Hugo Palmer blog: 'I’m very hopeful she’ll run a nice race'

Hugo Palmer is back with another exclusive Coral blog, previewing his runners at Goodwood, York, Chester and Haydock, Windsor and Salisbury all on Sunday.

I thought Kitteridge ran a lovely race last time In the Pretty Polly, but she just found the ground a bit quick for her that day at Newmarket, and she was changing her legs an awful lot.

She really put her head down and stuck at it towards the finish though, so that was certainly encouraging to see. She will have to step forward from that effort, but it was only her third run, so I would expect there to be plenty of improvement to come from her. 

She has a nice draw here, and I think Goodwood should suit her as she’s a nicely balanced filly, so I’m very hopeful she’ll run a nice race on the forecast easier ground.

Goodwood odds

Stratusnine is a nice big Far Above colt who has shown plenty of promise at home on the gallops. Stall 1 really isn’t ideal for a debutant as there’s nothing on his inside for him to jump with, so you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll jump out and jink away from the rest of the field, which is never helpful, but I’m sure he’ll learn a lot from the experience.

York maidens do tend to be quite hot races, but he has shown us ability at home, so I’m sure he’ll be up to winning races in the future even if he isn’t quite up to making a winning debut this weekend.

Stratusnine odds

As I touched on before he made his debut here the other week, I doubt I’ve ever sent a two-year-old to the track for their debut with so much racecourse experience given all the racecourse gallops and stall tests this horse has done.

He’s been unlucky with the draw once again here, but I do think he’s come forward for that debut effort at the May meeting, and I’m expecting him to improve on that performance this weekend.

He looks really well within himself at the moment, and when we did the stalls test with him at Windsor, the ground was very soft and he seemed to relish it, so conditions should be absolutely fine for him, and I’m expecting a big run.

King of Angels odds

Cabelleroso is another nice big two-year-old colt making his debut for us, and he’s a Lope De Vega colt, and they do tend to have a genetic liking for soft ground. His knee action at home would only enhance that view, and he has been a very straightforward and uncomplicated horse to train so far.

Our horses don’t tend to win first time out very often, but he has a nice draw in stall 2, and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world to me if he made a winning debut.

Cabelleroso odds

I must admit, I’m nervous about the ground for Solent Gateway here, but his owner is adamant that he’s won on it before and he will handle it, so we’ll take our chance. He does like Haydock, and he has a nice draw, so there are a few things in his favour, and having Oisin Murphy in the saddle is certainly no bad thing either. 

He’s had three poor runs in a row now though, so he does need to return to form, but he won this race last year off a higher mark, so if he does bounce back to form, then he’s clearly weighted to go very close indeed.

 Solent Gateway odds

He’s won at Chester before on very soft ground, and he loves to get his toe in, so conditions will be very much to his liking. He actually won over further here last season, but I do feel this horse is getting faster and faster, and he actually broke the track record at Newcastle on his latest start, so he’s undoubtedly got plenty of boot.

He does have a tricky draw in stall 7, but hopefully his pace will allow him to overcome it, and he’d have to have a chance if he gets that bit of luck in running you need around Chester.

Prince of Zenda odds

I thought she ran a good race against the older horses at Nottingham last time, but perhaps the ground was just a bit lively for her that day.

She should appreciate the slower ground at Haydock this weekend, and I also think she’ll appreciate being back against horses of her own age, so I’m hoping she can step forward from that last effort having been dropped another pound in the weights.

Oisin Murphy rides her for the first time which is great, and I’m sure she’ll be winning more races soon, so hopefully she can get start that this weekend.

Nariko odds

Swordstick was disappointing at Chelmsford last time, but he has been gelded since, and hopefully that will prompt some improvement.

He should love the ground this weekend, so I have no issues with that, and he’s a strong travelling horse who shows plenty of speed out of the gates, so Chester should suit him perfectly. 

It’s only a small field, but a few of them arrive here in decent form, so while it does look a competitive little race, I expect him to enjoy being able to get his toe in, and I think he’ll run well.

Swordstick odds

Arabian Crown is a horse I really like actually, but things just didn’t quite go to plan for him at Chester in the Lily Agnes. He was the first one in the stalls that day, and he just completely fluffed his lines which put him on the back foot, but he did warm to his task nicely in the end, and he just got a bit tired close home.

He will need to step forward from that effort, but I expect he might do just that, and this could just be a slightly easier race for him on just his second start.

Arabian Crown odds

He’s disappointed us Master Franca on his last few starts, and he does have some questions to answer after those efforts. He’s yet to win on turf, but he has run well on it on a few occasions, and I think this stiff 7f at Salisbury will suit him.

He has a very capable 5lb claimer on board in the shape of Joe Leavy, and he is only a pound above his last winning mark, so he’s well treated if he can put his best foot forward.

Master Franca odds

We have Joe Leavy claiming a valuable 5lb off Wonder Smile too, and I must admit that he disappointed us last time at Kempton. We thought he’d win that day, but things just didn’t go to plan, and ultimately, he was a well-beaten favourite in the end. 

The handicapper has dropped him 2lb for that effort, and we’ve gelded him since, so I would be very disappointed if he couldn’t leave that effort behind here in what does look.

Wonder Smile odds

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