New Ballydoyle superstar is seeking seventh straight win in the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday, the £1m highlight of the five-day Glorious Goodwood meeting – and also part of the Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge
Paddington bids for a seventh straight win and a fourth G1 in ten weeks when he takes on five rivals headed by the high-class filly Inspiral in Wednesday’s £1m Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
This ‘Win And You’re In’ race for the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile provides the season’s first top-level opportunity for three-year-olds to take on their elders at a mile, and the lesson of history tells us that honours between the generations are fairly even.
However, Paddington has already beaten older rivals over an additional two furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, and he is a very firm odds-on favourite.
His trainer Aidan O’Brien cannot remember a horse who has come so far as quickly as Paddington, whose constitution has inevitably earned him comparisons with his Giant’s Causeway, the ‘Iron Horse’ whom US race fans will remember for his epic final-furlong duel with Tiznow on dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs 23 years ago.
Giant’s Causeway arrived at Goodwood via much the same route as Paddington, having run in the Irish 2000 Guineas, in which he was beaten, the St James’s Palace Stakes and the Coral-Eclipse. He added the Sussex, albeit only narrowly, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes before his narrow defeat at Churchill Downs.
However, O’Brien has hailed Paddington as “much quicker”. Praise indeed.
Modern Games – a late absentee here, probably on account of the likely soft ground – made a brave attempt at completing the Sussex Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Mile double last year, finding only the exceptional Baaeed too good here before his second Breeders’ Cup win in the Mile at Keeneland.
Expert Eye and Order Of Australia also attempted the double in recent years, but both were also beaten here before their recent Breeders’ Cup Mile wins.
Inspiral, successful last year in the Coronation Stakes and the Prix Jacques Le Marois looks the one to beat, but Aldaary has an outstanding record in lesser company when the ground is testing and could not be ruled out if wet weather continues.
Key horses
Paddington (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) – improved rapidly and has strong claims to being regarded this year’s top European 3yo, having followed impressive wins over this trip in Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes with a gutsy defeat of leading older filly Emily Upjohn in Coral-Eclipse over 1m2f at Sandown; not short of speed, so dropping back in distance should not be an issue.
Inspiral (John & Thady Gosden/Frankie Dettori) – unbeaten at two, including in G1 Fillies’ Mile, and added two more top-level wins last year, notably when hugely impressive in Royal Ascot’s Coronation Stakes on her belated reappearance; again took time to come to herself this year, but was beaten only a neck by Triple Time in Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on her return (Chindit sixth).
Aldaary (William Haggas/Jim Crowley) – represents the Shadwell team, who won last year’s race with Baaeed as well as Saturday’s King George with Hukum; form a cut below but could nevertheless play a big part if the going as soft as some are expecting it to be.
Facteur Cheval (Jerome Reynier/Maxime Guyon) – G3 winner at Saint-Cloud last year and placed this season in G3, G2 and G1; beaten only around a neck when third to Anmaat in Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp on last-named occasion in May.
Shall we talk about it?
Aidan O’Brien, trainer of Paddington: “What he’s done has been incredible. He’s gone from strength to strength with every run and I know Ryan has been very impressed with him every time. He looks a very, very serious horse and the ease with which he has gone through his races is very unusual. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a horse that has made that much improvement – physically, mentally and confidence-wise. He’s got an amazing constitution, like Giant’s Causeway, but he’s much quicker.”
John Gosden, joint trainer of Inspiral: “It’s an interesting race to say the least. We know Paddington, and we saw what he did at Royal Ascot and then again at Sandown, but it’s an exciting race and it’s nice to be there. It will be Inspiral’s first time at Goodwood, and anyone who has walked the track will know it’s an eccentric racecourse, but there’s no reason to think she won’t handle it. She handles some give in the ground too.”
William Haggas, trainer of Aldaary: “We’ve left Aldaary in the Sussex in the hope that we get the sort of ground we had in 2017 when Here Comes When won. He’s probably not good enough to win, but he likes the soft, so who knows? It wasn’t as soft as ideal at Ascot last time and it was a funny race. He was still a bit rusty there, but he’s better now.”
Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, part-owners of Facteur Cheval: “Our main goal for the fall is the Woodbine Mile and we needed something to tick him over. We know this is going to be an insurmountable task, but the timing is right and he is improving.”
Graham Dench’s verdict
It’s very hard to get away from PADDINGTON, who improved with every race in a busy first half to the season and may have even more to offer. The Aidan O’Brien camp suffered a setback on Saturday when Auguste Rodin was virtually pulled up at Ascot in the King George, but Paddington has been faultless so far, including on soft ground, albeit in lesser company. Inspiral looks much the best of the rest. She can look brilliant on her day and she should be all the better for her reappearance second at Royal Ascot. Aldaary could be a factor in the event of deep ground.
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