Tag Archive for: Seagulls Eleven

Return to Goodwood possible for Seagulls Eleven

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Hugo Palmer will monitor the Celebration Mile at Goodwood as he plots a route for Seagulls Eleven.

The son of Galileo Gold, who is owned by a group of current and former Brighton football players, finally broke his Group-race duck when landing the Thoroughbred Stakes on the Sussex Downs.

He could be heading back to Goodwood over course and distance, while a trip to Doncaster is also on option before a likely run overseas.

Palmer said: “He had some fairly tough assignments last year and as a result, despite the fact he was the 10th highest rated two-year-old in Europe, he only actually won a maiden so it’s lovely for him to be a Group winner.

“He got a couple of fairly nasty knocks as well. Henri Matisse crashed into him fairly hard in the National Stakes and he was crashed into from behind in the Breeders’ Cup.

“I think as a result when he just got very fractionally short of room in the Guineas, he just panicked and kind of pulled himself up, so we’ve worked hard with his confidence, both at home and in races.

“I thought he ran a really good race in the Jersey despite being drawn on the wrong side but on his side he was just a long neck, half a length second.

“And then he was obviously very good in the Henry Cecil Stakes (at Newmarket) and we were delighted when Charlie Appleby took his horse (Opera Ballo) out so we didn’t have to try to reverse form with him.

Qatar Goodwood Festival – King George Day – Goodwood Racecourse
Seagulls Eleven on his way to Goodwood glory (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“We’ve put him in the Park Stakes at Doncaster and we’ll keep an eye on the Celebration Mile and see how many are likely to stay in that.

“We might supplement him in that over course and distance. He would have been a horse for what used to be the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury, but that’s gone and he’d have had a penalty in that. We’d love to potentially travel him.

“We were thinking about a $1million race at Kentucky Downs which is quite up and down, which is un-American and quite Goodwood-esque, I believe, not that I’ve been there.

“We potentially might be invited to the Golden Eagle which is worth A$10million and it’s a lot of money to pass up. So we’ll just have to see. He’s come out of the race super.”

Seagulls Eleven flies home for Thoroughbred triumph

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Hugo Palmer’s Seagulls Eleven bagged the big-race victory he has long promised in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood.

A son of the trainer’s 2000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold, Seagulls Eleven is owned by several current and former Brighton & Hove Albion footballers, including James Milner and Danny Welbeck.

After breaking his duck at Haydock last summer, the three-year-old went on to run with credit in the Superlative Stakes, the National Stakes and the Dewhurst before the end of his juvenile campaign and his best race since his return came when second to Opera Ballo in a Newmarket Listed race three weeks ago.

With Opera Ballo a significant non-runner in this Group Three contest, Seagulls Eleven was one of just four runners to go to post and after taking an early lead under Oisin Murphy, the 11-4 shot found plenty for pressure late on to score by three-quarters of a length from Diego Ventura.

Palmer said: “He can be a handful to saddle but not in a nasty way, he has a kind look in his face and is genuinely versatile.

“Last year he had to run in the Group Ones and ran with great credit, but it’s taken a while for him to get his confidence back.

“Today when they came to him, he had the guts to go and get the job done.

“He’s been invited to the Golden Eagle in Australia and there are 10 million reasons why he should go for that, but first we might give him another at home. It might be that we have to supplement into the Celebration Mile and he’s not in the City of York.”

Diego Ventura is owned by Wathnan Racing, whose racing adviser Richard Brown said: “He has arguably run a career-best race. He was just getting going and Oisin has slightly rolled off the rail on the winner and it has cost him a little bit of momentum, but I don’t think it has made a difference to the result.

“We will talk to Hamad (Al Jehani, trainer) and the team but he is strongest at the line and we will probably try up in trip.”

Richard Hannon’s King Of Cities was the third-placed horse when beaten a length and a quarter under Ryan Moore, with the trainer saying: “He looked like he didn’t help Ryan much to me. It was disappointing not being beaten far.

“There are big races in him but he looks a bit flat-footed sometimes. Ryan thought it might have helped if he had gone on a bit, but they were probably going a good enough gallop if he wanted to. For me, he just does enough.”

Irish 2,000 Guineas runner-up Cosmic Year finished last of the four runners with Colin Keane reporting: “I would say the ground was a little bit against us.

“He relaxed and travelled round nicely but, when we needed him, he wasn’t able to, and I didn’t think we got to the line very strong.

“I would be inclined to come back to seven furlongs. I wouldn’t even rule out a stiff six on nicer ground, where they go hard and you can ride a race on him. Hopefully, he will hit the line better. Today he felt straightforward, it felt like he tried, it just felt like the trip was stretching him.”

Palmer can consider nice options for promising Laureate Crown

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Hugo Palmer’s Laureate Crown could be set for bigger things after a regal performance on debut at Ascot.

The Fitri Hay-owned son of Victor Ludorum made smooth progress under a typically patient Jamie Spencer ride to register a taking opening victory in what looked a useful novice event.

Connections are now eyeing a step into stakes company, with Goodwood’s Coral Vintage Stakes (July 29) that Palmer won with his Classic hero Galileo Gold in 2015 a possible option alongside a move up to a mile for Salisbury’s Stonehenge Stakes on August 13.

Palmer said: “He was only just ready to start so overcame greenness and I particularly thought Jamie Spencer’s default position suits a horse like that so nicely because the horse was allowed time to find his feet and relax into the race.

“He wasn’t put under any pressure and if it happened it happened and if it didn’t there would be another day, so I was delighted to see it all come together. The Vintage has to now come into consideration, (but) he’s quite a big horse, so I don’t know if Goodwood is necessarily the perfect spot for him and he might also be ready for a mile relatively soon.

“The Stonehenge at Salisbury might be more suitable, but we’ll just have to see.

“You would hope he is up to running in stakes company and being such a big horse I hope there’s much more to come from him.”

Seagulls Eleven has regained his consistency
Seagulls Eleven has regained his consistency (David Davies for The Jockey Club/PA)

Although Laureate Crown’s Qatar Goodwood Festival participation is still to be decided, one who will be in action on the Sussex Downs is his stablemate Seagulls Eleven.

Owned by the Two Plus Three Two Plus Four syndicate which includes Premier League footballers James Milner and Danny Welbeck, the three-year-old chased home Charlie Appleby’s Opera Bello in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket last week.

That second-place effort follows a respectable run in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, with the Manor House handler now pointing his charge towards the Group Three Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood (August 1).

“He seems to be back on track and he just met a good one on Thursday, I think, but I was delighted with the way he ran,” continued Palmer.

“I would have thought the Thoroughbred Stakes would be an obvious spot for him.”