Wet weekend forecast for Paris suits Trueshan fine

May 23

Inevitably, Longchamp ground has been pretty quick throughout May, but rain is forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, and Alan is hopeful that Trueshan, belatedly having his first run of the season after such a dry spring, can put up another bold show in the G1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier on Sunday.

Trueshan, now at the age of nine in the twilight of what has been an illustrious career, did win first time out in 2021, albeit only a Listed race at Nottingham, and Alan is making no excuses about lack of fitness.

He said:”Trueshan has been ready to run for a while now, and it has been very frustrating. The plan was to start off in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot, but we could not run him on good to firm ground there, so instead we took him on a couple of away days. People talk about him being a mudlark, but he does not have to have soft ground – he just not want it fast.”

Granted, the mud was flying at Longchamp when Trueshan beat Stradivarius in the Prix du Cadran in 2022, but 12 months later it was only good to soft when he made all to win that Group 1 race again, so, while his Listed success at Sandown on Eclipse day was his only success in seven attempts last season, he did finish in the frame in three G1’s and was only beaten two lengths by the mighty Kyprios in last year’s Cadran.

Furthermore, Trueshan, who, with Hollie Doyle committed to be riding at The Curragh on Sunday, will be ridden again by James Doyle, has been working as well as ever on the gallops at home.

However, win or lose on Sunday, Trueshan owes us nothing. He has won 16 races and more than £2m in prize money, and, though neither Alan nor the veteran’s owners, the Singula Partnership, are claiming that he is as good as he was., there is no Kyprios in the field, so it would come as no surprise at Barbury if our stable-star gave Britain their first win in this race since Saeed bin Suroor’s Kite Wood 15 years ago.