Hugo Palmer blog: York 2024 Day one blog

Hugo Palmer is back with an exclusive Coral blog, with the leading trainer running us through his runners on Day one at York this year, as well as Carlisle and Kempton.

"I don’t see anything in the field that should be up to beating him if he runs his race"

The Waco Kid is a horse I’ve always liked, and I thought he ran very well in the Richmond at Glorious Goodwood last time despite everything going against him. I thought he looked ready for the step up to 7f that day, so that’s what we’re trying here, but we know he can hold his own at this sort of level, so I’m looking forward to running him.

The favourite of Godolphin’s Ruling Court won very impressively on his debut, and on the figures, he’s ran to a mark of about 95 there, which is a fair standard, but he will need to step forward from that to win this. Having said that, we’ll have to step forward from the mark of 99 that we’ve already achieved, so we’ll see how we get on.

I know he won’t have gone into many notebooks after his fifth in the Richmond, but I still can’t quite work out why he’s 33-1 for this, and I think that’s an astonishing price. He’s got a good draw, so hopefully Jason (Hart) can get him into a nice position early, and I think this is a race he can be very competitive in.

Zoffee has been in great order at home recently and he’s also got a lovely draw, so I’m hoping he can switch off and relax in a way that he didn’t at Newmarket last time. He got no luck in Northumberland Plate the time before, and he virtually finished on the bridle having met interference on more than one occasion, so I’m hoping the long straight at York will mean he’ll get a bit more luck in running.

He does need to bounce back to form to win this, but he went very close in last year’s Chester Cup off this mark, and he won that race this year off only 3lb lower, so he certainly isn’t handicapped out of it if everything goes to plan.

It’s going to be a tough gig for her giving some of these plenty of weight, and she’s not the biggest, but one thing she is is tough. She’s gone up 3lb for her second last time which I thought was very harsh, but it was her first start in a handicap, and clearly the handicapper has panicked and thought she could win one of these off her mark, so shoved her up 3lb for it.

I suppose she is top weight for a reason, so she’s certainly not without a chance, but there are some unexposed types in here, so it’s a big ask for her I’d say. We do claim a valuable 3lb off her with Aidan Keeley in the saddle, but he did claim that off her the last day, so it’s just whether she’s capable of going one better with that bit of extra weight on her back.

He’s made winning look quite hard work for a long time now Balon d’Or, but he was second off a mark of 76 two starts ago, and despite being beaten two lengths that day, they put him up a pound just to make sure he can’t win again. It’s so frustrating that for people that play the game honestly and always try our best that life is made so difficult for you sometimes, but there’s not much we can do about it. 

He’s been in good nick at home anyway, he seems really happy within himself, and the trip which is just shy of 6f should really suit him, so providing the ground doesn’t get too soft, I think he’s capable of being competitive.

On the face of it, this doesn’t look a particularly strong race, and even though Claim To Glory hasn’t got a great draw, I don’t see anything in the field that should be up to beating him if he runs his race. He stays well, and it’s a good track for frontrunners, so he just needs to get away well and get into position, and even though he’s got a lot of weight with his penalty, I thought he was very tough at Wolverhampton last week. He had every opportunity to roll over that day, but he wasn’t for passing, and he’s come out of the race really well, so I’m hoping that win will have done his confidence the world of good.

I know the owners are still in two minds about whether to run him, but I suspect this will be the last time he’ll be able to run in a 0-60 for a little while, so hopefully he takes his chance, and if he does, then I think he’s going to be very difficult to beat.

I’m delighted that York have been rewarded with such a fantastic race here, because they’ve put on excellent prize money, and they’ve been rewarded with one of the most interesting Group 1 fields we’ll see in this country all year, and I think it’s just great for racing. It’s also great that so many trainers are willing to take City Of Troy on, and if Aidan is right about him and he blitzes this field, then racing has a champion, but if not, then we’ll have an extremely competitive race to enjoy.

When you go through the opposition, you’d be surprised if Alflaila was upto winning at this level, Bluestocking is in super order, but she has a little bit to find on ratings, and Ambiente Friendly is in there, and he’s a horse I’ve always liked. I said to Tim Gredley who owns him that if the Derby was over 10f, then I think he’d have won it, and I did also say to him I thought he should go for the Coral Eclipse, but they felt the Irish Derby is a classic, and when you think you have a chance in a classic, you should always try and win one. 

I think Ambiente Friendly could be the main danger to City Of Troy, but the French horse Calandagan was wonderfully impressive when he encountered quick ground for the first time at Royal Ascot, so you’d have to respect him as well. All in all, it’s just a fantastic race, and like many racing fans, I’m really looking forward to watching it.

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