Jamie Spencer rode Wolf Of Badenoch in Vintage Stakes © Photo Healy Racing
Hugo Palmer is excited by what he might have with Wolf Of Badenoch after his encouraging run in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
The two-year-old son of Pinatubo made a winning start to his career at Doncaster, coming home a length and a half clear of a subsequent winner in Lazy Griff to break his maiden at the first time of asking.
From there he jumped straight up to Group Two company on the Sussex Downs, where he was held up as he raced keenly and started to make headway when shaken up two furlongs out by Jamie Spencer and ran on promisingly to claim second at 14-1, one and three-quarter lengths behind 2-1 favourite Aomori City.
Palmer has plenty of options for the Fitri Hay-owned colt, with the Champagne Stakes back at Doncaster or a step up to the highest level in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh high on the list of possibilities.
He also holds an entry in the Listed Two Year Old Trophy at Redcar in October.
Palmer said: “I was absolutely delighted with his performance. When you’re once-raced jumping into a Group Two like that you have hope and belief in your horse, but it doesn’t always go so well.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that he ran so well. He’s a very exciting horse for the future.
“(The Vincent O’Brien National Stakes) is a plan, he’s got other entries. I’ll be putting him in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster when the entries close on Tuesday and we’ll just have to see how things go.
“They’re on the same weekend with the typically bloated European Pattern. We’ll see, we’ll just have to see what the races look like and I’m already looking forward to the next day.”
Palmer conceded that Wolf Of Badenoch still has improvements to make to be considered a Classic contender in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket – a race he won in 2016 with his Vintage Stakes scorer Galileo Gold – but is heading in the right direction with his progress.
The Manor House Stables handler added: “He’s made a good step in that direction (2000 Guineas) by being second in the Vintage, but he’s got an awful lot more to do to be a Guineas horse – the winner of the race is 33-1 for the Guineas, so we’ve got some way to go.”
