First-season sire Palace Pier added a two new winners to his record in excellent style on Friday, 4 July when his son Pacifica Pier made a successful racecourse debut at Sandown, followed later in the afternoon by Golden Palace, who flew home at Beverley.
Pacifica Pier, trained by Charlie Appleby, was settled off the early pace set by stablemate Key Of Magic early on in the seven-furlong contest, before being shaken up by James Doyle with three furlongs left to run. Once asked to quicken, he accelerated in pleasing fashion to take the lead a furlong out and held off the fast-finishing Publish to win by half a length.
A homebred for Godolphin, Pacifica Pier is out of the Stakes-winning Elusive Quality mare Discernable, making him a half-brother to Group winner Ideal Beauty. The dam is herself a full sister to G2 winner True Quality.
Later at Beverley, Golden Palace demonstrated a blistering turn of foot in the five-furlong fillies' novice to also win at the first time of asking.
She was bred by Dukes Stud and Overbury Stallions and is out of Listed winner Rioticism, also dam of G2 winner Ladies Church.
Palace Pier now has seven individual winners from 14 runners in the UK and Ireland – a better strike rate than any other first-crop sire.
Also at Sandown on Friday, Dubawi's three-year-old son Windlord prevailed in a thrilling battle in the Listed Gala Stakes, outbattling Caviar Heights to prevail in a photo finish. Already placed in G2 and G3 company this year, this was the first victory at Black Type level for Andrew Balding's charge.
Owned and bred by Juddmonte, Windlord is out of the winning Intello mare Goldika, a daughter of outstanding Champion Goldikova.
Dubawi has now sired 18 individual Stakes winners this year, headed by G1-winning duo Lead Artist and Walk Of Stars, plus the evergreen Rebel's Romance, who became Godolphin's top performer ever by number of Stakes victories with victory in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot.
