The Lion In Winter set for Dante reappearance

Aidan O’Brien has confirmed York’s Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes as the likely starting point for his Betfred Derby favourite The Lion In Winter.

The Sea The Stars colt supplemented his debut success at the Curragh with a Group Three victory in the Acomb Stakes on the Knavesmire last summer and spent the winter months at the head of ante-post lists for the 2000 Guineas.

However, O’Brien revealed last month that he was unlikely to be ready to begin his Classic campaign on the Rowley Mile on May 3 and he is instead being readied for a return to York 12 days later.

“The Lion In Winter is going to the Dante,” O’Brien said on Monday morning.

“We’re very happy with him and he’ll probably be 80 or 90 per cent in the Dante and we’ll see after that whether the lads want to go to the Derby with him, but that would probably be the plan if everything goes well.

“He did very well over the winter. He’s a medium-sized horse and he’s strong. Last year, he didn’t look an immature two-year-old and he’s straightforward and not slow – he doesn’t work like a slow horse.

“We’ll obviously have to see whether he stays and we won’t know until we do it. If we go a mile and a quarter in the Dante, we’ll have a little idea, I’d imagine Ryan (Moore) will ride him patiently and I’d imagine he will come forward a lot.”

The Lion In Winter is a 7-2 favourite to provide O’Brien with an 11th Derby win in early June, with his 2000 Guineas-bound stablemate Twain next in the betting at 7-1.

The Ballydoyle handler also has high hopes for Delacroix, who will follow a tried-and-tested route to Epsom on home soil following his comfortable comeback success in Leopardstown’s Ballysax Stakes.

“Delacroix will go back to Leopardstown for the Derby Trial and he could go there (Epsom), and if Twain won the Guineas there’s a good chance the lads would want to go with the Derby with him as well, for obvious reasons,” O’Brien continued.

“He’s from the Galileo pedigree by Wootton Bassett, so there is every chance that he could get the Derby trip after the Guineas if that did go right.”

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