Palace Pier Romps in 4-Year-Old Debut

Palace Pier  had few peers as a miler last season and may have the division in his grip again after a taking display in the bet365 Mile Stakes (G2)—but new horizons could be conquered after John Gosden tantalizingly revealed the classy 4-year-old might step up in trip later in the year.

Owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Palace Pier does not perhaps possess the push-button acceleration of his father Kingman , but knows where the winning post is and recorded his sixth win from just seven starts.

The exciting colt was shaken up two furlongs from home by Frankie Dettori and strode clear to win by eight lengths—as he should have done if his starting price of 4-11 was anything to go by.

He was trimmed for the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1) at Newbury next month, tightening into 10-11 with Paddy Power and Betfair, although some firms offer odds against.

Gosden, now training in partnership with his son Thady, was thrilled with the result and performance, especially as it will save him some work.

"I was very clear that Palace Pier was at 80%, but, luckily, no one put it up to him today," he said.

"He enjoys this track and won as a 2-year-old here. It was a good performance and Frankie was very happy with him. He's having a good blow, but this will save me going up the all-weather gallops 100 times with him. In terms of going to the Lockinge next, this was the right place to come."

A 600,000 guineas (US$824,859) yearling bought by the Newmarket trainer, Palace Pier won the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) and Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1) in 2020—performances that left him as the world's best miler with the now-retired Persian King.

His sole defeat came on desperate ground in last October's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) on Champions Day at Ascot when he lost a shoe.

"Everything went wrong," Dettori reflected of that day. "He got flattened at the start, lost a shoe, and I was 10 lengths away.

"What he showed today is that he possesses all the same ability as last year and all the major group 1 races are there for him to take aim at."

The Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot is a post-Lockinge option, but Gosden made clear that stepping up in trip, possibly for Sandown's Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1), would be considered.

"He'll go further when we want to, but he was top miler last year, and we'll concentrate on the top mile races right now," the champion trainer added.

"If I had to change Kingman's trip in any way I'd have brought him back from a mile to a July Cup, while with this horse I'd go to a mile and a quarter."

If Palace Pier's mile exploits are anything to go by, that could be a trip worth taking.