Baaeed the Star Turn in Royal Opener

Royal Ascot 2022 will kick off with the cream of the crop, as Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) was confirmed Sunday for the meeting's opening G1 Queen Anne S.. William Haggas' unbeaten 4-year-old has six rivals to deal with as he looks to cement his place at the head of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings having got there with an emphatic return win from the re-opposing Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury May 14. It hasn't escaped anyone's attentions that he is in the race that crowned Frankel (GB) as officially the greatest 10 years ago, but connections are staying away from that discussion. “Only you lot are doing the Frankel comparison,” Haggas said. “Frankel was an outstanding horse and was brilliantly-trained, because he was difficult. This horse is not difficult. Frankel was extremely strong and powerful, whereas this horse is much easier. Whether he's as good we'll have to see, but that's up to you lot to decide, not me.”

 

Set For The Strip Race

Only one pound below Baaeed in the Longines-sponsored rankings on 124 is the G1 King's Stand S.-bound Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}), who meets Coolmore and Westerberg's Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) in an enticing international head-to-head over five furlongs, with 16 others looking to get involved including The Queen's May 21 G2 Temple S. winner King's Lynn (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}). He is the first to represent the monarch during the Platinum Jubilee edition, but it will take serious improvement to see him upstaging the eight-times group one winner Nature Strip who looks to bring home a first Royal prize for Australia since 2012. “Nature Strip has really matured into a foolproof horse,” trainer Chris Waller said this week. “As it has worked out with him missing the last couple of Royal Ascot meetings due to Covid, we are now bringing a horse who is winning more often than not.”

 

Coroebus Faces Dozen

Godolphin's Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) has failed to scare away the opposition in Tuesday's G1 St James's Palace S., with the 2000 Guineas hero set to be taken on by 12 rivals but the draw has been kind in two and Charlie Appleby is bullish about his prospects in a renewal that is probably under-par. “His work's been more than pleasing of late and he'll be the horse they've all got to beat,” he said. “The Guineas is rock-solid form and he's the one everyone's excited to see. Going round the bend should suit him, as he's a strong traveller and it should allow him to come back behind the bridle a little bit and allow William to ride more of a race on him.” As will be the case all week, William Haggas will have a say with Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's May 22 G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) winner Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) and Sunderland Holding's May 19 Listed Heron S. winner My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}).

 

No Noble Style In The Coventry

While Coroebus is on target for Royal Ascot day one, Appleby's TDN Rising Star Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will be missing from the line-up in the G2 Coventry S., it was revealed on Sunday morning. Having made a striking debut over five furlongs at the track last month, the exciting juvenile had traded as ante-post favourite for much of the intervening period but was ruled out by the trainer via the Godolphin twitter feed. “Noble Style pleased in his work yesterday, but he has since had some unsatisfactory blood results back. As a result, he will not run in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot,” he explained. Aidan O'Brien will have two in the 17-strong line-up, with Frankie Dettori booked for TDN Rising Star Age of Kings (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) alongside Ryan Moore's already-accomplished mount Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never).

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Lynam Eyes Group 1 Double at Royal Ascot With Romantic Proposal

Only Choisir (Aus) and Blue Point (Ire) have managed to win the King's Stand and the Platinum Jubilee in the same year but Eddie Lynam has opened the door to his Group 1-winning sprinter Romantic Proposal (Ire) (Raven's Pass) emulating those legendary speedsters at Royal Ascot next month and is eyeing an audacious tilt at the double.

Romantic Proposal showed blistering speed in winning the G1 Flying Five S. at the Curragh last season and, despite treating the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas like a piece of work on her comeback, the star sprinter will not run again before the royal meeting and will be kept fresh by Lynam.

“We were delighted with her comeback and decided to leave it at that with her because we're trying to keep her fresh for Royal Ascot,” Lynam told TDN Europe on Tuesday. 

“She has entries in the King's Stand and the Platinum Jubilee and we're going to bring her over there fresh. We'll run her on the Tuesday, all going well, and then we'll see how she recovers. If we're happy with her, she will take her chance on the Saturday as well.”

Lynam added, “If you mind them when they are young, they can pay you back in spades when they get older, but that's easy for me to say as I have the owners who will let me do that. She was never going to be a 2-year-old and has developed from being a premier handicapper to making the big jump last year at five. 

“You could say that she has improved again judging by that Naas performance as, while it probably wasn't the strongest listed race ever run, she was very impressive.”

Romantic Proposal can be backed at 10-1 for the King's Stand while odds of 16-1 are available for the Platinum Jubilee. According to Lynam, the King's Stand is the preferred target for the mare, who will only back up if her main assignment goes to plan. 

He explained, “I'm not saying she can do the double but it's tempting. I was going to do it before with Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) but I didn't because he wasn't equally as good over six furlongs as he was over five. We won't back her up unless we're happy with her.”

Lynam added, “The King's Stand is the preferred target of the two and it's shaping up to be a real international race. Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) was very impressive in America recently so if he shows that sort of form we could be in trouble as he would be difficult to beat. 

“Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) also has to be respected, as does any Australian sprinter, given the history of Choisir, Starspangledbanner (Aus) and all the rest of them. The Queen looks like she has a good one [King's Lynn (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire})] and Ireland will be well-represented with A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) so it looks a top race.”

Should Romantic Proposal shine on the biggest of stages, she would once again highlight the prowess of Lynam's daughter Amy, who pinhooked the Clipper Logistics-owned star as a foal. 

Amy was also responsible for sourcing Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who won a Group 2 for her father, and plans on capitalising on the recent run of success by making a go of it as a bloodstock agent.

She explained, “I'm over the moon with what Romantic Proposal has done. From her and Soffia before that, I am hoping to pick up some orders for the yearling sales. I always thought that being a bloodstock agent would be a great job but didn't know if I'd be any good at it. Thanks to the two of them, I might try and give it a go.”

Lynam added, “I bought a brother to Mums Tipple (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) at the November Foal Sale at Goffs last year and the plan is to pinhook him. He's very nice and is the only one I have at the moment but I'd like to try and fill a few orders if I can. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to do it first before I started spending people's money.”

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