Mostahdaf takes down Paddington in International at York
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Mostadahf denied ace 3-year-old Paddington his fifth straight Group 1 while winning at the top level for the second straight time himself, as Frankie Dettori passed Lester Piggott to become the most prolific winning jockey in the history of the Group 1 International Stakes.
Dettori, planning to retire at year’s end, is riding his last Ebor Festival at York Racecourse in England and was determined to be first with Mostahdaf from the start. Desirous of turning the International into a test of stamina rather than acceleration and speed, Dettori put his mount on the lead from the start with the intention of setting a solid tempo. The trick was to balance going fast enough to potentially expose Paddington, who got nine pounds from 5-year-old Mostahdaf, while not asking his own mount to run too hard, too soon.
Dettori got it just right. Mostahdaf turned into the long York homestretch with a lead of a few lengths and Paddington never could do more than narrowly close the gap. All the chasing eventually took its toll as Nashwa, Mostahdaf’s John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate, surged late to take second from Paddington. Mostahdaf won by one length as The Foxes brought up the rear of this four-horse field.
“The key was trying to get the fractions right,” Dettori said. “Thankfully after 36 years I’ve learned how to do it.”
Dettori hadn’t won the International since 2007 and this was his sixth victory in the race, topping Piggott’s five winners.
Mostahdaf is a late-developing Shadwell Estate Limited homebred by Frankel out of Handassa, by Dubawi. Just 12th in his Group 1 debut, the St. James’s Palace Stakes in June 2021, Mostahdaf finished last of 20 in the 2022 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but the Arc’s 1 1/2 miles is a quarter-mile farther than Mostahdaf prefers, and the horse wants to stay atop the ground, like he did Wednesday, rather than sinking into soft going, as happened in the Arc.
This year, Mostahdaf was brilliant romping in a Saudi Group 3 over the winter before fading slightly to fourth going 1 1/2 miles in the Sheema Classic on the Dubai World Cup card. He became a Group 1 winner with a blowout win over Luxembourg in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and ran back to that form over good-to-firm going Wednesday. Mostahdaf clocked a quick 2:06.40 for about 1 5/16 miles.
John Gosden strongly believes 1 1/4 miles or thereabouts is Mostahdaf’s ideal trip, and the International was a “Win and You’re In Race” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic over 1 1/4 miles on Santa Anita dirt, but no mention was made of a run at the Classic. The Mostahdaf camp is likely to dodge the Arc this year and aim for the Champion Stakes over 1 1/4 miles in October at Ascot with a possible interim run in the Irish Champion Stakes, another 1 1/4-mile contest.
Paddington won’t run in the Irish Champion, though trainer Aidan O’Brien didn’t close the door on an Arc start. O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore thought Paddington might have been somewhat flat racing just 22 days after capturing the Sussex Stakes over very soft going at Goodwood. The Sussex followed Group 1 successes in the Eclipse, the St. James’s Palace, and the Irish 2000 Guineas, but Paddington ran into a superior foe with a great rider astride him Wednesday.
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