Bluestocking will be given a couple of options at the upcoming Sky Bet Ebor Festival at York following her narrow defeat in the Irish Oaks.
Placed behind Warm Heart in both a Listed race at Newbury and the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Camelot filly comprehensively reversed that form in the Curragh Classic and looked the likely winner after travelling powerfully to the lead.
In the end she was outstayed by Epsom Oaks runner-up Savethelastdance, but lost little in defeat in being beaten half a length and is now bound for the Knavesmire.
Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “Whilst we thought the world of her, her form before the Irish Oaks wouldn’t have suggested she was going to put in a run like that, but we sort of always felt she had that in her.
“It was a huge run and I thought she had it won for most of the straight, but unfortunately we didn’t.
“We’ll look towards York for her. It will more than likely be the Yorkshire Oaks, but because she hasn’t won yet this year she has the option of the race we won with Haskoy last year (Galtres Stakes).
“You’d imagine she’ll probably go for the Yorkshire Oaks, but she’ll be in both anyway.”
Two other horses who have made a big impression for the Juddmonte team in the last week are Waltham and Task Force.
Trained by Ger Lyons, the three-year-old Waltham supplemented an impressive debut win at Leopardstown with a runaway six-length success in a conditions event at the same track. He now looks set for a step up to Pattern class, but Mahon feels talk of a tilt at Classic glory in the St Leger is premature.
“He’s a nice horse and he’s a horse that went into training late – he only went into training in May this year,” he said.
“He’s done nothing wrong in his two wins, he’s progressing nicely and stays well and something like the Irish St Leger Trial at the Curragh (August 20) would be next on the cards.
“He is a nice horse, but you have to remember he’s won a pretty uncompetitive maiden and he’s won a nice conditions race – it’s a long way off Group One standard.”
Task Force, trained by Ralph Beckett, is bred to be a bit special as a son of Frankel out 1000 Guineas heroine Special Duty and made a big impression on his racecourse introduction at Salisbury.
While plans are fluid, Mahon hopes he can go on to bigger and better things.
He said: “It’s not too many times you have a two-year-old that’s by a Guineas winner and out of a Guineas winner and he’s a nice horse.
“He’s a very late foal (born in May) and he’s been a little bit immature, but he’s shown up well at home, Ralph decided to bring him down the road for his first start and he won well.
“Again the quality of the race might not have been the strongest, but he did it in impressive fashion over what I’d imagine is his bare minimum trip of six furlongs.
“Without discussing it with Ralph, he would remind me of a horse who probably won’t have a huge amount of racing this year. If he had another two starts that would probably be the height of it as he’s a horse to look forward to for next year.
“I’d say he’ll step up to seven furlongs next time.”
When asked whether the Acomb Stakes at York could be a target, he added: “At the moment I think the plan is for Starlore to go to the Acomb, but if Task Force was in good form and Ralph wanted a go it’s not impossible we could run two of them.”
What was expected to be a match-race between God of Love and Yellowstone, proved their undoing, as both went too fast, too early and it paved the way for the late-running Perfect Brew to snare the 19th running of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) Trophy race at Caymanas Park on Tuesday.
Piloted by reigning champion jockey Dane Dawkins, the Richard Azan-conditioned Perfect Brew closed from well off the pace in the small six-horse field to grab his more fancied rivals close to the wire and in a length and quarter win in the three-year-olds and upward Open Allowance contest over five-and-a-half furlongs (1,100m).
Dawkins, who was enjoying decent form on the day with two winners leading up to the feature event, rode the four-year-old Bern Identity-Moonlight Brew progeny with a great deal of confidence from the off.
Perfect Brew left post position five well and was expectedly urged by Dawkins in an effort to get into stride early, as God of Love (Anthony Allen) and Yellowstone (Tevin Foster) opened up a two or more lengths gap on the field, with Lure of Lucy (Phillip Parchment), being their closest pursuer at that point.
Despite being vigorously ridden by Dawkins, Perfect Brew continued to labour and was in fact, nowhere in sight when God of Love and Yellowstone left the half-mile (800m) and headed towards the homestretch.
By the time the fleet-footed frontrunners straightened, God of Love easily repelled Yellowstone's challenge and looked all over the winner inside the final furlong, but little did they know that Perfect Brew under Dawkins’s left-hand stick, had begun to roll and was rapidly closing the gap with each stride.
Before long, Dawkins and the Azan trainee had them measured and he inevitably swept by on the outside to complete victory in a flat 1:08.0. The splits were 23.0 and 46.2 seconds.
God of Love, stayed on for second, with Yellowstone third and Lure of Lucy, fourth.
While it was Perfect Brew’s second win from seven starts this season, it was Dawkins’s third on the day and 47th of the season, as he moved within 16 of leader Reyan Lewis, who was absent from the programme.
Dawkins earlier won aboard Rejected Raja in the third race for trainer Robert Pearson and also produced a late burst aboard Michael Marlowe’s Blue Persuasion in the fifth race.
Racing continues on Saturday with the running of the Jamaica Oaks Classic race, while the Blueriband Jamaica Derby event will be contested on Monday’s Independence Day card.
After a day of much-needed rest and recovery, Sunshine Girls Head coach Connie Francis is anticipating another solid performance from her team at the Vitality Netball World Cup, when they take on Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.
The number four-ranked Jamaicans, who have won all four games contested so far at the tournament in Cape Town, South Africa, will be seeking to make it five-in-five, but the number 10-ranked Calypso Girls is not expected to make it easy.
Francis is very much aware of that given their history, so though her Sunshine Girls are enjoying a rich vein of form at present, she is taking steps to guard against complacency.
Jamaica’s most recent victory was a 61-49 scoreline against Uganda, while Trinidad and Tobago will be trying to bounce back from a 28-69 defeat to host South Africa.
The game is scheduled to begin at 9:00am Jamaica time.
“We are still on the right path of going for gold, the coaching staff has been rotating some players to ensure that when the big game comes around, we are able to get the job done. We are more than capable of putting on a good show when it comes to rest and recovery and as I always say, different combination gives you different games, so it was really good to get a day for them to unwind and come again,” Francis told Sportsmax.tv.
With the Jamaicans determined to break a lengthy medal-less drought at the tournament dating back to 2007 when the won the last of their three bronze medals, Francis pointed out that they will also be using tomorrow’s contest to fine tune aspects of their game, ahead of the top of the pool clash with reigning champions New Zealand.
“Our defence continues to hunt balls which is good, so going forward against Trinidad we will have a different combination and then possibly rotate some of our starters in that game just to keep them as fresh as we possibly can so the mind and the body will be aware that we still need to play, especially as we look forward to that game against New Zealand,” Francis said.
“We know they play a very structured type of game, their defensive line up and their attacking line up are both good, but we are confident that all of our players are more than capable of counteracting what they have. So, our focus is really on these games based on how we attack and our all-round defensive effort. We are already playing at a high percentage rate, so we just need to keep that up and really give ourselves a chance for that gold,” she added.
Victory against Trinidad and Tobago will assure the Sunshine Girls of a semi-final spot and by all indications, they will have number one-ranked Australia or number-three ranked England to contend with at that stage.
This is another reason why Francis stressed the need to stay locked in from the start of each game going forward, if they are to reach their ultimate goal.
“When you put fresh legs and fresh combinations in, it kind of keeps the consistency going, so it's important to get other players on court competing, not just seven or eight players. So going up against Trinidad we are confident but not overconfident, as we are focused on our possession game and taking care of the ball.
“So, we are going to send in a combination with some new players, not everybody will play, but it is an opponent to give more players longer playing time on court because we want it to be a case that any combination, we put out there, will be successful,” Francis ended.
Jamaica are champions of the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 Three-Day competition after securing a 56-run win over Barbados on the third and final day of the final at Arnos Vale on Tuesday.
After starting the day 4-0 in their second innings, Jamaica were dismissed for just 87 in 31.4 overs, meaning Barbados would need 199 in just over two sessions to win.
Steven Wedderburn made 39 for Jamaica as Saurav Worrell took 4-14 from six overs and Renecio Smith grabbed 3-11 from seven overs for Barbados.
Then, despite starts from Joshua Dorne (34), Zion Brathwaite (28), Nimar Bolden (23) and Captain Nathan Sealy (23), Barbados were bowled out for 142 in 61.2 overs with just 10 balls left in the match.
Tamarie Redwood took 4-47 off 18 overs while Reon Edwards took 3-31 off 10.2 overs.
Jamaica have now successfully completed the Regional Under-19 double after winning the 50-over title earlier in July.
Final Scores: Jamaica U19s 269 off 108.4 overs (Jordan Johnson 120, Brian Barnes 61, Nathan Sealy 5-64) and 87 off 31.4 overs (Steven Wedderburn 39, Saurav Worrell 4-14, Renecio Smith 3-11) Barbados U19s 158 off 56.1 overs (Nimar Bolden 37, Nathan Sealy 24, Deshawn James 5-21, Tamarie Redwood 3-56) and 142 off 61.2 overs (Joshua Dorne 34, Zion Brathwaite 28, Tamarie Redwood 4-47, Reon Edwards 3-31)
India completed a 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies with a mammoth 200-run win in the third ODI at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Tuesday.
India made 351-5 off their 50 overs, their highest ODI total in the West Indies, after being put in to bat by the hosts.
Openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill once again shared in a prolific opening partnership, this time putting on 143 for the first wicket.
Gill top-scored with 85 off 92 balls including 11 fours while Kishan made 77 off 64 balls, his third half-century in the series, hitting eight fours and three sixes in the process.
India also got half-centuries from Captain Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson.
Pandya hit an unbeaten 52-ball 70 including four fours and five sixes while Samson made 51 off 41 balls including a pair of fours and four sixes. Suryakumar Yadav also contributed 35.
Romario Shepherd took 2-73 from his 10 overs for the Windies.
Then, similar to their batting effort in first ODI where they were dismissed for 114 batting first, early wickets meant the West Indian chase was over before it could really begin.
They lost their first six wickets for just 50 in 14 overs before, eventually, being bowled out for 151 in 35 overs.
Gudakesh Motie provided some late entertainment for the crowd with 39* off 34 balls including four fours and three sixes.
Alick Athanaze had earlier made 32 while Alzarri Joseph made 26.
Shardul Thakur led the way with the ball for India with 4-37 off 6.3 overs while Mukesh Kumar took 3-30 off seven overs and Kuldeep Yadav took 2-25 from eight overs.
Coeur D’or swooped late to claim a head verdict in the featured Colm Quinn BMW Mile Handicap on day two of the Galway Festival.
Trained by Dermot Weld and ridden by Chris Hayes, Coeur D’or was a winner on his penultimate run at Leopardstown, but he was allowed to go off a 14-1 shot in the handicap highlight.
The 18-runner contest proved typically competitive and it looked as though Dunum was going to take the win two furlongs out, only for No More Porter to battle his way to the front inside the distance.
However, Hayes had launched Coeur D’or down the outside and he grabbed the lead in the shadow of the post to take the prize in a photo, with Dunum a further three-quarters of a length back in third.
Weld said: “He is a very consistent horse, this was the plan and he delivered. He had been running very consistently all year and is a brave horse.
“I was worried about the ground as he is very effective on a slightly quicker surface. A mile is his trip but he was a very immature horse in his early days and took a long time to come to hand but patience paid dividends.
“He has two great owners in Stephen O’Connor and Mark Phelan and I’m delighted for them.”
Sharjah returned to the scene of one of his finest hours to make a seamless transition to fences in the Latin Quarter Beginners Chase.
Winner of the Galway Hurdle in 2018, he has gone on to become a multiple Grade One scorer, triumphing in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting on four occasions.
He has also been second in two Champion Hurdles so had a clear class edge over his rivals, but he was making his debut over fences at the age of 10.
Always handy under Paul Townend, reunited with him for the first time since the 2021 Champion Hurdle, Sharjah jumped soundly throughout and came clear under no pressure to win by 11 lengths as the 1-4 favourite.
Mullins said: “He was very smooth and jumped like he did at home. Every time I schooled him, he always looked very capable and confident over fences and showed that today. If he wasn’t good, we wouldn’t have gone chasing with him, but he was so natural at home and did today what he has done at home.
“In today’s race he was meeting a lot less competition compared to what he had been meeting over hurdles for the past four or five years – none of those horses had ever run in a Grade One hurdle – and he enjoyed it.
“I imagine he’ll stay to winners’ races now and he would get nice ground for the Drinmore.”
Jim Crowley has been banned for 20 days and fined £10,000 for his winning ride aboard Hukum in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Both Crowley and Rob Hornby, who finished second aboard Westover, were referred to the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee following a duel to the line in the midsummer highlight, with Hukum prevailing by a head.
Flat riders are allowed to use their whip six times in a race, with a four-day ban for going one over the limit and seven days for going two over. Crowley used his whip nine times, which incurs a 10-day ban and is doubled for a class one race.
Had Crowley used his whip four times over the limit then Hukum would have been disqualified.
The rider will be banned August 15-21 and August 23 – September 4, meaning he misses the Ebor meeting at York, where he was due to ride runaway Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International. He also received the substantial fine due to the class and value of the race.
On Monday the whip rules were tweaked once more by the BHA following a six-month review period and while the changes would not have affected Crowley’s punishment due to the severity of his offence, Hornby has benefitted from the revisions.
He used his whip once above the permitted level, but given he has had more than 200 rides in Britain since his last whip offence, his initial ban was cut to two days. However, that is then doubled due to the calibre of race, meaning he will be out of action for four days (August 15-18 inclusive).
Had the rules not been changed 24 hours previously, Hornby would have had an eight-day suspension imposed.
Tom Marquand executed a perfect front-running ride aboard Quickthorn to win the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
Trained by Hughie Morrison, Marquand had adopted very similar tactics last season in the Lonsdale Cup at York when beating the reopposing Coltrane by 14 lengths.
Quickthorn had failed to quite match that level of performance since, but did return to winning ways last time out back at York in a Listed race and the form was subsequently franked when the second, Israr, won a Group Two next time out.
Marquand stole a few lengths early and then once again on the brow of the hill, when the field might expect to start making ground, but the jockey ensured there was no let up in the pace.
At one stage he was around 20 lengths clear but Oisin Murphy on Coltrane, who was leading the pack, seemed content in where he was with half a mile to go.
The riders of Eldar Eldarov, Giavellotto, Emily Dickinson and Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami all suddenly realised Quickthorn was not stopping, but the victor had a decisive lead.
Quickthorn won by six lengths from Emily Dickinson, who prevailed in a photo for second with Coltrane, with Eldar Eldarov a further short head back in fourth.
Frankie Dettori opened his account at this year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival as Kinross gained a second success in the World Pool Lennox Stakes.
It was a case of experience prevailing over youth as the six-year-old Kinross pulled clear with the three-year-old Isaac Shelby.
Having won the race in 2021 and finished second 12 months ago, seven furlongs with cut in the ground are the ideal conditions for Ralph Beckett’s Kinross.
When the split came up the inside, Dettori took advantage as Audience weakened but Isaac Shelby still looked a danger.
Despite a 6lb pull at the weights, Isaac Shelby, runner-up in the French Guineas, could not quite do enough and the 10-11 favourite began to pull away at the line to win by a neck.
Dettori said: “He tries, he loves the ground and loves the track. I think seven (furlongs) is his best but he can do six and a mile. He’s my ATM machine!
“From the Prix de la Foret he might go to somewhere else, maybe Doncaster and I think Marc (Chan, owner) is keen to run him in Hong Kong. I promised I’ll go.”
Beckett said: “We’ve never had one like him. He’s spent most of the last 48 hours with his left fore in a bucket because he trod on a stone, he’s got very thin soles and he feels every pin prick. He should have won it last year really, he got trapped in and got there too late.
“What a horse to train, he’s a joy to train.
“We’ll take the same route again with him and try to dance every dance. Santa Anita again and in between he might go to York for the City Of York and Doncaster for the Park Stakes. I hope he’ll go to Longchamp for the Foret and the sprint at Ascot.
“We’ll dance every dance again – he’s a gelding, he’s got to dance every dance.”
Of a possible Hong Kong challenge, Beckett added: “There is an idea that might happen, we might have to duck one of the races here to ensure he gets there – it’s a good problem to have.
“He needs no work, he’s very clean winded and you really don’t have to gallop him at all. He is very easy to train but he wasn’t initially, he didn’t get his act together until he won the Hyde Stakes but once he’s in a groove, he stays in that groove and you don’t have to do anything to keep him that way.”
Should Kinross line up in the Foret at ParisLongchamp in the autumn, he could well clash again with Isaac Shelby.
His trainer Brian Meehan said: “I am disappointed he got beat but pleased he got that close to showing himself to be a genuine Group One horse, which I’m sure he is.
“I’m where I want to be with him and he will only get better.
“I shall talk to the owners and see what they want to do and they will ask the same about me.
“But the ground has never been a factor. Sean was very happy and I guess the cutaway helped Kinross somewhat.
“The Foret is the obvious race for him, but let’s see.”
Jim Crowley is set to miss the ride on Mostahdaf at York after picking up what is believed to be a significant suspension for his winning ride on Hukum in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Crowley and Westover’s jockey Rob Hornby, who finished second, were both referred to the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee in the wake of what was unforgettable finish to the midsummer showpiece.
Flat riders are allowed to use their whip six times in a race, with a four-day ban for going one over the limit and seven days for going two over. Crowley reportedly used his whip nine times, which incurs a 10-day ban and is doubled for a class one race.
Had Crowley used his whip four times over the limit then Hukum would have been disqualified.
The punishment is doubled-edged for Crowley as he was due to ride runaway Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International at the Ebor meeting.
On Monday the whip rules were tweaked once more by the BHA following a six-month review period, but the changes would not have affected Crowley’s punishment due to the severity of his offence.
Speaking to ITV Racing before any official publication of the committee’s findings, Crowley said: “It’s a huge punishment. I spoke to Rob and neither of us knew we had gone over.
“I had absolutely no idea. When we go out we are aware of the whip rules and aware of the severity of them.
“In the finish we are both thinking, ‘don’t go over’, as one thing and secondly you are trying to keep the momentum of your horse, you can’t cause any interference as a slight bump and you could get chucked out. You are trying to stay in rhythm with the horse and you are really in the zone.
“That is not to say you are not thinking about the whip because you are, but it is very difficult to be counting the strokes when you are in that scenario. It’s not a win-at-all costs ride, but it is so difficult, until you are in that situation yourself – it is hard to explain.
“Neither of us were aware we’d gone over, that’s the worrying thing. We got back to the weighing room and got a tap on the shoulder and straight away a feeling of dread comes over you.
“Imagine a tennis player in the Wimbledon final, you are not counting numbers in your head – it’s very difficult.
“The rules are the rules. Does the punishment fit the crime? I don’t think so, but I would say that. It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow.
“Some jockeys were consulted about the rules, there’s a bit of a stigma about that, but I can guarantee you know there isn’t a jockey in that weighing room who agrees with the rules.
“Neither jockey went out there to win at all costs. It was a mistake, it’s very unfortunate. He’s my favourite horse, it’s a shame it’s worked out this way.”
Ralph Beckett, the trainer of Westover, said: “I think once you put a finite number on it, you run into more problems than you solve and that is where we are now, we’ve created more problems than we’ve solved.
“Westover is fine, he bounced out of it and if I showed you a video you’d say he was ready to go again.”
Haatem held off the late lunge of Iberian to win the Nicholson Gin Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
Second to 2000 Guineas favourite City Of Troy in the Superlative Stakes last time out, albeit beaten six and a half lengths, Haatem was finally enjoying his moment in the sun after several respectable efforts this season.
Sean Levey rode him with confidence and was never too far from the pace, but the same could not be said of Charlie Hills’ Iberian, who was slowly away.
That left William Buick with no choice but to drop in at the rear and when push came to shove, that allowed Haatem (9-4 favourite) to get first run.
Haatem quickened up stylishly away from Witness Stand and Golden Mind, and while Aidan O’Brien’s Mountain Bear briefly looked a threat, it was Iberian who threw down the last challenge.
He could never quite get on terms, however, and went down by a length.
It was a first win in the race for Hannon, a Group Two his father won five times.
He said: “I’m very pleased, he’s a lovely horse and he ran so well in the Coventry and the Superlative. He was very unlucky in the Woodcote, he didn’t get any luck on the inside. That was our day and I thought it was all going wrong, but on days like today you realise you get your luck back.
“I thought this was his day, it was almost his Derby but he will get better as the year goes on. He’s a horse that’s big enough for next year, it’s not about being a two-year-old.
“He ran here first time and he’s improved all year. He’s a Group Two winner now so obviously we have to aim high, but he’s getting better.
“Something like the Dewhurst (will be the aim), he’s got to improve to take on the big guns but he’s doing that with every run.
“This horse has won a very good race, (Ascot winner) Rosallion might be the best we’ve had for years. This fella is a quiet achiever, he gets better every day.
“This lad is your mate, he tries every time and he’s just getting better.”
Hills will also look towards the Dewhurst with Iberian.
He said: “William was very impressed with him. He was drawn nine and has run a great race. It’s nice to know you have a horse you can target the top races with, and we will look at the Champagne Stakes and if that goes to plan the Dewhurst.
“I think the softer surface just blunted the speed out of him and he floundered in the going.
“But he’s a good horse for the future and could be a Guineas horse.”
Ancient Rome shone on his first start for new connections when pouncing late to land the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap on the opening day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
The Charlie Hills-trained War Front colt was previously trained by Andre Fabre for Coolmore, but changed hands earlier in the season and then moved yards after three more runs for Fabre.
Last seen coming home third in the Group Three Prix Messidor at Chantilly, the four-year-old was a 33-1 chance under Jamie Spencer and had most of the field to pass approaching the two-furlong pole.
Spencer is a jockey who thrives in such situations, however, and the pair picked off their rivals to lunge over the line and win by a length in the end.
Hills said: “I haven’t had him very long, he’s only been with us a couple of weeks, but he’s a very laid-back individual.
“Jim and Fitri Hay are big supporters of this meeting, so we thought we’d give him a go and it’s paid off.
“When we saw the draw (stall 16) I thought it didn’t look good, but there was only one way to do it, which was to give him a chance and try to keep down the middle.
“He’s got some very good form from last year, he was fourth in the French Guineas, and while he’s obviously come down the handicap we’ll probably aim a little bit higher with him.
“That should have given him some confidence now.”
John Quinn’s Lord Riddiford flew to a third success in the Coral Handicap in the hands of Andrea Atzeni.
The eight-year-old landed the contest in both 2021 and 2022, but had been well beaten in two efforts this season.
Back over his favoured course and distance, the 8-1 winner cruised down the inside rail to cross the line a convincing three and a quarter lengths ahead of Stuart Williams’ Existent.
“He really, really likes this track, he ran quite well in the Dash (at Epsom), but the ground was a little bit quick for him,” Quinn said.
“We thought as he’s an old horse we’ll freshen him up for here and hope that he gets a bit of cut in the ground.
“We were more than hopeful. With these older horses, they need conditions to be ideal.
“Two-year-olds will probably go on ground a bit quicker than is ideal, but older horses need it ideal.
“When I was driving down yesterday there was rain all the way to London, which was lovely! It stopped a bit further on, and then when we got to Goodwood it was raining again and I thought, ‘lovely’. It’s great to see an eight-year-old bounce back and I’m delighted.”
Diego Dias’ first runner in Britain was a winning one as Mansa Musa claimed a hard-fought triumph in the British EBF 40th Anniversary Maiden Stakes.
The former jockey, who hails from Brazil, has been heavily involved in the bloodstock industry for some time and only recently switched to training.
Based on the Curragh, Dias has held his licence for four months but had a good deal of well-placed confidence in his runner, who started at 20-1 under Rossa Ryan, standing in for sidelined Hong Kong ace Vincent Ho.
Array, the 4-6 favourite, battled Mansa Musa all the way to the line but it was the latter who prevailed by a short head.
“We always liked this horse at home. We know he improved from the run and there’s a lot more to come from this horse.
“He’s a really nice horse, we always did like him even when he went to the breeze-up sales in Dubai.
“We didn’t sell him and had to bring him back, he’s just proven for us now how good he is.”
Of his background and journey into training Dias added: “I’m from Brazil, rode back home in Brazil in Rio and rode in Ireland as well.
“The past few years I’ve been doing breeze-ups, I just took out my licence this year and that’s my second winner. It’s great.
“I’m based at the Curragh, best place to be – the gallops are the best in the world!
“It’s going better than I imagined, but I came here very confident that he was going to put on a good show.”
Paddington has been the breakout star of the Flat season to date, in a campaign starting to bear very close resemblance to a Ballydoyle great of the past, Giant’s Causeway.
And like the ‘Iron Horse’, the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt will need to show all his versatility in his latest assignment, the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
Having emerged from winning a handicap first time out this season, the son of Siyouni is now chasing a fourth successive Group One victory.
He took the Irish 2,000 Guineas in style, before readily accounting for English Guineas winner Chaldean in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and then stepping up to 10 furlongs to beat Emily Upjohn in the Eclipse last time out.
Now he is dropping back to a mile, taking on the classy Inspiral with substantial rain forecast on Tuesday evening into Wednesday, although O’Brien is not unduly concerned.
He said: “He’s got winning form on very soft ground, so I wouldn’t be as concerned for him as I might have been for other horses. He’s got form on all types of ground.
“I hold Paddington in very high regard. He is very natural, very quick and very straightforward. He is a little bit different, we think, and the way he has progressed from run to run is very unusual.
“Ryan (Moore) always thought he had lots of pace and coming back to a mile won’t be a problem. We were delighted with him in the Eclipse and we always had the Sussex Stakes as part of his programme.
“He has been putting on weight after every run. He was much heavier heading into the Eclipse than he was before Ascot, which is quite unusual. He thrives on work and everyone involved with him is very happy.
“He has gone from strength to strength and Ryan is very impressed with him all the time. He is standing up to a lot of scrutiny and it is the ease with which he is doing it. He looks a serious horse at the moment.”
Giant’s Causeway was runner-up in the Irish Guineas, but did win the St James’s Palace, Eclipse and Sussex Stakes, and then added the Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes, races that could easily feature on Paddington’s radar.
For now it is Goodwood, with O’Brien adding: “The Sussex Stakes is a very prestigious race that has stood the test of time. For a horse going to stud, it is very important with it being the first time the three-year-olds can take on the older milers.”
Just as in the Eclipse, Paddington’s biggest market rival is a filly trained by John and Thady Gosden.
Winner of six of her nine races, including three Group Ones, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned four-year-old Inspiral should certainly give Paddington something to think about – but whether she would want very soft ground is debateable.
“At this point in tine, all being well, we’ll run. The ground is changing, but this has been the plan and she is on course to go to Goodwood,” said Chris Richardson, racing manager for the owners.
“Obviously she has a weight for age difference, but it is a logical step really. We wanted to give her plenty of time after Royal Ascot.
“It was a good performance on her first run. She proved last year she runs well fresh and she followed it up.
“We obviously bypassed Newmarket (Falmouth) in preference for Goodwood. France was in the mix, but those races are too close together now and they have had plenty of rain over there.”
The ground, though, is a cause for concern.
Richardson went on: “Heavy ground wouldn’t suit her. We have taken the chance and more rain would suit Paddington probably more perhaps than us.
“She handles soft ground. She won the Marois on soft ground, and it was easy in the Falmouth when she was second as well. If you are not in, you can’t win.
“Paddington is a serious horse. He is a bit of a superstar, but we’re fresh and he’s had a few more races than us. The weight allowance might make a difference and she’s in good form.”
The feature Qipco British Champions Series event on day two also features the William Haggas-trained Aldaary, who has not quite hit the heights after missing last season but is one who will appreciate the rain.
“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,” said Haggas, successful 12 months ago with the mighty Baaeed.
“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.”
Richard Hannon does not think conditions will suit Chindit, however.
“If the word soft appears in the ground, he won’t run,” said Hannon.
“He has to have fast ground. If he doesn’t go there, he’s got the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury, he’s got a race at York, there’s a Group Two somewhere else – there are a good few, but he can’t function on soft ground.”
Barbados Gems secured a 55-50 win over Singapore while Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Girls were handed a 28-69 defeat by hosts, South Africa, as action continued in the 2023 Netball World Cup at the Cape Town International Convention Center on Monday.
The Gems and Singapore played a tight first quarter with Singapore coming out with a 13-12 lead. The second quarter was a different story, however, as the Caribbean side won it 17-11 to go into the break with a 29-24 lead.
The third quarter saw Singapore roaring back to take it 16-11, meaning the teams entered the fourth quarter knotted at 40.
The Gems held their nerve in the final period to take it 15-10 and secure a 55-50 win. Kadeen Corbin had 41 goals from 43 attempts while Latonia Blackman had 14 goals and 13 assists for Barbados.
Amandeep Chahal led Singapore with 39 goals from 46 attempts.
On the other hand, Trinidad & Tobago’s Calypso Girls were hammered by South Africa.
After a relatively close first quarter, which South Africa won 18-12, the second quarter sealed T&T’s fate as they were held to just three points to go into halftime down 33-15.
The third quarter was no different as South Africa continued to dominate, winning 18-6 to go into the fourth period up 51-21.
The hosts won the fourth quarter 18-7 to complete the 69-28 win.
Nichole Taljaard had 24 goals and 15 assists for the hosts while Afeisha Noel had 11 goals for T&T.
Barbados Gems now have four points to lead Group E in the second preliminary stage while T&T are at the foot of Group E without a point.
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