Lake View Lad held back for Grand National tilt

Lake View Lad - pictured winning the Rehearsal Chase under Henry Brooke - is on course for the Randox Health Grand National.

Trainer Nick Alexander had to ease down the 10-year-old’s work because of a sinus problem.

The horse, who relishes soft ground, came to prominence in late 2018 when landing Newcastle’s Rehearsal Chase and then the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby. It should not affect Lake View Lad’s preparation for the Aintree showpiece – in which he was pulled up four fences from home last year by Middleham jockey Henry Brooke after being hampered when towards the rear of the field.

Alexander said: “He’s fine, but he had a small sinus issue – he’d have probably run in the Premier Chase at Kelso on Saturday if it hadn’t been for that, which is a bit annoying.

This is Lake View Lad (left) hitting the front in the 2018 Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle under Henry Brooke.

“He’s in at Cheltenham (in the Ultima Handicap Chase), but I think we’ll go straight to Aintree with him.”

The grey, owned by Trevor Hemmings, has already resumed his big-race preparations.

“It should clear up very quickly,” added Alexander. “He’s back in work, anyway. It was just a small hold-up.

“We might take him away for a gallop at some point.

“He ran a month ago at Kelso over hurdles, so I’m quite happy with that.”

In Cheltenham news, Joe Tizzard says that Lostintranslation, winner of Haydock’s Grade One Betfair Chase, is on course for the blue riband Gold Cup after pulling up in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

The horse has subsequently undergone a wind op and Tizzard, assistant trainer to his father Colin, said: “I still think he is a very good horse.

“He has cracking form at Cheltenham – he won the Dipper and finished second in the JLT.

“He bounces off that nice ground as well and you can see him travelling really well in a Gold Cup.

“There is always the question mark of the extra couple of furlongs up the hill that takes some getting but, if we got some genuine good to soft ground, I think he could travel into it and be bang there at the last.

“He has just got one blot and that is his King George run. I think it was because he had a harder race at Haydock than we thought but, bar that blot on his copybook, he is a very exciting horse.

“Robbie (Power) was quick to pull him up when he was beaten and that is not a bad thing. He doesn’t bottom a young horse but he has the experience – he knew that he was going to be anywhere so he looked after the horse.”

Tizzard added: “He is a fresh horse. He has really come back to himself at home and he looks a picture. We have been really happy with his work. I am not saying that he is going to win a Gold Cup but he has a live chance going into it.”

He also said that the stable’s 2018 Gold Cup hero Native River will resume training next season after suffering a tendon injury following his Denman Chase win at Newbury.