PALACE COUP

Baaeed far & away the best as favorite Pier loses out

- DAVID YATES @

BAAEED left the 10th British Champions Day with his unbeaten record intact after downing Palace Pier in an epic battle for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The William Haggas-trained son of Sea The Stars was the only horse competing at Ascot's glittering season's finale who had yet to taste defeat, having won the first five races of his career.

And 2-1 shot Baaeed made it six perfections with a brave neck defeat of 6-4 favorite Palace Pier as Jim Crowley racked up a 22872-1 treble in the colors of his late boss Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, who passed away last March at the age of 75.

Baaeed made his racecourse debut on June 7 – two days after the Derby - and Haggas said: **Could you believe we'd be standing here at the start of the season? What a silly question!