Hugo Palmer is back with an exclusive Coral blog, with the top trainer running us through his Saturday runners at Ayr, Chester, Newmarket and Newbury.
Hugo Palmer blog
Chester Trainers’ Title
It is a busy day for the stable on Saturday as we have 12 runners across four different racecourses. At Chester, we are one winner behind Andrew Balding in the race for the leading trainer prize at this course. With our association with Chester, that would be a tremendous achievement for everybody should we top the standings. We need a good day to do that, but we do have some good chances.
1.50 Ayr – Under The Sun
This is a very competitive race, so he will be up against it here. That said, he is in good shape, and I am very happy with him. He is in that difficult position of being rated around 99, so we have to look at races like this. I’d be delighted if he were able to score at this level, but he does need to step up on what he has shown so far this year.
1.55 Chester – Kokinelli
She has not been done too many favours by the draw, although it is a small field. I was disappointed by her last time at Beverley. It just didn’t seem to happen for her. We are stepping up in trip now, and it should be nice ground at Chester. I just want to see her produce a better performance than she did at Beverley.
2.30 Chester – Claim To Glory
He was successful at Wolverhampton two starts but he did not follow it up at the same course. Going down to the start, he was in a foul mood and then he was sluggish out of the stalls. He needs to sharpen up, but he does have ability. We are back on turf with him now. If he jumps and travels, he should have a chance in this race.
She has had a very busy season. This will be her 10th start. She blew her chances at the start at Kempton, rearing in the air. Lester Piggott famously said: “You can give weight away, but not ground”. We have done some stalls work with her since then. On ratings, she is right there with them. There are some unexposed runners in the field who could be anything. She has been placed in a Listed race, so she does not need to improve much to win this.
3.05 Chester – Connie’s Way
We thought she was going to get balloted out of the sales race at York last time. It all came a bit too soon for her so she can be forgiven for that run. She was third on debut and it was a respectable performance. William Haggas’ filly looks the one to beat in this contest. I’d like to think our filly can run her race and she will then get a handicap mark after this.
3.40 Chester – Balon d’Or
He ran a cracker at this course last time out from a tough draw. Unfortunately, the draw is even worse here, so he will need to overcome that. Sean D Bowen will take 3lb off his back, which will help. He is riding well at the moment. Hopefully, he can get him in a good position from the stalls and he will be in contention at the finish.
3.55 Newmarket – Rajinsky
I need to check the weather for this horse. If enough rain does not fall in time, he will not run. He needs soft ground. I had to declare him just in case they get any thunderstorms at Newmarket. He won this race in 2022 from a mark of 102, so he is back down to a mark that gives him a chance. We just need the weather to give him a helping hand.
4.10 Ayr – Tierney
She finished second at Leicester two starts back but then was disappointing at Newbury on her latest start. We are putting a visor on for the first time in this race, and hopefully, that will help her keep her mind on the task. If she can bounce back from her latest effort, she should be in the mix here.
4.15 Chester – Roman Dragon
He ran a cracker from a terrible draw at Chester on his last run. This will be his last appearance in the UK before heading back to Bahrain over the winter. He started the season off a mark of 95 which was probably a little too high. He is now back to a mark of 90. I think he is our best chance of a winner this weekend.
4.25 Newbury – Make You Smile
This is his first appearance on the track. He was an expensive purchase, and he has ability. He doesn’t do anything you don’t ask him to do, so Oisin Murphy may need to ask a few questions of him. No result in this race would surprise me. His work has been good but it’s now time to prove himself on the track.
5.20 Chester – Havanarama & He’s A Gentleman
We have two horses in the final race of the Flat season at Chester for 2024. One has a good draw (Havanarama) and the other has a terrible draw (He’s A Gentleman). Typically, it is the better horse with the bad draw.
He’s A Gentleman ran well at Ayr two starts back. We have been desperate to run him at Chester this season for the Michael Owen Racing Club. He will need to carry top weight here but Sean D Bowen helps by taking 3lb off.
Havananrama has yet to win on turf, but he did he did go close at Doncaster. This is a new trip for him, and I am hoping the stiffer test might just suit him.
