Hugo Palmer Saturday runners blog: 'Franny Norton couldn't believe how she'd grown'

Coral ambassador and leading trainer Hugo Palmer previews his four runners across Saturday at Newmarket, Haydock and Curragh - making it essential reading for all horse racing fans.

• Fitzella - Newmarket - 2.25 race odds

• Hawksbill - Haydock - 3.15 race odds

• Mr Seagull - Curragh - 3.45 race odds

• Double Combo - Haydock - 3.50 race odds

A Group 1 runner is always very exciting, and Fitzella has been an absolute star for us this season.  She has grown and developed as every week has passed this summer, and Franny Norton, who rides out here a lot, hadn’t sat on her since before Ascot in July, and when he rode her in her final piece of work ahead of this race, he couldn’t believe how she had grown in her shoulders, and how she was such a bigger, stronger filly than two months ago.

She has been on the go since May, so there is always a doubt that such a precocious filly will still be improving at this stage of the season, but all her work at home suggests she is, she’s physically well and we’re very happy with how she goes into the race.

Her last run, at Deauville, was over 7 furlongs, and we felt she stayed that trip well, just finding My Highness too good, and I think that one is a bit of a monster who will take a lot of beating in the Group 1 Marcel Boussac on Arc day, so we could have run in Friday’s Group 2 Rockfel Stakes over 7, but in all honesty, I was more afraid of Touleen in that race than I was any of her Cheveley Park rivals.  That latter race is also a valuable Group 1, and we know our filly has bags of speed, so dropping back to 6 furlongs doesn’t worry us.

I think she will like Newmarket, I can’t see her not handling the Rowley mile, and she’s versatile groundwise, so there is a lot to be excited about ahead of this.