Mostahdaf upsets Paddington in Juddmonte International

Mostahdaf upset odds-on favorite Paddington on Wednesday in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York, the only Europe win-and-you’re-in for the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

The 5-year-old Shadwell homebred benefited from a front-running ride by Frankie Dettori to win the 1 5/16-mile turf race by a length. It was his second consecutive Group 1 win after taking the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Paddington, whose seven-race win streak included four Group 1s, made a bid in the stretch but came up short and was caught for second by Nashwa. The Foxes was last in the four-horse field.

John Gosden, co-trainer of Mostahdaf with his son Thady, said he would talk with the owner about the next-out options for the son of Frankel, who won this race in 2012 as part of his 14-for-14 career.

“You could probably get away with a mile-and-a-half at the Breeders’ Cup round a few bends and down a hill, but I don't think we'll see that,” Gosden told Racing TV.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien said the Juddmonte might have been too soon for Paddington, coming three weeks after his win in the Sussex (G1) at Goodwood.

“Maybe I just pulled the elastic band too long, that’s the reality,” O’Brien said to Racing TV. “He had a tough race in Goodwood on soft ground. He had to fight twice in Goodwood, and it just told today.”