William Haggas had a fantastic week with his three-year-olds at Royal Ascot, landing the Hampton Court Stakes with Mohaafeth (118p) and the King Edward VII Stakes with Alenquer (115p), but he was also represented by another high-class prospect at Newmarket on Saturday whose performance should not be overlooked.
Baaeed (111p) may have been running in novice company but he won in the style of a colt destined to make his mark at a much higher level. The brother to Hukum - last season's Geoffrey Freer Stakes winner - had made a pleasing debut when successful at Leicester 12 days earlier, but he took a big step forward at Newmarket, powering clear of his rivals in deeply impressive fashion.
Baaeed's seven-and-a-half-length success was not only visually impressive, it was also achieved in a good time that adds plenty of substance to the performance and has resulted in him earning a new Timeform rating of 111p. That sort of figure would be enough to win plenty of listed races, while the 'p' attached to Baaeed's rating indicates that he has the potential to scale greater heights after only two starts. He is an exciting prospect and it would be little surprise to see him competing in Group 1 company in the autumn, bearing in mind how quickly he has already achieved a smart level.
Atomic Force is another recent winner whose performance should not be overlooked simply because it came away from Royal Ascot. He was an impressive five-length winner of a Group 3 at Chantilly on Sunday, earning a rating of 110p that identifies him as the highest-rated juvenile so far this season.
Atomic Force -running over six furlongs for the first time - had so much speed that even Wesley Ward's challenger struggled to keep tabs on him, and it was eyecatching how powerfully how he strode clear from over two furlongs out while just needing to be kept up to his work. He certainly should not be underestimated when he meets the principals from races such as the Coventry or Norfolk Stakes.
