Hugo Palmer Friday runners blog: 'I hope he can go well'

World class trainer Hugo Palmer, in his latest exclusive blog with Coral, previews his runners on Friday (May 2) at Goodwood and Newmarket.

Oh West Virigina was a late foal, he’s not even two years old yet, but he’s a muscular, strong type who has shown plenty of enthusiasm for the game in his homework. Our juveniles have been running well generally, I’ve certainly been pleased with them, and while this a big field for a decent pot, he’s drawn well and I hope he can go well.  

We were very pleased with Hawksbill’s reappearance, he took quite a blow after that race, I think he needed it and it should have brought him on a lot. This is a competitive looking race, with only five pounds between all six of them, but I think his form is as strong as any of the others.

There are a couple in here who could improve massively, so we are vulnerable to that, but as long as he handles Goodwood – and there’s always a question mark over that on such a unique course, but I think he will – he’s capable of running a really nice race.

I walked the track at Newmarket on Thursday morning, they have put loads of water on it and I’d say it was on the easy side of good, with the expectation it will dry out, but importantly, I don’t think it will be too quick for him. It will be tough for him though, as he carries the five pounds penalty, but even taking that into account, he’s still joint top rated in this field.

If he runs to his very best form, he can be competitive, and he’s in a better place than he was before the Craven, he’s really come forward for that run. However, I do think this horse’s best chance of winning races will come later in the year when he’s lost that penalty. At the moment, as he was a high-performing 2-year-old but not a very big horse, he’s having to give weight away all round, and that doesn’t make life easy for him.

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