Addeybb, Verry Elleegant Set For Rematch in Ranvet
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Photo: Bill Selwyn
Addeybb wins the 2020 Champion Stakes at Ascot
Addeybb, Europe's joint top-rated horse, bids to defend his Ranvet Stakes (G1) crown at Rosehill March 20, with connections and bookmakers alike expecting him to have another battle on his hands.
The William Haggas-trained raider, who will as usual be partnered by Tom Marquand, beat Verry Elleegant by half a length in the group 1 contest 12 months ago, and the same two horses dominate the small field for this year's renewal.
Only five have been declared for the 10-furlong test, to be run at 3.25 a.m. GMT on Saturday, and Addeybb was on Friday 10-11 market leader with British and Irish bookmakers, with Verry Elleegant a best-priced 6-5. It's 17-2 bar the big two.
Addeybb added the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) to his haul on his last outing in October, and finished 2020 the equal third-best horse worldwide on ratings at 125, behind only Ghaiyyath and Authentic , who have both been retired.
The 7-year-old beat Verry Elleegant more comfortably in the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) to follow up his Ranvet success last year, but Haggas and Marquand expect the race-fit runner-up to be firing on all cylinders.
"I've been watching Verry Elleegant closely all year, and she's a pretty smart filly," the trainer told Racing NSW. "He's come halfway across the world and she's come down the road. If we win it would be great for us, but we're not confident about anything.
"We're pleased to have the horse there, we're pleased to have the rain, and the horse in the condition that we would hope at this time of the year."
Marquand, who was winning his first group 1 in last year's race, added: "These are the races that should be celebrated. You've got two heavyweights coming together and whatever side you come out of it, you can't help but respect the fact they're both top-class athletes, and clashes are what people want to see.
"We know Addeybb is going to improve on whatever he does on Saturday; whether that's good enough to beat Verry Elleegant, that's another matter altogether. But as long as he comes out of this race well into the Queen Elizabeth, that's the main aim."