Final, Lion in Winter is gaining respect. He was the third choice on debut, second in the market here, and he is now the favourite for next year’s Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and Epsom Derby (G1).
That was the impression The Lion In Winter made when he broke the record by stepping up in the Acomb Stakes (G3) on August 21.
He was Aidan O’Brien’s understudy when he scored his first try under Wayne Lordan at the Curragh last month and could not match Godolphin’s impressive goal tally at Sandown. Court ruling in betting here.
So that’s the end of chasing money.
The Lion In Winter was always moving strongly for Ryan Moore, who would not miss him this time, going three furlongs and scoring by 1 3/4 lengths from Wimbledon Hawkeye with the favourite half a length away in third place.
The Sea of Stars The colt broke the track record by 0.75 seconds and was made the 8-1 favourite by Coral for the Two Thousand Guineas and Derby.
“He’s always been a lovely horse, straightforward and simple,” said O’Brien. “We came here because we wanted to give him some more experience before going back to the Goffs Million.
“We felt it might be sharp enough for him but he hit the gate really well and Ryan put him in a great position. He didn’t even touch him with the stick. He broke the track record so he’s obviously a very smart colt. We couldn’t be happier.
“Seven furlongs around here is a quick seven furlongs but he’s got a lot of class. You’d have to be very impressed with him. You’d have to like everything he’s doing at the moment.”
The punters certainly like this one too and O’Brien is bullish on the colt’s future.
“He looks like a good Acomb,” he said. “Looking at him, he’ll have no problem staying at seven, he’ll run a mile and you’d imagine he’ll be a middle-distance horse next year and maybe even further.”
James Owen is happy to share the top two spots with the Wimbledon Hawkeye and said: “I’ll take it when I come here, I’ll be happy if he gets into the top three.
“I know he was up against horses that had only run once and it was his third time, but he’s improved a lot.”
Charlie Appleby’s assistant Alex Merriam admitted he had hoped for more from the Supreme Court, saying: “He hasn’t completely disgraced himself but on the surface he has disappointed.
“He went in there quite well but then went flat. Maybe he was beaten by a better horse.”
By winning the Acomb, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series event, The Lion In Winter earned a spot in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) on November 1 at Del Mar.
