Queen Anne report: Palace Pier made to work for Royal Ascot win

Palace Pier, Timeform's highest-rated horse in training, was expected to prove a cut above his rivals in the Queen Anne Stakes, but the race was not the formality that many had predicted. Palace Pier was under pressure a couple of furlongs out, but he has always been strong in the finish and he stuck to his task well to register a fourth Group 1, beating Lope Y Fernandez by a length and a half, with Sir Busker a length further back in third.

Palace Pier was providing Frankie Dettori with a seventh win in the Queen Anne, while it was a first win in the race for trainer John Gosden, who now shares the licence with his son Thady.

Gosden senior said: "We suspected a slow pace and we got that slow pace, so the key thing then is don’t sit out the back. He did it smoothly, came through and won his race, but he’s exactly like his father (Kingman) – as soon as he gets there he thinks he’s done enough.

“If I worked him at home with an ordinary horse he’d just stay with him, that’s his game."

Palace Pier produced his world-leading Timeform rating of 132 on soft ground in the Prix Jacques le Marois last season and Dettori feels the four-year-old found the good-to-firm ground at Royal Ascot faster than ideal.

Dettori said: “It was his first time on real good to firm ground, so he wasn’t so sure on it – but still, he proved again he’s the best miler around. He was in front on his own for a while, so he was taking things easy.

“He did (stumble just after the line). He’s quite clumsy with his feet – he’s forever losing his shoes and things like that, but when he goes fast he’s all right."

Dettori suggested there was no need to step up in trip, but John Gosden nominated the Juddmonte International, run over an extended mile and a quarter, as a potential target.

He said: "You could go up in trip with him, as you can see how relaxed he is. He is in the Juddmonte, but he’s also in the Sussex and the Prix Jacques le Marois, so I’ll talk to the owner and see.

“All the races are options, he’d have no trouble with the trip if they decide to go there."

ANALYSIS

The lack of pace on paper and a potentially tricky wide draw looked to be the biggest dangers to PALACE PIER beforehand and so it proved – in that there was nothing amongst the opposition to be worried about, anyway. That is not to criticise the opposition, but to celebrate Palace Pier, a high-class miler who overcame that predicted adversity to win easily, underlining his status as the top miler in Europe. Once again his versatility came to the fore as Frankie Dettori rode him more prominently than usual to negate the lack of a strong gallop and while he was lower in the saddle earlier than backers at 2/7 will have liked -–he didn't win this under a motionless Dettori by any means – it was hardly a nervous moment.

Frankie asked him to go and win his race after the two pole and by a furlong out he was two lengths clear, while he idled just a little in front to allow Lope Y Fernandez to get within a length and a half. He looks unbeatable at this distance against the older horses, as his superiority will likely have been much bigger had they gone a good clip, but it will be interesting to see him try and give weight and a beating to any three-year-olds that take up the challenge in the Sussex Stakes.

Given he relaxes so well off a slower gallop he could be even better over 10 furlongs and a tilt at the Juddmonte International is a tantalising prospect. The presence of mile and a quarter horses like Lord North and Mishriff in the yard might deny us such a treat, but there’s no doubting it would enhance his stallion value and he’s worth trying at the distance. Of the beaten horses, Lord Glitters was most inconvenienced by the slow pace and he ran on nicely for fourth. He's eight now, but he's holding his form well and might have more victories at Group level in him when things drop right. (Ben Linfoot)

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