Hugo Palmer Newmarket Friday runners blog: 'I think the uphill finish should play to his strengths'

Hugo Palmer has two runners on the second day of the July Festival at Newmarket, on Friday, July 10, 2026. The Coral ambassador previews them both in his latest exclusive blog.

Hugo Palmer Friday runners blog - July 10, 2026

Hugo Palmer Friday runners schedule - Newmarket

• Laureate Crown - Newmarket - 1.50 race odds

• Desert Smoke - Newmarket - 4.10 race odds

 1.50 Newmarket – Laureate Crown

Laureate Crown heads into a small field and we'll be stepping him up in trip for the first time, which is something I've been looking forward to. I've always felt he could stay this sort of distance, so I'm intrigued to see how he gets on.

He'll be ridden patiently because that's what suits him best. Newmarket is a very different test to Sandown or Ascot, but I think the uphill finish should play to his strengths, provided he can travel into the race down the hill.

It's set to be very hot, although I'd expect the track team to put plenty of water on the course to stop it becoming too quick. Hopefully the ground will be on the nice side, and if everything falls into place, I'm hopeful he'll run a big race.

4.10 Newmarket – Desert Smoke

Desert Smoke makes her racecourse debut and she's a filly we've liked from the moment we bought her at the breeze-ups.

She's done plenty of work at home and has shown us plenty of ability, so we're looking forward to seeing what she can do under race conditions. As with any debutante, we'll learn more about her on Friday, but she's a filly we think has a nice future.