Pampapaul

Pampapaul finished second in his first two races before contesting a maiden over six furlongs at the Curragh in June and recorded his first success despite hanging to the left in the closing stages. He was then moved up in class for the Railway Stakes over the same course and distance and was equipped with blinkers for the first time. After a slow start he made rapid progress approaching the final furlong but was hampered in the closing stages and finished third behind Brahms and Roman Charger. In the National Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh in September the colt was matched against seven opponents including Roman Charger, Lordedaw (runner-up in the Coventry Stakes) and the favoured Captain James. Pampapaul showed his difficult temperament both before and during the race. After being reluctant to enter the starting stalls he took the lead a quarter of a mile from the finish but then began to hang badly to the left. He nevertheless won decisively, coming home two and a half lengths clear of Captain James. Later that month Pampapaul was sent to England and started favourite for the Royal Lodge Stakes over one mile at Ascot Racecourse. Despite his jockey's attempts to restrain him he disputed the lead from the start and set a very strong pace which left most of his opponents struggling. He weakened in the final furlong and was beaten a length into second place by Gairloch.[2]

On his three-year-old debut Pampapaul looked less than fully fit when finishing fifth behind Lordedaw in the Tetrarch Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh in April. In the Irish 2000 Guineas on 14 May the colt was partnered by the Italian jockey Gianfranco Dettori and started at odds of 16/1 in a twenty-one runner field. The Minstrel started favourite ahead of Nebbiolo whilst the other runners included Artaius, Lordedaw, Ballad Rock, Roman Charger as well as the British challengers Bona-Mia and Pollerton. Dettori tracked the leaders before switching to the outside to deliver his challenge in the last quarter mile. Pampapaul took the lead inside the final furlong and held off the challenge of The Minstrel to win by a short head with Nebbiolo a length away in third place.[5] Before he took the lead, a ding-dong battle raged between Nebbiolo (who had won the English 2,000 Guineas) and The Minstrel (who was to win the English Derby), memorably described on the radio by Michael O’Hehir, who cried out, as those two horses ran inside the final furlong, "And here comes Pampapaul!", almost as if it was expected, as indeed it was by all the regulars of The Pickerel Inn, Cambridge who had bet on it that morning at odds of 22/1 on the excellent and well-celebrated advice of one of their number, Charles (later Sir Charles) Colthurst, Baronet.

Pampapaul was moved up in distance to contest the 198th running of The Derby over one and a half miles at Epsom Downs Racecourse in June but after tracking the leaders he was unable to make any progress in the straight and finished seventh behind The Minstrel. Two weeks later he was dropped back in distance for the St James's Palace Stakes over one mile at Royal Ascot and finished fourth of the seven runners behind Don, Marinsky and Tachypous. On his only subsequent appearance he was sent to France for the Prix Jacques Le Marois over 1600 metres at Deauville Racecourse in August and finished last of the seven runners behind Flying Water.[5]