Four-time Group 1 winner Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) traveled down the road for a racecourse gallop at Newmarket on Friday in preparation for next weekend's G1 Eclipse S. at Sandown, but trainer William Haggas insisted the 7-year-old gelding will only run if 'soft' is in the going description.
“He hasn't run since Sydney in April so it was nice to get him away,” said Haggas. “It wasn't trying to get him fitter, it was just a mental thing as much as a physical thing. When you are looking at summer racing you need to be lucky to get rain on the day to make it as soft as he likes it. Running in the Eclipse will depend on how much rain falls. There is a balance between keeping training him and not running him. That's difficult.
“We hope very much that it will be very soft for the Eclipse but I very much doubt it will be. If the word soft is in the going he will probably run as he needs to run. Good to soft is the quickest I would run him on.”
Addeybb recorded his first two Group 1 wins at last year's Sydney autumn carnival in the Ranvet S. and Queen Elizabeth S., and relished the soft ground when taking the G1 Champion S. at Ascot in October. Haggas insisted the chestnut's title-defending win in this year's Queen Elizabeth over good ground was down to his class.
“He loves travelling and really enjoys it,” the trainer said. “He had a great spell in Australia this year on ground that wasn't soft enough for him but he tries hard. If the conditions had been like they are here he wouldn't have run. He can't take too many races on fastish ground. Summer ground is not really for him. Summer soft is different to autumn and spring soft when it is proper soft so Champions Day is right up his street as he loves that heavy ground. We sort of have to work our season around that.”
Should the ground rule Addeybb out of the Eclipse, Haggas has an able stand-in in the form of Shadwell's G3 Hampton Court S. winner Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), whose ground preferences are quite contrasting to his elder stablemate's.
“It is very possible Mohaafeth could run as he wants quick ground so we will see,” Haggas said. “I've not worked him yet so we will see what he is like. He was very good at Ascot.”
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