Lord strikes for King and Rooneys on first trip to namesake

There was a certain inevitability, perhaps even fate, about Lord Huntingdon making his first visit to the Cambridgeshire track a winning one and he didn’t disappoint, providing Alan King with a first winner for owners Paul and Clare Rooney at the first attempt in the juvenile hurdle.

The Rooneys have sent four horses to King, including ex-Godolphin-owned Keep In Line, who is rated 100 on the Flat, and interesting hurdling recruit Saint Contest, purchased for €41,000 at Arqana in July. Lord Huntingdon, previously trained by Andrew Balding, appears a smart recruit himself.

The son of Lord Of England readily justified market support, sprinting clear of his rivals after the last flight under Wayne Hutchinson to win by seven lengths, and a tilt at the Listed Wensleydale Hurdle at Wetherby on October 28 is under consideration.