Palace Pier

Australian sprinter Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) has overtaken G1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Saudi Cup winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) and G1 Dubai World Cup victor Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) as the highest-rated horse on the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, having been assigned a mark of 123 for his victory in the G1 TJ Smith S. on Apr. 10. Mishriff and Mystic Guide now sit a joint second at 122. Just trailing in their wake on 121 are Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), Eduardo (Aus) (Host {Chi}) and Palace...

Khalid Abdullah's legacy will live long in Thoroughbred genealogy thanks to the female families he cultivated, like the one that supplied him Sunday's 'TDN Rising Star' and G1 Cadoo Oaks contender Noon Star (Galileo {Ire}). Juddmonte's sires, likewise, have started the season off with a bang. In this space last week we were singing the praises of Frankel (GB) off the back of a week of intercontinental successes. While Frankel remains poised to have an excellent season, in the space of 35 minutes at Sandown on Friday along came his...

   Arguably the most exciting older horse in training in Europe sets out on his keenly-anticipated 4-year-old campaign on Friday, as 'TDN Rising Star' Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) takes in the G2 Sandown Mile. Escaping a penalty with his brace of Group 1 wins in the St James's Palace S. and Prix Jacques le Marois coming before the end of August, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's still-unexposed bay had excuses when bogged down in Ascot's testing conditions but still managed a respectable third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth...

Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was officially named Longines World's Best Racehorse on Tuesday having been assessed to have posted the top two performances of 2020. His high mark of 130 was gained in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York, which was also named Longines World's Best Horserace for the first time. The former Charlie Appleby trainee also recorded a mark of 127 in the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup which, in a pandemic-disrupted season, was moved from Epsom to Newmarket. Bred by the Weld family's Springbank Way Stud...

Beach Frolic (GB) (Nayef) (lot 1731), the 9-year-old dam of this year's champion 3-year-old Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), is headed to join the Coolmore broodmare ranks after MV Magnier went to 2.2-million gns to secure her at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale on Tuesday. Beach Frolic was offered by Highclere Stud in foal to Blue Point (Ire).

The first chapter of the story of Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was written 20 years ago when John Warren bought the listed winner Miss d'Ouilly (Fr) (Bikala {GB}) from Jean-Luc Lagardere at the Tattersalls December Sale for 50,000gns. The Night Shift foal she was carrying at the time became known as Night Frolic (GB), and she has established her own important branch of an accomplished family at Highclere Stud.  For Palace Pier, the tale is far from complete. This season's champion miler will remain in training for 2021, but...

Newmarket's Henry Cecil Open Weekend could not take place in its traditional format this year, but a wide array of HQ trainers nonetheless participated in virtual format. John Gosden was chief among them, and he gave an update on the town's most popular equine resident, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), as she gears up for an attempt at a third win in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 4. "Enable is very happy and well," Gosden said. "She has been fine since the race at Kempton [the Sept....

G1 St James's Palace S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois victor Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) will bid to keep his unbeaten record intact in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day at Ascot on Oct. 17. Trainer John Gosden, who will be bidding for a fifth win in the race, said, "Palace Pier will go straight to Ascot for the Queen Elizabeth II S. He took his race at Deauville [the Marois] well, and he's been in good order since. I don't think the ground there...

Dubawi (Ire) being a good stallion is not exactly a newsflash. The increasingly interesting element of his success, however, is his growing number of sons and grandsons making a mark at stud. Dubawi's own season has been headlined by the Group 1 winners Ghaiyyath (Ire), Lord North (Ire) and Space Blues (Ire), while G2 Superlative S. winner Master Of The Seas (Ire) looks to be one of the more exciting juveniles seen out in Europe so far. In this year's freshman sires' championship, Ballylinch Stud's son of Dubawi, New Bay...

With Kameko (Kitten's Joy) heading to York, Europe's leading 3-year-old miler status is there for the taking and 'TDN Rising Star' Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) might prove in Sunday's G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois that he already holds the rights to that title. Stepping straight to the highest level from novice and handicap company to land Royal Ascot's G1 St James's Palace S. with relative comfort on June 20, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's unbeaten colt is in that unique position of being open...

From 4 a.m. on Saturday, travelers coming into the UK from France will be required to quarantine for 14 days. Horse people wanting to take in both this weekend's Deauville meeting-featuring the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois on Sunday--and next week's York Ebor meeting, therefore, have some decisions to make, and Frankie Dettori has chosen the French route with mounts booked on John Gosden's unbeaten G1 St James's Palace S. winner Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the Marois and G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe...

Frankie Dettori ended Royal Ascot's crowd-free week on fire as he took the final day by storm, completing a big-race treble on the TDN Rising Star Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in a pulsating renewal of the G1 St James's Palace S. Making a sizeable leap to this level with even less to justify it than stablemate Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) had on Wednesday, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's unbeaten colt of such promise proved well up to standard to provide further evidence of John Gosden's razor-sharp judgment....