Causeway Emulates Paddington In The Madrid
Following on from Ballydoyle’s earlier winner Accredited (Siyouni), Causeway (Wootton Bassett) made it a double for the yard on Naas’s Sunday card as he emulated Paddington in winning the Madrid Handicap under top weight.
Whether he goes on to hit the heights of his predecessor remains to be seen, but the Curragh maiden winner who hails from the family of Magical and Rhododendron showed grit to deny former stablemate Controlled (No Nay Never) in a photo for the seven-furlong contest.
“Seven furlongs is on the tight side for him and he can only improve from today,” Ryan Moore said of the full-brother to last year’s Irish Oaks third Island Hopping. “He’s got a lovely attitude and is a big horse who can go on. We’ve got to go a long way before we can compare him with Paddington, but you’d have to be very happy with that.”
Aidan O’Brien added, “He took a run last year, as he was a little bit lazy. He’ll obviously stay a lot further. He’s brave, he stuck his head out. He can go into a winner’s race now and we’ll go gentle with him and let him mature away. We’ll see how he progresses, there are other horses there for the Classics at the moment.”
Causeway strikes in the €50,000 Irish Racing Writers Association Madrid Handicap!
The Wootton Bassett colt got a decent mention at the recent Ballydoyle press morning and he makes a winning start as a three-year-old under Ryan Moore at @NaasRacecourse pic.twitter.com/NOCFpNOvUC
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 22, 2026
The aforementioned Island Hopping, who also finished placed in the G3 Give Thanks Stakes and G3 Salsabil Stakes, was the first foal out of the dam who is a full-sister to Galileo’s star mares Magical and Rhododendron who in turn have produced Group 1 performers, most notably the latter’s Derby hero Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact). Out of the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Sun Chariot and Nassau heroine Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal) from the excellent family of Cassandra Go (Indian Ridge), her yearling colt is by Deep Impact’s son Contrail.
5th-Naas, €50,000, Hcp, 3-22, 3yo, 7fT, 1:34.36, sf.
CAUSEWAY (IRE) (c, 3, Wootton Bassett {GB}–Heaven of Heavens {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $49,782. O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O’Brien.