Lidar

Lidar was a very highly rated horse three seasons ago, he won his second start, a Doncaster bumper, impressively and finished second in the Grade 2 bumper at Aintree on his third start. He picked up a slight injury on his hurdling debut at Cheltenham in December 2009, and, while he did win over hurdles on his next start, over four months later at Towcester, he never went on over hurdles and had been a real disappointment. Alan King even campaigned him on the Flat this summer, where he showed useful form in middle distance maidens, but wasn’t quite up to winning in that sphere, and he was in fact well beaten on his sole handicap start.

He has been sent chasing this winter, and after an inauspicious start he found only the very much in form Renard too strong in a Lingfield handicap, the winner going in again off an 8lb higher mark next time out. Lidar stepped up on that run when winning a novice handicap chase very easily at Newbury on Thursday on his third start over fences. It was only a four-horse race but it was a good race and he was impressive, making most of the running, always travelling well, and jumping tidily up the home straight to draw right away from the well backed Celtus over the final few fences, posting a good time.

It seems as though chasing could be the making of Lidar, he really impressed here. He is only six, he obviously has plenty of ability, and he has lots of scope for progression over fences now. By losing his way over hurdles he has got himself incredibly well handicapped, he was running off a mark of just 124 here (up 4lb from the good Lingfield run) and, even raised 10lb to a mark of 134, there could still be a lot of room in his handicap mark now that he seems to have found his niche over fences. This run was over two miles, as was his previous one, and this seems to be his trip, he showed plenty of pace up the home straight here in bounding away from the others. He is worth following now, he could well be up to winning in considerably higher grade.

24th November 2011