Hugo Palmer outlines his decision to hold Hot Touch for a better run at Newmarket next week, while also giving his thoughts on his runners on Friday.
We had Hot Touch entered in the Listed Racing TV Radley Stakes at Newbury on Saturday but, in the end, we decided that we would wait for the Bosra Sham Stakes at Newmarket next Friday.
There were a couple of reasons for the decision. Firstly, the Bosra Sham is over six furlongs whereas Saturday’s race is over seven, and six furlongs on autumn ground at this time of year might just suit her better than seven. And secondly, the ground is going to be soft at Newbury on Saturday. We have a better chance of getting better ground at Newmarket at this time of year.
Newmarket usually has better ground than most of the rest of the country at this time of year, which is one of the main reasons why there is so much autumn racing at Newmarket. It’s a top class track.
Hot Touch is well. She ran well for a long way in the Rockfel Stakes last time. The first four just got away from her inside the final furlong, but that was still a step up on her Kempton win. That was her first run since that Kempton win in July, and she came out of it well. She has been in good form at home since, and she will appreciate the drop back down from a Group 2 race into listed company.
Caravan Of Hope goes in the one-mile-six-furlong handicap at Doncaster on Friday. He stayed on well to win a novice stakes over a mile and a half on soft ground at Ascot three weeks ago.
The handicapper left him on his mark of 80 after that, which was reasonable. This is a competitive handicap, but he is in good form, he will like the ground, and he should improve for stepping up from a mile and a half to a mile and six furlongs. I hope that he will run well.
Acquitted runs in the two-year-old novice stakes at Newbury on Friday. He won nicely at Kempton last month on his racecourse debut, and he kept on to finish fourth in a good conditions race at Newbury last time, over Friday’s course and distance. He should improve from that and he should run well.
We also run Untouchable Beauty in an auction stakes at Newcastle on Friday evening. She missed the break on her debut at Kempton last month, but she broke faster and ran better last time at Wolverhampton, and I hope that she can improve again.
