Paddington’s rate of improvement compares to nothing Aidan O’Brien has seen before as his three-time Group One scorer attempts to keep his winning streak going in the Qatar Sussex Stakes.
The son of Siyouni has won six races on the bounce and having started the season winning a heavy ground Naas handicap has progressed to become one of the standout three-year-olds of the season.
Having landed the Irish 2,000 Guineas in May, he quickly asserted himself as the leading miler of the Classic crop when taking the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, before stepping up in trip to down Emily Upjohn in a thrilling renewal of the Eclipse.
Now the outstanding Ballydoyle colt returns to the eight furlongs over which he made his name at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and O’Brien believes his rise to the top has no equal during his long and distinguished training career.
He said: “What he has done has been incredible. He’s gone from strength to strength with every run and it is very unusual.
“I know Ryan (Moore) is very impressed with him all the time and he looks a very serious horse at the moment. I think he’s standing up to a lot of scrutiny by the other horses that have gone by before him.
“It’s very unusual what he is doing and the ease with which he is doing it and the way he is doing it.
“It’s very hard to compare him but I’m not sure we’ve ever had a horse that has made that improvement in the way he is doing it, mentally, physically and confidence-wise and everything really. He just looks so natural.”
Having seen off Emily Upjohn over 10 furlongs at Sandown, Paddington could have another John and Thady Gosden-trained star filly to tackle on the Sussex Downs in the form of Inspiral, who the bookmakers feel has the best chance of knocking Paddington off track.
It will be the first time he will have faced older horses over a mile, but the master of Ballydoyle is eager to see a competitive contest so he can get a true feel for Paddington’s potential accomplishments.
“We always treat every horse with total respect, but we’re also delighted when the races are as competitive as they can be because that is what we all want to see,” said O’Brien.
“That is what we need to gauge our horses and know where we are going next.
“The more competitive it is and the better the horses are that are in there, the better it is for us and everyone else, we think.”
SVREL signs strategic agreement with Bluedot
Since assuming operations of Caymanas Park in 2017, Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) has invested billions of dollars in rebranding and revolutionizing the park as well as improving the commercial route to market strategy. The company’s latest investment comes in the form of a strategic partnership with market research company Bluedot Insights to conduct a comprehensive survey to gain insights into the industry locally.
According to Solomon Sharpe SVREL Executive Chairman, the company’s unwavering vision is to make making the premier destination of racing and entertainment in the region.
“Over the past seven years we’ve consulted with our stakeholders and made significant investments into improving the overall racing product. We’re very proud of what we have achieved so far. Even with the success and the enduring popularity of Caymanas Park and horseracing in Jamaica, we know there’s still more work to be done. Understanding our customers is at the core of our strategy. With that as our mission, we’ve engaged Bluedot Insights to conduct a comprehensive island wide consumer survey on our behalf.
"This survey is aimed at providing us with verifiable data from sports bettors, racing stakeholders and the general public that will further guide our strategic decisions and investments that will bring us further towards our ultimate goal – to make Caymanas Park the premier destination of racing and entertainment in the Caribbean,” said Sharpe.
“Our vision for Caymanas Park and the horseracing industry in Jamaica is one of growth and innovation. We will continue to invest in the park, introducing new features and enhancements that elevate the experience for all our visitors. Our commitment to the community and the sport remains steadfast, and we are excited about the future,” he added.
It was disclosed that Bluedot will provide a comprehensive report presenting quantitative and qualitative findings that details consumer profiles highlighting demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics. This will be done in three phases.
"Bluedot aims to use our skills and expertise to provide SVREL with comprehensive insights that will be pivotal in allowing SVREL to refine their marketing strategies, customize their offerings to align with consumer preferences, and nurture stakeholder relationships essential for advancing the horse racing business," stated Bluedot CEO Larren Peart.
SVREL's investments in Caymanas Park have spanned various areas, from infrastructure upgrades like the installation of the largest digital tote board in the Caribbean and implementation of AmTote totalizer system, improved product offerings such as the new bet type options like Reggae-6 and Ketch-9 as well as fixed odds betting, to the integration of cutting-edge technology like the recently launched GMax digital timing system.
Seales takes second five-wicket haul in a row for Sussex; Holder smashes 123* for Worcestershire
Jayden Seales continued his excellent form so far for Sussex CCC in this season’s County Championship Division Two with another five-wicket haul, this time against Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
Seales has, so far, taken 5-101 in 23 overs as Glamorgan have advanced to 411-9 off 102 overs, replying to Sussex’s 278 all out off 87.2 overs on day one.
Glamorgan’s batting effort was led by excellent centuries from Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson.
Ingram led the way with a 248-ball 170 including 23 fours and three sixes while Carlson made 148 off 217 balls and hit 21 fours in the process.
Seales and Sussex will enter day three on Sunday trailing Glamorgan by 133 runs looking to dismiss them as quickly as possible.
Full scores:
Sussex 278 off 87.2 overs (Fynn Hudson-Prentice 48, Cheteshwar Pujara 41, Jack Carson 39, Aristides Karvelas 39, Mir Hamza 4-70, James Harris 4-93)
Glamorgan 411-9 off 102 overs (Colin Ingram 170, Kiran Carlson 148, Jayden Seales 5-101)
Elsewhere, Jason Holder was one of three Worcestershire batsmen to make centuries as they piled up a massive 618-7 declared in their first innings against Kent on day two at the St. Lawrence Ground in Canterbury.
Holder made a brilliant 123* off just 110 balls including seven fours and three sixes while Gareth Roderick and Matthew Waite both also reached three figures with 117 and 100*, respectively.
Adam Hose fell just ten runs short of a century himself.
Joey Evison and Matt Parkinson each ended with three wicket-hauls for Kent.
In reply, Kent reached 111-2 at stumps with Captain Daniel Bell-Drummond (54*0 and Jack Leaning (43*) at the crease.
Joe Leach has taken both wickets to fall so far.
Full scores:
Worcestershire 617-8 dec. off 158.5 overs (Jason Holder 123*, Gareth Roderick 117, Matthew Waite 100*, Adam Hose 90, Joey Evison 3-58, Matt Parkinson 3-201)
Kent 111-2 off 33 overs (Daniel Bell-Drummond 54*, Jack Leaning 43*, Joe Leach 2-12)
Seales takes 5-29 in second innings to help Sussex complete innings and 124-run rout of Derbyshire
Jayden Seales is now the leading wicket-taker after five rounds of the County Championship Division Two after another stellar performance to help Sussex rout Derbyshire by an innings and 124 runs at the County Ground in Derby from May 3-5.
Seales took 1-54 from 14 overs in the first innings as Derbyshire were bowled out for 246 in 63.3 overs after Sussex won the toss.
Luis Reece (50), Blair Tickner (47) and Aneurin Donald (44) were the top run-scorers against 2-6 from James Coles and 2-65, each, from Ollie Robinson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice.
Cheteshwar Pujara then starred with the bat with 113 off 186 balls as Sussex piled up 479 off 109.4 overs in their first innings.
James Coles (72), Tom Alsop (64) and Tom Haines (58) provided good support for Pujara against three-wicket hauls from Daryn Dupavillon and Jack Morley.
Seales then produced an excellent spell of bowling to help restrict Derbyshire to just 109 all out in 26 overs.
He took 5-29 from his eight overs, taking his tally this season to 18 in four games. Danny Lamb also bowled well with 2-10 from four overs.
Full Scores: Derbyshire 246 off 63.3 overs (Luis Reece 50, Blair Tickner 47, Aneurin Donald 44, James Coles 2-6, Ollie Robinson 2-65, Fynn Hudson-Prentice 2-65) & 109 off 26 overs (Jayden Seales 5-29, Danny Lamb 2-10)
Sussex 479 off 109.4 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 113, James Coles 72, Tom Alsop 64, Tom Haines 58, Daryn Dupavillon 3-89, Jack Morley 3-117, Luis Reece 2-32)
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