Hugo Palmer Ebor Festival Day Three runners blog: 'He's a colt who's shown me loads from the start'

• King Of Thunder - York - 4.45 race odds

• King Casper - York - 5.20 race odds

• Miami Matrix - York - 5.20 race odds

As her starting price of 33-1 suggested, we really weren’t expecting Ruby’s Angel to get her head in front in the finale here on Wednesday, but obviously we were delighted she did, particularly from that draw. Prior to that race, if you’d asked me what was the best chance her owners, Roudee Racing, had of having a winner at York this week, I would have undoubtedly have said this horse, King Of Thunder.

He's had the same lack of luck with the draw as Ruby’s Angel, being drawn 15 of 15, but we were very pleased with his debut run, when he finished fourth at Ascot over six furlongs. He’ll improve for that run, and I also think he’ll improve for the step up to seven furlongs. He’s a colt I’ve always liked, he’s shown me loads from the start.

If he can overcome the tricky draw, as Ruby’s Angel did, I do think he can be on the premises here. This is the most valuable maiden of the entire flat season, on paper I didn’t think it was the strongest looking Convivial I’ve ever seen, but it’s always a good race, so we’ll give it our best shot.

We run two in the concluding mile handicap. They must have thought King Casper was trained by someone else when they did the draw, as he’s been given a lovely draw in stall two! In all honesty he has been a bit disappointing, having started the season so well with victory at Newmarket, things haven’t worked out since then.

He did hate the testing ground at Goodwood last time though, so a sounder surface and a flatter track here could give him a decent chance. I haven’t worked with Joanna Mason much before, but she can do the weight, and as an Easterby, she knows York well!

I just felt Miami Matrix chucked it away a bit on his last run, also at Goodwood. He’ll be ridden more patiently here from this draw, and I’ve put the cheekpieces on him here, which hopefully will make a difference. York handicaps are never easy to win, but they both go there in good order.

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