How does Baaeed compare with Frankel?

Frankel was, by any metric, the greatest racehorse in history and the details of his flawless, 14-race career have been well chronicled. Suffice to say that his trainer, the late Sir Henry Cecil, who trained 25 Classic winners, including Reference Point, said of him, ‘I cannot believe in the history of racing that there has ever been a better racehorse.’

Sadly, Cecil died of cancer in June, 2013, so what he would have made of Baaeed we’ll never know. Neverthless, Baaeed has drawn comparisons with Frankel after winning all six starts during his 3-year-old campaign, including the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. In fact, it was in the latter race, in 2011, that Frankel earned his highest Timeform rating up to that point, 143, so a direct comparison with Baaeed is straightforward enough.

By contrast, Baaeed finished his 3-year-old campaign with a Timeform rating of just 130, so was clearly some way behind his illustrious predecessor at that stage of his career. However, it is worth noting that Baaeed was a late foal and, unlike Frankel, was considered too immature to race as a juvenile. In fact, the son of Sea The Stars did not make his racecourse debut until June 7, 2021, two months after his ‘real’ third birthday on April 8, so there’s still no telling how much improvement he has left in him. In October, 2021, trainer William Haggas confirmed that Baaeed would stay in training as a 4-year-old, saying, ‘It’s terrific to have one of the best 3-year-olds in Europe, probably.’