William Haggas has done his best to play a straight bat when it comes to lauding Baaeed over the past 16 months. He’s been happy to let his horse, handicappers and bulging fan club do all the talking.
Racing TV reports that on Wednesday afternoon, three days away from his outstanding colt having his final run in the QIPCO Champion Stakes, Haggas couldn’t resist dancing down the track and hitting the ball out of the ground when asked on a media call if he could identify what makes his magnificent horse so special.
Baaeed will bow out at Ascot on Saturday afer a glittering career (Pic -Racing TV)
“I’ve always likened my job to being the headmaster of a boarding school,” he said. “The sixth formers go at the end of every year; then all the new boys and girls come in and we spend two years trying to work out which have got talent.
“Well, this horse would get 10 A-stars at GCSE. He’d be captain of rugby, cricket, football and hockey teams. He’d breeze into Cambridge. He’d be Prime Minister. He’s just got it all.
“He’s that pupil that every headmaster wants. He’s just good at everything he does. I don’t know why, he just is. I wish we knew, then we could buy another one like him at the Sales.”
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Earlier, before opening up, he had been asked a similar question and said: “It’s been very hard this year to stick to my little adage, which is ‘It’s better to keep your mouth closed and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt’. I’ve been talking a lot about this horse and it’s up to him now. Me? Stop talking and let him do it.”
It’s unclear what role Baaeed might have in mind for his trainer if he were to become PM. Perhaps a title of Head Of Keeping Cool might suffice because, despite all the inevitable added attention, it seems life at Somerville Lodge has carried on as usual with the unbeaten 135-rated son of Sea The Stars – just 5lb below that achieved by the mighty Frankel – afforded no special favours.
“I don’t believe much in pressure,” Haggas said. “I have a sign my office which has five words in big capitals saying ‘WORRY IS A FUTILE EMOTION’.
“There’s not a lot of point worrying about things that you can’t do anything about. We can do something about his wellbeing, but that’s it. He’s passed every test and his work was good on Monday. He’s come out of it well, so we are very happy at this stage
“We’ve been trying to understand that this is it, that after Saturday he’s with us no longer… or maybe for just a week or two more. We have that make sure we trying to enjoy what he is. We can do nothing about the draw or the weather. Our job is to try to make sure that everything is in place for him to run to his best on Saturday.”
He added: “I think it’s really important that we keep a level head, especially at home. Everyone’s obviously a little on edge because it means a lot to all of us, we’re all lucky to have this horse while he’s been in training.
“Every single person that works for us and is involved with us has enjoyed the ride immensely, but we can’t go around getting tense and taut because he will then feel it. We’ve just got to be normal and treat him, as best we can, like any other horse in the yard.
“Normally a trainer in Newmarket has their best horse as second in the string every day, but he doesn’t always go second in the string. We just try to act normally around him so he knows no different.”
But being trained in Newmarket, Flat racing’s Headquarters, means Baaeed, unbeaten in ten starts and imperious in the Juddmonte International on his latest start, has become a point of interest for everyone else operating out of the town.
He is identifiable as he is led in his work by his grey stablemate, Montatham, who will also be in action at the weekend.
“It’s quite easy to spot him because his lead horse, who is going to run in the Balmoral Handicap, is virtually snow white,” Haggas explained.
“You can see him from anywhere on the Heath, I think everyone, especially people who train, love seeing good horses. People know exactly who he is and watch just like I watched Frankel all those years ago.”
An intriguing sub-plot on Champions Day, where prize money of more than £4 million is on offer, will be the battle for the trainers’ championship. Haggas currently trails the leader, Charlie Appleby, by over £80,000, with John and Thady Gosden a further £775,000 behind him.
Four winners for Haggas on Monday enabled him to close the gap. It may be of little consequence by Saturday night but, if nothing else, it spoilt Appleby’s evening.
Haggas said: “I got a call from Charlie at about 7.30pm – ‘I’ve just sat down to see who’s won a few races today and I saw you’ve had four winners, so instead of having a dandelion and burdock, I’m having a glass of wine in depression!’.
“It has never really been something I’ve hankered for until about two months ago. We are so close and we’ve got a chance. John (Gosden) is still a very powerful operation and Charlie obviously is an extremely powerful operation and he just has so many good horses. It’s an achievement for us, I feel, I’m very proud of all of us and what we’ve done to get this close.
“The simple fact is if Baaeed doesn’t win, we are 33-1 to win the title – probably 133-1 – but if he does win, it could be interesting.”
If his star pupil delivers, it will be very interesting indeed.
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