Alan King hoping Ascot avoids switch to inner track for Trueshan's Long Distance Cup defence

Unusually, Alan King may be left hoping there is not too much rain ahead of Trueshan's bid for a record-extending fourth win on Qipco British Champions Day.

His mudlark became the first horse to win three times at the showpiece meeting, which was instituted in 2011, when completing a hat-trick in the Long Distance Cup last October.

But with the ground already soft, good to soft in places, on the round course at Ascot, the trainer fears further downpours will lead to the race being switched to the inner hurdles track, negating some of his underfoot advantage as that has not been watered through the summer.

"The forecast is in our favour but not if they switch to the inner track," King said. "That could be a lot quicker. But I can't do anything about that and we'll just have to see what happens. I'm very happy with Trueshan and Ascot is the plan."

Trueshan: has won the Long Distance Cup three timesCredit: Mark Cranham

Trueshan's three Long Distance Cup wins beat Cracksman's back-to-back successes in the Champion Stakes at the meeting in 2017 and 2018 and the record of Frankel, who took the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 2011 and returned to land the Champion 12 months later. Magical is the other two-time winner on Champions Day, claiming the Fillies & Mares Stakes in 2018 and the Champion a year later.

Trueshan is a general 2-1 second favourite to come out on top again, having returned to form following a wind operation and landed the Doncaster Cup and Prix du Cadran on his last two starts.

The betting is headed by Kyprios, who won all six races last season and scored a fourth Group 1 triumph in the 2022 Cadran. He is a top-priced 5-4 favourite, having finished second in the Irish St Leger at the Curragh on his return from an 11-month break.

The pair will clash for the first time since finishing first and third in the Goodwood Cup in July of last year and King said: "I'd rather we didn't have to take him on! Kyprios is a proper horse and I thought he had a pretty good comeback run at the Curragh the other day.

"But I'm only going to worry about my lad and, touch wood, he's been really pleasing me since Longchamp."

Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup (1.15 Ascot, Saturday)

Coral: 5-4 Kyprios, 2 Trueshan, 6 Coltrane, 9 Trawlerman, 10 Sweet William, 14 Giavellotto, 22 bar

Read these next:

Connections of Nashwa weighing up their Group 1 options ahead of British Champions Day 

'She is a seriously smart filly when on song' - why this horse can win on British Champions Day at Ascot 

Racing Post Members' Club: 50% off your first three months 

The jumps season is coming! Pick up your copy of The Big Jump Off, packed with everything you need for the 2023-24 National Hunt season. Free in the Racing Post on Monday, October 23, 2023, it's got 72 pages of unbeatable content including ante-post tips, guest columnists, top trainer profiles, divisional analysis and much more. You can pre-order your copy from the Racing Post shop here.