Hugo Palmer is relishing the opportunity to have two darts at the Bahrain International Trophy with Glacius and Seagulls Eleven.
Two of Manor House’s stable stars will contest the 10-furlong contest, which will carry international Group One status for the first time on Friday.
“It’s tremendous that the race is a Group One for the first time,” Palmer said.
“It’s worth an awful lot of money and it’s a great privilege to have been invited with the horses to be involved.
“It’s very exciting. Michael (Owen) and I work incredibly hard. We feel we’re going in the right direction. We’ve bought a lot of yearlings, probably more expensive yearlings than we’ve bought before, so hopefully this isn’t the last Group One that we’ll have two runners in.”
Glacius has already tasted Grade One glory this season, winning the Saratoga Derby in August before finishing runner-up in the Nashville Derby a month later.
And although Palmer admitted he will need to run another career-best to prevail in Bahrain, the Too Darn Hot colt has proved he can perform at high level on foreign soil.
“I think he needs to raise his game again – his two runs in America were very good, but he probably needs to find a slightly new level in Bahrain,” he said. “But he’s a lightly-raced, young, improving horse, so I don’t see why he can’t find that new level.
“He’s not a confirmed front-runner by any means – we made the running in Saratoga just because we’d been through the race and we couldn’t see any pace.
“He’s one of those horses that seems to grow a leg when he gets on an aeroplane. I went to see him the night before his Saratoga Derby win and he looked absolutely incredible. I have to say the way he looked, if he got beaten out there, he wasn’t going to be beaten by very many.
“We’ve been very happy with him out in the Kingdom now as well. He’s travelled over great and training nicely out there.”
Seagulls Eleven, owned by a group of current and former Brighton and Hove Albion footballers including James Milner and Danny Welbeck, returned to form when finishing third in the Prix Dollar at ParisLongchamp last time out, only three-quarters of a length behind Wimbledon Hawkeye, who he reopposes in Bahrain.
Palmer added: “His last run was great. His disappointing runs were in the hottest looking Sussex Stakes of living memory and then he just wasn’t right in the Celebration Mile, but we just felt we had to go (to Paris).
“I was delighted with how he ran in the Prix Dollar and I think he’s getting used to stretching out now. I think the angle with him I suppose is that he’s unexposed at this new trip – he’s only had one run beyond a mile and he ran very well.
“He wasn’t far behind Wimbledon Hawkeye, who I expect will be favourite for this race, so he doesn’t have a lot to find with him and if he improves and goes well again over the trip you never know. We might be in the mix.”
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