Leading jockey Richard Johnson is eager to secure a fairy tale victory for trainer Kayley Woollacott at the Cheltenham Festival.
Johnson will ride Lalor in the Arkle Chase, with Woollacott’s stable-star amongst the favourites for the two-mile race.
The Devon-based trainer has endured a difficult 14 months following the death of her husband, Richard, back in January 2018.
He succumbed to mental health issues, resulting in Kayley moving from her own point-to-point stable to take over his training operation.
She immediately made a splash, with Lalor winning a hurdle at the Grand National meeting before demolishing a good field on his chase debut at Cheltenham during November.
The horse was subsequently defeated on unsuitable ground at Sandown, but Johnson insisted in a recent interview with Betway that the horse would bounce back at the Festival.
“He did a nice piece of work over two miles at Exeter,” he said. “It was great for him to have an away day without the pressure of a full-blown race day – he felt really well and I couldn’t be happier with him.”
Lalor hasn’t run since the Sandown race, with Woollacott resisting the temptation to risk the horse on unfavourable ground at Doncaster earlier this year.
The seven-year-old will face some tough opponents at the Festival, with the likes of Duc Des Genievres, Glen Forsa and Kalashnikov amongst a talented line-up.
However, Woollacott believes that her late husband’s eye for quality has left her with a superb opportunity to land what would undoubtedly be a popular success with racing fans.
“When Richard turned up with Lalor, he asked me to go and have a look to see if I liked him because I didn’t go with them to view him,” she said.
“He was just very big and very leggy, but I think Richard saw the potential there.
“He’s got a lot of size and scope to him and, I know it sounds silly, but he’s got a very kind face which has always been a big thing for us. We like horses that look genuine and honest.”
The Arkle Chase takes place at Cheltenham on Tuesday, March 12 (2.10pm).
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
