LAKESHORE EAGLE

28th November 2018

Lakeshore Eagle became the latest Price Bloodstock horse to turn in a debut win for trainer Chris So and champion jockey Douglas Whyte indicated that the best is all ahead of him.

So had taken his time with four-year-old by Master Of Design as the youngster didn’t look ready for racing last season despite a handy barrier trial back in June.

When Conghua training centre opened, So decided that the immature gelding was just the type to benefit from the calmer environment so Lakeshore Eagle did most of his preparation work there this season, including a trial in October, before moving to Sha Tin for the finishing touches.

As such, Lakeshore Eagle’s strong-finishing win on Wednesday night at Happy Valley gave him a little bit of history as the first debutant to score after doing a lot of his preparation at the new centre, although it was his latest trials at Sha Tin that convinced So and Whyte that the horse was not only ready for the races but ready to be competitive.

But, as good as his win was, it’s all up from here according to Whyte, who has been with the gelding in all his Sha Tin work from the start.

“He has some strengthening up to do still, he’s quite weak, so I’m sure he’s going to get better with more time and maturity and a win first-up exceeded our expectations although it was not a complete surprise,” Whyte said. “Mentally, he was in good shape. He has a laid back attitude that will take him a long way but he will still take a lot from this race experience and he looks to have a nice future.”