2026 Celebration Mile Tips - Palmer's star can make hay while the rain pours

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: Thu 27 Aug 2026 09:33

Share

Jon Vine 2 hours ago

Share this article

Odds and betting predictions for the 2026 Celebration Mile
This Group Two will take place at Goodwood on Saturday 29th August
Seagulls Eleven is our selection at 7/1

Seagulls Eleven (left) beats Persica in the Betfred Diomed Stakes on Ladies Day at Epsom. (Getty)

The Celebration Mile headlines a quality card at Goodwood on Saturday afternoon. This eight-furlong Group Two was first run on the famous Sussex downs in 1967, and has been won by legendary milers like Brigadier Gerard, Selkirk and Cape Cross.

Here's our free guide to the 2026 Celebration Mile, including our best betting tips.

2026 Celebration Mile Odds

Name	Odds
Distant Storm	3/1
Zavateri	7/2
Shayem	6/1
Seagulls Elevens	7/1
Qirat	7/1
Boiling Point	10/1
Isaac Newton	10/1
Bar	14/1

2026 Celebration Mile Runners

Three-year-olds dominate the betting for Saturday's feature at Goodwood. The early favourite is Charlie Appleby's Distant Storm, who placed in both the British and Irish 2000 Guineas, before a Group Three success at Deauville earlier this month.

Zavateri won the Vintage Stakes here at Goodwood last term, and returns to the track following fifth-place finishes in both the Sussex Stakes and the City Of York. Karl Burke is represented by the hat-trick-seeing Shayem, who steps up to Group Two level after victories in the Sir Henry Cecil and Thoroughbred Stakes.

2025 Sussex Stakes winner Qirat is a likely runner after appearing twice during Glorious Goodwood. Seagulls Eleven wasn't beaten far in the Summer Mile at Ascot on his penultimate start. This year's Festival Stakes winner Boiling Point is another potential runner for Karl Burke.

Aidan O'Brien has entered three-year-old Isaac Newton and former Group One runner-up Expanded. Diego Ventura could take his chance for in-form trainer Hamad Al Jehani. Other potential runners include course winner Naqeeb, Morris Dancer for the Gosdens, former Lockinge winner Audience, and James Fanshawe's talented mare Pina Sonata.

2026 Celebration Mile Tips

The last two renewals of the Celebration Mile have gone the way of three-year-olds, and the betting for Saturday's feature is dominated by the younger age group. Distant Storm, Zavateri and Shayem will get six pounds from their older rivals at the weights.

Plenty of rain is due at Goodwood, especially on Saturday morning and through into the afternoon. Softer ground conditions would favour Shayem, as neither Distant Storm nor Zavateri has ever raced on ground slower than good.

A deluge on the morning of the race would certainly suit SEAGULLS ELEVEN (7/1). Hugo Palmer's gelding has done nearly all of his winning on a softer surface, including back-to-back wins at Longchamp and Epsom earlier in the season.

Having got the better of the hardy Persica in the Diomed Stakes, Seagulls Eleven went on to run a monster race in the Summer Mile at Ascot, flying home late to get within a length of Zeus Olympios. Conditions were even hotter and quicker on Sussex Stakes day here at Goodwood two weeks later, and Palmer's outsider struggled badly, labouring home in tenth, while the vets reported that he was showing signs of post-race ataxia.

Hugo Palmer might regret running Seagulls Eleven that day, but it would have been hard to resist the lure of such a prestigious contest, given how well his gelding ran at Ascot. Seagulls Eleven is a previous winner here at Goodwood too, so that was probably factored into the decision.

If the rain does indeed materialise, then conditions will be ideal for David Probert's mount at the weekend, and Seagulls Eleven is certainly capable of a Group Two-winning performance when the ground is in his favour.

Live Stream

Visit our Celebration Mile Live Stream page if you want to watch any of Saturday's races via a mobile or tablet.

Verdict

2026 Celebration Mile

Seagulls Eleven is our selection in the 2026 Celebration Mile.

Seagulls Eleven

2026 Celebration Mile Tips

@7/1 - 5 Units

Bet £10 Get £30

with bonus code NEWBONUS

Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5 or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30 in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. The bonus code NEWBONUS can be used during registration but does not change the offer amount in any way. #ad

Bet at bet365