Lalor lands Aintree bumper

Lalor (33/1) provided trainer Richard Woollacott with the biggest success of his career when bounding to victory in the Weatherbys Private Bank Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

The five-year-old, on his first start outside of Wincanton, followed up his last-time-out victory on heavy going at the Somerset track in fine style in the Grade Two under Richard Johnson.

Cruising to the front more than a furlong from home in the two-mile prize he showed he is equally as effective on a faster surface when finding another change of gear late on to keep at bay the strong-finishing Enniscoffey Oscar by two and a half lengths.

A sombre Woollacott was quick to put the victory into perspective, saying: "James McNeile died on one of our horses on Saturday in a point-to-point, one of the owners (Dick Westcott) has died and my two-year-old daughter Arabella is in hospital. This has been the worst week of my life. Hopefully she will be out of hospital tomorrow.

"Thanks to all the staff. They've done all the work. We're so lucky."

He added of the winner: "He's a lovely horse. I just fell in love with his horse.

"We'll cuddle him a bit, school him over hurdles and then put him away. He's only a baby."