These are heady times indeed for Newmarket trainer Hugo Palmer, and this will be the first weekend of his relatively short training career that will carry real resonance in the UAE.
Palmer saddled the debutante Majoris, the first of Al Asayl’s Frankel juveniles, on Friday to finish an unthreatening sixth at Haydock. On Saturday he runs the favourite in the two feature races in Britain at the Merseyside racecourse and both compete in the silks of UAE-based owners.
Gifted Master, who will be ridden by Pat Smullen, seeks a six-timer for Dr Ali Ridha in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes, while stablemate Home Of The Brave has been purchased by Godolphin since he won impressively at Leicester this month and will line up in the Timeform Jury Stakes under James Doyle.
In addition to the two ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Palmer also has horses for Qatar’s royal family in Al Shaqab, led by English 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold, as well as that of Bahrain.
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Pitch in to that mix that he still has Covert Love, the filly who won last season’s Irish Oaks and Prix l’Opera, and that is some haul for a 35-year-old trainer in just his sixth season.
“I am honoured to be training for some of the world’s leading owners,” Palmer said. “It is a great privilege.”
Gifted Master showed at Ascot and Newmarket last month that, as a three-year-old, he still had the gears to operate successfully over 1,200 metres. Last year he won races over 1,400 metres and 1,600 metres, and although Palmer has the son of Kodiac entered in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup over 1,200 metres at Royal Ascot next month, Gifted Master could well stretch out over further in time. And do not discount him appearing in Dubai next season.
“The problem with Gifted Master is that at some point his sensational run will come to an end, which makes it harder and harder. This is clearly the right race for him as he is favourite,” Palmer said.
“I don’t see him as a real sprinter, and I say that for several reasons. He does not look like one; he is no ball of muscle. He is out of a Shamardal mare, too, so in time I think I might try to run him in something valuable like the Dubai Turf at Meydan next year – that would be a perfect spot.
“Also, last season his two best runs were over seven furlongs and a mile. As a gelding, however, those valuable mile races like the Guineas are not open to him so the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot seems a logical place to go, especially now he has won over course and distance.”
Gifted Master faces seven rivals, including Godolphin’s Buratino who is dropping back from 1,600 metres having run ninth behind Galileo Gold at Newmarket, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s outsider Taneen.
“He’s in great shape,” Palmer said. “This is another step up in grade for him and it looks a good race, but we’re very happy with his condition.
“The worry I have in terms of Saturday’s race is Haydock is a much easier six furlongs than Ascot.”
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