Alan King’s Trueshan looks stayer of the future after gutsy triumph in £50,000 Newbury feature
Trueshan (far side) on the way to victory (Photo: Newbury Racecourse) Despite the testing ground conditions Trueshan and Hamish confirmed themselves two emergent stayers when they fought out a sustained duel for the £50,000 British European Fund Conditions Stakes at Newbury on Friday (October 25).
When hat-trick seeking Hamish cruised up to Trueshan with a furlong and a half of the 1m6f race left there appeared to be only one outcome, but Trueshan refused to back down and battled back to snatch victory by a neck. The pair finished 14 lengths clear of the third home.
Trueshan, owned by the Barbury Lions syndicate, is trained by Alan King at his Barbury Castle stables. He woulkd ordinarily have been supervising his jump runners at Cheltenham. But Flat racing is proving a lucrative sideline as Trueshan, who has won four out of five in 2019, took the trainer’s season’s winnings near to £600,000: “I thought we were in trouble when Hamish loomed upsides but Trueshan battled really well. He has schooled but he is not going jumping."
“He is going to have his winter holiday now. He’s done enough. I am thrilled with him. They are two good horses.He wouldn’t want fast ground and I thought he was floundering a bit on that today. Good or good to soft would be ideal. We will work back from the Ebor which would be a mid-season target for him next year.”
Watson wins again and another win for Beckhampton
Newbury Racecourse ambassador Jason Watson rode his 14th winner at the track this year to underline his status as the leading rider at the course on the Roger Charlton-trained Dancing Harry.
Jason Watson & Dancing Harry (Photo: Newbury Racecourse)
The newcomer finished strongly to capture division one of the Join Hot To Trot For 2020 Novice Stakes in the colours of his owner-breeder David Fish.
“We didn’t expect that, but maybe the ground was very helpful,” said Fish, a former executive at McVities and Mars. “He was the only one running on.”
Division two went the way of previous winner Acquitted, trained by Hugo Palmer, while the 22-1 With Respect, trained by in East Ilsley by Hughie Morrison for Thurloe Thoroughbreds, made a promising start when taking the Energy Check Maiden Stakes.
“It’s a bit of a surprise because he was going nowhere six weeks ago,” said Morrison. “He must be all right.”
The second day of Newbury's final Flat meeting of the year had to be abandoned after heavy overnight rain. On Friday afternoon, the Clerk of the Course, Keith Ottesen, warned he would be making a precautionary 8am inspection on Saturday morning, but hoped the rain would not be too much for the course.