Kayley fight has opened our minds

STEAMING David Yates gets it off his chest

WHICHEVER horses carry your money at Cheltenham tomorrow, there’s one runner I suspect we will all cheer home, irrespective of where our financial interests lie.

Lalor has his first start over fences in the Arkle Trial on Sunday’s card, taking on the likes of Claimant a kin for ga na nd Defi Du Seuil.

The six-year-old will probably go off third or fourth in the market for the two-mile novice chase but, if the collective goodwill of the racing community could propel him up the hill at Prestbury Park, he’ll win by the length of Bedford High Street.

It was back in January that Lalor’s trainer, Richard Woollacott, was found dead at his stables in South Molton, Devon, at the age of 40.

Most of us simply cannot imagine what Woollacott experienced during the final days and hours of his life — or what his love ones went through in the aftermath of his premature death.

As the tragedy was raked over very publicly in the media — that’s the nature of the beast, whether we like it or not — Woollacott’s wife Kayley had to set about piecing together a shattered family life.

The 32-year-old (below), a successful point-to-point trainer in her own right, took over the running of the stable and Lalor’s emotion-charged victory in the Grade 1 Betway Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National fixture in April was the most uplifting story of the season.

During the summer, Kayley and her sister, Stephanie Jones — well known in racing for her public relations work — embarked on a charity hike over the Welsh mountains to raise funds for Mind.

From the darkest depths have emerged rays of light.

Lalor is now more than a racehorse — inadvertently, he has become a symbol for mental health, the issue that affects more of us than many would be prepared to admit.

I’ve tipped Defi Du Seuil. But I hope Lalor wins.