Trueshan works impressively – just let the heavens open!
June 14
Trueshan looked in terrific form when working five furlongs with Raymond Tusk on the Carpet gallop at Barbury this morning, so all Alan can now do is hope and pray that the heavens open and send plenty of rain down at Ascot between now and next Thursday, so that our stable-star can finally get his chance to strut his stuff in the Gold Cup, the premier staying crown.
Regular rider, Rob Smith, Alan’s assistant trainer, was delighted with the feel he got from Trueshan, while Alan said:”That was an impressive piece of work and he really quickened up at the end. He’ll do another piece of work on Saturday. We have to go through the motions and just see what the weather does in the next seven days, but whatever will be will be.”
Alan has four horses pencilled in for the Royal meeting, at which he has an excellent strike rate. Besides Trueshan, he has entered Tritonic for both the Ascot and Copper Horse Stakes on the opening day as well as the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap on the Friday. HMS President, who won so well at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting, is also in the Copper Horse, as is Raymond Tusk, who also ran well at that same HQ fixture.
Tritonic and HMS President both worked well upsides on the same gallop yesterday, while Max McNeill’s family have been staunch supporters of Alan’s for many years, and his daughter Ella, who is the racing manager for Chelsea Thoroughbreds, chose the right day to visit Barbury as their syndicated Irish-import Whispering Royal looked the part when exercising with Thunder Ahead.
Whispering Royal has also recently been working with Ella’s father’s Insanity, who was beaten by a fast diminishing neck on his debut at Windsor on Monday,
Bought after winning his maiden first time out at Dundalk last November, Whispering Royal is also entered at the popular Berkshire course next Monday, and, though the distance of a mile is what he won over in Ireland, Alan feels that we won’t see the best of him until he steps up in trip.
Several of Alan’s two-year-olds were also in action yesterday, and he is pleased with what they have been showing him at morning exercise recently. The youngsters now number 10, following the acquisition of a Sea The Stars colt, who has just arrived.
Alan will be making the short journey to Newbury on Thursday to watch his daughter Georgia on Gavi di Gavi in the amateurs race, while Rossa Ryan has been booked for a pair of promising three-year-olds in Outgun and Royal Deeside,
Both will be making their first appearance in a handicap, and, while it also Outgun’s debut on turf, Royal Deeside showed plenty of promise when fourth at Newmarket last back-end.
We have a couple of interesting runners at Sandown on Friday. Paradias is a horse Alan has a lot of time for, and, having run so well on his seasonal reappearance at Windsor last month – also his first race since being gelded – Paradias must have solid prospects under Hollie Doyle, while Lionella, who has been shaping encouragingly over 12 furlongs in two races this season, steps up to a mile and six on the Esher course. Rossa Ryan rides.
