Palmer gives Galileo Gold Guineas green light

Hugo Palmer today gave Galileo Gold the go-ahead to run in the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Newmarket trainer had been toying with missing the Guineas for the French equivalent at Deauville but said he could not ignore the advice of Frankie Dettori – who believes the Paco Boy colt has solid prospects of making a serious impact in the first race of the QIPCO British Champions Series.

Seventeen horses were left in the £500,000 showpiece today but one of those, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Bravery, was swiftly ruled out by connections. O’Brien will run Air Force Blue, the hot favourite, plus Air Vice Marshal and Shogun.
Galileo Gold won three races as a two-year-old, including the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, before signing off with a staying-on third in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp in October.
He could still run at Deauville but Newmarket beckons first.

Palmer said: “Frankie feels that if the ground had been fast [at Newmarket] that speedier horses might do him for toe in the Dip and he would be a fast-finishing wherever coming up the hill, but on good ground or slower Frankie believes he’s got a really strong chance of winning a Guineas and he wants to ride him in it. “So with that in mind if the ground is good or slower Galileo Gold will take his chance at Newmarket and depending on what happens Deauville, or even the Curragh [the Irish 2000 Guineas] would be an option after that. He’s also in the Derby, as well, so we are going to learn a lot more about him on Saturday.”

The going at Headquarters is currently good and Michael Prosser, the clerk of the course, believes it is unlikely to deviate much between now and the weekend with a mixture of sunshine and showers forecast.
“Michael was furious to see three millimetres of rain this morning, but I was delighted,” Palmer said.

Blue De Vega also remains in Guineas contention, even though there has been suggestions he will miss the race. Stormy Antarctic, Buratino, Massaat and Marcel all remains on course