A year ago progressive colt Palace Pier claimed his first Black Type victory when taking out the Group I St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot (1m) and the son of Kingman has barely missed a beat since, returning this year to score a dominant win in the Group I Queen Anne Stakes (1m).
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Palace Pier was a last start winner of the Group I Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and went to the post a hot favourite.
He ran right up to expectation for Frankie Dettori, coasting to a length and a half win over the Aidan O’Brien trained entry Lope Y Fernandez (Lope de Vega).
“Palace Pier just takes that moment to go and when he hits the front he just pulls up, 'I've done enough'. He's a gorgeous horse. He's not a flashy worker but he does it on the track,” said John Gosden.
“He's the same as his father (Kingman), he can go on any ground, he's got plenty of scope and he's a pleasure to be around.”
Purchased for 600,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book One from the Highclere Stud draft by his trainer, Palace Pier runs for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and has the impressive record of eight wins from nine starts.
He is the best of two winners from Beach Frolic a half-sister by Nayef to Group II winners Bonfire and Jovialty.
Palace Pier is the best of 35 stakes-winners for Invincible Spirit’s champion sire son Kingman, who stands at Juddmonte at a fee of 150,000 pounds.
Australian breeders can access the bloodline here this spring with Coolmore set to stand Kingman’s first son to stud Calyx at a fee of $13,750.
