Seagulls Eleven will stay on Group One path

Hugo Palmer was “very pleased” with how Seagulls Eleven acquitted himself in the National Stakes at the Curragh and is plotting a second crack at Group One glory before the season ends.

The son of Galileo Gold was prominent throughout and kept on well to finish a highly-creditable third behind Scorthy Champ, despite being hampered by runner-up Henri Matisse.

Having previously won a Haydock novice before securing second place behind the unbeaten Ancient Truth in the Group Two Superlative Stakes at Newmarket, Palmer is now keen to stay at elite level.

The Manor House Stables handler said: “At the moment, I’d say all options are open. We’ll just see.

“I’d say the Royal Lodge is not on the agenda, but the (Prix Jean-Luc) Lagardere possibly, the Dewhurst possibly, the Breeders’ Cup possibly – and I would have thought he will only run once more this year.

“He looks like he’s ready for a mile now, but if we stay in Europe, I suspect we’ll stay over seven furlongs.”

Galileo Gold won the 2000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes for Palmer back in 2016 and the trainer believes Seagulls Eleven, who is owned by a collective of Brighton & Hove Albion players, has the scope to head down the same path.

Reflecting on Sunday’s Irish raid, Palmer added: “He showed lots of guts and I’m absolutely certain he would have been second if he hadn’t been bashed into, I really am.

“He was hanging in there hard and he got absolutely taken off his feet with two big bumps from a wayward horse that didn’t really want to go forwards.

“So, that’s a little bit frustrating, as I thought he ran a really tough race and he showed plenty of gate speed, which if we went to the Breeders’ Cup would be a big advantage.

“We’re very pleased with him and he’s very versatile as far as the ground is concerned.

“He’s rated the same as his dad was as a two-year-old and his dad finished his season by finishing third in a Group One, he was third in the Lagardere.

“He’s a bigger horse than his father; it doesn’t always follow that a big horse will improve a great deal, but you always think there is more scope for improvement in a bigger horse than a small horse.

“He’s a big horse and we’d be very hopeful of his ability to improve over the winter and the Guineas would be the obvious starting point next season, I would think.”