Paddington crashed into the world top five with his convincing victory as he stepped up in trip against a select field to complete a quickfire G1 hat-trick in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on Saturday [July 8].
The Ballydoyle three-year-old now has a winning streak of six, having met defeat only once – on his Ascot debut as a juvenile in September last year.
Since then, he has progressed rapidly from a Naas handicap success on his seasonal debut through the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot before the Eclipse, where he pressed the leader before taking command two furlongs out and holding Emily Upjohn in a driving finish.
Paddington receives a 251pt boost on Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Global Rankings, moving up to #4 (from #22) on a list led by Japanese star Equinox for the 16th week since his Dubai Sheema Classic win.
Indeed, such was the quality of the Eclipse that runner-up Emily Upjohn (#14 from #20, +37pt) also improves her position.
As for Paddington, the son of French stallion Siyouni (stays at #7 on turf sires, +55pt) is likely to cut back again to a mile in the £1 million Qatar-sponsored Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on August 2.
Paddington’s jockey Ryan Moore remains #1 among riders, while trainer Aidan O’Brien is closing in on Charlie Appleby at the head of the trainers’ rankings. Newmarket’s July meeting could be pivotal.
Another significant mover this week is Westover (#11 from #79, +292pt), who scored for the first time since last year’s Irish Derby when staying on well to claim the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
• Unlike traditional methods of racehorse rankings, TRC Global Rankings are a measure of an individual’s level of achievement over a rolling three-year period, providing a principled hierarchy of the leading horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and sires using statistical learning techniques. Racehorse rankings can be compared to similar exercises in other sports, like the golf’s world rankings or the ATP rankings in tennis.
They are formulated from the last three years of races we consider Group or Graded class all over the world and update automatically each week according to the quality of a horse’s performances and their recency, taking into account how races work out.
• Visit the Jockey Club's Sandown Park website
Ryan Moore back on top of the world as #1 jockey
Equinox confirms status as world’s best as Irad Ortiz claims top spot among jockeys
Charles Hayward steps down from central role at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires