Galeron back with Hills and gearing up for Lincoln challenge

Charlie Hills is preparing his one-time Classic contender Galeron for a tilt at the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster on Saturday week.

Winner of the Goffs Million at the Curragh in 2022, the son of Camacho went on to finish fourth behind Chaldean as a 150-1 shot for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket the following spring and was also fifth to Paddington in the Irish equivalent three weeks later.

Following a spell in Australia, the five-year-old returned to Hills’ Lambourn yard earlier this year and his trainer is looking forward to his planned comeback on Town Moor.

Hills said: “Galeron has obviously been out in Australia and came back to me in January time. He’s actually done really well in the last month or so and I think the plan probably is to run him in the Lincoln next weekend.

“He’s a good horse who won the Goffs Million and ran well in two Guineas. He’s been a great, fun horse, I’m delighted to have him back and hopefully there should be a nice handicap in him somewhere.”

Hills has also entered Cicero’s Gift for the Flat season’s traditional curtain-raiser. The five-year-old slightly lost his way after making a successful return from a year on the sidelines in the Coral Challenge at Sandown in July last year, but is reported to be in good form ahead of the new campaign.

“I’d just be a bit worried about the ground with Cicero’s Gift, so we’re weather watching him really. He doesn’t like the ground too soft, good spring ground would be fine. He’ll have an entry in the Listed race (Doncaster Mile) as well,” Hills added.

“He showed at Sandown last year that he can win a nice handicap off top-weight and he’s a pretty decent horse on his day. We’ve had no hiccups at all through the winter and hopefully we have a good season ahead with him.

“We’ve gelded him over the winter, not that he was colty at all but we just thought it would help.”