George's Lad

His first win came at Doncaster in January 2025, and even then Lavelle was playing something of a strategic game. She explained after the race that the trip to Doncaster wasn't purely about winning — it was about securing a place in the EBF Final at Sandown, a prestigious end-of-season target. She felt George's Lad had the talent to justify the ambition, and she was right to think so. That race at Sandown, though, turned into a painful afternoon. He fell heavily while running a big race, and the experience left its mark. By the following autumn, Lavelle was open that he seemed to be carrying the memory of that fall, and set about rebuilding his confidence through gymnastic jumping exercises before asking him to race again.

The approach has paid off. He won at Haydock Park this week — his second career win — and his recent form reads 1st, 5th, 2nd, 4th, 3rd across his last five completed outings. That is the form of a horse who is consistent, competitive, and improving. Most of his races have come at Class 3 level, one step below the very top tier, where he has won 1 from 5 — again, that 1-in-5 ratio holding firm. Regular partner Harry Cobden, one of the leading jump jockeys in the country, has ridden him in 6 of those races and won once together, a partnership that appears to suit both horse and rider.

Emma Lavelle's yard has sent out 45 winners this season, which makes it one of the more productive stables in Britain right now. George's Lad is quietly becoming one of its more interesting stories — a horse who had to be put back together after a serious fall, and who has responded by winning a race just this week.