Race In Focus: Is Addeybb a banker in Friday's Gala Stakes?

You won’t find many 118-rated horses running outside of Group company, especially equine champions who have recorded four top-level successes and amassed over £3.5million in prize-money.

Addeybb is an anomaly, and this isn’t his first rodeo at Listed level since his CV became littered with Group 1 victories, either. Back in 2020, Addeybb, fresh off the back of two high-profile successes on his first foray to Australia and a highly creditable runner-up finish in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, was sent up to Scotland to contest the Listed Doonside Cup.

He had to give 7lb to six smart rivals that day and it appeared a rather curious piece of placing from trainer William Haggas. He scrambled home by three-quarters of a length and landed some tasty bets in the process, but that assignment was clearly used to sharpen him up ahead of his back-end target, the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot. Addeybb was trained to perfection and recorded a famous success, so it’s safe to say that his Scottish venture worked an absolute treat.

Addeybb has almost exclusively contested Group 1s since - the Brigadier Gerard here in May has proved the only exception. It is well documented that he tends to need his first racecourse outing after a break and there’s a good chance that he felt the heat behind two top-notch middle-distance players that day. Perhaps Haggas is looking to repeat his 2020 heroics here with a whole host of potential summer entries on the radar.

One thing is for certain: there isn’t a Bay Bridge or Mostahdaf in this field. Those two rivals put Addeybb in his place over this course and distance last time out and supplemented the form with creditable runner-up finishes in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, respectively. 

Haggas’ eight-year-old ran to a Racing Post Rating of 114 to finish third despite taking a blow in the final furlong, and a similar effort would suffice in an average Gala Stakes (ten-year mean is an RPR of 113.5). But I think it’s fair to expect a better display this time around. 

Not only does he have race fitness on his side, but he should get a nice tow through courtesy of either Passion And Glory or Victory Chime on a track that suits prominent racers. Given his class, superiority on official ratings and the likely race setup, Addeybb seems a reasonable price.

If there is a danger it might be the aforementioned Passion And Glory, who has won five of his eight career starts in Britain. He was last seen on these shores 12 months ago, when a neck victory over Jim Goldie’s stablestar Euchen Glen confirmed he was capable of competing in Group company. 

A trip to Dubai and Saudi Arabia earlier this year didn’t go to plan, but he’s back in Britain and shouldn’t be dismissed under Hollie Doyle. We’ve seen Saeed bin Suroor strike with similar types before, but he will need a huge career-best to beat an on-song Addeybb.

Recommended bet

Addeybb (4.05 Sandown) @ 2.3