Trueshan and Hollie Doyle unstoppable in Prix du Cadran
Trueshan galloped to a peerless victory under Hollie Doyle in the Qatar Prix du Cadran at ParisLongchamp.
Alan King’s popular gelding first landed the marathon contest from Stradivarius in 2021 and was well-fancied to win again in a field of six, having made a winning return after a break in the Doncaster Cup.
Sent off the 6-5 favourite, he led the way throughout from Frankie Dettori and Emily Dickinson, and when asked to quicken in the home straight he was easily able to pull clear of his rivals to secure an easy win from Moon Wolf and Run For Oscar.
King, who did not make the journey to Paris, said: “I had a busy morning at home and I’ve just walked into Newmarket, but obviously I’m thrilled.
“I spoke to Hollie this morning and we thought there wasn’t going to be much pace in the race. We said if that was the case we’d let him bowl along in front and he obviously loved it.
“He was more settled than he was at Doncaster and I think that was firstly because that run just knocked the freshness off him and second he just settled well in front today.
“We were struggling with him in the early part of the year, but the little wind operation we gave him as clearly helped and it looks like he’s right back to his best.”
Next on Trueshan’s agenda is a bid for a fourth consecutive victory in the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot on October 21.
“The good thing is we have a fresh horse for the backend of the season and obviously we hope to go back to Ascot in three weeks’ time to win that race for a fourth time,” King added.
“I’ll give him an entry in the Prix Royal-Oak the following week just in case he needs that extra time, but Ascot would be the plan.”
Doyle has now partnered Trueshan to 10 victories – and while he looked past his best after being beaten in his first two starts of 2023, the jockey feels he is now at the peak of his powers.
“He’s a special horse and all credit to everyone at Barbury Castle. He’s trained by a super trainer and it’s great for Alan to get him back to where he is, winning the Cadran for a second time,” she said.
“I was a little worried about the ground, but he got into a beautiful rhythm. My mum and dad are here and I don’t think my dad has seen me ride a Group One winner, so it’s extra special.
“I was disappointed at Doncaster, to be honest. I didn’t get a sense of happiness like I had today because to me he did it the wrong way round at Doncaster, whereas today he was foot perfect.”
Trueshan is part-owned by Andrew Gemmell, who was similarly thrilled.
He said: “It’s fantastic, I was a bit worried about the ground but he seemed to cope with it well.
“Hollie is a star and gets on so well with the horse. I’m just absolutely delighted. To win this race twice on ground that we weren’t sure about is brilliant.
“It’s great for Hollie, she didn’t have to press the accelerator too much did she? Let’s hope he can do it again in three weeks’ time at Ascot as that will be the fourth time he’s won that race.”