Seagulls Eleven flies home for Brighton footballers

Hugo Palmer’s Seagulls Eleven bagged the big-race victory he has long promised in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood.

A son of the trainer’s 2000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold, Seagulls Eleven is owned by several current and former Brighton & Hove Albion footballers, including James Milner and Danny Welbeck.

After breaking his duck at Haydock last summer, the three-year-old went on to run with credit in the Superlative Stakes, the National Stakes and the Dewhurst before the end of his juvenile campaign and his best race since his return came when second to Opera Ballo in a Newmarket Listed race three weeks ago.

With Opera Ballo a significant non-runner in this Group Three contest, Seagulls Eleven was one of just four runners to go to post and after taking an early lead under Oisin Murphy, the 11-4 shot found plenty for pressure late on to score by three-quarters of a length from Diego Ventura.

Palmer said: “He can be a handful to saddle but not in a nasty way, he has a kind look in his face and is genuinely versatile.

“Last year he had to run in the Group Ones and ran with great credit, but it’s taken a while for him to get his confidence back.

“Today when they came to him, he had the guts to go and get the job done.

“He’s been invited to the Golden Eagle in Australia and there are 10 million reasons why he should go for that, but first we might give him another at home. It might be that we have to supplement into the Celebration Mile and he’s not in the City of York.”