Lake View Lad likely to miss Cheltenham Festival

Lake View Lad

Lake View Lad. Photo via Yorkshire Post.

Lake View Lad is likely to head straight to Aintree’s Randox Health Grand National instead of appearing at the Cheltenham Festival next month as he has been recovering from a sinus problem.

His trainer Nick Alexander has revealed the horse’s workload has been reduced over the last couple of weeks due to the problem.

He said: “He’s fine, but he had a small sinus issue – he he’d have probably run in the Premier Chase at Kelso on Saturday if it hadn’t been for that, which is a bit annoying.

“He’s in at Cheltenham (in the Ultima Handicap Chase), but I think we’ll go straight to Aintree with him.

“It should clear up very quickly. He’s back in work, anyway. It was just a small hold-up.

“We might take him away for a gallop at some point. He ran a month ago at Kelso over hurdles, so I’m quite happy with that.”

Lake View Lad ran in the Ultima Handicap Chase last year where he was only 3¼ lengths away from the winner, Beware The Bear, when he came back in third place. A second attempt at the race on the opening day at the Festival may have to wait for another year.

Second shot at Grand National

This season will be Lake View Lad’s second appearance in the Grand National. He went off at 14/1 in the 2019 edition but was pulled up four out.

It has been a modest campaign so far for the Scottish-trained horse as he has yet to prevail in three starts.

The 10-year-old was third in the Grade Three Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby back on Boxing Day – a race he won in 2018. A month later, he appeared over hurdles at Kelso where he finished third of six.

Lake View Lad is as short as 33/1 in the Grand National betting this year, as he looks to become the second horse based in Scotland to win the steeplechase in the last four years after One For Arthur.

The talented grey will wear the silks of Trevor Hemmings, who won the Grand National in 2005, 2011 and 2015. If his latest star is able to come out on top, Hemmings will hold the record outright for the most wins in the race as an owner.

Connections hoping for rain before Aintree feature

One of the issues for Lake View Lad in 2019 was the ground at Aintree. The chaser relishes testing conditions and not enough rain fell in time for the race last year.

Connections will be hoping there is a spell of rain in Liverpool like we had in February, which will increase their runner’s chance of victory in the 4m2½f contest.

Four of Lake View Lad’s eight wins on the track have come on heavy ground. If the going did end up being heavy in April, his odds would almost certainly be much shorter than the 33/1* he is priced at right now.

 

*odds subject to change.

Latest News

Ted Walsh: Mullins may never top Aintree glory

Ted Walsh is well positioned to judge what winning the Aintree Grand National means for a father-son combination and the legendary figure says even Willie Mullins may struggle to top that achievement in the future. Mullins won back-to-back Grand Nationals in April as Nick Rockett led home a one-two-three for his yard, with last year’s […]

Aintree hero Blackmore ‘blown away’ by response to retirement call

Rachael Blackmore, the only female rider to win the Grand National at Aintree, has announced her retirement from race racing. Blackmore made history in 2021 when steering Minella Times home in front at Aintree for trainer Henry De Bromhead and owner JP McManus. Her Grand National success made headlines around the world and now, aged […]

Russell hoping to raise Scotland’s profile at Aintree and beyond

Dual Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell says her yard must keep ‘having a number of good horses rather than just one flagship’ star in a quest to raise the profile of National Hunt racing in Scotland. Russell trains in the beautiful Kinross countryside half an hour north of Edinburgh with her partner Peter Scudamore MBE, […]
18+ | Commercial Content | T&C's Apply | Play Responsibly | Advertising Disclosure
grandnational.org.uk is an independent professional comparison site supported by referral fees from the sites which are ranked on this site. The sites and information we present are from companies from which grandnational.org.uk receives compensation. This compensation may impact the rankings of the sites. Other factors, including our own opinions, your location, and the likelihood of signing up, may also impact how the ranking of the sites appears to a particular user. grandnational.org.uk cannot and does not present information about every betting/casino site or betting/casino site offer available.