LANCELOT DU LAC went down with two three year olds this morning for a racecourse gallop at Kempton ahead of a possible tilt at a Listed race on Saturday at Lingfield, a race he won last year.
On a beautifully sunny, crisp still winter morning Lancelot was accompanied by Spring Romance and Mimram as they look to get their all-weather campaigns underway. After an easy trip down from Harper Lodge Farm, the three horses were unloaded, did a few laps of the the pre-parade ring and then trotted round the course the “wrong” way round to the seven furlong start.
Stable apprentice and three pound claimer Jack Duern, who had a good season for the yard last year with seven wins rode Lancelot while Natalie Byrne was aboard Mimram and Alex Humprhies was on top of Spring Romance. They set off at a good pace from the start with Lancelot taking the lead and the two younger horses upsides each other.
In the home straight, the Stewards’ Cup winner naturally exerted his authority as he is rated some three stones higher than his galloping companions. However, Lancelot is not a flashy worker at home, so it was comfortable without being spectacular on the eye. Spring Romance went quite nicely and finished ahead of Mimram.
Racecourse gallops can never replicate races when you have a lot more runners but they are a great way of bringing horses on and can be the equivalent to a few pieces of work at home. Hopefully, the gallop will have sharpened Lancelot up for his attempt on Saturday to repeat last year’s victory in the Listed Cleves Stakes.
However, last year, he had to beat horses rated higher than him at level weights and the likelihood is the same will be true again this year.