Can anyone stop Baaeed at Royal Ascot?

In terms of a sure bet at Royal Ascot, few horses can command such respect as Baaeed when he competes in the Queen Anne Stakes at the start of the week. The British thoroughbred has won all of his races to date in his career. The only time he was tested came at Ascot Racecourse at the end of the 2021 season when he faced off against Palace Pier in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

William Haggas’ charge rose to the occasion and delivered an outstanding performance to beat out his rival by a neck. He has since enhanced his reputation with another brilliant run in the Lockinge Stakes. Therefore, if you want to bet on Royal Ascot 2022 the odds for Baaeed to win the Queen Anne Stakes are overwhelmingly in his favour at 1/3, suggesting that it should be a straightforward race for the bay colt.

Jim Crowley in the saddle steered Baaeed to success in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and timed his surge to perfection despite the best efforts of Frankie Dettori on Palace Pier. As a result of his performance at Ascot to end last season, expectations were high for the opening race of the 2022 campaign at Newbury in the Lockinge Stakes. The result was another dominant performance from Baaeed, finishing three-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Real World. Real World put forward a fine effort, but was never in the gulf of class of Baaeed, who romped home over the line without being ridden hard by Crowley.

That is the danger for the rest of the field as Baaeed is expected to cruise to another comfortable victory at Ascot. Palace Pier was a fine horse and the incumbent winner of the Queen Anne Stakes, but will not be present in the field. There are talented horses in the field, such as Baaeed’s stable-mate Aldaary, who has victories under his belt at Ascot, notably the Balmoral Handicap at the end of last season.

Master of the Seas is seemingly the closest challenger out of Charlie Appleby’s yard, but he has struggled for consistency over the course of his career. He competed in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last season, but was well off the pace down in seventh, and although he has found his form this term by winning the Earl of Sefton Stakes ahead of Megallen, there are questions about whether he can raise his game against an elite competitor.

Saeed bin Suroor does have the most victories in the event suggesting that Real World could pose a challenge as he did at Newbury in the Lockinge States. However, the last of those triumphs came in 2004, so it would be a surprise to see him challenge. The other leading trainer in the flat racing game, Aidan O’Brien, does not have a strong horse in the race as Order of Australia is considered an outsider to say the least. It appears that Haggas, Crowley and Baaeed have a simple path to victory at Royal Ascot to further enhance his legacy.