones and we'll have some yearlings to come into training next year. Compared to most owners, it would be fairly sizeable.”

While Baaeed is set to continue on the track, John Gosden indicated Palace Pier is headed to the breeding shed after Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's 4-year-old suffered the second reversal of an 11-race career. “Frankie [Dettori] said it was a slowly run race and I think if he rode it again he would have committed sooner rather than spending his time looking round,” revealed the trainer. “I think he should have committed earlier because this horse stays a mile well. The winner is a nice horse, but ridden again I think we would have been a little bolder. It's likely that Palace Pier will go to stud now. He's a fabulous horse and he's good-looking. He has run with consistency in Group 1 races throughout his career and I think he will be an exciting horse to go to stud.”

Lady Bowthorpe came oh so close to producing a fairytale ending to her career and ran on with gusto in the dying embers to snatch third nearing the line. She has carried the standard, with aplomb, for William Jarvis's Newmarket stable and this year's G1 Nassau S. heroine heads to the breeding shed on a high. “That effort just shows what a great mare she is and I'm thrilled. I'm also very sad to see her go, she owes us nothing and we are so very lucky to have had her. It's a great story, ending in her putting up a career-best effort against the best two milers in the world. I have a good idea where she will go and, let me say, it will be a quite expensive mating.”

Owner Emma Banks continued, “I can't put it into words how proud I am. She's been such a trooper and if she can deliver [in the paddocks] what she's delivered on the track how special is that going to be? She's won some nice prizemoney so she gets to have a nice husband. I don't know who yet, but we can afford a nice one.”

Baaeed is the fifth of eight foals and one of three scorers out of Listed Prix de Liancourt victrix Aghareed (Kingmambo), herself a daughter of MGISW US champion Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). Lahudood, in turn, is a granddaughter of Listed Cheshire Oaks runner-up Bashayer (Mr. Prospector), herself one of seven black-type performers out of MGSW blue hen Height of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}). Bashayer, runner-up in the Listed Cheshire Oaks, is a full-sister to dual stakes victrix Sarayir, herself the dam of three stakes winners headed by the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Coronation S. heroine Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway). Wijdan, another full-sister to Bashayer, ran second in the Listed Pretty Polly S. and is the dam of GII New York S. winner Makderah (Ire) (Danehill) and G2 Premio Ribot victrix Oriental Fashion (Ire) (Marju {Ire}). Bashayer is also kin to five black-type winners headed by MG1SW sires Nashwan (Blushing Groom {Fr}) and Nayef (Gulch). Baaeed is a full-brother to MGSW G3 Cumberland Lodge winner Hukum (Ire) and a half to the hitherto unraced 2-year-old filly Zaghaareed (GB) (Intello {Ger}), a yearling colt by Nathaniel (Ire) and a weanling colt by Night of Thunder (Ire).

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ELIZABETH II S. (SPONSORED BY QIPCO)-G1, £1,100,000, Ascot, 10-16, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:42.57, g/s.
1–BAAEED (GB), 127, c, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Aghareed (SW-Fr), by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Lahudood (GB), by Singspiel (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahayeb (GB), by Arazi
O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (GB); T-William Haggas; J-Jim Crowley. £623,810. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, 6-6-0-0, $1,296,605. *Full to Hukum (Ire), MGSW-Eng, $365,286. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Palace Pier (GB), 130, c, 4, Kingman (GB)–Beach Frolic (GB), by Nayef. (600,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Hamdan min Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Highclere Stud & Floors Farming (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £236,500.
3–Lady Bowthorpe (GB), 127, m, 5, Nathaniel (Ire)–Maglietta Fina (Ire), by Verglas (Ire). (82,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Emma Banks; B-Scuderia Archi Romani (GB); T-William Jarvis. £118,360.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 2.00, 1.50, 40.00.
Also Ran: The Revenant (GB), Mother Earth (Ire), Njord (Ire), Master of The Seas (Ire), Alcohol Free (Ire), Benbatl (GB), Lord Glitters (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Adayar Heads Star Cast of Champions

Godolphin's June 5 G1 Epsom Derby and July 24 G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) will be one of the 10 starters in Saturday's G1 QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot after Charlie Appleby pushed go on Thursday morning.

Fourth in last Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp, the homebred has given all the right signals in the interim period and adds substance to a renewal robbed of Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who has been re-routed to take the place of the absent Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. Drawn in nine, Adayar is set to re-engage the King George runner-up Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB})–who has stall two–with only Mohamed Obaida's supplemented Aug. 14 G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and Oct. 2 G2 Prix Dollar scorer Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) wider out.

Appleby revealed that connections were buoyed by an impressive piece of work on Wednesday.

“It was an easy piece of work to confirm his wellbeing and he did it so well,” he explained. “We discussed it with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and the decision was taken to run. We are all looking forward to the rematch with Mishriff, particularly over this trip. Adayar beat Mishriff comfortably in the King George and then Mishriff came out and dominated the Juddmonte International at York over the distance of Saturday's race. We are happy to meet him over the mile and a quarter, which is the trip where we believe Adayar's potential lies next year.”

Aidan O'Brien revealed that Love returned an unsatisfactory blood result on Thursday, leading to the shift of the June 4 G1 Epsom Oaks, July 17 G1 Irish Oaks and Aug. 19 G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Snowfall to the Fillies & Mares which has attracted a field of eight. Ballydoyle's May 2 G1 1000 Guineas and Aug. 3 G1 Prix Rothschild heroine Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) will take on Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's five-times group 1-winning Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and the Sept. 5 G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp hero Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the 10-runner G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. sponsored by QIPCO.

There will be 20 runners in a wide-open renewal of the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S., where Yoshiro Kubota's 'TDN Rising Star' Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) bids to atone for a series of top-level near-misses, while the opening G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup sees the G1 Prix du Cadran one-two Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) square up again. The latter has been given the green light by the Gosdens and owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen to attempt to repeat his 2018 win in the race which saw Moyglare Stud's Search For a Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) left out of the reckoning by Dermot Weld. Other high-profile absentees alongside her and Love are the Fillies & Mares-targeted La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) and Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

William Haggas has already had a season to savour and the barometer for his stable's health is the fact that he has a trio engaged in the Champion, headed by last year's winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's title-holder is coming back off a 105-day absence, having finished runner-up in the G1 Eclipse S. at Sandown July 3.

“Addeybb's ideal ground is when it passes an inspection on the morning of the race and he sloshes through that,” Haggas said. “This is going to be soft, but I'm not sure it will be soft enough for him. He stays well and his record right-handed is fantastic, but this is a hugely competitive, fantastic race. We weren't able to get a prep into him, but he's taken a lot of graft this year and his record fresh is excellent. We think we've got him pretty ready.”

Shadwell's Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has suffered three defeats since his impressive wins in the Apr. 18 G3 John Porter S. and May 15 G3 Aston Park S. at Newbury, with a latest fourth in that venue's Sept. 18 G3 Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup his most deflating. His trainer has long held him in the highest affection and said, “We all know that Al Aasy doesn't find as much under pressure as it looks like he might, so I hope his jockey waits a bit. At Newbury, he went three and a half from home and it exposed him. The horse is much better than that, he should have won there and we'll see what he has to offer as he's a strong stayer at a mile and a quarter. He may not be good enough, but he's talented and he's no mug even in a race of this quality. I love him and he's a very good horse who has been rubbished by everyone, so I'd love to see him run a good race.”

Of Dubai Honour, who is one of six 3-year-olds in the feature, he added, “He won really easily in the Guillaume d'Ornano, but they went really hard there whereas in the Dollar they went slow and he showed a real turn of foot. There's nothing else for him until Hong Kong in December and when I suggested it, the owner nearly bit my hand off. He's an intriguing runner, but Mishriff was awesome at York and I could do without Adayar. He's a bloody good horse and I'd be frightened of him, even over a mile and a quarter. He'll be hard to pass. This year we have nine runners on the day, when we normally have one or two, so we are blessed to have so many nice horses and we've hopefully got them in good shape.”

All bar the retired Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) return to defend their crowns in their respective races this year, with Trueshan and Addeybb joined by the Sprint winner Glen Shiel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Al Asayl France's The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who heads back to the QEII. It is in the latter contest that Haggas saddles what could be his leading contender on the fixture in the unbeaten Baaeed, who could arguably be the most exciting of the eight Group 1 winners in the line-up for what looks the strongest race on the card and the mile championship decider of 2021. Despite his profile, the head of Somerville Lodge is not getting carried away.

“Whilst I've been very impressed with what he's done in such a short space of time, he's got a big task on Saturday,” he said of the Shadwell homebred. “Not only is there Palace Pier, who is a remarkably consistent and tough horse, but there's Alcohol Free, Mother Earth, The Revenant and Benbatl–it's a hell of a strong race with lots of good horses. Without undermining those behind him in the Moulin, we'd had a little hiccup and a rushed preparation for that and I'm pretty sure we didn't see him at his best. The bit none of us know is what he's got left, but Jim [Crowley] is very fond of him and he's a lovely horse to deal with. He's as fit as we want him and ready to go in what is probably the best mile race of the season.”

Nick Smith, Ascot's director of racing and communications, is keen for the 10th Champions Day to play out to an expected crowd of around of 25,000.

“You couldn't have asked for a lot better,” he said after the declarations were made on Thursday morning. “The weather is pretty sound, so it will probably be the best renewal we've had since Excelebration and Frankel kind of bookended the card early on. The final declarations are great. The stayers' race is looking like the race of the year over that trip, which is slightly unexpected after a strong Cadran, but great to see. The Champion S. and the QEII are probably joint highlights with Adayar running now against Mishriff–the King George one and two. You've got to say that now has become the outstanding clash. It's not bad to have Baaeed and Palace Pier as the appetiser, so we're really thrilled. It's going to be a great day.”

On the climax to the close race for the Flat jockeys' championship between Oisin Murphy and William Buick, Smith added, “It will probably go to the wire now. It's an intriguing added dimension, especially if it ended up going to the Balmoral [H]. It's fascinating really. The declarations didn't need another story, but it certainly is another thread. We'll have a crowd of about 25,000 with the weather looking set. It will still seem reasonably comfortable. It will be a tremendous day and a fantastic way to see the season out with a real bang.”

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Big Test For Baaeed on Sunday

Occasionally, a division leader can come from nowhere during the course of a season and Shadwell's unbeaten Baaeed (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) fits that bill as he looks to step closer to the title of king of the milers in Sunday's G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

Not seen in public until after Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) had run in all three of Europe's 2000 Guineas, the full-brother to the more stamina-infused Hukum (Ire) gave early indication of his innate ability on his debut at Leicester June 7 and shouted it loud 12 days later in a Newmarket novice. Demonstrative again with a four-length success in the latter track's Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. at the July Festival July 8, the bay did nothing to bank the flames of excitement with a 6 1/2-length verdict in the G3 Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood July 30. William Haggas has spoken of his desire to protect what he sees as a long-term project, but has had his hand forced by the manner of Baaeed's progression and this small and select affair will provide connections with a clearer picture of where they stand.

“He's going up another couple of grades and there's no point jumping the gun–let's see if he's up to it,” Angus Gold commented. “We're taking on a very good filly who is obviously a Group 1 winner already and very highly thought of. It's going to be a big test for him and we'll see if he can live up to the hype now. I'm told it's going to be nearly good ground. They might get a little bit of rain, but not too much. He's won on good-to-soft, so I don't think the ground will worry him unless they get a downpour and it goes heavy or something.”

Despite the visual and technical impression of Baaeed's successes, he has yet to meet a rival of the calibre of Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who holds the bragging rights of being the winner of one of the season's leading contests, the G1 Falmouth S. That July 9 Newmarket contest has thrown up the subsequent winners of the G1 Sussex S., G1 Prix Rothschild, G1 Nassau S., G2 Celebration Mile and G3 Atalanta S. with sheer class running through the form top to bottom. Rockcliffe Stud's TDN Rising Star, who was behind the Falmouth third Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) when rain intervened both in Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation S. June 18 and the Sussex at Goodwood July 28, was supposed to be building up slowly to the G1 Sun Chariot S. later this month. Like Baaeed, she is here purely on the basis of her wellbeing and should make this a genuine clash with experience and the sex allowance in her favour.

Ballydoyle's contenders can never be discounted from these races, but Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) have to find significant improvement on their best efforts this term when third in the Aug. 15 G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and second in the June 15 G1 Queen Anne S., respectively.

That also applies to Godolphin's Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal), who has not at any time since exceeded the level of his promising success in the 2019 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere to any major degree. Even a confidence-boosting win in a soft renewal of the G3 Prix Messidor at Chantilly July 18 failed to have the desired effect, as he was a poor seventh in the Jacques le Marois and it will take all of Andre Fabre's considerable guile to conjure the requisite revival here.

Godolphin's Lisa-Jane Graffard summed it up when saying, “Victor Ludorum ran below expectations last time, but pulled out fine afterwards and appears to be well in himself both physically and mentally. We have no real explanation for that run and would love to see him return to his best form here, although we are realistic about the task in front of him.”

Sisfahan Faces His Elders in Germany

Sunday's other top-level contest is the G1 Wettstar Grosser Preis von Baden, where Darius Racing's July 4 G1 Deutsches Derby hero Sisfahan (Fr) (Isfahan {Ger}) tackles the older horses headed by Godolphin's July 30 G3 Glorious S. scorer Passion and Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}). One of Saeed bin Suroor's crew of improvers, the 5-year-old has won five of his last six starts on European turf and Polytrack and is lightly-raced and unexposed for his age. “Passion and Glory has been in excellent form since coming back to the UK this season,” his trainer said. “He deserves to take his chance at this level following a nice win at Goodwood last time. His best performances have been with give in the ground and it was soft at Baden-Baden earlier in the week, although it looks as though it will dry out for Sunday. He heads out there in good form and we are looking forward to seeing how he gets on in a big race like this.”

ParisLongchamp Card Full of Group Action

Back at ParisLongchamp, the G3 Prix la Rochette over seven furlongs for the 2-year-olds features a pair of Godolphin representatives trained either side of La Manche in New Science (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and Rebel Path (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB}). Charlie Appleby handles the former, who beat the subsequent G2 Vintage S. winner Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) when last seen in the Listed Pat Eddery S. at Ascot July 24.

He said, “He has done well since the Pat Eddery S. and a repeat of that effort will make him very competitive.”

Rebel Path, who was second to the smart Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) over six furlongs at Deauville Aug. 5 before going back to the same track and trip to get off the mark 19 days later, hails from the Andre Fabre stable successful eight times but not since Diamond Green (Fr) in 2003.

“Rebel Path has some good form under his belt, having run against strong opposition at Deauville on both his starts so far,” Lisa-Jane Graffard said. “This is a big test for him, stepping up in class and trip, but he is going the right way.”

James Ferguson saddles El Bodegon (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who won a decent novice over this trip at Sandown July 28, while there are two unexposed fillies from the Jean-Claude Rouget and Francis-Henri Graffard stables respectively in Zelda (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}) and Acer Alley (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}).

The G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange sees the return of TDN Rising Star John Leeper (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) from his break, having finished third in the Listed Gala S. over this 10-furlong trip at Sandown July 2, and he takes on The Aga Khan's June 6 G1 Prix du Jockey Club fourth Saiydabad (Blame).

Ecurie Jean-Pierre Barjon's popular grey Wally (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr]) looks for a fourth pattern-race success in the 10-furlong trip G3 La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte, while the G3 Prix Gladiateur sees George Strawbridge's 2018 G1 Prix du Cadran hero Call the Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) make his European comeback having last been seen finishing 11th in the Red Sea Turf H. at Riyadh Feb. 20.

Click here for the group fields.

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Poetic Flare Out of Moulin and Will Line Up in Irish Champion

Classic winner Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) will skip an intended start in Sunday's G1 Prix du Moulin and instead line up in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 11, trainer Jim Bolger revealed on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast. It will mark the first time the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. hero will try a distance beyond a mile. Since his Royal Ascot win in the St James's Palace S., the Bolger homebred was runner-up in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. on July 28 and filled that spot again behind Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Aug. 15. Bolger opted for the longer race due to the expected ground conditions.

“I've got the weather forecast for the week, [and] while it's going to rain, I don't think it will be enough to produce soft ground, so I'm taking a chance and at this stage we're saying we're going to Leopardstown,” he told Nick Luck's podcast. “[I was tempted to run in France] because I thought Leopardstown might get more rain, but I'm reasonably satisfied now that the going will be ok at Leopardstown.

“I'm not thinking about which is tough, I'm just going for which race I think suits best on the day. I'm not concerned about who goes where–I'm only concerned about the going.”

Poetic Flare would have clashed with Shadwell's unbeaten Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the Moulin, who is trying Group 1 company for the first time at ParisLongchamp for William Haggas.

“I can't be sure [10 furlongs will suit better than a mile], but weighing up all the considerations, it's been fairly easy for me to opt for Leopardstown,” the trainer added.

“If you want to look at the financial side, the winner in Longchamp would take home about €250,000, which is not inconsiderable, and at Leopardstown it will be almost €700,000 I reckon. As someone who has to run the sport come business in a reasonably financial manner, Leopardstown makes more appeal.

“Leopardstown is home as well and we don't have to spend €80,000 on an aeroplane so for that reason, Leopardstown was a no-brainer but then I had to consider the going. They are the only considerations, I'm not concerned about who else is going there as long as there's room for us.”

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