“WHOA, here he comes”.
Few horses have the power to make people stop in their tracks on the Newmarket gallops — but the big Baaeed wolf is one of them.
Ricky Hall rides Baaeed out on the gallops every morning
Baaeed is the red-hot favourite for the Champion Stakes at Ascot
Flat racing’s very own man-eater will, barring accidents, feast on his Champion Stakes rivals on Saturday and bring the curtain down on an unbeaten career.
The last horse to inspire this sort of shock and awe was Frankel, whose swansong came in the same race ten years ago.
It’s been an epic journey to this point for trainer William Haggas and jockey Jim Crowley, but most of all for proud work rider Ricky Hall.
The 31-year-old is the lucky one who gets to call the saddle on Baaeed’s back home.
He has overseen the four-year-old’s incredible development over the past 18 months, from promising youngster to alpha male.
So the attention that has been coming his way is well deserved.
He grinned: “He’s not the flashiest of horses but he goes out every day with Montatham, a grey, almost white horse and he’s easy to spot.
“People will stop and watch and cheer him when he is stretching his legs in the morning and shout over and say ‘well done’ or ‘good luck’.
“It has been weird getting used to people knowing who you are when you don’t know who they are! I’ve not been asked for any autographs though, it’s not at that stage!
“Barely a day goes by where he doesn’t have at least one visitor. He’s certainly not short of polos and carrots.
“He has real star quality and people can’t help but watch him in amazement.
“It has been incredible.”
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It has indeed — a perfect ten wins from ten starts and more than £2.6 million in the bank. The horse has been a galloping cash register and his successes have only improved a memorable year for new dad Hall.
Most parents won’t admit they have a favourite child, but he can’t hide his affection for his boy Baaeed.
His fiancee Jess recently gave birth to their daughter Grace, but Hall is already used to sleepless nights thanks to his four-legged dependant.
Hall said: “There’s definitely a connection between Baaeed and me, but I’d say it’s similar to one of your children rather than a pet. It’s like a baby, they take over your life.
“At times this year I’ve had to get up on a Sunday morning and go and ride him, when really I should have been at home spending time with my newborn baby.
“The horses have to come first at times — especially one as good as Baaeed — because they are reliant on you.
“It has been an emotional ride with the birth of my daughter and with Baaeed this year.
“I may struggle to sleep the night before his final start.
“But it has been amazing. I’ve worked in racing a while and he’ll be the best horse I ever come across.
“It’s the pinnacle of my career without doubt.
“Last Sunday when I was riding him out, the sun was shining and it’s usually a bit quieter on a Sunday in Newmarket.
“I knew then that was the last Sunday morning I’d ever be riding him and it was sad.
“There weren’t any tears, but there was something about the morning and people knew it was the end of an era I guess.”
Baaeed was unraced as a two-year-old, an age at which most champions begin to make their presence felt.
But before he blossomed into a beast, the horse didn’t exactly stand out from the crowd.
It wasn’t until Baaeed turned three that the penny dropped, and Hall and his gaffer Haggas began to realise what they had on their hands.
Hall said: “When he first came in we didn’t think he was very fast at all.
“You get two-year-olds come in that are speed freaks. Early on they look the best but then others catch up and train past them.
“He’s always been nice but was never a standout.
“Then he did a couple of nice pieces of work before his first ever run at Leicester.
“He fell out of the stalls but then came past the entire field and everyone suddenly sat up and thought, ‘oh, he’s a bit better than we might have given him credit for’.”
BAAEED makes it 10 from 10 and absolutely demolishes the field in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York and for William Haggas and Jim Crowley. WHAT A RACE.
@yorkracecourse @JimCrowley1978 @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/o9D9VyxpiD
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) August 17, 2022
Plenty of water has gone under the bridge since then and if the champion racehorse can end his career undefeated, there is every chance he will secure a first trainers’ title for Haggas.
Hall continued: “There’s lots of excitement around the yard. We know if he wins it gives our chances of winning the championship a huge boost.
“We get to see him at home every day and we’re always building towards his next race, so seeing him out there is the reward.
“It fills you with pride seeing him do it in front of everyone.
“The nerves kick in the day before the race. I get really bad. I’ll take him to Ascot on Friday after I’ve ridden him for the last time and we’ll both stay overnight.
“Hopefully he can put on a show one last time.”
Take a good look — it might be a while until you see a horse this special again.
