Our man on the task facing The Lion In Winter in next week's Al Basti Equiworld Dante Stakes.
There’s an art to reading into what a trainer says ahead of a big race.
Plenty follow a familiar path.
John Gosden, for example, is very good at talking up other people's horses while playing down the chances of his own.
Clive Brittain was a past master at convincing you that his goose was indeed a swan, and when he was occasionally proved right, you couldn’t help but smile.
Aidan O’Brien rarely drops bombshells or offers a firm view on either his own team or the opposition.
But he’s at pains to point out in the build-up to Thursday’s Al Basti Equiworld Dante Stakes at York that The Lion In Winter is going to come on the proverbial ton for the outing.
