Palace Pier set for French seaside outing as Gosden elects to miss Goodwood

Stradivarius will head to Glorious Goodwood but not with stablemate Palace Pier, whose trainer John Gosden has resisted the temptation of a Sussex Stakes showdown with Siskin and will send his Royal Ascot winner to France instead.

The St James's Palace Stakes winner was introduced as the general 2-1 market leader for the Goodwood Group 1 but will seek to emulate his sire Kingman and win the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville next month.

Palace Pier's form was boosted on Sunday afternoon when Pinatubo, who had finished a length behind him in second at Royal Ascot, landed the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville in stylish fashion.

Watch: Palace Pier gets the better of Pinatubo and Wichita in the St James's Palace

Kingman won the straight-mile Prix Jacques le Marois, which this year is to be staged on August 16, in 2014, although it proved his swansong as he was retired to stud the following month.

Gosden said of his unbeaten three-year-old: "The straight mile at Deauville should play to Palace Pier's strengths. He's come out of Ascot in great shape. It will be his first time against the older brigade and it will be interesting to see how he gets on."

One Gosden-trained star who will be heading to Goodwood is Stradivarius, who will bid for a record fourth straight win in the Qatar Goodwood Cup.

The remarkable six-year-old, currently tied with Double Trigger on three wins in the South Downs marathon, was awarded his highest ever rating of 125 by the BHA after trouncing Nayef Road by ten lengths to collect his third consecutive Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last month.

Stradivarius was cut to 16-1 (from 33) in the betting for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after that dominant performance but Gosden is not looking in that direction just now.

He said: "Stradivarius put up a great performance at Royal Ascot and the plan is to have a crack at another Goodwood Cup. I don't know about the Arc, we'll get Goodwood out of the way first."

Frankly Darling cruises home in the Ribblesdale Stakes in front of an empty Ascot grandstandCredit: Edward Whitaker

Gosden also revealed that another of his leading lights, Frankly Darling, will not run in Saturday’s Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks as the Epsom third is now on a break.

The champion trainer said: "Frankly Darling had three races in 36 days, which started on day one of resumption at Newcastle, so she's on a break. We'll look for something for her in the autumn."

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