Britain's top miler Palace Pier returns in small but select bet365 Mile field

3.00 Sandown
bet365 Mile (Group 2) | 1m | 4yo+ | ITV4/RTV

Britain's best miler is set to return – strap in. Palace Pier, who was described by regular rider Frankie Dettori as a "special horse" after his Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois victory last August, will look to build on a three-year-old season that had racing fans purring.

The son of brilliant miler Kingman performed to an extremely high level, highlighted by his length defeat of champion juvenile and subsequent Prix Jean Prat winner Pinatubo and 2,000 Guineas runner-up Wichita in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

His aforementioned Deauville success showcased his superiority in the division, but the then-unbeaten colt came unstuck in bog-like conditions in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes when last seen. Bubble burst? I think not.

Everything is in place for Palace Pier to play the leading role this term. So much so that it wouldn't be a surprise if he stole the show in each of the featured mile events this summer.

With a rating of 125, he possesses far more ability than necessary to win the average edition of this race (average winning RPR since 2010 is 118) and he is unbeaten on his seasonal reappearances after decisive wins at two and three. Put a tick in the course form box, too.

Currently a best-priced 2-1 favourite for the Lockinge next month and likely to take in the Queen Anne and Sussex Stakes thereafter, Palace Pier is ready to fill the void at the top of John and Thady Gosden's standings left by the retired Enable.

Khuzaam: an easy winner on All-Weather Championships finals day last timeCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

It's certainly not a one-horse race though, as he faces a race-fit rival in Khuzaam, who is fresh from a big career-best performance on All-Weather Championships finals day.

The scopey son of Kitten's Joy has done all of his winning on synthetic surfaces, but his sire has produced numerous champions on turf – 2,000 Guineas winner Kameko stands out – and further improvement might be in the offing. It will need to be as he's rated 9lb inferior to Palace Pier.

Sole penalised runner Happy Power is a useful prospect in his own right, though he may be overstretched against these rivals on his comeback, while Bless Him has plenty to find on official figures.
Race analysis by Tom Collins

Palace Pier 'fresh' for Lockinge prep

Palace Pier returns to the course where he won his first two races as a juvenile as connections put the finishing touches on the star miler for next month's Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

Unbeaten in five starts before succumbing to testing conditions on British Champions Day in October, Palace Pier enters the 2021 turf season as the top British-trained miler.

That status was secured with back-to-back Group 1 victories in the St James's Palace Stakes and the Prix Jacques le Marois last summer.

Palace Pier after his St James's Palace Stakes heroicsCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Gosden team had planned to head straight to Newbury with the son of Kingman, but have instead opted to give him a tune-up race at the track where he first caught the eye in the late summer of 2019.

Now a dual Group 1 winner, the four-year-old stands as the joint top-rated horse of the Gosdens' enviable roster at Clarehaven Stables along with Stradivarius.

"We were going to go straight to the Lockinge with him, but he has been quite fresh in himself at home, so we have decided to come here first," John Gosden said. "He's not run since being beaten in a bog at Ascot and the race will bring him on."

What the rest say

Alastair Donald, racing manager to King Power Racing, owners of Happy Power
It's going to be very tough to beat Palace Pier, but there's good place prize-money and it should be a good pipe-opener for the rest of the season. He's quite flexible in terms of trip as he could go over seven furlongs or the mile. As a younger horse, he seemed to like give in the ground and now he seems to handle fast equally as well.

David Simcock, trainer of Bless Him
He ran fine at Lingfield last time but that wouldn't be his track as he likes to make up ground late on. Sandown probably isn't exactly ideal either, but the small field will suit him and, in all likelihood, he'll run better than a 33-1 shot.

Roger Varian, trainer of Khuzaam
He's in great form but obviously Palace Pier will be a very hard horse to beat. He's only raced once on turf before – it's never been intentional to keep him on the all-weather but he's just had setbacks over previous turf seasons. We've always rated him highly but we've never got a run of starts to fully understand him. Since he's been gelded, he's put both races to bed well, which he wasn't doing before. A turning mile should suit him well.
Reporting by Tom Ward

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