Hugo Palmer is upbeat about Galileo Gold‘s hopes of making a strong start his career as a four-year old in Saturday’s Lockinge Stakes.
The Al Shaqab-owned colt starred in the opening part of last season, winning the 2000 Guineas but, after a second place in the Sussex Stakes, he tailed off.
A new year presents a new challenge and he is again set to team up with Frankie Dettori when he makes his seasonal reappearance at Newbury on Saturday.
Palmer admits he is looking forward to seeing his charge in action and believes he is ready to hit the ground running in the Lockinge.
The Suffolk handler said: “I am very excited about running Galileo Gold. It has been a long winter and a long wait. We have had him fit and ready for some time. I’m looking forward to seeing him out again.
“I think he is one of the few horses in the field that is not ground dependent. He is more relaxed this year compared to 12 months ago and he has grown up.
“I won’t be saying to Frankie to make the running, but Frankie knows the horse very well and he has not become one of the world’s best jockeys by just listening to trainer’s instructions but by assessing conditions of the race and executing tactics.”
