The Newsells Park raised, grazed and sold, Lake Forest, landed the Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood today, setting up a potential tilt at tomorrow’s Gr.1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes for trainer William Haggas and owners Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy.

Having settled well in rear of the eight runners under Cieren Fallon, Lake Forest had plenty of ground to make up on last year’s winner Witness Stand entering the final two furlongs, but the five-year-old showed his class to pick up the leader and win comfortably by a neck.

Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband William, said: “We thought there would be lots of pace and there was not, so I thought Lake Forest ran really well. He is a totally different horse since being gelded. It is extraordinary what difference that can make. It seems to have made him more consistent – and that is great.”

On running tomorrow, she added: “The owners are up for it, and we have plenty of time to decide. He has got nothing until York and does not have to do any travelling. He is pretty laid back, so unless something happens overnight, I would imagine that is the plan. If he is okay, why not?”

Fallon said: “The expected pace did not happen, so it was Plan B. It is not ideal, but when you are riding a horse of this calibre, you can change your tactics just like that. They did not go much of a gallop, and he was in a position where I had to commit a long way out, which was not ideal.

“I had to peel him out down the middle of the track and, as you can see, he does not really do a stroke, which I suppose is not a bad thing with tomorrow in mind. Things did not go according to plan, but he got the job done, which is pleasing.”

Lake Forest has now won an incredible £3.6m for his connections, with victories in the valuable A$10million Golden Eagle at Rosehill, the Gr.2 Gimcrack Stakes at York as a two-year-old, as well as the Listed Spring Trophy at Haydock earlier this year. He has also finished second in Gr.2 Lennox Stakes last year, plus the Gr.1 City Of York Stakes, the Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup, Gr.2 Kingdom Of Bahrain July Stakes and Gr.3 Hackwood Stakes.

Bred by John & Tanya Gunther under Sahara Group Holdings, Lake Forest was born and raised by Newsells Park Stud. He was also sold by the stud at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 for 130,000gns to Eighteen Bloodstock.

Pictured here as a foal, he is out of the US Gr.3-placed winner Lady Aquitaine (El Prado) and is a half-brother to US Gr.3 winner Star Fortress and the Listed winners Lady Of Kyushu and Clint Maroon. Lady Aquitaine is also a half-sister to the Stakes-winning dam of four Stakes performers headed by dual Gr.1-winning sire Roderic O’Connor.