Will the ‘real’ Trueshan please stand up at Ascot

May 2

The big rematch is on tomorrow when our stable-star Trueshan renews rivalry with arch-rival Coltrane in the G3 Sagaro Stakes at Ascot.

In three meetings, Trueshan leads Coltrane 2-1, but there has never been much between the pair, with our fellow finishing just ahead when both had a fast disappearing view of Kyprios’s rear end in last year’s Goodwood Cup.

That hard race on fast ground arguably left a mark on Trueshan, who was then beaten a neck by Coltrane in the Doncaster Cup.

Trueshan bagged his revenge when he pipped Coltrane by a head when winning a third consecutive Long Distance Stayers Cup at Ascot on Champions Day, since when virtually everyone at Barbury has been trying to forgive and forget Trueshan’s inexplicable defeat by Rajinsky on his seasonal debut in last month’s Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham.

Rajinsky is also again in the six-strong field at Ascot, but Alan has never been one to worry about the opposition, with his focus always being on ensuring that his own horse is as close to peak form as possible when he heads to the races.

Alan said:”I can’t lie, I was initially very disappointed with Trueshan at Nottingham and began to wonder whether a series of hard battles had affected him mentally.

“However, it was his first run of the year and he was entitled to get tired on the very deep ground, with the winner’s time being 17 seconds slower than Trueshan clocked when he won the race last year.”

Consequently, Alan is “reserving judgement” on Trueshan until after Ascot, but the horse has seemed to come out of Nottingham well, and Hollie Doyle, who rides again, was not as downcast as Alan as they left Colwick Park and is optimistic that we will see the ‘real’ Trueshan tomorrow.