When Chester’s May Festival swings around, you expect Michael Owen’s Manor House Stables to be well-represented and this year looks set to be no different.
It was once Tom Dascombe who hailed from Owen’s Chester base, but it’s now former Newmarket Classic-winning handler Hugo Palmer who trains out of Manor House following his move in March 2022.
The duo look to have made a solid start to the partnership, but the Chester May Festival – live on Sky Sports Racing – will no doubt prove as something of an acid test and is a meeting that Owen enjoys and expects victory at.
“Chester’s a special place. For those who haven’t been to Chester Races, they really ought to go,” said the former Real Madrid and England striker.
“It’s a hard place to win at and the May Festival in particular is really hard to win at and getting more difficult.
“Aidan O’Brien seems to be sending over Derby horses and Oaks horses for all of the Trials so it’s really hard to win them.
“It’s the flagship meeting and we’ll go there well represented.”
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Owen admitted he has lofty ambitions alongside Hugo Palmer ahead of the Chester May Festival, live on Sky Sports Racing.
The meeting is headlined by Friday’s £150,000 tote Chester Cup, with Palmer and Owen potentially represented by both Rajinksy, who defeated Trueshan earlier this season at Nottingham, and Zoffee who won the Northumberland Vase in 2022.
While Owen wants to be competing in Classic contests, the staying test and prestige of the Chester Cup makes it one that he wants to tick off his list sooner rather than later.
“The Chester Cup is the headline act and it’s not an easy race to win so I’d love to tick that one off – that’s one race that I’d love to win,” he said.
“None of them are owned by me in any shape or form but if they cross the line in front, they’ll feel like they are!
“I’ve got a desire to be the best and I think now, I’ve got the real base of something special here with trainer, staff, facilities etc.
“I just want to be represented at the top table in all the big races, all the time and continue to be successful so we’ll see where it takes us but we’re not stopping here.”
Rajinsky won on his first start for Hugo Palmer at Ripon last year
It’s something of a unique relationship, with Palmer going from an independent Newmarket handler to working under Owen’s expanding yard, bringing a significant number of horses with him as well as building on the existing base.
That base included Brad The Brief, who gave the duo a first Group winner with victory at The Curragh in the Greenlands Stakes in May 2022.
And it’s the ambition that Owen and Palmer share that is most telling, with the pair keen to enjoy more days battling the likes of Aidan O’Brien, Charlie Appleby and John & Thady Gosden in Group One contests.
“We both get along with each other well which is important because in this game you get a lot of ups and a lot of downs,” he added.
“You have to have a certain character to be able to deal with the ups and downs. I think added to that, we are both absolute winners.
“We have dreams and ambitions that would probably scare some people but we’re going to get there.”
Owen is all smiles in the Chester parade ring
The move from the hustle and bustle of training at Newmarket for Palmer came just over a year ago, replacing HQ for the serene surroundings of Cheshire.
And although he’s the first to admit it wasn’t an easy decision to uproot, it’s one that he feels has been a positive one with plenty of progress expected in seasons to come – starting with the upcoming three-day meeting on the Roodee.
“It’s been amazing, a whirlwind and a huge amount of change,” Palmer said. “I can’t believe a year’s gone by already but it’s wonderful.
Palmer moved to Cheshire to join Owen’s Manor House Stables last year
“Michael [Owen] and I were friends for quite a number of years before I took the job up here and I suppose when you’ve been friends with somebody and then you go and work for them, on both parts we were a little apprehensive on how our relationship would change.
“Certainly from my perspective, it hasn’t really changed. We still get on fantastically well and have a great working relationship together and we’re both really excited about what we are trying to build here.
“He [Zoffee] won the Northumberland Vase last year really impressively. Zoffee would very much prefer to hear his feet rattle, quicker ground would suit him very well.”
Watch every race from the Chester May Festival all live on Sky Sports Racing from Wednesday May 10 to Friday May 12.
