Oaks winner Soul Sister has been supplemented for Friday’s Grand Prix de Paris by John and Thady Gosden, with Kieran Shoemark deputising for the suspended Frankie Dettori.

Shoemark partnered the Lady Bamford-owned filly in a recent piece of work on Newmarket’s July course, although Dettori has ridden the daughter of Frankel in all three of her starts this season, with Robert Havlin in the saddle when she won her sole outing as a juvenile.

She gave Dettori a seventh Oaks and his 23rd British Classic success when beating Savethelastdance by a length and three-quarters at Epsom.

However, with the 52-year-old Italian having picked up a whip ban at Royal Ascot, Shoemark comes in for the ride on the filly, who is the sole British-trained runner in a field of eight for the Group One prize at ParisLongchamp.

Soul Sister bounced back from defeat on soft ground in the Fred Darling on her three-year-old debut at Newbury to land the Group Three Musidora at York.

She is the only Group One winner in the line-up, with connections happy to pay the €15,000 supplementary fee.

Thady Gosden said: “Obviously it is the last mile-and-a-half three-year-old race in Europe and unlike the Irish Oaks, it gives you time to come back for the Nassau at Goodwood.

“The Irish Oaks is a little too close to Goodwood if you wanted to take in both races, and we are looking forward to running her at Longchamp.

“Kieran partnered her on the Rowley Mile last week and was happy with her and she has done some routine work subsequently.”

Adelaide River and Peking Opera, respectively runner-up and fourth to Aidan O’Brien stablemate Auguste Rodin in the Irish Derby, remain in contention, while Andre Fabre, who has won the Grand Prix de Paris a record 13 times, relies on First Minister, who landed the Group Three Prix Hocquart at the same track last time.

White Birch is set for a mid-season break following his below-par showing in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.

Trained by John Murphy, the colt had acquitted himself with real credit in the first half of the season, following up a win on reappearance in the Ballysax Stakes with podium finishes in both the Dante and then the Derby at Epsom.

He was sent off 6-1 at the Curragh but was ultimately way below his best as he trailed home in a well-held eighth of nine and connections are keen to put a line through the performance as they now freshen their charge up ahead of a return in the autumn.

“He’s come home perfectly sound and all is well,” said George Murphy, assistant trainer to his father.

“He just ran a little bit flat and ran in to a fair bit of trouble, so he is going to get a little break now and aim for a couple of targets at the back-end of the year.

“He’s had a tough early season so he’s more than entitled to a rest now.”

It is still to be decided what those targets may be, but Murphy admitted another crack at Classic honours in the St Leger is a possibility with the colt as short as 10-1 for a trip to Doncaster on September 16.

He also suggested that although a drop in class could come into the reckoning, he believes the son of Ulysses has earned the right to continue campaigning at the highest level.

“Potentially it is one of the races we are looking at,” continued Murphy, when asked if the Town Moor Classic could be on the agenda.

“We’re just discussing with the owners at the moment and haven’t made any final plans yet.

“It’s unfair to say he is not up to it (running in Group One company) after one run, although we’ll keep lesser races in mind also. But I think he is more than entitled to compete at that level.”

Little Big Bear’s participation in Saturday’s Pertemps Network July Cup is rated as only “50-50″ by Aidan O’Brien.

Runner-up to Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, the pair had been set to cross swords once more on the July course this weekend.

However, the rematch may have to wait due to a stone bruise to last year’s leading juvenile.

“Little Big Bear is not definite to run as he had a foot bruise last week and he missed six days without doing any cantering,” said O’Brien.

“We might do something in the morning with him to see how he is and whether we decide to run him or not.

“If he does run, we won’t know until he has run how that has affected him. He is not guaranteed to run and we will decide in the next couple of days.

“I’d say it is 50-50 regarding his chances of running.”

Should Little Big Bear not run then Meditate, a winner at the Breeders’ Cup, could have her impending retirement delayed, despite only running in the Prix Jean Prat on Sunday.

“We have to decide whether we are going to retire Meditate or not. It is very possible that she could retire,” he said.

“France at the weekend was a bit of a mess. We thought Andrew’s (Balding) horse (Chaldean) would make the running, but he didn’t and the pace was just very messy so we didn’t get a clear picture with her.

“We didn’t want to carry on too long with her as she is a very high-class filly for the paddocks.

“She is obviously in the July Cup and if Little Big Bear wasn’t going to run we would give her a chance going back over six before she goes as she is a filly that has a lot of speed and was always very comfortable going forward over six furlongs.

“It is all a little bit up in the air, but it is dependent on Little Big Bear what happens to him during the middle of the week.”

As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented.

Charlie Hills stated last week the Newmarket race was the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders.

Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.

Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.

Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.

O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.

The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.

There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.

George Boughey’s Soprano has the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in her sights after an encouraging Royal Ascot performance.

The chestnut daughter of Starspangledbanner won on debut in a Newmarket maiden in May, beating subsequent Hilary Needler winner Midnight Affair, and was then an admirable third in the Albany Stakes.

On the latter occasion she was two lengths behind the winner, Porta Fortuna, and a length behind Aidan O’Brien’s Matrika, since successful in the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh.

Soprano will also be making the step up from Group Three to Group Two level when she heads to the July course on Friday.

Harry Herbert, of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: “She’s in great form, she runs in the Group Two at Newmarket – the Duchess of Cambridge.

“That’s very much the plan, with Ryan Moore booked to ride.

“There’s been a really good form boost and she’s a very smart filly.

“I think she will be even better over further which is exciting for the future, but she’s in good form and I think a stiff six at Newmarket will suit her.

“She ran such a blinder at Royal Ascot, William (Buick) said that had things gone a bit differently, had she broken better and been a bit nearer the pace, then she might have gone very near to winning.

“We’ll see, she deserves to take her chance and she’s very exciting.”

Sonny Liston will be attempting to land a knockout blow at York on Saturday when he lines up in the John Smith’s Cup.

Ralph Beckett’s charge was outboxed by stablemate Jimi Hendrix when second in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot but now has the chance to get the judge’s verdict as one of 33 who remain in contention for the valuable £200,000 contest.

Owned by Chelsea Thoroughbreds, the four-year-old has not had his hand raised since striking on debut when trained by Charlie Hills, but connections are banking on the gelding relishing a step up to 10 furlongs to return him to the winner’s enclosure.

“He runs off his old mark and we wanted to get him in somewhere off that mark,” said Emma Spencer, managing director of Chelsea Thoroughbreds and also racing manager for the owners.

“He’s proven over a mile and a quarter and although he didn’t stay in the Derby, he was third at Chester in the Dee Stakes and then he was third in a Group Three at Goodwood.

“So there is a case for saying that a mile and a quarter is his ideal trip and if he runs like he did the other day and he seems to be in a good place then the race could really suit him.”

Richard Fahey’s course-and-distance winner and last year’s fourth Spirit Dancer is also among the possibles for the historic 10-furlong handicap, with Simon and Ed Crisford’s Sea The Casper, William Haggas’ Amleto and Andrew Balding’s Nobel all potential improvers who head to the Knavesmire appearing unexposed and on the back of victories last time.

Also looking to go one better than at Royal Ascot is Kerdos who will line-up in the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes.

The three-year-old son of Profitable was downed late on by Rhythm N Hooves when a silver medallist in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes and trainer Clive Cox hopes he can get in the mix once again as he steps up to Listed level.

“Kerdos ran a blinder at Ascot and the Listed race at York, the City Walls Stakes, that would be our next target for him,” said the Lambourn-based handler.

“Obviously it is against older horses, but he’s a progressive three-year-old who we are really happy is going the right way.

“We know the family very well. I trained his sire Profitable and he’s out of a half-sister to Priceless who was a Group Two winner in the Temple Stakes at Haydock. They normally progress with age and this fella seems to fit that profile well.”

Kerdos is one of 17 possible runners for the five-furlong Listed event, with Edward Bethell’s Regional chief featuring in the opposition following his Achilles Stakes victory at Haydock last month.

Achilles second and third Equilateral (Charlie Hills) and Raasel (Mick Appleby) are also involved, while Fahey’s Great State was a winner of the Listed Westow Stakes over course and distance during the Dante meeting and will be bidding to provide his Malton-based handler with more success at one of his local tracks.

As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented for the Pertemps Network July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday where he will clash with another Ascot hero, Shaquille.

Charlie Hills stated last week the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer was the midsummer highlight on the July course, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders – as well as confirm form with Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot runner-up Little Big Bear.

Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.

Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.

Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.

Aidan O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.

The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.

There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.

Chaldean is set for a break while connections attempt to get to the bottom of his lacklustre performance in the Prix Jean Prat.

Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas hero was dropping back in trip for the Deauville Group One having suffered defeat at the hands of Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, despite travelling with what appeared his usual zest close to the pace in the hands of Oisin Murphy, the Classic winner failed to pick up and his challenge faded tamely as Fabrice Chappet’s Good Guess ran out a convincing winner.

The Frankel colt will now be fully checked over to see if there is any physical reason for the below-par display or whether a busy early season has simply caught up with the Juddmonte-owned colt.

“It was obviously not the horse’s true running, but we’ll have to wait until the horse gets home to check him out fully to see if there is something there or whether it was he had a hard race in Ascot and was just flat,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for the owners.

“On all known form it was not his true running and we’ll just have to see if anything comes to light.

“I think he’ll have to have a break now. Whether there is something underlying or it just turns out he has run flat, we’ll have to wait and see, but I think he will need a break now to freshen up for the back-end of the year.”

There are still plenty of big-race options on the table for Chaldean when he does return, with a trip to the Breeders’ Cup a possibility for later in the season.

Mahon added: “There’s lots of races for him. There’s the Prix Jacques le Marois (August 13), the race at Ascot on Champions Day (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, October 21) and the Breeders’ Cup Mile (November 4), so there will be plenty of opportunities for him.

“I always felt the Breeders’ Cup would suit him, especially this year at Santa Anita, but we’ll have to see. We’ll get him checked out first and we know that wasn’t his true running.”

However, there was some joy for the owners this weekend as Ralph Beckett’s Westover enjoyed a more successful venture to France to pick up his second Group One in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Last year’s Irish Derby winner had run fine races in defeat to finish second in both the Dubai Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup so far this term, but produced a brilliant display to open his four-year-old account.

“To start the season behind Equinox was a good run and he ran a great race in the Coronation and it’s now nice to get the Group One at Saint-Cloud and make him a dual Group One winner,” said Mahon.

“To break the track record was a special feat when you consider so many great champions have won that race over the years.”

Westover holds an entry for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on July 29 and although that will remain high-up in connections’ thoughts, there is a chance that could come too soon following his heroic exertions in the Paris suburbs.

“I was talking to Ralph last night and we said we will definitely keep it (King George) under consideration,” continued Mahon.

“He’s had a hard race on Saturday – you don’t break the track record without having a hard race – and it’s not a huge amount of time between now and the King George. It will very much depend on the horse’s well-being and we’ll let the horse tell us.

“He is in everything and has options everywhere. He could go to an Irish Leger (September 10), he could go to an Arc (October 1), he could go to a Breeders’ Cup Turf (November 4). He could even go to Hong Kong and he’s in everything. He’s there to be enjoyed and we will see what Prince Khalid’s family would like to do and see as we go along.

“He’s mentally and physically more mature now and he’s a good traveller. In a race he’s adaptable which is great and we think he’s on an upwards curve.”

Chaldean is set for a break while connections attempt to get to the bottom of his lacklustre performance in the Prix Jean Prat.

Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas hero was dropping back in trip for the Deauville Group One having suffered defeat at the hands of Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, despite travelling with what appeared his usual zest close to the pace in the hands of Oisin Murphy, the Classic winner failed to pick up and his challenge faded tamely as Fabrice Chappet’s Good Guess ran out a convincing winner.

The Frankel colt will now be fully checked over to see if there is any physical reason for the below-par display or whether a busy early season has simply caught up with the Juddmonte-owned colt.

“It was obviously not the horse’s true running, but we’ll have to wait until the horse gets home to check him out fully to see if there is something there or whether it was he had a hard race in Ascot and was just flat,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for the owners.

“On all known form it was not his true running and we’ll just have to see if anything comes to light.

“I think he’ll have to have a break now. Whether there is something underlying or it just turns out he has run flat, we’ll have to wait and see, but I think he will need a break now to freshen up for the back-end of the year.”

There are still plenty of big-race options on the table for Chaldean when he does return, with a trip to the Breeders’ Cup a possibility for later in the season.

Mahon added: “There’s lots of races for him. There’s the Prix Jacques le Marois (August 13), the race at Ascot on Champions Day (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, October 21) and the Breeders’ Cup Mile (November 4), so there will be plenty of opportunities for him.

“I always felt the Breeders’ Cup would suit him, especially this year at Santa Anita, but we’ll have to see. We’ll get him checked out first and we know that wasn’t his true running.”

However, there was some joy for the owners this weekend as Ralph Beckett’s Westover enjoyed a more successful venture to France to pick up his second Group One in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Last year’s Irish Derby winner had run fine races in defeat to finish second in both the Dubai Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup so far this term, but produced a brilliant display to open his four-year-old account.

“To start the season behind Equinox was a good run and he ran a great race in the Coronation and it’s now nice to get the Group One at Saint-Cloud and make him a dual Group One winner,” said Mahon.

“To break the track record was a special feat when you consider so many great champions have won that race over the years.”

Westover holds an entry for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on July 29 and although that will remain high-up in connections’ thoughts, there is a chance that could come too soon following his heroic exertions in the Paris suburbs.

“I was talking to Ralph last night and we said we will definitely keep it (King George) under consideration,” continued Mahon.

“He’s had a hard race on Saturday – you don’t break the track record without having a hard race – and it’s not a huge amount of time between now and the King George. It will very much depend on the horse’s well-being and we’ll let the horse tell us.

“He is in everything and has options everywhere. He could go to an Irish Leger (September 10), he could go to an Arc (October 1), he could go to a Breeders’ Cup Turf (November 4). He could even go to Hong Kong and he’s in everything. He’s there to be enjoyed and we will see what Prince Khalid’s family would like to do and see as we go along.

“He’s mentally and physically more mature now and he’s a good traveller. In a race he’s adaptable which is great and we think he’s on an upwards curve.”

Laurel will miss the rest of the season due to the injury which saw her ruled out of Royal Ascot.

John and Thady Gosden’s lightly-raced daughter of Kingman was due to line-up in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at the summer showcase, but was a late absentee having suffered setback the weekend before her intended engagement.

Connections did have their sights on a quick return in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket later this week.

But it appears the issue is more serious than first envisaged with the Group One-placed filly set to remain on the sidelines for the rest of the current campaign and a decision on her future still to be made.

“Unfortunately she is going to miss the rest of the season,” explained Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.

“Initially it looked like it was going to be an insignificant thing, but it turned out to be a bit more than we thought.

“She’s on her way back to the farm for a rest, she definitely won’t run again this season and it is to be decided whether she stays in training next year or not.

“She’s a very lightly-raced filly and John and Thady both said to me last week they would love to keep her in training next year.

“She’s a high-class filly who could win a Group One and she’s only run five times in her life so I can sort of understand their point and maybe that is the right thing to do. But we will speak with Prince Khalid’s family and see what they would like to do and unfortunately she won’t be running again this season.”

Royal Ascot runner-up Sacred will head to Deauville for her next appearance with the Prix Maurice de Gheest identified by William Haggas as the perfect destination for his versatile mare.

The Cheveley Park Stud-owned five-year-old has been a consistent performer for connections throughout her career and won on reappearance at Lingfield in the Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes in May.

However, she was narrowly denied when taking her chance in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes for the second season in a row, having victory snatched from her grasp when headed late in the day by the fast-finishing Khaadem.

The daughter of Exceed And Excel holds entries over a mile closer to home over the next month, but following her fine effort at Ascot, Haggas is keen to keep Sacred to sprinting distances and will send her across the Channel for the six-and-a-half-furlong Group One in early August.

“She’s fine and we’re aiming her at the Prix Maurice de Gheest on August 6 which is a Group One over six and a half furlongs,” said Haggas.

“She likes going to her races relatively fresh, so she will go there and there is nothing overly obvious for her in the meantime.

“She’s in the Sussex, but I think we felt she ran very well over six furlongs at Ascot and six and a half in Deauville, providing the ground isn’t soft, should be fine for her.”

Haggas also revealed that My Prospero will head to York for the Sky Bet York Stakes on July 29 as the four-year-old attempts to tee-up a Knavesmire return for the Juddmonte International Stakes during the Ebor Festival.

“He’ll go for the Sky Bet at York,” added Haggas.

“He didn’t run as well as I hoped at Ascot. He didn’t run badly, but it wasn’t as well as I hoped and he will go to York and if he wins and wins nicely he will go back there for the Juddmonte.”

A trip to the Breeders’ Cup will come under consideration for 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj, but only if she recovers sufficiently from the issue that ruled her out of Royal Ascot.

Saeed bin Suroor’s charge scooped big-race honours when edging out Tahiyra at Newmarket in May and with Dermot Weld’s filly subsequently claiming the Irish equivalent on her next start the duo were poised for a clash of the Classic winners in the Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting.

However, an unsatisfactory scope meant Mawj was missing from the final line-up for that contest, with Bin Suroor later revealing she had a bad infection in her chest.

The three-year-old is currently undergoing a quiet time as she continues her recovery, but could make a return later in the campaign ahead of a possible trip to Santa Anita in early November – providing she is showing positive signs she has returned to full health.

Bin Suroor said: “She’s still in treatment for coughing. She was coughing just before Ascot when she was ready to run.

“She had mucus and we scrubbed her and she didn’t look great so now we are giving her a break because we have scrubbed her a few times. We will allow her to get better slowly and we have no plan for her.

“Maybe the plan if she is doing well and is happy will be to have one more race here and then take her to the Breeders’ Cup. Maybe she will have one more race here, but only if she is ready.”

Bin Suroor was speaking after White Moonlight gave the Godolphin handler back-to-back victories in the Champagne Collet Queen Charlotte Fillies’ Stakes at Chelmsford.

The six-year-old was the beneficiary of a fine front-running ride from jockey Kieran Shoemark in the Listed seven-furlong event and will now step up to Group Three level at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, for the Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes on August 2.

“She’s done well and has been in good form,” said the trainer of the 9-2 winner.

“Seven furlongs suits her as we’ve tried before and I said to the jockey you have to be there in front, you have to lead. She was in front all the way and she won it well. Kieran is a good jockey and he did really well.

“In the morning when she works she’s very honest and always works well. She’s a tough filly and now we go to the Oak Tree at Goodwood early next month.”

Fozzy Stack’s Aspen Grove is set for a spell in the States after providing her trainer with a landmark success in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes.

The Justify filly was a Pattern-race winner at two, taking the Group Three Newtownanner Stud Stakes at the Curragh in August.

She returned to the same track for the second run of her three-year-old campaign when lining up in the Irish 1,000 Guineas in late May but came home last of the field of 10.

That performance was put down to the filly being in season, but a decision to head to New York for the Grade One Belmont Oaks proved inspired when she teamed up with Oisin Murphy on Saturday.

From a wide draw the bay was ridden patiently to challenge a furlong from home, where she came through to win by three-quarters of a length when relishing the extended 10-furlong trip.

“She was very good. She ran last time in the Guineas when she was in season and she’s hopeless when she’s in season,” Stack explained.

“She was hopeless in her work at home but you can’t run again in the Guineas next year so we thought we’d just roll the dice.

“She did it well last night and Oisin gave her a great ride.

“I was never worried about the trip, I always thought she’d get it. As a two-year-old I thought she was more a 10-furlong filly, she did it well.”

Aspen Grove will remain in America under the care of Mark Enright, who rode her to Newtownanner Stud Stakes victory and will help prepare her for her next outing.

“Either the Del Mar Oaks or the Saratoga Oaks (will be her next run),” said Stack.

“I’ll leave Mark Enright out with her, he’ll look after her. He’s won Group races on her a done a great job with her over the last few days.”

Of the significance of a Grade One win, Stack’s first at the level, he added: “You need everything to go right for these things to happen, all the parts needs to fall into place and they did.”

Claymore, who gave Jane Chapple-Hyam a notable Royal Ascot success in last season’s Hampton Court Stakes, will head to Haydock for the Rose of Lancaster Stakes in a fortnight’s time.

The lightly-raced four-year-old had been off the track since last July when reappearing in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown in May.

However, he was last of six, beaten some 49 lengths by Hukum, and reportedly bled.

But Chapple-Hyam is confident he is nearing a return to action and said: “Claymore had a little hiccup at Sandown, but he is back in full training now.

“We will look maybe at Haydock. We’ll see how he performs over the next fortnight, but he’s been doing OK.”

While the Newmarket handler has been held up by a bug which has affected her juveniles in particular, the well-touted El Bodon, who was beaten narrowly on debut at Yarmouth, got off the mark at Lingfield and will now face a step up in class at Newmarket.

“El Bodon had the mucky lungs, just like Born To Rock (fifth of seven to Kylian on his return in the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown on Friday), so we went for the penalty kick at Lingfield, because we had a fit horse.

“He will run in the July Stakes at Newmarket on the Thursday. It is a Group race and he is where we think he is.”

Meanwhile Quatre Bras, who was beaten half a length when third to Lightning Leo on his Yarmouth seven-furlong debut, will also face tougher company.

Chapple-Hyam said: “The other one I liked, Quatre Bras, is in the Superlative. He was second-favourite on the Saturday in the seven-furlong race at Royal Ascot (Chesham), but we had to scratch him too, because he had a mucky lung.

“He’s in the Superlative on Saturday, as we think he’s good enough to be there.

“I’d say this bug swept through Newmarket. It hasn’t touched my older horses – as you could see, I had a 40-1 shot when Streaky Bay won at Yarmouth (on Thursday) – but it has gone through my two-year-olds.

“I’ve got colts in one yard and fillies and mares in the other. It is just unfortunate that the young ones are getting it and the older ones have have a stronger immune system. That’s all it is.”

There was no joy for either big-race favourite Chaldean or any of the British and Irish raiders at Deauville as Good Guess ran out an ultra-impressive winner of the Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat.

Andrew Balding’s 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean was attempting to get back to winning ways having finished second behind Paddington at Royal Ascot, and Oisin Murphy had the son of Frankel in a handy position tracking the pace of the forward-going Sauterne in the early stages.

Fellow British challengers Indestructible and Shouldvebeenaring were also in a prominent position and looked to have claims heading into the final two furlongs.

However, none were able to match the acceleration shown by the Fabrice Chappet-trained winner, who struck over the course and distance for the second time this term following his win in the Prix Djebel in April.

Although only sixth in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp, Stephane Pasquier’s mount welcomed the return to seven furlongs when second to Breizh Sky last month and turned the tables on that rival here to lead home a one-two-three for the home team in tremendous style.

Karl Burke’s Indestructible finished best of the foreign challenge in fourth, with Chaldean bitterly disappointing as he faded out of contention quickly.

George Duffield has Paddington as the one to beat throughout his future races having shown he has both pace and a will to win in his brilliant victory in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

The 76-year-old famously partnered Giant’s Causeway to win Sandown’s greatest Flat prize for Paddington’s trainer Aidan O’Brien in 2000, and 23 years on comparisons have been drawn between the ‘Iron Horse’ and Ballydoyle’s latest champion.

Although starting his season in handicap company, Paddington has followed a well-trodden path since striking at Listed level on May 1. He subsequently added the Irish 2,000 Guineas, before following in the footsteps of Giant’s Causeway to claim the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot en route to Esher.

At Sandown the similarities kept on coming and the son of Siyouni’s battling success over an Emily Upjohn who refused to lie down brought back plenty of memories of Duffield’s own Eclipse triumph when Giant’s Causeway held off Sir Michael Stoute’s Kalanisi in a thrilling finish.

“I watched it with Ann (Duffield, wife) and I predicted Paddington would win,” said Duffield.

“I said come and watch this race and I said ‘he will win, whatever he has to find he will find’ and I was chuffed when he proved me right.

“I said ‘that was just like Giant’s Causeway’ with the way the race went. When I rode Giant’s Causeway I jumped and found myself in front because the pacemaker got left and then the race was near enough identical for me.

“Paddington won a bit further than Giant’s Causeway, but the race played out like completely the same scenario. It was great stuff.”

Paddington has undertaken a steep rise to become one of the best three-year-olds in training and it was his Irish Guineas success at the Curragh that first alerted Duffield to his potential.

He has since gone on to prove himself a high-class operator and the two-time Classic winning rider feels Paddington has earned the right to be compared to Giant’s Causeway having shown a similar desire for victory at the business end of the Eclipse.

Duffield said: “The first time I took any notice of him was when he won the Irish Guineas.

“He just looked a bit sloppy and when he went to win his race at the Curragh he half hung fire a bit, got a bit lost and wanted to lay on the other horse. Then all of a sudden the penny dropped and ‘boom’ – away he went. It went from ‘he might win this race’ to ‘he will definitely win this race’ and he went and won quite well.

“He clearly improved from that and went to Ascot and showed you the horse he probably really was.

“In the Eclipse, the John Gosden filly is really good and he had to work hard for it and he was always going to outbattle her. He has that mindset, I think, just like Giant’s Causeway.”

Giant’s Causeway would go on to run a further five times after winning the Eclipse, winning three times at the highest level and being narrowly denied in the other two, most notably in his final start against Tiznow in an unforgettable Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Connections will be hoping Paddington will follow suit to become a fitting wearer of the ‘New Iron Horse’ moniker, something he has a chance of achieving in Duffield’s opinion because of his impeccable mindset.

“Ryan (Moore) said we haven’t seen the best of him yet and the race didn’t go to suit and I could both agree and disagree with that,” continued Duffield.

“I thought you couldn’t ask any more of him when you are taking on a filly as good as Emily Upjohn – she is a very good filly.

“I was watching thinking she was travelling quite well, Paddington was probably there sooner than he wants to be and idled a bit in front and then had to find it. And he found it, he buckled down and he found it.

“If you have that winning mindset, and he appears to have it, then they are always hard to beat because they are proper sporting horses that love the competition. If you put them under pressure they will go and find a bit more for you. Giant’s Causeway was the same, he just loved saying ‘come on have a go then, let’s see how good you are’.

“You don’t actually know what a horse is thinking, but that was the feeling Giant’s Causeway gave me in the Eclipse, ‘come on mate, you’re going to have to try harder than that because I’m not finished yet.”

“Paddington looks to have that mindset and looks a really good horse.”

Paddington appears likely to continue following the Giant’s Causeway route, mixing and matching the best options over a mile and 10 furlongs – something Duffield feels could prove the best option considering the pace he possesses.

“He might now go the Giant’s Causeway route and go for the Sussex Stakes and the Juddmonte and I think he will always be the one to beat wherever he goes,” continued Duffield.

“He’s got pace. Any race you put him in he has the pace to deal with it, whether that is a mile or a mile and a quarter.

“I wouldn’t be looking at a mile and a half right now, I would just concentrate on a mile and a mile and a quarter. If you want to bring him back to a mile then fine, he will have no problem with that. Which way you go doesn’t matter. He has that natural speed.

“Aidan is the man for that though, he’ll know exactly where he will want to be sending him and I reckon he will always be one you have to be frightened of.

“The man is an absolute genius of a trainer and if he thinks he’s a good horse, then he knows the score, he knows his horses inside out and back to front. Ryan is a very good judge of a horse also, and if he thinks there is more to come like he said after the race then this could be a really good horse.

“I think he’ll be hard to beat wherever he goes.”