We could do with a drop of rain for next week’s Goodwood ‘possibles’

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July 23

Glorious Goodwood is less than six days away now, but there is not too much rain forecast for the Sussex Downs between now and Tuesday, which hardly strengthens our hopes that the hugely popular Trueshan might be able to repeat his 2021 Goodwood Cup success next week.

Trueshan, now in his 10th year, looks better than ever at home, but with England having experienced their warmest June on record, the omens are not looking good for a gelding, who contrary to many people’s belief, does not need a mudbath, just underfoot conditions that are not rattling fast,

Alan has always stressed that the welfare of Trueshan, as with any of his horses, always comes first, but it now looks as if we’ll have to wait until the Lonsdale Cup at York on August 22 – and only then if the going is no quicker than good – before our £2m hero clocks up another couple of miles on his farewell tour.

This weather has been so frustrating. Alan has not been able to gallop his Barbury team on grass since March, and Trueshan is not alone in  his Goodwood light see-sawing between amber and red, with Kurakka, Brioni and Barnso all pencilled in for a trip to the most picturesque racecourse in Britain next week, but only if we get sufficient rain to ease the ground.

However, little fish are sweet, and it was good to see triple Flat race winner Nap Hand open his account over hurdles at Stratford last Sunday, and Plan C, our first two-year-old runner of the season at Newbury on Friday, got the hang of things in the final furlong, hitting the line so strongly that he had started to swing left in readiness for a second circuit before Rossa Ryan could pull him up.

Alan also had Spyce entered in the juvenile race at Newbury, but a minor hiccup meant he had to give the meeting a miss, though Alan stressed he has been delighted with the way this Too Darn Hot youngster has been going at home.

Too Darn Hot was a special horse on the track five or six years ago, and he is proving hugely popular as a stallion, having already sired the likes of Fallen Angel, Hotazhell, Native Approach and Devil’s Advocate.

So perhaps we ought not be surprised that Alan was pushed to a personal record of 280,000gns to secure Spyce at the Newmarket Breeze-Up Sales last April, to secure Spyce. Yet again Alan will have one eye on the weather charts, but the youngster is looking the part on the gallops in the mornings, and his debut will be sooner rather than later.

 King Al, who had looked smart when making a winning debut in testing ground at Haydock last October, has his first run since being gelded at Doncaster tomorrow, while, though we have no runners on Saturday, we have a couple on Friday, Blazeon Five taking his chance in the Brown Jack Handicap at Ascot and Worcester winner Rockola trying to make hay while the sun shines when aiming to follow up at Uttoxeter.

Blazeonfive has been placed in two of her four races since she joined us from Roger teal’s stable, and the mare looks an out-and-our stayer, so with only six opponents it will be interesting to see how she shapes on the Royal Heath.