A win for Lalor at the Cheltenham Festival would bring the house down because of the back story. The horse has run well in two competitive handicaps at the track this season and should be suited by the better ground at the Festival.
Lalor is trained by Kayley Woollacott, who took over the job after her husband took his own life in 2018. Racing can be an emotional rollercoaster and no more so than for the connections of the horse. However, the heart is not ruling the head in tipping Lalor for his target at the Festival. He is a class animal that could be ahead of the handicapper.
At the time of writing, Lalor is quoted at +2500 with Bovada for the Plate Handicap Chase at the Festival. His potential targets are the two handicap chases because he has shown decent form in similar races at Cheltenham in 2020. The horse finished third on New Year's Day and Trials Day at Cheltenham in handicap chases over two miles, four-and-a-half furlongs. The most suitable race at the Festival would be the Plate race over that distance. We will have a better idea of the shape of the race when the weights are announced a few weeks before the Festival, which is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, March 10.
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Lalor's first major win was in a Grade 2 bumper at the Aintree Grand National meeting in 2017. The horse had finished in the first two in three National Hunt Flat races at Wincanton and won at Aintree at +3300. At the time the horse was trained by Richard Woollacott and his wife was the assistant. The story unfolded over the next few years and Lalor became the standard bearer for the stable. The horse will be a graded winner running in a handicap at the Cheltenham Festival. If the handicapper is reasonable, Lalor could still be a blot on the handicap in March.
After the bumper win at Aintree, Lalor did not win again in four starts. However, the horse returned to the track in April 2018 and won the Grade 1 novices' hurdle over two miles and one furlong. The ground was soft and not testing and the underfoot conditions brought out the best in Lalor. The next major landmark was an impressive win in a novices' chase at Cheltenham in November 2018. However, subsequent runs at Sandown, Cheltenham and Aintree were disappointing.
After another moderate effort in a handicap chase at Exeter at the end of last year, Lalor had an uncertain future and retirement could have been considered. However, the nature of the horse's story led the current trainer to persevere, maybe in memory of her departed husband. Lalor has jumped well and ran with enthusiasm in his last two starts at Cheltenham. He won't be facing Grade 1 horses in his chosen handicap chase at Cheltenham, where the story could take another turn.
Lalor's career-best Racing Post Rating (RPR) is 159 and he has run to a mark of 157 in his two handicap chases this year. Those efforts suggest Lalor is almost back to his best and he could even run in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase. However, connections have taken the handicap route, so much depends on the weights. The horse carried 11-00 and 11-10 when third in those Cheltenham races, meaning he could be competitive off top weight in the Plate Handicap Chase at the Festival.