Brilliant Baaeed stays unbeaten
Baaeed oozed class as he stretched his unbeaten record to four with a runaway win in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes.
The William Haggas-trained son of Sea The Stars was a league or two above his rivals here, making progress on the bridle to go to the front at the furlong pole and then quickening effortlessly clear.
At the line was an unextended six-and-a-half lengths clear of Dee Stakes winner El Drama in the manner of a horse bound for the very top.
He was given a 5/2 quote by Betfair and Paddy Power for the QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October.
A delighted Haggas said: “It was very impressive, I was thrilled because I wasn’t sure about the ground, but every time he runs he just keeps doing that, it’s fantastic.
“What he (Crowley) said was that he missed a loose shoe that came flying, that would have been interesting. Jim was very happy, we’re all soaking it up and enjoying it.
“I didn’t (see him as a miler) to start with, but I said to Jim and Angus (Gold) there, I can’t see any point in going up in trip from here at the moment. We’ll keep him at a mile, I don’t know where we’ll go.
“The three races he’s in are the Jacques le Marois, the Celebration Mile and the Moulin at Longchamp. I don’t suppose he can do all three, the Jacques le Marois might be a bit quick, it’s the 15th (of August) so it’s not very long. What they do at home is really not that relevant, it’s what they do on the racecourse.
“A lot of cricketers are good in the nets, but when they get out in the middle it’s a different story. He’s very good in the middle so we’ll just enjoy that and forget about him at home.”
Asked if he had been tempted to run in the Sussex Stakes, Haggas said: “Yes, but he wasn’t in it because when the Sussex Stakes closed he hadn’t run. Not many put an unraced horse in a Group One like that. We toyed with the idea of supplementing and I guess if this race hadn’t been here we’d have liked it more.
“But when the unscheduled rain came on Monday night I was very glad we hadn’t supplemented. I’m very happy to run him in a top-class race next time.”
Of the placed horses, Roger Varian said of El Drama: “It was a solid effort but we ran into one today. He’s getting better with every race, but the winner looks like a Group One horse.”
Sir Mark Todd added of third home Tasman Bay: “The aim was to give him a warm up today to put the final touches on him for France (Prix Guillaume d’Ornano, Deauville) in two weeks.
“To be now Group-placed over a mile is just great, we tried to stretch the winner but have been blown away.”
Maydanny claims Mile honours
Crowley and owner Shadwell Estates completed a quick double when Maydanny landed the Unibet Golden Mile.
As ever this was a messy race with the second Rhoscolyn short of room at crucial stages, but the winner had the speed when the gap opened up a furlong out.
He was soon in control, Mark Johnston's charge running on strongly to score by a length-and-a-half. Escobar, a stablemate of the runner-up, was close-up in third.
Johnston said: “”It’s great, it’s particularly special with that family, anything out of Attraction. He’s another horse we were very hesitant about this week with the soft ground, we weren’t sure if he could handle it but he’s done it really well, he obviously likes this track.
“Attraction herself was obviously very, very unique due to her action and she was particularly a fast ground horse, but that may have been more physical than in the genes. The common theme among the family is that they’re very strong and powerful and muscular horses, clearly some of her attitude comes through as she’s certainly one of the toughest I ever trained.
“We make no secret of the fact that it’s a special meeting for us, I’ve always said that Goodwood and Royal Ascot, we’ll pass easier races to have a go at a race here, which we wouldn’t do otherwise.
“He’s obviously gone back and forward between top handicaps and Group races, each time he wins a big handicap like this it means he’s less likely to run in one again. We’ve got no specific race marked out for him, but I’m sure he’ll be back in Pattern races.”
Passion delivers for Murphy
Oisin Murphy and Passion And Glory fended off the remarkable Euchen Glen to win the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate Glorious Stakes.
The 2/1 favourite was always towards the fore against the far rail and knuckled down well inside the final furlong as the runner-up, racing down the centre of the track, launched his challenge.
With Fox Tal (25/1) splitting the pair it made for a pulsasting finish, the winner getting home by two necks.
Bin Suroor said: “His last three runs he improved and even today, I wasn’t sure about the ground and he handled it really well. Now I think I’m going to take him to Germany, Baden-Baden, for the Group One in September.
“I’ve always liked him, but there’s always been tiny problems that have stopped him. But he’s sound and he has improved from every race and he’s doing good. They were small injuries but they kept him out, then he was ready to run and they’d come back, but nothing major.”
Dobbs shines as Wind scores
Pat Dobbs gave Calling The Wind a fine waiting ride to land the Unibet 3 Boosts A Day Goodwood Handicap.
There was drama before the race with last year's winner Just Hubert causing one false start when not lining up and then predictably refusing to race when the tapes went up a second time.
After refusing to settle and being rushed up to lead, Rochester House made some of the running but was pulled up sharply with a mile to run and at that stage the winner was travelling sweetly in the middle of the pack.
He was still on the bridle two furlongs out as eventual second and fourth Withhold and Green Book duelled up front.
Dobbs left it until inside the distance to unleash the winner and it was easy to see why as Richard Hughes’ charge began to wander in front.
However, he was always doing enough to hold on by a length-and-a-half from 16/1 chance Withhold, as Elysian Flame took third as the 13/2 joint-favourite.
“It was brilliant,” Hughes said. “I actually watched it on the owner’s phone, we were stood out the front and there was no big screen. I was tempted to run in but I said ‘what will be will be’, luckily he went well all the way round.”
Calling The Wind was second in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Ascot on his last run, a performance that was his first foray into the staying ranks.
“I was confident after Ascot,” Hughes added. “I thought if he could reproduce that, in the same conditions over two and a half miles, he’ll take all the beating.”
More Goodwood success for Tudhope
Danny Tudhope made it three wins at the meeting when steering Ever Given home in the Unibet Deposit £10 Get £40 Bonus Nursery.
On the 4/1 favourite he had too many guns for top-weight Jadhlaan and Robjon.
With trainer Tom Dascombe an absentee, Tudhope said: “He’s a progressive two-year-old, who put the race to bed nicely. He’s better on this slower ground. It’s been a good week. One winner is always good, but to have three is a bonus.”
Royal winner in finale
There was a royal winner to close the card as the Queen’s Wink Of An Eye (11/4 favourite) triumphed in the TDN Australia Handicap.
Trained by William Haggas and ridden by Ryan Moore, the three-year-old was caught in a three-way finish and eventually lunged into the lead just before crossing the line.
Haggas said: “Wink Of An Eye is getting better, which is amazing because last year he was hopeless. This year he has matured and doesn’t take much out of himself, which helps his progression.
“He’ll run in another handicap now. I think he’ll get a mile and a half no problem, but the Queen has another one with us that will run over that trip, so we will have to separate them.”
