Story of the Day: Sheikha Hissa says Baaeed 'A joy to watch' in Queen Anne Stakes

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Baaeed was not the only new Royal Ascot star to celebrate for the large and noisy post-pandemic crowds in the sunshine here – the still unbeaten four-year-old’s owner Sheikha Hissa al Maktoum also stepped out of the shadows onto flat racing’s biggest stage.

The Sheikha, daughter of the late Sheikh Hamdan and now principal of the Shadwell racing and breeding operation, is said to be happier shunning the limelight but owning the horse-of-a-lifetime changes all that.

The Sheikha, 26, wearing prominently a badge adorned with the face of her much-admired father, did not have to be asked twice as she spoke movingly and passionately after the home-bred son of Sea The Stars – a full-brother to the injured Coronation Cup winner Hukum – had extended his unbeaten run to eight wins from eight career starts with a facile success over Real World in the Queen Anne Stakes.

“He has brought so much [joy] – so much – especially at this time [after the death of her father] – it was a joy to watch him.

“His brother and the rest of his family have all been stepped up so he was bred for that, but he’s shown some speed so William [Haggas] and I were very adamant to stay at a mile until we see that he’s ready, and I think he is now ready.

“We all feel pressure with this horse – I promise myself that I will try to enjoy myself whatever happens because I don’t know the next time I will see a horse like this again.”

Although Sheikha Hissa almost never attended race-meetings with her father, she clearly followed his horses closely and sounded like a chip off the old block talking about targets for Baaeed and about his place in the families of the brilliant 1989 Derby winner Nashwan and his mother, the outstanding broodmare mare Height Of Fashion, both owned by Sheikh Hamdan.

Watching on, Shadwell’s long-serving racing manager Angus Gold told me, with a smile:

“I’ve had some questions asked of me that have made me stand up straight I can tell you; listening there, I closed my eyes and it could easily be Sheikh Hamdan. She absolutely loves it – the horses and the breeding.”

Which is all something of a relief because when Sheikh Hamdan died in 2021, there were concerns about the exact future of Shadwell, especially when it was announced that numbers would be cut back – whereas in its pomp, around 450 horses raced in the famous blue and white silks, the number of horses in training is down to seventy.

So, not that there seems to have been much wavering, the timing of Baaeed’s rise, in barely a year, from success in a maiden at Leicester to five-time Group One-race winner and the world’s highest rated runner on turf could hardly have been better.

Gold rates him “right up there” with Nashwan and – interestingly – with the “underrated” Marcus Tregoning-trained 2020 Sussex Stakes winner Mohaather in terms of the greats to have raced for the operation, but is happy to leave wider comparisons to others.

He said: “For me this horse would have more instant turn-of-foot then Nashwan, but to say that this horse is the next Frankel is disrespectful to Frankel – we’re just happy to enjoy the ride.”

Baaeed seems sure to follow Frankel’s 2012 path to Goodwood for the mile of the Sussex Stakes – and a potential ‘Duel on the Downs' with narrow St James’s Stakes winner Coroebus – then onto York’s Juddmonte International whose extra quarter-mile should be well within his compass.

It will mean extra strain for William Haggas who claimed the pressure of supervising flat racing’s newest superstar meant he had “done 6,000 steps by six o’clock this morning – my doctor is thrilled with me.”

By Sea The Stars, from the family of Nashwan, with such a very range of attributes including acceleration and temperament, Baaeed will one day be much sought as a Shadwell stallion, but Sheikha Hissa and her team had reason for more immediate stud delight after the Coventry Stakes.

The success of Bradsell, ridden by Hollie Doyle, continued a fine start to his career for their stallion Tasleet.

Things seem to be coming together very nicely indeed for the new management.

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