By Sean Cronin
Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Roger Varian trainee Saddadd (Pinatubo), who hit the board in September's Listed Foundation Stakes at Goodwood when last seen, found the necessary gears to claim a career high in Friday's G3 bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown.
“He's an absolute darling of a horse and has the most delightful attitude,” claimed trainer Roger Varian. “He won here like a really good horse last September and I think he was just over the top in a very strong Listed at Goodwood. I liked the way he put the race to bed and Ray [Dawson] was pretty adamant we don't need to be moving the goalposts just yet. I think we'll stay at 10 furlongs for now and we have to dream he's a Group 1 horse, but his next race will tell us more. I would love to perhaps end up at Ascot in a [G1] Champion Stakes, we know he'll handle cut in the ground and he's going to get better throughout the year. I think we'll digest today and see where the ladder is going. He's in the [G1] Tattersalls Gold Cup and we would love to come back here in the summer for the [G1] Eclipse. It's just a question of which race we go for.”
The 2-1 second favourite employed patient tactics from the outset and settled off the pace racing fourth of the five runners through halfway.
Making eyecatching headway out wide in the straight, he quickened in stylish fashion to gain a narrow advantage entering the final furlong and was ridden out up the hill to defeat King Of Cities (Dubawi) by 1 3/4 lengths.
The runner-up was 5 1/2 lengths clear of 15-8 favourite Almeric (Study Of Man) in third.
Pedigree Notes
Saddadd is the third foal and black-type performer for the stakes-winning GI E P Taylor Stakes runner-up Talmada (Cape Cross), who has also produced G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner and G1 Champion Stakes third Almaqam (Lope De Vega) and the dual stakes-placed Saleymm (Dubawi).
His dam is a half-sister to G2 Champagne Stakes-winning sire Saamidd (Street Cry) and the stakes-winning G3 Desmond Stakes runner-up Masaarr (Distorted Humor)
Talmada has the two-year-old filly Tarrjoo (Dubawi) and a yearling filly by Pinatubo to come.
Saddadd looks good on his return in the @bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes ✅ @Sandownpark @varianstable | @Raydawson101 pic.twitter.com/dPCRvhddVR
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 24, 2026
Friday, Sandown, Britain
BET365 GORDON RICHARDS STAKES-G3, £95,000, Sandown, 4-24, 4yo/up, 9f 209yT, 2:08.46, gd.
1–SADDADD (IRE), 128, c, 4, by Pinatubo (Ire)
1st Dam: Talmada (SW & GSP-Eng, GISP-Can), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Aryaamm (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Zibilene (GB), by Rainbow Quest
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum; B-Godolphin; T-Roger Varian; J-Ray Dawson. £53,875. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-2, $207,072. *1/2 to Almaqam (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), GSW & G1SP-Eng, MGSP-Fr; and Saleymm (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), SP-Eng & UAE. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–King Of Cities (Ire), 128, c, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Ajman Princess (Ire), by Teofilo (Ire). O-Exors of the Late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid; B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; T-Karl Burke. £20,425.
3–Almeric (GB), 128, c, 4, Study of Man (Ire)–Alvarita (GB), by Selkirk. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Kirsten Rausing; T-Andrew Balding. £10,222.
Margins: 1 3/4, 5HF, 11. Odds: 2.00, 2.50, 1.88.
Also Ran: Devil's Advocate (GB), Muddy Mooy (Ire).
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