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23rd February 2017

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Lancelot Du Lac is going for his third success of 2017 in the £45,000 Listed Betway Hever Sprint Stakes (2.05pm, 13 entries) at Lingfield Park on Saturday.

The winner of this five-furlong Polytrack contest will gain an automatic and free place in the £150,000 Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships over a furlong further on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good Friday.

The seven-year-old got the year off to a perfect start when taking a five-furlong handicap at Chelmsford City on January 5 and followed up on February 4 at Lingfield Park in the Listed Betway Best Odds Guaranteed Plus Cleves Stakes over six furlongs, when he scored by a nose from Mythmaker with Pretend (Charlie Appleby) taking fifth when short of room in the final furlong.

Lancelot Du Lac also finished runner-up in the 2016 All-Weather Sprint Championships on Finals Day.

Radlett-based Ivory said today: "Lancelot Du Luc is an intended runner in the Betway Hever Sprint on Saturday at Lingfield Park.”

"Everything has been fine with him since his win in the Cleves Stakes last time. We are dropping back to five furlongs, which is a bit on the short side for him, but he needs to run three times to qualify for Finals Day and this will be his third run.”

"It looks another hot race, with Pretend in there again. Saturday's race will be his last outing before Finals Day, as I don't think there is anything else for him."

Godolphin's Pretend, only beaten a length when fifth behind Lancelot Du Lac last time, won the All-Weather Sprint Championships on Finals Day in 2015 and was on the scoresheet on his first outing of 2017 when landing a six-furlong conditions race at Kempton Park on January 11.

Sponsor Betway make Pretend the 15/8 favourite for Saturday's contest with Lancelot Du Lac a 2/1 chance.

Mutakayyef will take all the beating in the Winter Derby at Lingfield on Saturday.

Back next Thursday

Kevan Minter