Hugo Palmer: I think he has a very obvious chance

4.53 Chester – Reel Rosie

This will be the softest ground that Reel Rosie will have encountered in her career, so we’ll just have to see how she gets on. Her father won on heavy ground, so there is some hope from her pedigree that she might be able to handle it. She didn’t appear to stay the trip at Yarmouth last time, so we are bringing her back to 1m 2f here, and hopefully we’ll see a much better showing from her.

She’s never run at Chester before, but she’s not a slow filly, so I’m hoping it will suit her. Although it is only a small field, it does look a competitive little race, so we’ll just have to see how she gets on, but the ground would definitely be my main concern, but until you try them on it you just don’t know.

5.28 Chester – He’s A Gentleman

He’s A Gentleman has been so consistent of late, and he’s switched ownership now and is having his first start for the Michael Owen Racing Club. Apart from extremes either way, I think he’s pretty versatile with regards to ground, and I don’t think we’ll see any extreme ground at Chester tomorrow, so conditions should be absolutely fine for him. It is the last race of the day though, so it will be pretty chewed up by then, so I wouldn’t have picked stall one for him, but there’s nothing we can do about that.

I think this in-between trip will be absolutely perfect for him, and I definitely think he can win races off a mark of 71, but a little bit like Victoria Falls who ran so well at Newmarket the other day for us, he is a little bit of a victim of his own consistency.

Arc thoughts

You never quite know what the ground is going to be like in France as they aren’t as accurate with their going descriptions as we are here, and anything between good and firm is pretty much recorded the same, but it does appear they’ll be running on quick ground on Sunday. I don’t think that will suit the French horses all that much, and I don’t think it will be ideal for Hukum either. I’d have great respect for Hukum on the form of his win in the King George, but the combination of the quick ground and stall 14 would be enough to make me look elsewhere.

I think on the forecast quicker ground I’d have to side with Westover for Ralph Beckett and Rob Hornby. He’s been wonderfully consistent this year, and he was an excellent second behind Hukum in the aforementioned King George, so I do think he can reverse the form with that rival If the ground is on the quicker side, and I’d make him the one they all have to beat.

Hugo

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