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• March 22, 2024
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European superstar to stand at Windsor Park

One of the world’s best racehorses last year has been secured to stand at Windsor Park Stud in 2024.

Ballydoyle superstar Paddington, a four-time Group One Classic and Royal Ascot-winning son of leading commercial sire Siyouni will shuttle to Windsor Park following the completion of his first stud season this year at Coolmore, Ireland.

Paddington is the only horse in history to win the Group One quartet of the Irish 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, Eclipse Stakes & Sussex Stakes.

This unique achievement illustrated his versatility and dominance, not just against his own generation but also against older horses.

“Paddington is a history-maker,” Windsor Park’s Rodney Schick said.

“He was exceptional from the beginning being a top-drawer yearling himself, a champion miler on the racetrack and is by the exceptional sire Siyouni, one of the world’s most in-demand sale-ring sires.”

A winner of seven races in succession, Paddington only raced as a two and three-year-old, capturing the attention of the racing world with a sequence of world-class performances.

A two-year-old winner at the Curragh at his second start, Paddinton commenced his Classic season with successive victories prior to his inaugural Group One victory in the Irish 2000 Guineas (1600m).

Following this first Group One success, Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien then took Paddington to Royal Ascot for the Gr.1 St James’s Palace Stakes where he produced a commanding performance to defeat the best European three-year-old milers which included English 2OOO Guineas winner Chaldean who finished in second position, 3.75 lengths behind Paddington.

O’Brien then pitched Paddington up in distance and against the best older horses in the Gr.1 Eclipse Stakes (2002m) at Sandown where he again proved superior to defeat arguably the best mare in training, multiple Group One winner Emily Upjohn.

With his Eclipse success Paddington became the first horse since Sadler’s Wells, four decades earlier, to complete the Irish 2000 Guineas/Eclipse Stakes double.

O’Brien was then sufficiently confident to drop Paddington back to a mile in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood where he produced an even more emphatic result to win again against older horses.

“He thrives on racing and is very uncomplicated,” champion jockey Ryan Moore said. “He’s a very unique horse and I’m very fortunate to be riding him.”

Seven consecutive victories confirmed Paddington’s mental and physical progression and cemented his superstar status among the best horses racing globally.

“To do what he did takes a very special horse, very unique really,” his Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien said.

“In terms of his attitude and determination he was very similar to Giant’s Causeway but Paddington was a much quicker horse. 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.”

A €420,000 (NZ$750,000) Arqana October Yearling sales graduate, the 16.1hh Paddington is a son of the Aga Khan Stud’s highly commercial Champion Sire Siyouni.

One of Europe’s most sought-after sires, Siyouni had yearlings sell to $A3.6 million in 2023 and he stands at stud in 2024 for €200,000 (NZ$357,000).

A Group One winning two-year-old, Siyouni has been twice General Champion Sire and four-times Champion Sire of two-year-olds.

Bred by the famed Wildenstein family’s Dayton Investments Ltd, Paddington comes from one of their most illustrious families.

His first four dams are either stakes winners or Group One performers descending from their undefeated Champion and dual Classic-winning racemare Madelia.

In addition, Paddington’s first three damsires were either winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe or Kentucky Derby.

His 4×4 linebreeding to sons of Nureyev combines the precocious brilliance of his sireline with the championship, middle distance qualities of an Arc and Derby winner.

“He was an unbelievable racehorse,” Coolmore’s Tom Magnier said. “Everything we threw at him he delivered. Also, he’s got the looks and he’s got the pedigree. He really just ticks every box.”

“I believe that he is the most exciting horse to go to stud in New Zealand in a very long time.”

Paddington is enjoying his first Northern Hemisphere season at Coolmore, Ireland where he has attracted an outstanding book of mares at a fee of €55,000 (NZ$98,000).

“Our partnership with Coolmore bringing outstanding stallion prospects to Windsor Park stems back to Montjeu and High Chaparral among others,” Schick said.

“We are delighted to continue our great relationship through standing stallions of the calibre of Paddington and Circus Maximus.”

Windsor Park has negotiated to stand PADDINGTON in 2024 at an introductory fee of $35,000 +GST which includes a Live Foal Guarantee. -NZ Racing Desk