Winter To Run In Matron Winter is set to swerve a clash with stablemate Churchill in the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes and instead run in the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday. Trainer Aidan O'Brien had thought about running the brilliant filly against the colts in the Irish Champion as she bids to claim a fifth consecutive Group One triumph. But the dual Guineas heroine will now compete against her own sex in the Matron, in which her trainer will be extremely well represented. O'Brien told the Irish Independent: "The plan is that Winter, Hydrangea, Roly Poly and Rhododendron will run in the Matron, while our two Champion Stakes runners are likely to be Churchill and Cliffs Of Moher." The Ballydoyle quartet are among 12 fillies and mares declared for the Matron Stakes. Last year's runner-up Persuasive, trained by John Gosden, is one of three British challengers along with Hugo Palmer's German 1000 Guineas heroine Unforgetable Filly and the Charlie Appleby-trained Group One winner Wuheida. Jean-Claude Rouget's Qemah, who finished third when a hot favourite 12 months ago, makes the journey from France for another tilt at the one-mile contest. Fozzy Stack's Diamond Fields, the Tony Martin-trained Laganore, Jim Bolger's Bean Feasa and Intricately from Joseph O'Brien's yard make up the field.
