Trainer David Vandyke has tasted success at the highest level, but a mere Maiden win at Doomben on Wednesday … should it arrive in the third race on the card … could be quite an emotional result in its own right for the stable.
Don’t expect that emotion to be over the top, but there would have to be an inner sense of patience being rewarded, of relief, of pleasure … probably a mixture of all of those feelings and more … should Landsborough Lad salute in his tenth start after having to settle for second place in no less than six of his nine career starts to date … on two of those occasions only being touched off by the narrowest of margins and finishing within a length of the winner on another three times.
But it would not be the thought any hard luck stories from past race results that will be in play in the winners’ enclosure … rather it evoke the memory Landsborough Lad’s sorry situation just a couple of years ago when a serious injury kept him away from race action for a full two year period from April 16, 2020 to April 20, 2022.
Getting him back in racing trim was a victory in itself … building his confidence has been another mighty task … getting him to find that winning edge is the final piece in the puzzle that still needs to fit into place.
Landsborough Lad has finished second in all three of his starts at Doomben and has finished second in four out of five starts over today’s distance.
Even though he is now a five-year-old, the thinking still has to be it is a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ Landsborough Lad will claim that first victory, which has been oh so elusive.
For punters, bitten many times, the dilemma is whether today will be Landsborough Lad’s day and they should stay with him … he has always featured in the betting with his longest starting price to date being $3.60 … or whether they should watch this one and then curse if he wins.
Landsborough Lad faces nine rivals today … second-up … over 1350m in a Maiden Handicap where, as the top weight, he has to give between 0.50kg and 5kg to all of his rivals.
At the time of writing the David Vandyke trained runner is the $1.95 race favourite.
