Pride of Arras Upsets The Lion In Winter in Dante

The Lion In Winter (IRE) has been usurped as favorite for the Epsom Derby (G1) by Delacroix (IRE) and Ruling Court after a tame comeback effort behind the impressive Pride of Arras (IRE) in the May 15 Dante Stakes (G2). Making his return to the racecourse for the first time since winning the Acomb Stakes (G3) in August, The Lion In Winter was warm and fractious beforehand. Once the stalls opened, he evidently wanted to go much faster than jockey Ryan Moore wanted and pulled hard for half a mile. Moore started to niggle the odds-on favorite at the top of the home straight and greater distress signals followed. In the end, the horse who had carried the Epsom classic hopes for Ballydoyle for the entire winter faded tamely to finish sixth, a result in stark contrast to the dominance Aidan O'Brien has had over the classic trials this spring. O'Brien said: "We felt when he came here he was going to improve a lot after the race. So really when you think that you probably don't usually win unless everything goes right for you. It didn't. "Ryan (Moore) said he was a bit fresh in the stalls and that he jumped out and was a bit keen with him, so he was overracing. In the race, he said he settled and gave him a classy feel, but they were coming around him so he had to bring him out earlier than he wanted to in the straight." Pride of Arras, on the other hand, left his rider Rossa Ryan dreaming of Derby victory after impressively defeating his rivals on what was only his second start. Positioned just behind the leaders, he quickened eye-catchingly when asked and had a length in hand over Damysus (GB) at the line. He is now as short as 4-1 (from 50) for the Derby, with Delacroix the favorite at a general 9-4 followed by Ruling Court. Ryan said: "It went lovely. It's his second run and we were all in the camp of getting him to drop in the middle of them to learn and then figure it out from there. But, my God, he took me into the race really good and when I pulled him out he just dropped down and went. "You'd be getting a bit excited about him, that's for sure. He's bred to get a mile and a quarter, and we can dream a bit more with this lad. He's got a great mentality and he's got a bright future." Ralph Beckett, who trains Pride of Arras for owner/breeder David Ackroyd, has twice won the Epsom Oaks (G1) with Look Here and Talent (GB), while Westover (GB) was third in the 2022 Derby. Beckett said: "He's a good work horse and I was confident this was the right place to bring him, I was just not confident about the result. A few of (my horses) had been needing (the run). I've been tough on him to get him here because he didn't know very much. "He's a very well-balanced horse and I'd be reasonably confident he could go around (Epsom) and we're looking forward to it. I'd have every confidence the trip won't be an issue."