Victory in Wednesday’s (27 July) Group 1 Sussex Stakes (1609m) at Goodwood would boost Baaeed’s claim to be the best racehorse in the world. Unbeaten in eight appearances, Baaeed already sits at the top of LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
On the four-year-old's only previous appearance at Goodwood, in a Group 3 race a year ago, he won by over six lengths. Since then he has stamped his authority on four Group 1 races, the latest at odds of 1/6 for the Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Ascot.
All eight successes have been over Wednesday's distance of 1600m and Baaeed is again the long odd-on favourite. The unexpected withdrawal of Coroebus , Baaeed's main rival, who was lame in his box on Monday morning, has shortened Baaeed 's odds further.
Trainer William Haggas said, "We are all set to go. The Sussex Stakes is a race I would love to win. I am always watching it on television thinking, why haven't I got a horse good enough?" Now he has.
Jim Crowley, Baaeed's regular partner, is understandably a huge fan of his mount. "He's so relaxed, a joy to ride," he said. "He's just doing everything perfectly at the moment. He's got a serious turn of foot over a mile. It's unnatural really for a horse with his pedigree."
Baaeed is bred to stay further than 1600m and is expected to step up to 2000m for his next outing.
To reinforce his star status, Baaeed has to beat last year's winner, Alcohol Free . She has shown her versatility by winning Group 1 races at both 1200m and 1600m, on a range of going. This month she won the Group 1 July Cup over the shorter trip.
Trainer Andrew Balding said, "It has always been the plan to return for the Sussex Stakes. She is obviously a speed miler and the mile at Goodwood suits her really well."
Jockey Rob Hornby is confident of a good performance. He said, "She was just electric in the July Cup and gave me the feel of a true champion. Knowing where she is at the moment, taking on Baaeed is a challenge we're really looking forward to."
Aidan O'Brien's powerful stable has won the Sussex Stakes five times. This year O'Brien is represented by Order Of Australia. Now a five-year-old, Order Of Australia was well behind Baaeed at Royal Ascot but his chance was boosted by an easy success in a Group 2 event over 1400m 10 days ago.
Another powerful stable, that of Charlie Appleby, is represented by Modern Games. The three-year-old has performed well in three Group 1 races in France this year but was intended to be the second string to Coroebus, with jockey William Buick now switching mounts.
Unusually, the race has attracted a runner from Japan. Bathrat Leon, trained by Yoshito Yahagi and ridden by Ryusei Sakai, was the shock 66/1 winner of a Grade 2 race over 1600m on dirt in Dubai in March. The four-year-old has not run since and the balance of his form makes this a huge challenge.
