Seagolazo

That solitary win came at Chester in July 2024, nearly two years ago now, and Seagolazo has not returned to the winner's enclosure in the six races since. Recent form reads 2-2-4-6-4-6, which tells its own story: close enough to matter, not close enough to win. In its most common company — Class 2 races, which sit right at the top end of the sport in Britain — it has drawn a blank in all six attempts. On paper, that looks like a horse hitting a ceiling. But Palmer's view is more nuanced than the numbers suggest.

At a stable tour in April 2025, the trainer pointed to a run at Doncaster last September as evidence that Seagolazo belongs at a higher level than its record implies. The horse finished close to Camille Pissarro that day — a rival who went on to win the Lagardere, one of the most prestigious juvenile races in Europe. Finishing in the same parish as a future Group 1 winner is exactly the kind of context that makes bare statistics look misleading. Palmer also noted that the horse has physically grown and strengthened over the winter, and he is eyeing the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot — a big, competitive mile race run on fast ground — as a potential target.

At 7 furlongs to a mile, Seagolazo wins roughly 1 in every 6 races — 17% across those trips — which is a noticeably better picture than its overall record suggests. The distance is right. The ambition is right. Whether a horse that has not won in 23 months can rediscover that Chester feeling on the grandest stage is the question. But with a trainer in form, a horse that has rubbed shoulders with elite company, and Royal Ascot on the horizon, Seagolazo is worth keeping an eye on.