Palmer Feels ‘Same Buzz’ as Seagulls Eleven Follows Sire’s Path to the Guineas

[Wandering Eyes]

Hugo Palmer did not disguise his pleasure following a Rowley Mile racecourse gallop for his 2,000 Guineas contender Seagulls Eleven (Ire), whose sire Galileo Gold (GB) was the trainer's first Classic winner in the same race nine years ago. 

Declaring himself “thrilled” after a debrief with Seagulls Eleven's rider Oisin Murphy, Palmer said, “One of the things that's new in my life, having moved [from Newmarket], is that I've had to get used to the fact that we've only got one gallop. Young horses, when you start working them, will work impressively once or twice, but then they realise that their feed's going to be in their manger whether they go five inches clear or five lengths clear. That's something that's taken me three years to accept.”

He continued, “It is very nice, therefore, when you take a horse away to see them open up and go clear – as he should do as he's a 112-rated three-year-old with a 77-rated handicapper – but we think the handicapper is a fair horse who always works well at home.”

Seagulls Eleven, who won a Haydock novice contest last year before finishing second in the G2 Superlative Stakes and then third and fourth respectively in the G1 National and G1 Dewhurst Stakes, is named in honour of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, with his ownership group consisting of Brighton players past and present. 

Palmer added, “The ground was a bit soft in the Dewhurst and it was probably a bit on the soft side for him there but I haven't seen a horse of mine look like that going up the hill on the Rowley Mile since his dad worked here nine years ago. I haven't watched a horse work there and got the same buzz since then.”

On hand to watch the gallop was one of the horse's owners, Brighton's reserve goalkeeper Jason Steele.

“I've followed racehorses since I was a kid and I've always enjoyed it but when James Milner joined the club he twisted a few of the lads' arms to part with some money and everything that James dips his hand in turns to gold,” he said. 

“We're all really involved and intrigued. We're always asking questions and it's something different for us as we're so involved every day with our job but we have an elite mentality so we are always asking about how to get better, what are they doing and how they are training, what they're looking like and thinking. That transfers into different sports but it's been an amazing journey so far.”

 

Guineas contender Seagulls Eleven after his workout | Emma Berry

 

Steele continued, “We're going to miss the Guineas because we're playing Newcastle on the Sunday but we'll all be together watching it, and the lads who aren't with us now at Brighton will be with us on FaceTime watching it. It was amazing to come here today to see him work. He looked really good and everybody is pleased.”

Taking to the track after Seagulls Eleven was Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), also ridden by Murphy, who heads to the 1,000 Guineas for breeders David Howden and Nick Wheeler of Cornthorp Bloodstock. 

Her trainer Ollie Sangster said, “That was smooth. She's in good shape and has been training nicely at home. We felt that bringing her to Newmarket, although she ran here last year, would be beneficial again. 

“Oisin felt she was in a good place. We didn't need to see fireworks but we were happy with what we saw.”

“Her pedigree suggests she will be one to keep improving and we feel like she has.”

Flight, who was third in the G2 May Hill Stakes, is the first foal of the Amaron (GB) mare Run Wild (Ger), the impressive winner of the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket in 2020. 

 

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