Hugo Palmer is back with an exclusive Coral blog, with the top trainer running us through his Saturday runners at Kempton, Haydock, Thirsk and Wolverhampton.
Hugo Palmer blog
2.00 Kempton – It Ain’t Two
She is an honest filly who does not need a lot of time between her races. I can’t see any reason why she won’t be as good right-handed as she is left-handed. She has a nice draw in stall two and she is one of the highest-rated runners in the race. We are hopeful of a big run.
2.25 Haydock – Rajinsky
He is a possible non-runner as he does not want quick ground. We’ve missed the rain up north so the ground could be on the quick side. We will assess the ground on the day and make a decision on his run. He has always gone well fresh so if he does take a chance, he will be ready to go.
2.35 Kempton – Under The Sun
We started the year thinking he might be a Derby horse. Ascot was a complete disaster last time but that is the only bad run of his career. If Hamish runs to his mark of 117, we will need to improve an enormous amount to beat him. At a big price, he could very easily run into a place.
3.10 Thirsk – Night Emperor
He stepped up from his debut last time and I am hoping he does that again. He has been a slow learner, but he has the ability to win races. It will be a watching brief in this contest.
4.07 Haydock – Hawksbill
This horse has the potential to be very good. We were all a little disappointed that he did not win one of his opening two starts, but then he got the job done over this C&D. He has stall one here so we will need to be positive with him to avoid being caught in a pocket. The form of his maiden win has been good. I am excited to see him in action again.
He is very difficult to predict. On a bad day, it is a struggle to even get him to go the post. He seems to enjoy running for apprentices, so I have booked Jonny Peate to partner him. I will be watching from behind the sofa, as I always do with this horse.
4.55 Kempton – Box To Box
He has not run much on the all-weather, but I think it will suit him. We have always thought he would be a 1m4f horse, and if he does stay the trip here, it will open more doors for him. I am very interested to see how he gets on, but he will need a career-best to score off this mark.
5.15 Haydock – Native King
He was unlucky at Goodwood where he went for a gap that wasn’t there. He came home on the bridle. Jamie Spencer jumped off and said he was a very well-handicapped horse. He does not want slow ground so if the rain does fall, we won’t take a chance with him. He has a nice draw so it should not be too complicated for Oisin Murphy. We are keen to run at Haydock, but we won’t waste a run on the wrong ground.
5.35 Thirsk – How Impressive
He is now back down to a winnable mark. He is 2lb lower than his last victory. I have been pressing different buttons with him at home to see if we can get him back to form. At some point, he is going to bounce back and let’s hope it is here at Thirsk.
