Alan King

Planteur's Trueshan And Hollie Doyle Outclass Cadran Rivals In Paris

Classy stayer Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}--Shao Line {Fr}, by General Holme) seized the initiative under Hollie Doyle from the bell and carried the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran field pillar-to-post on a sunny Saturday at ParisLongchamp. Pressed for most of the 4000-metre race by Emily Dickinson (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Frankie Dettori, the 7-year-old gelding dropped the hammer when cued by Doyle 500 metres from home, which burned off his main rival inside the final quarter mile. Moon Wolf (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) launched a mild bid later in the straight,...

[ Read More ]
Trueshan Back To Winning Ways In The Doncaster Cup

Beaten in the G2 Doncaster Cup last season, Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) showed his story is far from finished back in that Town Moor feature on Friday as he registered an unorthodox success returning from a break. Only fourth in the G3 Sagaro S. when last seen in May, the Singula Partnership's 7-year-old had undergone wind surgery in the interim and there were obvious questions as to whether he could get back to his previous pinnacle in the staying division. Things looked dubious for the 100-30 shot in the back...

[ Read More ]
Trueshan Prevails In Long Distance Cup Thriller

Alan King trainee Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}--Shao Line {Fr}, by General Holme) had annexed the last two renewals of Ascot's G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup, but had failed to find a way past Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in last month's G2 Doncaster Cup. Having earlier run third in a thrilling edition of August's G1 Goodwood Cup, he was back at the top of his game to exact revenge on that rival and registered a hat-trick of victories in the two-mile marathon after a ding-dong tussle. Hollie Doyle was...

[ Read More ]
Look To The Stars on Champions Day

Just 11 years old in its reconstructed state, Ascot's QIPCO British Champions Day is not yet the supermassive black hole it longs to be, but its gravitational waves are enough to draw in a sufficient quantity of racing's brightest year upon year to justify its title. Saturday's binary stars are the turf overlord Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the miling dame Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose orbits have been steadily coming closer into view over the past weeks. In the case of the former, this final act of...

[ Read More ]
Baaeed Heads Champion Cast

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will conclude his racing career against eight rivals in Saturday's £1.3-million QIPCO Champion S. at Ascot, with the unbeaten luminary drawn in stall one as the final fields were confirmed on Thursday morning. Like the 2016 hero Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), the William Haggas flagbearer is on the inside in a contest that should be staged on ground no worse than soft and very likely good-to-soft. Last year's Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB})...

[ Read More ]
Trueshan Ruled out of the Gold Cup at Ascot due to the Ground

Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) has been declared a non-runner in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot due to the unsuitably quick going. Alan King had warned the 6-year-old would bypass the fixture if the ground was too quick but left the gelding in the Group One contest in case of unexpected rain. However, no rain has fallen and with the going described as good to firm, Trueshan sidesteps the Thursday feature, as he did last year when the ground was also fast. The Aidan O'Brien-trained Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is...

[ Read More ]
Trueshan Gold Cup Bid Unlikely Due to Unsuitable Ground

Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), the long-time ante-post favourite for the G1 Ascot Gold Cup, has taken a walk in the betting for the Thursday showpiece after connections said he was unlikely to run at the royal meeting due to unsuitably quick ground.  A general 5-2 favourite for the race on Sunday morning, Trueshan could be backed at odds as big as 15-2 after the 6-year-old's trainer Alan King revealed that the quick ground was likely to scupper plans of running in the Gold Cup.  The ground at Ascot was described...

[ Read More ]
A Yard Where Things Never Go Flat

The man for all seasons stands at the top of the Sharpridge gallop and doesn't need the delirious commentary of the skylarks to tell him that spring is now right on the heels of winter. Alan King can see that straight in front of him. The first pair to emerge from the murk of the distant valley floor includes his latest steeplechasing star, Edwardstone (GB) (Kayf Tara {GB}), doing his first work since winning at the Cheltenham Festival--and with a gusto that suggests he can eke out one last novice...

[ Read More ]
The Sweet Roar Of Success For Cheltenham's Golden Girls

CHELTENHAM, UK--There are horses, and then there's Honeysuckle (GB). Thought it may seem like sacrilege to compare the superstar hurdler to the greatest racehorse of the modern era, there has been no better winning sequence on the turf since Frankel (GB) stepped off it to the breeding shed a decade ago, and Honeysuckle isn't stopping yet. The daughter of Sulamani (Ire) is now a dual Champion Hurdle winner, a treble Irish Champion Hurdle winner, unbeaten in 15 starts under rules, plus her debut triumph in a point-to-point at Dromahane at...

[ Read More ]
Trueshan Wins Again In The Long Distance Cup

Adding to his fast-accumulating haul of big-race wins on Saturday, Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) justified even-money favouritism to bring up a repeat in Ascot's G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. While not as demonstrative as 12 months ago, when the deeper ground saw him excel with a 7 1/2-length success, the subsequent G1 Goodwood Cup and G1 Prix du Cadran hero had a tactical affair to deal with this time but Hollie Doyle refused to be flustered anchoring him in mid-division. Despite his early exuberance, the 5-year-old had plenty...

[ Read More ]
Trueshan Masters Stradivarius In The Cadran

With suitable ground conditions scarce since Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) registered a career high in July's G1 Goodwood Cup, the long-awaited duel of the Cup Kings at last unfolded in the ParisLongchamp mud as he justified 8-5 favouritism and outpointed Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) for bragging rights in a stellar renewal of Saturday's G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran. Last term's G2 British Champions Long Distance Cup winner kept company with his 3-1 market rival and was off the pace in the pack for most of the 2 1/2-mile...

[ Read More ]
Showcasing's Asymmetric Strikes For Richmond Triumph

Fresh from a landmark success in Tuesday's G1 Goodwood Cup, the Alan King stable was to the fore once more when Leora Judah's 2-year-old colt Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) displayed an explosive turn of foot to bag Thursday's G2 Unibet Richmond S. at the Sussex track. The March-foaled bay had opened up with a pair of novice scores, over this six-furlong strip and at Newmarket in June, before relinquishing his perfect record when the wrong side of a head verdict in the latter venue's July 8 G2 July S. last...

[ Read More ]
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.