Palladium aiming to prove his staying mettle at Newmarket

After getting back on track at Salisbury, German Derby winner Palladium could set-up an exciting future when he runs in the Jockey Club Rose Bowl Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday.

The son of Gleneagles cost owner Lady Bamford €1.4million after his Classic exploits on the continent and soon became a Triumph Hurdle contender in his short spell in the jumping sphere with Nicky Henderson.

Ultimately his time at Seven Barrows was limited to just the sole winning appearance at Huntingdon and he has since been in training with John and Thady Gosden, who now have ambitions of adding the four-year-old to their strong hand in the staying division.

He has already emulated stablemate Trawlerman once by winning Salisbury’s Persian Punch Stakes in impressive style and now follows the same path the Gold Cup hero took in 2023 by testing his credentials over two miles in this Listed event – a race Clarehaven’s star stayer won by 18 lengths before marching on to British Champions Long Distance Cup glory later that year.

“We were really pleased with his win at Salisbury and he has come out of it pretty well,” said Lady Bamford’s racing manager Henry Lascelles.

“His behaviour at the races and his demeanour has been much better since being gelded, but Thursday will be a different test to Salisbury as he’s back in starting stalls.

“Hopefully he does the same again and if tomorrow goes well he has an entry in France in the Prix Royal-Oak (Saint-Cloud, October 26) and also at Ascot on Champions Day but of course we will take it one race at a time.

“If he can take a step up now, then I’m hoping next year there’s the potential for him to run in some nice races, as he’s lightly raced and unexposed over staying distances and you would hope he could become a cup horse.”

Palladium will belatedly lock horns with Triumph Hurdle third East India Dock after their paths never crossed over hurdles, with James Owen’s charge looking to build on some smart form figures he has acquired on the level this summer.

As well as being one of two in this race for Owen alongside Lavender Hill Mob, the Chester Cup winner is among the favourites for the Cesarewitch back at the Rowley Mile on October 11, with the Green Ridge Stables handler seeing this as a potential dress rehearsal for that prestigious handicap.

Owen said: “He’s run well on the Flat this summer, he won the Chester Cup and I thought he also ran well in the Northumberland Plate (sixth), he just got a bit out of his ground, but still finished well.

“He’s had a nice break since then and the plan was the Cesarewitch before going back hurdling, but he’s been working so well that he is going to use this as a stepping stone to the Cesarewitch, we’re certainly not ruling out that race at all and it’s a great race on our doorstep.

“He’s not going to be 100 per cent ready but he is fit enough to do himself justice and I think he’s a horse still on an upwards curve on the Flat. The figures will tell you has to improve a lot, but he stays well, should handle the track well and we’re hoping he runs a big race.”

A total of seven will head to the start with Saeed bin Suroor’s Live Your Dream returning to the track after a 732-day absence, while Andrew Balding’s Spirit Mixer arrives on the back of victory in Chester’s Watergate Cup.

Ed Walker’s Miss Alpilles and David O’Meara’s Strassia complete the line-up.