David Ord was at York to see Mostahdaf follow in the footsteps of the inaugural winner to land the Juddmonte International.
The Juddmonte International has a rich history and on Wednesday that played a key role in the all-the-way success of Mostahdaf.
When the Gosden and Shadwell teams were devising a plan for the day one feature at the Sky Bet Ebor Festival they went right back to the beginning, to the inaugural renewal. That day Brigadier Gerard met with his only career defeat, never able to land a glove on the freewheeling leader Roberto. The Knavesmire fell silent.
This time a bumper crowd roared their approval as Frankie Dettori went through the gears down the long straight. He was super-sub, donning the resurgent Shadwell Estates silks in the absence of the suspended Jim Crowley.
Dettori was brilliant, making it a proper test and when he took a final, lingering look behind entering the final furlong it was clear he had the measure of odds-on favourite Paddington – and eventual runner-up and stablemate Nashwa.
It was time to celebrate as York became the latest track to bid farewell to the irrepressible pilot.
“He’s always been supreme. He’s the only rider who can go to Longchamp, ride from the front, and have the Frenchmen doing what he wants. He’s a genius, he can go anywhere in the world, he’s like a chameleon, he can adapt to any style of racing. He is quite something and we’re going to miss him,” John Gosden said afterwards.
“I told the owner to get YouTube and watch Roberto and Brigadier Gerard and this was a carbon copy, a real carbon copy. We knew if we let Ryan (Moore) go in front he was going to do what is right for his horse, steady it up and kick.
“There's no point allowing him to do that so we wanted to make it a real test at the trip."
For Shadwell's long-serving racing manager Angus Gold it was the latest day to savour in a remarkable list for the new-look team under the stewardship of their late founder Hamdan Al Maktoum’s daughter Sheika Hissa.
Has he ever known a period like it?
“I haven’t. The sheer number of big-race wins this year has been remarkable, the Prince of Wales's, King George, this, the Nassau, it’s been amazing. All you can do is roll with it, enjoy it and be grateful,” he smiled.
“This was a proper race and it was very sad for York and this fantastic crowd there were only four runners but it was still long on quality. I don’t think anyone can say it didn’t live up to its billing and we realised if we had any chance of beating Paddington we had to take the game to him rather than let him have his own way in front.
“Frankie executed it brilliantly, I thought it was a fantastic ride, and he was a great substitute to have on the day.”
Halcyon days for Shadwell team
He may have seen it all over the years but were there any concerns about changing tactics in such a high-profile race hot on the hooves of a remarkable Royal Ascot win under a hold-up ride?
“Not with this horse. He’s won at a mile-and-a-half, we know he stays further, so there was no stamina worry. As long as he got the pace right it wasn’t a lack of stamina that was going to beat him. It was just a question of how it was going to pan out and the clever old boy got it right.
“This was the plan, as they say, we haven’t gone beyond today. The ground will go you’d imagine. If we happen to get a very dry autumn then we can think about the Champion at Ascot but it’s usually soft by then. Let’s just enjoy a day and have a pow-wow and think it through.”
It will be Sheika Hissa’s decision about future plans and Gosden said: “Wouldn’t her dad be so proud? It’s wonderful to see the success the team are having. She’s always loved the horses, always been involved, she knows their pedigrees from back to front.”
Mostahdaf becomes the latest potential stallion to join the burgeoning Shadwell ranks, a son of Frankel and a ten furlong Group One winner. He won't be short of admirers even with Baaeed and possibly Hukum in nearby palatial barns.
Where now for Mostahdaf the racehorse is unclear. Gosden felt he would be able to back up quicker than he did this time but the ground will dictate. He talked about America and the Breeders’ Cup, pondering whether a mile-and-a-half at Santa Anita in the Turf might work, but like the owners was in no rush.
For Paddington the winning run ends at seven – but not for the want of trying. Three times he regathered himself to have another tilt at the leader – the closest he came to gathering the momentum to get to him was between the two and the furlong pole.
It was the fastest ground he’s encountered but Aidan O’Brien was more inclined to point to the busy schedule he’s keeping – and thriving on – in the immediate aftermath.
“Maybe I should have waited and given him a little bit more time to recover. Ryan said he didn't travel with his usual fluency,” he pondered.
How far below his best was Paddington?
Maybe. But his willingness to roll the dice – and the colt’s ability to rise to every fresh challenge - has done much to save the 2023 Flat season. But on numbers, to be firmed up in the coming days, Paddington looks to have been just a couple of pounds below his best. It's just Mostahdaf was at his peak - for the second race running.
O’Brien did win the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes with Continuous who looks an upwardly mobile three-year-old. He dispatched his rivals with relish under a patient ride.
He evoked memories of Milan who went on to win the St Leger – and a Breeders’ Cup Turf – for the Ballydoyle maestro but O'Brien warned: “Ryan said he’d get a mile-and-six but doesn’t need it.”
Gregory the Leger bet
In contrast Gregory needs every yard of it – and potentially more. He was displaced as Leger favourite by his York conqueror having finished third but pushing him out to 6/1 in places looks an over-reaction.
Winner of the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot he was dropping back in trip here and failed the speed test under a penalty. But the way he came home in the final furlong to almost get back for second left Gosden to opine: “To me he’s run the perfect trial for the Leger. I did say to the owners before the race that I’d asked the course executive if they could move the stalls back to the start of the Ebor, but they wouldn’t!
“I couldn’t be more pleased as a Leger prep and you can see by the size of him he’s all about next year, one more run in the Leger and then Cup races next year.”
On an afternoon where future plans for the Juddmonte International principals remain fluid, here’s the bet for anyone looking to top up their ante-post portfolios.
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