Palladium

Last year's G1 Deutsches Derby winner Palladium (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}) made a successful first appearance over hurdles at Huntingdon on Thursday in the colours of Lady Bamford. Bought last October for €1.4 million at the Arqana Arc Sale, the four-year-old was switched from the stable of Henk Grewe to Nicky Henderson and was sent off as odds-on favourite under Nico de Boinville for his first run for 123 days. Henderson, who also trains the hurdler First Street (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) for Classic-winning owner-breeder Lady Bamford, said that he plans...

Last year's G1 Deutsches Derby winner Palladium (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who was sold for €1.4 million at Arqana, has been given his first hurdles entry by his new trainer Nicky Henderson. The four-year-old, who remains a colt, is entered for the two-mile maiden hurdle at Huntingdon next Thursday in the colours of Lady Bamford. Bred by Gestut Fahrhof and formerly trained by Henk Grewe, Palladium has won two of this six starts on the Flat, including his Classic success, which gave Germany's champion jockey Thore Hammer-Hansen his first Derby victory. ...

In the blink of an eye, that's another turf season in the books, which means that this is the final Seven Days column for 2024. Next week Adam Houghton will be starting a new column which aims to keep tabs on those two-year-olds who are rising three and could make more of a name for themselves next year. An eagle-eyed former Timeform employee, Adam guarantees that if the next Notable Speech (GB) is out there, about to make his debut on the all-weather this winter before marching on to Classic...

The sales action rolls on to Baden-Baden this Friday for Germany's major yearling auction, the BBAG September Sale. If the talk in the build-up is to be believed then there will be more overseas visitors than ever landing at Karlsruhe airport to make the short journey to the sales grounds and its neighbouring racecourse during a lively week of action in both spheres. They surely can't all be going solely for the excellent eve-of-sale barbecue, featuring the traditional jumbo bratwurst and Elvis impersonator. Far more important than that fun night...

The unforgettably named Thore Hammer-Hansen bade farewell to British racing at the end of last season to take up a retainer with leading German owner Eckhard Sauren. On Sunday he will go to post for the G1 Deutsches Derby as the leading rider in the country.  In many respects it was a homecoming for the young jockey, who was born in Cologne and spent some of his formative years in Baden-Baden, where his Danish-born father Lennart was riding and later training. It can also be regarded as a wise move. ...