Between the time of his winning career debut last July and even through a tame 3-year-old bow in the Dante Stakes on May 15, The Lion In Winter held antepost favoritism for the Derby at Epsom Downs.
The Lion In Winter did make the Derby – but that’s about all that can be said of his performance June 7. Sixth in the Dante at odds-on, The Lion In Winter finished 14th in the Derby at 7-1, and on Sunday at Deauville Racecourse a colt broadly assumed to suit 1 1/2-mile racing gets cut back to a sprint distance in the Prix Jean Prat.
The seven-furlong, straight-course, age-restricted, Group 1 Prix Jean Prat lured nine entrants and appears to have come up stronger than par. Group 1 winner Shadow of Light ships from England for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby. Cosmic Year exits a solid second behind star 3-year-old miler Field of Gold. Maranoa Charlie and Woodshauna come into the Jean Prat with the strongest credentials among six France-based runners.
The Lion In Winter went 2 for 2 at age 2, making both his starts over seven furlongs. He’s by Sea The Stars, whose progeny’s average winning distance is just under 1 3/8 miles, and out of the Lope de Vega mare What a Home, a winner over 1 1/2 miles. Yet trainer Aidan O’Brien after the Dante and the Derby evidently thinks shorter could prove better.
The Lion In Winter did suffer a minor spring setback that compromised his preparation, he looked heavier than ideal in the Dante, and Epsom Downs is not for every horse. Maybe The Lion In Winter can bounce back, or maybe he failed to train on at age 3.
Appleby already has determined that Shadow of Light wants less than one mile, at least for now. Winner of the Group 1 Dewhurst over seven furlongs last fall, his first start at 3 came at one mile in the 2000 Guineas, which he led with a furlong remaining before tiring to third. A cut back to six furlongs in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot did not do the trick. Heavily favored, Shadow of Light took up a favorable position but lacked late spark and checked in fifth of 21.
Cosmic Year came much closer to Field of Gold in the Irish 2000 Guineas, his first defeat after three wins at lower levels, than anyone in the St. James’s Palace at Royal Ascot, while Maranoa Charlie and Woodshauna have traded Group 3 decisions in recent starts. Woodshauna makes his first start since John Stewart’s Resolute Racing purchased the colt.
The Lion In Winter’s connections hope a shorter distance Sunday can restart the colt’s career.
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