No Catching Paddy
Certainties do not exist in racing but you can get as close as possible at times. Horses do not know their odds and they are not machines so you can always get a major upset. Catch The Paddy had already made a good impression in his short career but he made no mistake when gaining a first career win at Hamilton in the 6f racingtv.com Maiden Stakes, at odds of 2/9.
Kevin is always known for unleashing nice 2yr olds at York. The quality of the track requires this but also it is a great place to introduce a juvenile. Catch The Paddy entered a lot of notebooks when he finished runner up at the Knavesmire, coming from off the pace to chase home a smart winner. It was a similar story on his second run when he filled the same spot. With his winning rivals going on to compete at Royal Ascot, it confirmed that the form was very strong.
Catch The Paddy had already shown enough promise to show he would be winning but where could he go in the future. Hamilton provided a good opportunity and Kevin wanted to get the colt’s head in front after a couple of near misses. His 4 rivals didn’t match the same level of form so it did look a straight forward task if Paddy ran to form. Kevin Stott travelled up for the ride and oozed confidence throughout.
Settled in the rear early on, Catch The Paddy tucked in from his slightly wide draw. Kevin ensured he wasn’t stuck on the wing with no cover. It was pretty much plain sailing up to the business end of the race. Catch The Paddy travelled supremely well and it enabled Kevin to just wait for the moment to pounce.
At the 2f marker the race changed as Kevin angled out towards the centre of the track to get a clear run. His nearest market rival tried to follow suit, having raced alongside. As Paddy moved forward with ease, his royal couldn’t match and this really just left the leader to challenge. Squeezed up to press the leader, Catch The Paddy was vying for the lead as they moved into the final furlong. Kevin asked him to go and finish his race which the colt did with ease. It took a few strides to really quicken up but once he did it was game over. Catch The Paddy easily took the maiden by 2 lengths and could well be worth double that margin.
Winning like this when it is expected does come with quite a bit of relief. Nobody wants to be beaten at short odds and Catch The Paddy made no mistake. His form was by far the best so it was an expected result from Paddy but it is still nice to see. Where the colt can go now is an unknown but he certainly looks worthy of stepping up in grade.