Kerry Lee’s Nemean Lion has a whole host of options open to him after coming home the runner-up in the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle.
The seven-year-old began his season by winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle, a length-and-a-half success that then led him to Greatwood at Cheltenham where he was fifth under the burden of 12st.
In the Lanzarote only one of his 18 rivals shouldered more weight than him and under Richard Patrick he produced another fine run to go down by a length and a quarter to Dan Skelton’s Jay Jay Reilly.
The run was a step up to two miles and five furlongs for the gelding and provided ample proof that the extended trip was to his liking, leaving an array of hurdle races open to him as the season progresses.
“I was absolutely delighted with him, these big handicaps are a lottery and he was giving away a lot of weight,” said Lee.
“I think he’s run incredibly well, I’m very proud of him.
“He’s given us a lot more options after that, we can really shop around for which way to go now.”
Nemean Lion was a well-regarded performer on the Flat before joining Lee, finishing second in the Group Two Prix Chaudenay on his final start for Andre Fabre in 2020.
Over two years off the track followed due to injury and while soft ground is not mandatory, Lee is naturally mindful of preserving the horse’s soundness after waiting so long to campaign him under the National Hunt code.
“I think he’s proven that he doesn’t need soft ground, it’s just that he is so fragile,” she said.
“When a horse has had two years off the track, you’ve got to respect that they’ve had an injury that could recur if you run them on the wrong ground.
“I’m very careful with him, I thought the ground at Kempton was absolutely beautiful and I walk the track every time before running him – or not as the case may be.”
Nemean Lion, who is by Golden Horn, holds entries in a host of races including the two key hurdle events at the Cheltenham Festival, though the Stayers’ is now more likely than the Champion Hurdle after his performance at Kempton.
“We’ve got to look at all our options, literally every single one of them, and get our heads together based on how the horse comes out of the race,” said Lee.
“We’ll look at everything, he has a cheeky entry in the Stayers’ and I think that would be a more likely option now than the Champion Hurdle – exciting times.”
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