Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse is down to just four after one of the main protagonists Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) was ruled out at the 11th hour due to a foot abscess. TDN Rising Stars Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Ire}), Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) are joined by this year's G1 Ranvet and G1 Queen Elizabeth S. hero Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) as Shadwell's G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner was forced to skip the contest.
“It's just a matter of timing, he'll be fine next week hopefully,” Angus Gold said. “It's a big blow to Owen [Burrows] and the team there and obviously Sheikha Hissa and all at Shadwell. Off the top of my head we could look at something like the Irish Champion S., but that is obviously a while away yet. The Eclipse was his prime summer target, but there we go.”
Emily Upjohn, so impressive in the G1 Coronation Cup last time, was declared without the hood she sported in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and at Epsom last time. As announced earlier in the week, William Buick will partner the Gosdens' 4-year-old, who will look to provide the Lloyd Webbers and Buick with more joy than The Fugue (GB) (Dansili {GB}) who was last of seven in the 2013 edition and Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) who had beaten only one of the five runners three years earlier. In France, five have been declared for Saturday's €400,000 G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, with the Coronation Cup runner-up and last year's G1 Irish Derby hero Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) the standout.
Aidan O'Brien says that he is looking forward to seeing what Paddington (GB), the brilliant Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace S. winner, can do over an extra two furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday and says the colt has made rare progress this season.
Paddington provided O'Brien with a record 83rd Royal Ascot victory when slamming the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the St James's Palace.
The master of Ballydoyle went on to secure his 85th winner at the royal meeting before passing another important milestone at the Curragh on Sunday when Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) provided the 53-year-old with his 100th European Classic success with a hard-fought Irish Derby triumph.
O'Brien will be hoping for more big-race success at Sandown on Saturday and drew comparisons between Paddington and his most recent Coral-Eclipse winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr).
Both colts are the highest-rated sons of Siyouni (Fr), and it's their ability to quicken that marks them down as something out of the ordinary, according to O'Brien.
He told TDN Europe, “Paddington came out of Ascot really well and we always felt that he'd get further than a mile. I suppose what makes them different [the progeny of Siyouni] is the way that they quicken.
“St Mark's Basilica was the very same, he used to quicken off a good pace and this horse does that as well, doesn't he? The Siyounis are really able to quicken and Paddington is a very exciting prospect.”
O'Brien added, “Paddington has done everything we've asked of him so far and seems to be progressing with every run. We're very happy with him and hope he runs a big race on Saturday. We've been happy with him since Ascot.”
The Sussex S. at Goodwood had been mentioned as the most likely option for Paddington after his Ascot triumph but O'Brien has said that, given how well the colt came out of the royal meeting, connections were keen to explore the possibility of stepping him up to 10 furlongs for the Sandown showpiece, for which he is a top-price 11-8 favourite.
Like former Group 1-winning Ballydoyle-trained inmates Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Treasure Beach (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Paddington cut his teeth in handicaps before achieving success at the highest level, with O'Brien describing his progression as “unusual”.
On the decision behind running at Sandown, he said, “We thought he could do both [Sussex and Coral-Eclipse], really, and when it was when he came out of Ascot so well that we decided to aim him at the Coral-Eclipse.
“We can just explore a little bit with him. We saw what he did at the Curragh and at Ascot over a mile so we're looking forward to seeing him run on Saturday.”
O'Brien added, “He's made very good progress from run to run, I suppose you could describe it as unusual progress, really. He's just a very natural horse.”
Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) led home an O'Brien-trained 1-2-3-4 in the Irish Derby on Sunday and is reported to have come out of that scrap in good heart. The long-term plan could be to revert to 10 furlongs with the dual Derby winner for either the Irish Champion S. or the Juddmonte International, but first, a tilt at the King George at Ascot is under consideration.
O'Brien said, “We were delighted with Auguste Rodin. He's a great traveller and seems to have a great capacity. He's come out of the Curragh well and we're looking at the King George for him now.
“I know it's a little bit down the road but we thought that if we did go for the King George, then he could have a little bit of time after that and come back for either an Irish Champion Stakes or a Juddmonte International.”
A colt (lot 251) and a gelding (182), both by Zarak (Fr), make €240,000 and €125,000, respectively, to fill the first two places as the Arqana Summer Sale kicked off in Deauville on Wednesday. The pair of stores were both sold by the Channel Consignment.
Thursday's topper, who set a new record top price for a store at the sale, is out of a full-sister to G1 Prix Cambaceres hero Nirvana Du Berlais (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) and went to the session's leading buyer Guy Petit on behalf of Edward James. Sold as Nietzsche Has (Fr), the February-foaled colt is also related to Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Aubusson (Fr) (Ballingarry {Ire}) and two-time graded-scoring jumper Triana Du Berlais (Fr) (Presenting {GB}).
“He's a lovely well-made colt,” said Edward James. “He'll go to England to be pre-trained and we hope that he can make into a good racehorse and then stallion in the future.”
About midway through the sale, the son of the Grade 3-placed Chata Joana Has (Fr) (Dream Well {Fr}) caught the eye of Bertrand Le Metayer of BLM Bloodstock. Named Nabab Has (Fr), the gelding is out of a half-sister to listed-winning jumpers Na Has (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) and Namour Has (Fr) (Doctor Dino {Fr}).
“He's a colt that looks ready made to run at three at Auteuil,” said the agent. “I've bought him with Mr. Rolland and Arnaud Chaille-Chaille.”
The Channel Consignment was the leading vendor, with 16 sold for an average of €77,125 and a gross of €1,234,000.
Fresh off siring Sunday's G1 Deutsches Derby hero Fantastic Moon (Ger), Sea The Moon (Ger) was also the sire of note of the top-priced 2-year-old on the day, lot 36. Consigned by Knockanglass Stables, the son of Apura (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) went to Nicolas de Watrigant's Mandore International Agency and Alessandro Botti for €85,000. His dam is a half-sister to the Domedriver (Ire) horse Three Bodies (Ire), who won the Listed Prix Ridgway and was second in the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano. Japanese Oaks heroine Erin Court (Jpn) (Durandal {Jpn}) is under the third dam.
“I think he's one of the best colts in the sale, said Alessandro Botti. “He is by Sea The Moon, a good stallion, and his dam has already produced two winners. We've bought him for Mr. Jathiere and one of my clients. We're very happy and I'm looking forward to him joining my stable.”
Of the 222 offered on Thursday, 182 sold (81.9%) sold for a gross of €6,157,250. The average was €33,831 (+3%) and the median rose to €24,000 (+17%). Nine lots, all stores, sold for six figures.
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features a grandson of King (Ire) (Danehill).
18.05 Newbury, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, c/g, 6fT ARRAY (IRE) (No Nay Never) wins the award for the day's best-bred newcomer, being the sixth foal out of Juddmonte's prized mare Joyeuse (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who shares her famed dam Kind (Ire) (Danehill) with the great Frankel (GB). Not surprisingly, given his achievements with the Juddmonte giant's son Chaldean (GB), Andrew Balding has been handed care of homebred whose half-siblings include the Group 1-placed Maximal (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Jubiloso (GB) (Shamardal).
16.45 Haydock, Novice, £9,999, 2yo, 6f 212yT HIDDEN PASS (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a big deal at the Arqana May Breeze Up, with Godolphin going to €400,000 for the Shadwell-bred half-brother to the G2 Let's Elope S. winner Turaath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Charlie Appleby introduces the February-foaled chestnut in the race which saw Desert Hero
(GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) earn TDN Rising Star status 12 months ago and which also plays host to Coverdale Stud's Tribal Rhythm (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), a James Horton-trained half-brother to last month's G1 King's Stand S. hero Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}).
