James Milner, along with current and former Brighton teammates, will need to rise early on Saturday to witness their prized racehorse compete in one of Australia’s most lucrative events. Milner, Danny Welbeck, and Lewis Dunk are all part of the Two Plus Three Two Plus Four syndicate that owns Seagulls Eleven.
Trained by Hugo Palmer at the Cheshire stables owned by former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen, the three-year-old Seagulls Eleven has already achieved success, including a Group 3 win at Glorious Goodwood and earnings exceeding £160,000. The horse is now in Sydney, Australia, gearing up for the £5 million Golden Eagle race at Randwick racecourse, scheduled to start at 5:45 am GMT, nine hours before Brighton’s game against Leeds United in the Premier League.
The Palmer stable is facing a busy 24-hour period, as they also have a runner, Ardisia, at the Breeders’ Cup in the US, competing in the Juvenile Turf. Ardisia is owned by the mother-in-law of former Olympian turned broadcaster Sam Quek.
Palmer expressed his excitement for the upcoming races, stating, “It’s going to be a huge few hours for the whole team, with a runner in California and one in Sydney. These are the significant days we strive for as a yard, challenging the best worldwide.”
Seagulls Eleven’s squad also includes Jason Steele and former Brighton players Pascal Gross and Billy Gilmour. Palmer emphasized the significance of the upcoming race, stating, “This has been the target for this horse since his victory at Glorious Goodwood, so it’s incredibly exciting that everything has gone according to plan.” The race holds a substantial prize of ten million Australian dollars, making it a monumental day for all involved.
Among the competitors will be Lake Forest, another British-trained horse co-owned by Brighton’s owner Tony Bloom. Palmer acknowledged the strong competition, noting, “It’s going to be a competitive race with all the top Australian horses present. The favorite, Autumn Glow, is undefeated and formidable, but we are rated equally to Lake Forest, the previous year’s winner, so victory is achievable.”
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