A trio of Ballydoyle horses are set to contest the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury next month.
Chief among those is recent Leopardstown scorer The Lion In Winter. Now a four-year-old, he failed to win in 2025, but improved as the season went on after some early disappointments. He appears to have found his optimum distance at 1m, over which he was second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot behind surprise 100/1 winner Cicero’s Gift.
The son of Sea The Stars had already placed at Group 1 level over 1m at Deauville. He subsequently did so again when third at the Breeders’ Cup behind Notable Speech. Aidan O’Brien’s charge has been edging closer to that elusive top level triumph.
A win on his comeback at Leopardstown will only have engendered further confidence. The Lockinge Stakes appears the perfect next step, though he will not be alone on the boat over.
“I was very happy with The Lion In Winter at Leopardstown” – O’Brien
For a horse who made such an impression as a juvenile, he has taken an unusually winding road back to the top. So far, he is unbeaten at two and four, yet was winless at three.
Preparations could not have gone smoother in 2026, as O’Brien confirmed to the Press Association via Racing TV. However, two stablemates are set to join him.
“There’s three horses who ran at Leopardstown that might run in the Lockinge,” O’Brien confirmed. “The Lope De Vega (Mississippi River) will have to be supplemented, but that is the plan at the moment.
“I was very happy with The Lion In Winter at Leopardstown. The Lion In Winter would be the number one, but Expanded was flying home and we have always liked him, he just didn’t get a clear run last year. By the way he ran you would have to give Expanded a chance.
“The Lion In Winter is a very consistent horse, but Expanded was second in the Dewhurst on his second run and we just couldn’t get him right last year.”
Expanded has followed a very similar pattern to The Lion In Winter. Distinct promise was shown as a juvenile, where he ran just twice but was a close second in the Dewhurst Stakes. However, his three-year-old season did not work out at all. He was ninth of 11 in the 2000 Guineas, then last in the Irish equivalent.
Building his confidence back has evidently been key. A close second to The Lion In Winter at Leopardstown has provided all the evidence connections needed to aim for the top again. Mississippi River would be the undoubted third string of the trio and could be supplemented for pacemaking duties.