By Tom Frary
Making his 2026 debut on Wednesday, Ballydoyle's The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars) enjoyed a long overdue confidence-boosting win in Leopardstown's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Heritage Stakes.
Allowed to stride forward from the break by Wayne Lordan, the 11-10 favourite took control two out and saw out the mile test strongly to prevail by half a length from stablemate Expanded (Wootton Bassett).
“We're delighted with him and he was just ready to start,” Aidan O'Brien said. “The plan was to come here and then go to the Lockinge. He just got a bit tired, but Wayne was very happy with him. He has a lot of racing to do this year so we didn't want to have him too ready starting off.”
I'm delighted with the second horse, the plan was the same with him,” he added. “He'll go to the Lockinge as well.”
🦁 The Lion In Winter makes a winning return in the Listed feature to lead home a 1-2 for Ballydoyle @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/MFHHrhplGK
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 15, 2026
The Lion In Winter, who showed surprising speed last term with multiple placings at the highest level at this trip and a mile, hails from a middle-distance family with the Group 3-placed dam What A Home a half to the G3 Give Thanks Stakes and G3 Munster Oaks winner and Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks runner-up Venus De Milo (Duke Of Marmalade). She in turn produced the strong-staying G2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner Cleveland (Camelot).
From the family of Inchinor, What A Home's two-year-old full-sister to the winner named Duchessofaquitaine was a 425,000gns purchase by Paddy Twomey Racing at Tattersalls October Book 1, while she also has a yearling by the sire who has covered her in all four seasons to date.
IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF HERITAGE STAKES-Listed, €50,000, Leopardstown, 4-15, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:46.52, y/s.
1–THE LION IN WINTER (IRE), 133, c, 4, Sea The Stars (Ire)–What A Home (Ire) (GSP-Eng, SP-Fr), by Lope De Vega (Ire).
TDN Rising Star. (€375,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Sunderland Holding Inc; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Wayne Lordan. €30,000. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Eng, GISP-US, MG1SP-Fr, 11-3-1-3, $846,184.
2–Expanded (Ire), 133, c, 4, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Jigsaw (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Coolmore, Westerberg & Mrs A M O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd; T-Aidan O'Brien. €10,000.
3–Norwalk Havoc (GB), 136, g, 5, Showcasing (GB)–Light Of Joy, by Kitten's Joy. O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd; T-Jessica Harrington. €5,000.
Margins: HF, 1 3/4, HD. Odds: 1.10, 7.50, 10.00.
Also Ran: Tokenomics (Fr), Mississippi River (Ire), Lord Massusus (Ire), Ribee (Ire), Cowardofthecounty (Ire), Mutasarref (GB), Tarima (Ire), Gaiety Girl (Ire). Scratched: Jancis (Ire).
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