Paddington made a seamless switch to Classic company as he gave trainer Aidan O’Brien another victory in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh.
Having begun his season in handicap company off a mark of 97, Paddington won the Tetrarch Stakes next time before being pitched into the Guineas.
Ryan Moore was keen to grab an early position on the 3-1 victor and settled just behind Oisin Murphy on Hi Royal, the surprise runner up in the Newmarket Guineas.
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For a brief spell it appeared as if Murphy was keeping a bit up his sleeve as Moore got down into the drive position, but with half a furlong left to run, Paddington began to gain the upper hand.
He leaned in briefly on Hi Royal, but he was already in command and as Hi Royal began to weaken it was the winner’s stablemate Cairo who made late gains from the rear to claim second, beaten two lengths.
Royal Scotsman was sent off the 6-4 favourite but never looked like getting involved as O’Brien claimed a 12th victory in the race, although it was his first since Churchill in 2017.
The winner is now the 4-1 second favourite for the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot with Coral, who have Newmarket winner Chaldean as the 11-8 market leader.
Earlier, Little Big Bear proved his 2000 Guineas run to be all wrong with a comprehensive success in the Betfred Nifty Fifty Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock.
Champion juvenile last year on the back of his seven-length win in the Phoenix Stakes, his campaign was then curtailed by injury.
Aidan O’Brien opted to switch up to a mile for his seasonal bow, but nothing went right at Newmarket and he finished slightly lame in last place.
Just three weeks later, he was a different proposition dropped back to six furlongs on Merseyside, travelling sweetly throughout in the hands of Frankie Dettori, with Ryan Moore on Irish Guineas duty at the Curragh.
Hollie Doyle appeared to be going just as well on last year’s Coventry winner Bradsell until a furlong and a half out, when Dettori made his race-winning move.
Richard Hannon’s Shouldvebeenaring tried to make a race of it having cruised into contention, but he could never quite get close enough to put the evens favourite under pressure and he went down by a length and a quarter.
The winner is now 6-4 favourite from 9-2 with Betfair for the Commonwealth Cup at Ascot.
Dettori said: “Aidan got in touch with me 10 days ago and I said ‘yeah, I would love to ride the horse’, but I didn’t know where I was going to be. Very kindly they held on for me, I was on the phone on Sunday and said ‘listen, I’m going to Haydock’.
“He looked magnificent today. I guess they had to try the Guineas, it was too long (a mile) and it didn’t work out, but he won in good style today.
“I always had the race covered, he quickened up well under hands and heels and it’s a good confidence booster before the Commonwealth Cup.
“I don’t know what the line-up will be, but he was champion two-year-old, he has big figures and has come back to his best today, so he’ll be the favourite.”
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