14:10 Chester – Seagolazo

 

I think Seagolazo has a very obvious chance, and I'm hoping he'll improve from his first two starts. He is quite a lazy horse, but I'm hoping going around Chester will just sharpen him up and prevent him racing so lazily.

 

Sir Michael Stoute has an expensive son of Wootton Bassett in there, so he could be the one to beat, but we are better drawn than him, and we also have more experience, so hopefully we can put that to good use, and I'd say he has a very solid favourites chance.

 

Saviour is a horse we were hoping would improve at three, but he just hasn't, and in truth, I'd have to say he's disappointed us a little. He's been a bit silly and been getting quite stressed and racing very keenly, so we've gelded him since his last run in the hope that that might just settle him down.

 

We've tried to hold him up in the past, but I think around Chester from a good draw we'll just let him go forward and use his stride. I think he's a better horse than he's shown so far this year, so if he can get into a good rhythm, then I think he's capable of running a good race.

 

 

This is a valuable handicap, but it's frustrating that Balon d'Or has ended up drawn wider than I'd have liked. He does go well at Chester though, he ran well here two weeks ago, and he obviously did well in the Lily Agnes, so we know he handles the track, and he does have a nice light weight too.

 

It might be difficult for him to win drawn 7 of 10, but he's certainly no forlorn hope, and I'd hope he's capable of picking up some prize money at the very least.

 

 

Grey Cuban is another horse who I think goes there with a very obvious chance, and I'd say we just have Stoute horse to beat again in More Thunder. I'm very happy with how Grey Cuban has trained since his win here a few weeks ago, and I think going back up to a mile and a quarter has really helped this horse. 

 

We were thinking of going up further in trip with him, but this looked a good opportunity in a small field with quite a nice pot on offer, so this is where we go, and hopefully he can get his head in front once again.

 

 

I don’t think this is the strongest renewal of this race that we’ll ever see, but I have been quite fancying Rebel’s Romance the more I look at it. He's clearly a top-class horse, and he's been running to figures of 120+ all around the world, so if he can run to that sort of level back on British soil, then you'd have to think he's going to be difficult to beat.

 

It's interesting that Aidan O'Brien runs three in the race, and you'd have to suspect Hans Andersen is in there as a pacemaker, but that will suit Rebel's Romance, and it will also suit Luxembourg. Will it suit Auguste Rodin?, I'm not so sure, and he was so disappointing in the race last year without any real excuse. He probably is the class horse in the race, but he's clearly prone to throwing in a stinker, so I think you'd have to be brave to be backing him at such a short price. 

 

It's a shame that City Of Troy won't be running, and for all that I've questioned him and his ability to beat Auguste Rodin, I'd have still liked to have seen them take each other on. Sadly, this is what happens when all the top horses are in the same hands, but if City Of Troy is going to be considered anything other than just another ordinary Derby winner, then you'd have liked to see him run in a race like this and give them a good beating.

Hugo Palmer, Coral Racing Ambassador