Baaeed edges Palace Pier in Queen Elizabeth II, remains unbeaten
Baaeed, who began his career this past June, capped a perfect campaign Saturday at Ascot with a stirring neck victory over favored Palace Pier in the Group 1, $1.1 million Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Baaeed, racing over a good-to-soft course with more give to it than he’d prefer, stalked the pace under Jim Crowley, following Palace Pier and Frankie Dettori through the early and middle stages of this straight-course mile. Tipped outside the favorite inside the final quarter-mile, Baaeed reached Palace Pier at the furlong grounds, forged to the front, and while the softish going blunted his most brilliant burst of speed, Baaeed stayed on gamely to run his unbeaten record to six.
The 5-year-old mare Lady Bowthorpe ran on nicely from mid-pack and passed The Revenant to gain third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Palace Pier. After The Revenant came Mother Earth, whose connections have designs on a Breeders’ Cup race, either the Mile or Filly and Mare Turf. Also possible for the Mile is seventh-place Master of the Seas, who raced too keenly in the early stages.
The QE II was a late addition to the Breeder’ Cup Challenge Series but Baaeed, who paid $6.30 to win, won’t go to Del Mar and has made his final start of 2021, though his owner and breeder, Shadwell Stable, plans to campaign him as a 4-year-old in 2022. Runner-up Palace Pier is all but certain to be retired and sent to stud, according to trainer John Gosden.
Shadwell won two other races on the card, the Group 1 Fillies and Mares with Eshaada, trained by Roger Varian, and the Balmoral Handicap with Aldaary. William Haggas trains Baaeed and Aldaary and also sent Dubai Honour out to a second-place finish in the Group 1 Champion Stakes.
Baaeed came out of nowhere this summer with a series of flashy come-from behind wins. By Sea the Stars out of Aghareed, by Kingmambo, Baaeed is bred to race over 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 miles, but showed off a devastating turn of foot while beating suspect competition in June and July.
After stepping into Group stakes competition for the first time and winning a minor Group 3 by more than six lengths, Baaeed made his Group 1 debut in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, which he won by 1 1/4 lengths over Order of Australia. Haggas said before the QE II that Baaeed was coming into this start in better condition than in the Moulin, and his exciting colt bore out that assessment on Saturday.
*** Creative Force ($17.90) stalked pacesetting Glen Shiel and easily ran him down to win the British Champions Sprint, the first Group 1 for the Godolphin 3-year-old. William Buick rode Creative Force for trainer Charlie Appleby, who notched his first victory on British Champions Day. Glen Shiel, who had won this six-furlong, straight-course dash a year ago, held on for second over Minzaal and Art Power. Creative Force, who won for the sixth time in 10 starts, is by Dubawi out of the Choisir mare, Choose Me.