Lake View Lad Grand National Wins
Lake View Lad has never won the Grand National.
They have never finished the race.
A likeable grey horse who worked his way through the handicapping ranks to become one that was capable of competing at the top tier. Lake View Lad was based in the North, trained by Nick Alexander, a small setup, but he certainly helped to put the yard on the map.
Foaled in 2010, this horse was a regular winner throughout his career and won at both Grade Two and Grade Three levels over fences, which is where he took his form to the next level. Towards the end of his career, he moved up in trip, running over longer distances, and that was something that ultimately made the Grand National a target.
He went to the race twice, first off running in 2019 behind Tiger Roll. He was in his prime here and expected to run a good race, but after being hampered by a faller in front of him, he was pulled up and taken out of the race. A second run came in 2021 when Lake View Lad was coming towards the end of his career, and sadly, this race didn’t go to plan at all. The horse fell at the very first fence, a quick exit in his last attempt at winning the Grand National.
Full Results
Year | Result | Prize Money | Handicap | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Fence 1 - Fell | - | 11-0 | Brian Hughes | Nick Alexander |
2019 | Fence 27 - Pulled Up | - | 11-1 | Henry Brooke | Nick Alexander |
Lake View Lad’s Early Years
Lake View Lad began his racing career in Ireland, where Margaret Mullins trained him, but only for one run before he was moved away. That was a national hunt flat race at Punchestown in May 2015, where he finished third, and after that, was bought and sent over to the UK, where he went to the Nick Alexander yard.
He won on debut, winning a Hexham flat race, but struggled in his first two runs over hurdles, falling at the fourth hurdle on debut and then falling at the last when looking the winner on his second start.
Lake View Lad soon made up for that, though, winning his next two starts and ending the season with three wins from four after those falls, his only loss came when upped into Grade Two company.
Chasing was next, a slow start again as it took four runs to get his head in front. But when he did, it was in a nice race and the beginning of him moving up in class and running in better races.
Lake View Lad’s Big Race Wins
After several wins in lesser company, December 2018 saw Lake View Lad take his success to a new level, and he won two nice races in the same month to really move to the fore of people’s minds who were watching northern national hunt racing.
He first took the Rehearsal Chase at the start of the month, a listed handicap, and followed that up with one of the biggest northern handicaps of the season, the Grade Three Rowland Meyrick handicap chase at Wetherby at the end of December.
Those two wins led him to the Cheltenham Festival, where he finished third in the Ultima handicap and then his first Grand National bid.
The biggest win of his career, though came a couple of years later. This was December 2020, on the back of being off the track since January of that year, so not only did he win, but he did so on the back of a break.
He won the Grade Two Many Clouds Chase at Aintree, taking the race by a length, the highest grade he won at, and again, like the other two big wins, this one also led him to the Grand National, his second attempt in 2021.