Hugo Palmer: His work at home has been very good

Trainer and Coral ambassador Hugo Palmer discusses the chances of his Wednesday runners at Royal Ascot and Hamilton.

Ascot 6.10 – Hackman

Hackman runs in the Windsor Castle and I’m really happy with his draw in stall 17, as he’s almost smack bang in the middle of them. It’s hard to know at this stage how many groups they’ll split into or where exactly they’ll go, but at least in our position we can be flexible, rather than being drawn out on one of the wings.

Hackman and @themichaelowen after his win at Chester 💙 pic.twitter.com/WEStp65eS9

— Racing Post (@RacingPost) May 11, 2023

In hindsight, I think he might have ran a bit flat at Sandown last time. I was happy with him going into the race, but I’m much happier with him now, and his work at home has been very good. He did run well last time, but he was obviously no match for the winner, and James Doyle felt that he got softened up by another horse that day who eventually finished behind us.

I’m sure that experience won’t be lost on him, as he’s still a very young horse. He has plenty of speed, and this is a stiff 5f at Ascot, but fingers crossed he can put up a bold showing.

Hamilton 2.55 – The Bitter Moose