Lockinge Stakes Entries: Baaeed tops a field of nine entered for Newbury Group 1
Superstar colt Baaeed is the star attraction among nine horses entered for Saturday's Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, which is set to be an enthralling renewal of one of the premier one-mile races on the Flat calendar. We take a look at the entries here and focus on the odds for the Newbury showpiece....
Last seen beating the top-class Palace Pier in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot, Baaeed has previously claimed top-notch glory in the Prix Du Moulin at Longchamp, and he will put his unbeaten record on the line when he runs in the Lockinge - a race won by some of the finest equine talents to grace the turf.
Six wins from six starts has catapulted the William Haggas-trained star into the highest echelon of racehorse, and now four years old he will attempt to make it a magnificent seven wins from seven starts on Saturday, and he's a prominent figure in the betting, and is certainly the one to beat. All six career wins have come over the mile, so he has shown that it's his ideal trip, and while Haggas is sure to have some big-race plans as the season progresses this is an ideal stepping stone for what could be another sensational campaign at the highest level.
Aidan O'Brien has trained the winner of the Lockinge on two occasions during his illustrious career and the master of Ballydoyle will saddle the classy four-year-old filly Mother Earth, who contested a whole host of Group races last season, and she was victorious in the Prix Rothschild in France. She has the benefit of having had a run, as she was a winner at the Curragh in March, but this is a whole lot tougher, but in receipt of weight from her male adversaries then she has to be respected.
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A fine winner of the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot last season, Saeed bin Suroor's Real World then showed that he was Group level with some notable wins, but he was last seen failing to land any sort of blow in the Dubai World Cup at Meydan in late March, so the Godolphin raider will hope a return to Britain could see him in a better light.
Eighth behind Baaeed in the QEII last season, Alcohol Free was a disappointing favourite on her comeback run in the bet365 Mile at Sandown Park a few weeks ago, but the betting suggested she could improve for the run, so she has to be considered here, while John & Thady Gosden's Sunray Major was fifth that day at Sandown and is set to line up here.
A Listed winner at Doncaster back in March, Chindit will be one of the race-fit contenders aiming to inflict a first defeat on Baaeed, but he will need to improve considerably from that run to play a role here, while the likes of New Mandate, Sir Busker and Etonian are big-priced runners at the time of writing, so will find it tough in a race that could be dominated by the market leader.