Leading stayer of the season last term Trueshan for Alan king is set for another big year on the flat and will kickstart his campaign off at Nottingham next week, should the ground prove suitable.
Having won the Group Two Long Distance Cup on British Champions Day in 2020 at the end of the campaign it firmly put Trueshan in the mix for a go at the staying races last season.
His dominant display over two miles on soft ground at Ascot in October of that year saw him go off second favourite for the Ormonde Stakes at Chester but found the trip and course too taxing for speed to get the better of Japan.
Missing the Gold Cup due to the underfoot conditions, he instead tried to shoulder top weight in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle, but a rating of 118 left him giving away too much weight to the rest of the field.
Since then he has waited on for his perfect conditions and got that in the Group Two Goodwood Cup where he went on to rout a good field of stayers by close to four lengths.
Skipping the Doncaster Cup he headed into the Group One Prix Du Cadran in France and getting his ideal trip and ground he went to battle with Stradivarius and beat him by close to five lengths.
He was last seen winning back to back renewals of the Group Two Long Distance Cup at Ascot cementing himself as the best stayer throughout the season.
Staying king! Trueshan and @HollieDoyle1 win the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup again! @Ascot pic.twitter.com/XgOxAgHTlQ
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 16, 2021
Back for another campaign it looks as though King, who has had a stellar season with his jumps horses, will start Trueshan off at Nottingham, if the ground conditions are acceptable for him.
(Credit ATR) King said: “If the ground is suitable, we will probably get Trueshan started at Nottingham. We will give him the entry and see what it is like, but it is certainly in the back of my mind.“
He has come to hand quite quickly and that’s why we are thinking of getting him out next week. He had two months out in a field after his last campaign but, touch wood, his preparation has gone well.
“I know this season he is standout horse in the division, but it is just great to have a horse like him in training. I just hope I don’t mess it up!”
The big target for the six year old this term is the Group One Gold Cup at the royal meeting in June and having been pulled out of a few big races just hours before the off in previous years, King just hopes there is enough give in the ground when it comes to it.
“I would love to have a go at the Gold Cup, but we would need the rain,” he said.“If the rain comes then he will run there as he needs the ground to be right for him.
“Last year we were lucky that it rained at Goodwood, in France and back at Ascot. I’m sure we will get our ground on one of those big days again.”