LANCELOT DU LAC won his twelfth race this afternoon at Wolverhampton in impressive fashion, giving plenty of weight away to his eight rivals.
The eight-year-old headed the weights in this £25,000 handicap and the 5/2 son of Shamardal was giving away 13lbs and upwards to the field as he won the 6f sprint by half a length from favourite, Mickey.
While Lancelot Du Lac had previously won seven times on the all-weather, they were all at Kempton, Lingfield and Chelmsford. The Tapeta surface at Dunstall Park was new territory for the sprinter but he handled it like a duck to water.
Drawn six, Lance was soon prominent and after losing his position, he made a move two furlongs from home under Robert Winston, who knows the horse well, having won on him five times previously. The jockey galvanised the horse a furlong from home and as they hit front, the result never really looked in doubt.
Lancelot Du Lac has a very impressive 24% strike rate with 12 wins in 51 career starts and although two-thirds of those have come on the all-weather, he’s certainly no stranger to success on the grass. Turf wins have included success at Newmarket, York and Goodwood, where he won last year’s Stewards’ Cup under Frankie Dettori.
This horse is very special to owners Michael and Heather Yarrow, so congratulations to them on another great success. Rated 107 going into yesterday’s race, he is sure to be raised a few pounds in the handicap. At his peak, he as been 109 but at the age of eight, he seems to be improving!
The victory was the 10th for Harper Lodge Farm this year as the stable nears the £100,000 before the turf season has even begun. Last year was a record season for the fifth year running. Who would bet against 2018 being a sixth?
