The Waco Kid could enter Lagardere equation

Adam Morgan
October 2, 2024 3:57 pm

Decision to be made on supplementing for Paris.

Hugo Palmer is “weighing up” a quick return to action for The Waco Kid and supplementing for Sunday’s Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere following his recent Tattersalls Stakes victory at Newmarket.

A consistent performer since stepping into stakes company, the tough son of Mehmas got his reward for some fine efforts in defeat when scooping Group Three honours with relative ease on the Rowley Mile last Thursday.

His handler was left pondering his options in the immediate aftermath, as having proven his readiness for a step up to the highest level, The Waco Kid was without entries for the upcoming Group One contests.

Palmer, along with owners The Gene Genies, are now giving real consideration to Sunday’s top-level event at ParisLongchamp, where it would cost EURO 28,800 at Thursday’s supplementary stage for the hardy youngster to enter the fray.

“We’re weighing up whether to supplement for the Lagardere,” said Palmer.

“I’m very happy with the horse since Newmarket, he very tough, takes his racing very well and doesn’t lose any weight. He’s come out of the race looking fantastic and was squealing away the next morning and has been in great nick since.

“It’s EURO 28,8000 so it needs plenty of thinking, but the nice thing is we can see to a degree who is going to run. There were 12 left in the race this morning and we will just have to see how many of them stand their ground.

“I think to supplement and go and be in a 12-runner race we might feel that is not the right opportunity, but if the race slightly fell apart and horses weren’t going, it might seem worth having a crack.”

If the decision is made not to make a trip to Paris, The Waco Kid is likely to head straight to Del Mar to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

He could be joined in California by stablemate and National Stakes third Seagulls Eleven, with the colt – who carries the colours of Brighton & Hove Albion and counts Seagulls star James Milner among his owners – also in contention for a trip Stateside.

Palmer added: “We’re pretty keen on the Breeders’ Cup plan for The Waco Kid, so it is just a question of do we go to France before America. If we don’t go to France I’d have thought it would be straight to the Breeders’ Cup.

“The Dewhurst will be a stronger race than France, I would have thought. He’s entered in the horses in training sale (October 28 to November 1), but if he’s going to go to the Breeders’ Cup then he won’t be able to go (to the sale).

“I think we might be two-handed in the race and I’m pretty sure Seagulls Eleven will go there as well.

“We will leave him in the Dewhurst on Monday morning and have a look and then it will just be a case of deciding if we run in the Dewhurst before the Breeders’ Cup.”