Hugo Palmer Royal Ascot Day Three blog: 'I think a strong pace over this stiff mile will be right up his street'

Hugo Palmer is back with an exclusive Coral blog, with the leading trainer running us through his runners on Day Three of Royal Ascot 2024, Chelmsford and Lingfield.

Watcha Matey has absolutely bolted up on his two starts so far this season, and he could hardly have pleased me any more this year. He’s ran well on all types of ground, but I think he’ll particularly enjoy this quick ground at Ascot, and this has been the plan for him for some time.

It’s obviously a big field, so it would be nice to get some cover and allow him to settle and deliver his challenge late, but he stayed 1m 1f very well at Musselburgh last time, so I think a strong pace over this stiff mile will be right up his street.

This contest obviously demands a lot more, but as I say, we’ve had this on our minds for him for some time, and I think he’s capable of running a really big race.

Under The Sun has always been a horse I’ve thought plenty of, and I think he’s a very big price for this at the time of writing. He fluffed his lines at Chelmsford on his first start, and then he did not like the soft ground at all at Sandown in the Classic Trial last time, so this return to quicker ground will be very much to his liking.

After Sandown, we’ve deliberately waited for this, and while he might have a bit to find on ratings, I am surprised to see we are the outsider of the whole field.

He’s been in excellent form at home in the last few weeks, he looks amazing in his coat at the moment, and I’m very hopeful that he can run a big race

Running Star was going to run at Beverley the other day, but we just decided to come here instead, and it looks like we’ve got the perfect draw in stall 1.

He made a perfectly pleasing start to his season when third at Pontefract last month, but we have gelded him and popped the cheekpieces on in the hope he’ll just put his head down and run through the line.

He’s probably unlucky to still be a maiden, and he clearly has the ability to win a race like this, so providing he puts it all together, I’m expecting a very big run from him.

Seagolazo makes his racecourse debut at Lingfield here, and he’s a lovely son of Havana Grey out of a Montjeu mare. He does go nicely at home, but he is a bit lazy, so he might just sharpen up and wake up from this experience. 

He should have the ability to be winning a maiden sooner rather than later, but whether it will be first time out I’m not sure, and if he runs a race with plenty of promise, then I’ll be happy with that.

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