Palace Pier Returns in Prep for Lockinge Stakes

Britain's best miler is set to return—strap in. Palace Pier , who was described by regular rider Frankie Dettori as a "special horse" after his Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (G1) victory last August, will look to build on a 3-year-old season that had racing fans purring.

The son of brilliant miler Kingman (GB) performed to an extremely high level, highlighted by his length defeat of champion juvenile and subsequent Qatar Prix Jean Prat (G1) winner Pinatubo  and Qipco Two Thousand Guineas (G1) runner-up Wichita  in the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.

His aforementioned Deauville success showcased his superiority in the division, but the then-unbeaten colt came unstuck in bog-like conditions in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) when last seen. Bubble burst? I think not.

Everything is in place for Palace Pier to play the leading role this term. So much so that it wouldn't be a surprise if he stole the show in each of the featured mile events this summer.

With a rating of 125, he possesses far more ability than necessary to win the average edition of this race (average winning RPR since 2010 is 118), and he is unbeaten on his seasonal reappearances after decisive wins at 2 and 3. Put a tick in the course form box, too.

Currently a best-priced 2-1 favorite for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1) next month and likely to take in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) and Sussex Stakes (G1) thereafter, Palace Pier is ready to fill the void at the top of John and Thady Gosden's standings left by the retired Enable .

It's certainly not a one-horse race though, as he faces a race-fit rival in Khuzaam , who is fresh from a big career-best performance on All-Weather Championships finals day.

The scopey son of Kitten's Joy   has done all of his winning on synthetic surfaces, but his sire has produced numerous champions on turf—Two Thousand Guineas winner Kameko stands out—and further improvement might be in the offing. It will need to be as he's rated 9 pounds inferior to Palace Pier.

"He's in great form but obviously Palace Pier will be a very hard horse to beat," said Khuzaam's trainer Roger Varian. "He's only raced once on turf before—it's never been intentional to keep him on the all-weather, but he's just had setbacks over previous turf seasons. We've always rated him highly, but we've never got a run of starts to fully understand him. Since he's been gelded, he's put both races to bed well, which he wasn't doing before. A turning mile should suit him well."

Palace Pier 'Fresh' for Lockinge Prep

Palace Pier returns to the course where he won his first two races as a juvenile as connections put the finishing touches on the star miler for next month's Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

Unbeaten in five starts before succumbing to testing conditions on British Champions Day in October, Palace Pier enters the 2021 turf season as the top British-trained miler.

That status was secured with back-to-back group 1 victories in the St James's Palace Stakes and the Prix Jacques le Marois last summer.

The Gosden team had planned to head straight to Newbury with the son of Kingman, but have instead opted to give him a tune-up race at the track where he first caught the eye in the late summer of 2019.

Now a dual group 1 winner, the 4-year-old stands as the joint top-rated horse of the Gosdens' enviable roster at Clarehaven Stables along with Stradivarius .

"We were going to go straight to the Lockinge with him, but he has been quite fresh in himself at home, so we have decided to come here first," John Gosden said. "He's not run since being beaten in a bog at Ascot, and the race will bring him on."