WEDNESDAY, 28 JULY 2021 SUSSEX TEST FOR POETIC FLARE TRUESHAN TAKES THE At his best when the ground is on the quick side, Jim Bolger=s GOODWOOD CUP IN G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James=s Palace S. hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) has to deal with a testing surface as STRADIVARIUS=S ABSENCE he faces up to his first test against the fillies and older horses in Wednesday=s G1 Qatar Sussex S., a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' event. Only sixth on very soft in the G1 Poule d=Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 16 and a short-head second to Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) on soft-to- heavy in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh six days later, the homebred is more vulnerable than he would have been without all the rain that has arrived but Jim Bolger is undiminished in his belief in the homebred. APoetic Flare has been very well since the St James=s Palace Stakes. We=re very happy with his work and he seems to be improving further,@ he said. AHe=s only had a break in as much as he hasn=t been racing, but he=s a horse who I have to keep moving and so it hasn=t exactly been a holiday.@ Cont. p3 Trueshan and Hollie Doyle | PA Media IN TDN AMERICA TODAY TAKING STOCK: CARAVEL'S MERRYMAN LEGACY A G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup without Stradivarius (Ire) Sid Fernando takes a closer look at Caravel, winner of last (Sea the Stars {Ire}) meant that for the first time in five years it weekend's GIII Caress S. at Saratoga. Click or tap here to go was heading elsewhere and Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) straight to TDN America. stepped forward to claim the title in the heavy conditions he relishes on Tuesday. As he proved when winning Ascot=s G2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup in October, the ground cannot be slow enough for the Alan King-trained 5-year- old and with the reigning champion taken out he traded as the 6-5 favourite. Always prominent under Hollie Doyle, the bay who was last seen finishing sixth as top weight in the Northumberland Plate H. over this two-mile trip on the Tapeta June 26 took over in early straight and powered clear late to score by 3 3/4 lengths from the 33-1 outsider Away He Goes (Ire) (Farhh {GB}). Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) was 1 1/2 lengths away in third before collapsing after the line and heading to the equine hospital for a scan. AI never really feel pressure, but today something did come over me as I didn=t want to let everyone down,@ the winning rider said. AI was very confident going into the race. I haven=t had many experiences of Goodwood, let alone on a short-priced favourite. I was feeling it a bit more than normal, but Trueshan is an exceptionally talented animal on this ground.@ Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 14 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 28 JULY 2021 This renewal was diminished by the withdrawal of Stradivarius and he then settled,@ Hollie Doyle added. AThe further we went, and of Spanish Mission (Noble Mission {GB}), but it is hard to the better he went. When I hit the rising ground, he=s gone argue that Trueshan would not have brushed aside those rivals again.@ as readily as he did the few that dared to stand against him on For Alan King, the win represented a breakthrough on the flat this ground. His 7 1/2-length defeat of Search For a Song (Ire) and he said, AIt is a very special moment. I have been very calm (Galileo {Ire}) in the Long Distance Cup meant that he had all morning, then when John took out Stradivarius and we were nothing to prove this term, but on his return he confirmed he shortening all the time, the nerves really started to kick in. I was top-class by running second to Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) have not been this nervous for a long time. I have always under a five-pound penalty in the G3 Ormonde S. over an enjoyed my Flat races and this is very special. This is up there extended 13 furlongs at Chester May 6. Even his latest effort with the Champion Hurdles. Trueshan can be a little keen, so I=m when on the premises under a welter burden in the glad he had a proper race at Newcastle--he could have been Northumberland Plate marked him as a stayer of note and so ferocious today if he hadn=t had that run.@ this was mere confirmation that he represents a benchmark AWe had to take him out of the Gold Cup, which is very hard to when the going rides as it did on Tuesday. do, but he=s very ground-dependant,@ King continued. AHe is in If anything tending to over-race early behind Amhran Na the [G2] Lonsdale [Cup at York Aug. 20] and he is in the [G1] Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Nayef Road (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Irish St Leger [at The Curragh Sept. 12]. I will talk to the boys, the bay was sent up to shadow the latter as the Ballydoyle pace- but we will probably take him out in the morning at the forfeit setter gave way climbing the last part of the hill approaching six stage. The [G1 Prix du] Cadran [at ParisLongchamp Oct. 2] will out. Getting to the stand=s rail first as most of his rivals were probably be his big target in the autumn.@ visibly struggling in behind, Trueshan could have caved in as the Away He Goes= trainer Ismail Mohammed, who had won smooth-travelling surprise package Away He Goes arrived on his Saturday=s G3 Princess Margaret S. with Zain Claudette (Ire) (No outer but instead drew away to score with resounding authority. Nay Never), commented, AHe ran super. He ran only 17 days ago AHe was pretty fresh early on, as they were going no gallop and and it was doubtful with the soft ground, because he has had so halfway round I managed to slide onto the girth of the others problems with soft ground before.@ TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 28 JULY 2021 Mohammed continued, AGroup 1s are not easy and it is Poetic Flare Heads Sussex, cont. from p1 amazing for our group and our small stable. So far we have Groups 3s and we are moving steps forward.@ Stradivarius will instead wait for the Lonsdale Cup, with John Gosden saying, AObviously, we were very keen to do something that's never been done before, which is win five Goodwood Cups in a row. He=s in great form, he=s full of himself, ready to run. But I=m afraid you got 60mm of rain since mid-day Sunday and another bucketload last night. I walked the track out in the country with Thady and the stick is going straight into the bottom and it turns it into a bit of a two-mile slog. This is a horse who can travel with a great acceleration, turn of foot and put pretty amazing fractions to the last two or three furlongs, but he=s not going to do it on that ground. I think at his age you=ve got to play to his strengths and also we made foolish decisions Click to see 2000 Guineas and St James=s Palace winner Poetic Flare last year, one to run him at Longchamp on bottomless ground by stretching his legs at Goodwood on Tuesday | racingfotos.com the River Seine, which he loathed, and then even more stupid we ran on Champions Day on heavy ground at Ascot. Having AIt was fast ground when Poetic Flare won at Ascot and it made the mistake twice, we weren=t quite prepared to do the might well be that he=s better on that better ground, but he same again.@ seems to handle all going and he=s pretty good on soft too,@ he added. AMy preference would be for good ground, but I=m not Tuesday, Goodwood, Britain much given to worrying anyway. Whatever it is, I=ll take it. I=m AL SHAQAB GOODWOOD CUP S.-G1, ,518,750, Goodwood, very happy with my horse and I don=t worry too much about 7-27, 3yo/up, 16fT, 3:37.05, sf. anybody else=s.@ 1--TRUESHAN (FR), 135, g, 5, by Planteur (Ire) 1st Dam: Shao Line (Fr), by General Holme 2nd Dam: Marie d=Altoria, by Roi de Rome 3rd Dam: Marie de Lempire (Fr), by Faristan (GB) 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (i8,000 Ylg >17 OSLATE; 31,000gns 2yo >18 TATHIT). O-Singula Partnership; B-Didier Blot (FR); T-Alan King; J-Hollie Doyle. ,294,183. Lifetime Record: 14-8-2-0, $854,216. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: D+. 2--Away He Goes (Ire), 135, g, 5, Farhh (GB)--Island Babe, by Kingmambo. (75,000gns Ylg >17 TAOCT). O-Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Ismail Mohammed. ,111,531. 3--Sir Ron Priestley (GB), 135, h, 5, Australia (GB)--Reckoning (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (70,000gns Ylg >17 TAOCT). O-Paul Dean; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-Mark Johnston. ,55,818. Margins: 3 3/4, 1HF, 3 3/4. Odds: 1.20, 33.00, 4.50.