Richard Hannon is excited about what the future holds for Van Der Neer after he was second in the Racing Post Trophy on Saturday.
The Dutch Art colt looked ill at ease on the soft ground and Hannon believes a quicker surface would have seen him finish even closer to the new Derby favourite.
"We were surprised how much Van Der Neer struggled with the ground but in hindsight, though he won in the soft at Leicester, the favourite that day (Seek Again) never ran his race, so our fellow probably did not have to be at his best to win," Hannon told his website, www.richardhannonracing.co.uk.
"Van Der Neer had looked electric when winning on fast ground at Yarmouth, and (Richard) Hughesie thinks that a better surface will always bring out his strengths.
"He has such a potent turn of foot, but at Doncaster his speed was blunted by the holding ground and he never travelled like he had done in his first two races.
"However, he never stopped trying and ran on well to finish second, so at least we know that he gets the mile well, which is very encouraging. He will be a smashing horse for next year."
