Plenty that glitters is gold as empire continues to expand

Having made a substantial impact in just a few years with a licence, Hugo Palmer embarks on the 2017 turf season with an expanded empire, increased ammunition and an intention to build further on the sturdy foundations already in place.

Last year's Guineas hero Galileo Gold is primed to carry all before him at a mile, Best Of Days has the look of a potential Derby candidate, the well-regarded Crimean Tatar is in the vanguard of a host of promising three- and four-year-olds, and with more than half his stable strength two-year-olds Palmer has the seed corn in place for the future.

His sole confessed ambition is to surpass last year's success-rate, which was double that of 2015, and although he is unlikely to double up again there is every reason to expect a new benchmark to be set, with the numbers mounting rapidly from midsummer as the well-bred two-year-olds come on-stream.