Lake Forest lined up for Haydock or Doncaster redemption

Molly Hunter
August 26, 2024 12:38 pm

William Haggas-trained colt had to come out at York after stalls mishap.

Lake Forest is set for a stalls test but is none the worse after his late withdrawal from the City of York Stakes on Saturday.

The three-year-old was a 7-2 chance for the Group Two event but became unsettled in the stalls and had to be scratched as the rest of the field went without him.

Thankfully, the William Haggas-trained chestnut is largely unscathed after the incident but connections are bemused as to just what it was that upset him.

He will now undergo a stalls test before looking to finish off what has otherwise been a successful season, although quick ground will be essential if he is to take up entries in either the Sprint Cup at Haydock or the Park Stakes at Doncaster.

“He’s just got a few scratches and bruises but he’s fine, it came as a big surprise to all of us,” said Sean Graham, racing manager to co-owner Tony Bloom.

“He’s never shown any tendency to play up in the stalls and it’s not as if any of the horses beside him were kicking off.

“I don’t know whether the wind hit the stalls and made them rattle, we’ve no idea what prompted him to do what he did.

“He’s got a stalls test at Chelmsford on Saturday, touch wood that will be OK and then he will have a couple of options over the next few weeks.

“There’s a race at Haydock for him and then a race for him at Doncaster the following Saturday.

“We still have a few options, but in two weeks at Haydock the ground could be heavy and we do really need quick ground.

“He’s in a race in America as well but I think we’d only go there if there was really no chance of us getting good ground here before the end of the season.”