Lake Forest

That win came at York on 25 August 2023, one of the most prestigious venues in the country, at one of its most celebrated meetings. York is the kind of track that sorts out the genuine horses from the ones just going through the motions, and Lake Forest passed the test. The first win had come a couple of months earlier at Haydock Park in June 2023, and then, almost three years later, Lake Forest returned to Haydock and won there again just six weeks ago — a pleasing bit of symmetry, and a reminder that the horse still has plenty to offer.

Behind the scenes, Lake Forest is trained by William Haggas at Newmarket, one of the most productive yards in Britain right now — 170 winners already this season, which is a staggering output and a sign of the sheer quality of operation the horse is part of. Tom Marquand is the regular partner in the saddle, riding Lake Forest in 11 of its 14 races and winning 2 of them, a win rate of around 1 in 6. That kind of long-standing partnership matters — a jockey who knows a horse well can make a real difference at the top level.

Recent form reads 5-1-2-2-6-5, working back from the most recent race, and that tells an interesting story: a win sitting right in the middle of a run of placed and near-miss efforts, with the horse clearly competitive throughout. It raced just yesterday, so the yard are keeping it busy and in good shape. Lake Forest is a horse operating at the sharp end of the sport, holding its own in elite company, and with a second Haydock win already banked this spring, it looks like there could be more to come.