Lake Chad

At 11 years old, Lake Chad has been around long enough to know exactly what it likes. Sixty-one races over a career that started with a first win at Limerick back in November 2021, and it is still at it — it raced just one day ago, winning at Tramore this week to prove it has plenty left to give. That is the kind of enthusiasm that endears a horse to anyone who follows it regularly. Six wins and 22 places from those 61 races means it has shown up in the money — either winning or finishing close — in nearly half of all its races, which is actually a decent return for a horse operating at this level.

Philip Fenton trains Lake Chad from his yard in Carrick-On-Suir in County Tipperary, and the team has sent out 6 winners this season alone, suggesting things are going well. Jockey Niall Moore does most of the riding, partnering Lake Chad in 31 of its races for 2 wins together — about 1 in every 15 rides — though that modest number says more about the difficulty of winning races in general than any failing on either part.

The horse also has clear preferences beyond just Tramore. On slightly soft ground — think damp, a little testing underfoot — it wins 2 from 13 races, or roughly 1 in 6, which is noticeably better than its overall average. And at distances between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, it has won 1 from 5, a 20% clip that again outperforms its overall record. The picture that emerges is of a smart, experienced old campaigner that knows exactly what it wants: that course in Tramore, a bit of moisture in the ground, and a trip that lets it settle into its stride. Give it those things, and you would be a brave person to leave it out of your calculations.