Palace Pier shuttling to Darley Australia on hold as 'not in his best interests at the moment'

World champion miler Palace Pier will not return to Australia to cover a second southern hemisphere season, with Darley citing the decision to be ‘in the best welfare interests of the horse’.

The son of Kingman, who during his racing career won five Group 1s at a mile for the Gosden yard, covered 97 mares in his first season in Australia at a fee of A$55,000 (approx £27,000/€31,000) and was due to return to Darley’s Kelvinside property in New South Wales at a reduced fee of A$44,000. 

Both Darley Australia and Darley Europe confirmed to ANZ Bloodstock News the horse was in good health, with Sam Bullard, director of stallions at Darley Europe, expressing his hope the stallion will return down under in the future.

“Not every horse can shuttle and back-to-back [shuttle seasons] is probably not in his best interests at the moment,” he said. “We’re sorry to the breeders who were planning on using him, but hopefully he’ll return in the years to come.

“We were very happy with his first book in Australia, and we’re very happy with the first foals he’s getting in Europe, too. We think he’s a serious stallion but, regardless of that, the horse’s welfare comes first.”

Darley will this year shuttle Too Darn Hot, whose first yearlings made up to A$1 million in Australia, at an unchanged fee of A$44,000. He will be joined at Kelvinside by second-season shuttler Pinatubo, who stands for A$55,000, and Victor Ludorum, who commands a 2023 fee of A$16,500. 

Blue Point, who has made a fine start on the racetrack with his first northern hemisphere-bred two-year-olds, will shuttle to Darley’s Northwood Park in Victoria for an unchanged fee of A$44,000, as will Ghaiyyath, who will return for a third season in Victoria at a fee of A$27,500, along with Group 1-winning juvenile Earthlight, who will stand for A$16,500 this year. 

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