Slavonic Lake wins in Wetherby at 40-1 price

Slavonic Lake defied relative hurdling inexperience and a price tag of 40-1 when taking the opening St. John Ambulance “Caring For Life” Handicap Hurdle at Wetherby.

Trained by Ian Wood and ridden by Keith Mercer, the three-year-old was taking on some more streetwise individuals on only his fourth start over timber.

However, he was always to the fore in the two-mile heat and stayed on powerfully up the home straight to inflict a five-length defeat on 5-1 shot Stellenbosch.

Mercer said: “Ian told me to ride him handy and he was always going fairly well.

“He was in front early but he just kept galloping for me. I liked him.”