GALILEO Gold will race on next season, trainer Hugo Palmer has announced. This season's 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes hero will continue to grace the track as a four-year-old after connections opted against retirement.

Palmer said: "After they (owners) spoke yesterday, they have decided to keep Galileo Gold in training which is very exciting for us."

He added: "Champions like Galileo Gold are so rare and hard to find. When you find one, you want to hang on to them. Hopefully we can regain his early season form next year."

Runner-up in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, the Al Shaqab Racing-owned son of Paco Boy raced far too keenly on his penultimate outing at Deauville, when eighth in the Prix Jacques le Marois. He was similarly head-strong when fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.

Palmer added: "I don't think we could have won, whatever we did on Saturday. Frankie (Dettori) and I discussed it beforehand and we decided that we were going to follow Jet Setting as she was sure to go up the near rail and, indeed, she did go up there.

"As it turned out, we probably should have followed Barchan into the race as he went a stronger gallop then Jet Setting and it would have carried us further into the race. If we had done things differently we could have perhaps finished closer to Minding.

"He is a horse that needs a proper break now. He will go to the National Stud where Shalaa recuperated so well and where Toronado stands. The plan is to go there for five or six weeks and let him down, then get him back in his box and under my watchful gaze before Christmas."

The Newmarket handler is already looking to the future with Galileo Gold, who could travel to Meydan next March.

Palmer said: "If he comes to hand quickly, there is a chance the Dubai Turf could be a possibility, but the one race that the owners want to win is the Lockinge (Newbury). "If he goes there, I don't think he will need a prep race as he did so well first time out to win the Guineas.

"He's a dual Group 1 winner, a Guineas winner and he was also a very good two-year-old. Horses like him are hard to find and are not around every corner."