Star European performer Paddington has been secured for shuttle duties at Windsor Park StudA pattern of success led by Montjeu and High Chaparral is a good fit for the combined forces of Coolmore and Windsor Park in identifying the characteristics required of stallions shuttling to New Zealand from the Northern Hemisphere.
Last week it was announced that multiple Group One winner Paddington, a son of champion French stallion Siyouni, would shuttle from Coolmore Ireland to Cambridge’s Windsor Park Stud in a deal that will see him stand at a fee of $35,000 plus GST.
Paddington set unprecedented benchmarks in his 10-race career for Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien as he put together a seven-win sequence from an autumn two-year-old to late summer three-year-old. Highlight performances were his quartet of Group One wins across a 10-week period last year, beginning with the Irish 2000 Guineas in late May and continuing through the Royal Ascot St James’s Palace Stakes, Sandown Eclipse Stakes and Goodwood Sussex Stakes in early August.
The first two age-group race were at a mile – and at Royal Ascot Paddington comfortably accounted for the English 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean – but he was taken out of his comfort zone when stepped up to the Eclipse Stakes over 10 furlongs at weight-for-age. It made no difference as Paddington proved too strong for his older rivals, the best of them champion female Emily Upjohn, who at her two previous starts had won the Gr. 1 Ascot Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes and Gr. 1 Epsom Coronation Cup.
Ballydoyle’s confidence in Paddington was again underlined when he reverted to a mile for his next start, the Sussex Stakes, and despite less favoured soft ground he was again too good as he scored another dominant win.
“To do what he did takes a very special horse,” Aidan O’Brien said. “He had great tactical speed but could quicken off it. He’s an unbelievable specimen who got physically stronger from race to race, which is a very unusual thing in a thoroughbred.”
Paddington, who will be the first son of the Northern Dancer line stallion Siyouni to go to stud in New Zealand, represents a long line of breeding success for the Wildenstein family’s Dayton Investments. That list includes four winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the best known of them champion mare Allex France, whose half-brother Noble Bijou became a champion New Zealand stallion from his White Robe Lodge base.
“We’re very fortunate to secure a horse like Paddington,” Windsor Park’s Steve Till told RaceForm earlier this week. “It’s the benefit of our long association with Coolmore going back to Tale of the Cat, then Montjeu and High Chaparral through to Mastercraftsman and now Circus Maximus and Paddington.
“We’re always on the lookout, casting the net far and wide for what we believe is the right horse to stand here. Last year we came up with Profondo and now we’re in the very fortunate position to have combined forces with Coolmore on Paddington.
“We had identified him as a horse we were definitely interested in, and to be honest, we’re pinching ourselves that he’s coming to Windsor Park.
“It’s great to have a horse with his credentials – and along with what he represents, the really exciting part is that we’ll be able to stand him at a fee that is unbelievable value at $35,000. Compare that to his northern hemisphere fee of 55,000 Euros – a shade under $100,000 – and it’s no wonder that within days of announcing him we’ve got over 140 bookings as breeders here and in Australia have recognised that.”
Paddington’s sire Siyouni, the winner of the Gr. 1 Grand Criterium at two in the colours of his breeder HH Aga Khan, has established himself as one of Europe’s leading stallions, a premiership winner in France whose service fee has climbed this year to €200,000. As well as Paddington, his progeny include five-time Group One winner St Mark’s Basilica, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sotsass, high-class fillies Ervedya, Lauren and Tahiyra, and star West Australian mare Amelia’s Jewel, who was imported in utero.
“Paddington is from the same Nureyev branch of the Northern Dancer sire-line that gave us Thorn Park, but Siyouni offers something new.” Till added. “Balancing that he’s out of a mare by Montjeu and his granddam is by Peintre Celebre, both of those horses Derby and Arc (de Triomphe) winners, and the third dam was by a Kentucky Derby winner.
“You can’t fault his dam-line tracing back to Paddington’s fourth dam Madelia, who won the French Oaks. Working back from that his third dam was also a Group One winner, his granddam finished second in the French Oaks and his dam was a stakes winner.
“On pedigree he’s got so much going for him, he was a cracking individual and a top-priced yearling with a lovely outlook and as he became a racehorse, a great action that became obvious along with a lovely temperament.
“He’s the full package and we’re excited at the prospect of standing him here in the spring.”
