'He's got to drop back to a mile' - three of our experts give their view on Paddington's best trip

'Even if they went around to the Pond fence, she wasn't getting by'

Tom Segal's comments in his Weekender column this week intrigued me. He suggested Paddington was Ballydoyle's best chance of Arc glory and he might well be right.

The winning distance in the Eclipse was half a length but if they went around to the Pond fence, there was no way Emily Upjohn was getting by. He is a strong stayer over 1m2f, but there is a Sussex Stakes there for the taking as he is without any shadow of a doubt the best miler in training. 

It would be great if he went to Goodwood, then to York for the Juddmonte, and perhaps be freshened up for a crack at the Arc. Paddington could prove to be the story of the season.
David Jennings, Deputy Ireland editor

'It's likely a mile and a quarter is the distance he remains at'

It was interesting that Aidan O’Brien was suggesting afterwards he might now drop back to a mile for the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood next month. After that performance, you could certainly think about stepping Paddington up to a mile and a half, but Coolmore also have Auguste Rodin for that distance and he’s booked in for the King George and the Arc.

If Paddington does run in the Sussex, that could be his final start over a mile, and the race you would think connections will be looking at is the Juddmonte International at York. That’s what they’ll be aiming for and it is likely a mile and a quarter is the distance he remains at.

If they do step him up to a mile and a half this season, I doubt it will be in Europe. The Breeders’ Cup Turf, however, could be a possibility.
James Hill, tipster

'The Sussex Stakes is at his mercy'

He's got to drop back to a mile. He's a strong-travelling sort with a decisive change of gear and Aidan O'Brien is confident Paddington is getting quicker.

It's clear he stays this intermediate trip well, but that electric turn of pace he showed in his Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace wins was missing, and it was slightly disconcerting how awkwardly he carried his head in the closing stages.

O'Brien already has Auguste Rodin for the middle-distance races, and with Paddington having stamped his authority on the three-year-old mile division at Royal Ascot, and the older brigade lacking in that category, the Sussex Stakes looks at his mercy.
Harry Wilson, reporter

Read more . . .

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