Lake View Lad

Lake View Lad put up a nice performance to win the two-and-a-half-mile novices' hurdle at Wetherby last Friday.

Settled nicely just behind the leader Walking In The Air by Stephen Mulqueen early on, he travelled well through his race and into the home straight. He picked up nicely to take up the running on the run to the second last flight, and he kept on well from there. The favourite chased him all the way to the line, but it never looked like he was going to catch him and, in the end, Lake View Lad prevailed by four lengths, with the first two miles clear of their rivals.

This was another step forward from Nick Alexander's horse. Winner of a maiden bumper on heavy ground at Hexham on his seasonal bow in November, he fell early on his debut over hurdles at Carlisle two weeks later, and he fell again, this time at the final flight at Ayr in early January when he looked destined for victory. He made amends next time back at Ayr, however, running out an easy winner of a two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle on heavy ground when sent off at odds-on. He wasn't odds-on on Friday, he wasn't even favourite, but he was a close second favourite behind a useful rival in Walking In The Air, and it was a good performance to beat him. Dan Skelton's horse had won his only point-to-point and his only bumper, and he was sent off as favourite to beat Yala Enki and Duke Des Champs on his hurdling bow at Exeter in early November. That's how highly-regarded Walking In The Air was and is.

There should be more to come from Lake View Lad. He is only six and this was just the sixth race of his life under all codes and just his fourth over hurdles. He should do better on slightly better ground, and he should stay further than this two and a half miles in time. He will be of interest wherever he goes next, with his trainer mentioning the Premier Hurdle at Kelso on 5th March as his next potential target.

12^th February 2016

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