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| Sumita Pawar |
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On Wednesday at Goodwood, Paddington will attempt to imitate one of Aidan O'Brien's legendary horses as he competes against five opponents in the £1,000,000 Qatar Sussex Stakes.
The 3YO consecutive victories in Gr.1 races at a mile and a mile and a quarter have naturally led to comparisons with O'Brien's legendary horse, Giant's Causeway. Giant's Causeway triumphed over Dansili in an exhilarating Sussex Stakes 23 years ago, following wins in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, the latter of which involved a memorable battle with Kalanisi.
After winning the Sussex Stakes, Giant's Causeway continued his winning streak by triumphing in the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes, making it five Group 1 victories in a row. This puts Paddington, who has only won the Irish 2000 Guineas, still a long way behind. Unlike his predecessor, who was defeated in both the Irish 2000 Guineas and Newmarket, Paddington has already achieved success in a Classic race. O'Brien drew some flattering comparisons between the two horses after the Eclipse.
Talking in the Sandown winner’s enclosure after Paddington had beaten Emily Upjohn O’Brien said, “He’s quicker than Giants Causeway. He’s got an amazing constitution, like him, but he’s much quicker. Giant always ran at the same weight, but this horse is getting heavier, so obviously he’s physically doing very well. He’s surprised us with every run and I don’t know how far he could go.”
On a zoom call last week O’Brien added, “What Paddington has done has been incredible. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a horse that has made that much improvement - physically, mentally, and confidence-wise. And he looks so natural.”
O’Brien has always been a strong supporter of the Qatar Sussex Stakes, which is one of 35 races in the QIPCO British Champions Series and said: “It’s a very prestigious race and it’s stood the test of time for horses going to stud. It’s the first chance for three-year-olds to meet the older milers, which makes it even more interesting.”
O'Brien's Stable: A Legacy Of Champions And A New Hope
The stable of Giant's Causeway has had further wins with Rock Of Gibraltar, Henrythenavigator, Rip Van Winkle, and The Gurkha, but the most recent win was seven years ago. O'Brien is expected to win again, and Paddington appears to be a strong contender.
Modern Games and Nostrum were not included, so Paddington's main competitor is Inspiral, a three-time Group 1 winner from Cheveley Park Stud.
In the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, Paddington, trained by John and Thady Gosden, finished a neck behind outsider Triple Time, with Chindit in sixth place. This was Paddington's first race after a delayed start to the season. She chose to skip the Qatar Falmouth Stakes, where she suffered a surprising defeat last year, in order to wait for this race.
Christopher Head is excited about the clash between Nashwa and Blue Rose Cen. John Gosden is familiar with Paddington, as he had a close race with Emily Upjohn at Sandown. He is looking forward to the upcoming race and mentioned that Inspiral is in excellent form, having performed well in recent workouts.
“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. Her mother Starscope was very much at home on it, and her father Frankel tolerated it well.”
Aldaary, who recently came in second place in the Summer Mile, experienced a surge in bets before the race as punters anticipated the arrival of wet weather, which he thrives in as a mudlover. With a smaller field and favorable ground conditions, the 5YO is in a strong position, and the more rain that falls, the better for him.
Trainer William Haggas said, “We left Aldaary in the Sussex in the hope that we get the sort of ground we had when Here Comes When won in 2017. 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.”
David Egan partners Charyn for Roger Varian and said, “Charyn ran a great race at Royal Ascot when third behind Paddington but didn't feel his usual self when he was down the field at Deauville next time.
“He hasn’t missed a beat, running in the Greenham, in both 2000 Guineas, at Royal Ascot and then Deauville, but he carries a lot of condition and he’s looking a million dollars. He’s a lovely horse with a great attitude and stepping back up to a mile will definitely be a positive.”
Facteur Cheval, a Group Three winner trained by Jerome Reynier, carries the colors of renowned international operators Team Valor. He finished third to Anmaat in a closely contested Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp. If Facteur Cheval wins, it would be a remarkable achievement as French-trained winners are rare. The last French-trained winner was Solow in 2015, breaking a long streak since Bigstone's victory in 1993.