Leo’s Lucky Star

As is the norm, they went off at a million miles an hour in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual, the last race of the Cheltenham Festival and Leo’s Lucky Star was held up stone last, some 20 lengths off the leaders over the early fences. He travelled well through the race and made up some ground down the back, but was still no better than 13th or 14th coming down the hill and was perhaps asked for his effort too late. The jockey still hadn’t gone for him by the time they got to the second last, by which time the winner had been kicked into the lead and stormed up the hill. When he was let down, Leo’s Lucky Star ran on all the way to the line, giving the impression that he could have finished a fair bit closer if ridden slightly more positively.

He was not David Pipe’s first string in this race – he had the 4/1 favourite I’msingingtheblues – and this was just Leo’s Lucky Star’s seventh run over fences and only his third start of the season, which makes his effort really creditable in a race in which experience counts for a great deal. The key to him appears to be this good ground; his two wins on the flat both came on good to firm and four of his five wins over jumps have come on good or faster. He jumped and travelled fluently on the surface here and has only gone up 2lb for this which could be lenient when you consider he might have gone a fair bit closer and considering the fairly exposed winner was put up 9lb. He would be of interest if he turns up at one of the big Spring Festivals on good ground.

18th March 2011