Can Trueshan continue to defy age against strong and younger Gosden duo?

Turn the clock back 12 months and Trueshan beat Sweet William by a length and a quarter in this race, so can he do it again? Everything points to it being different this year as the going should be quicker and Trueshan is now eight, whereas Sweet William is peaking aged five.

Sweet William had a best Racing Post Rating of 109 before this race last season and now comes in with a 118 behind him, so is a 9lb better horse this term. It looks cut and dried.

However, it’s rarely that simple and Trueshan doesn’t appear to have declined much over the last year. His highest RPR before this race last season was 115 and he has recorded a 114 this campaign, so can probably be relied on to run his usual solid race, even on better ground.

That shouldn’t be anywhere near good enough, though, because not only has Sweet William a 118 on his ledger, so does his stablemate Gregory. That was achieved in the same race as Sweet William when they were second and third to Kyprios with only a neck between them.

Trueshan was four and a quarter lengths behind in fourth and the time was solid, so everything stacks up, but neither Gregory nor Sweet William had bettered 115 before.

This is their chance to prove worthy of those RPRs, so let’s see if our handicappers are right.

The official handicapper sees things differently because Point Lonsdale is 2lb clear of Gregory and Sweet William on BHA ratings and nicely ahead at top of the pile with 115.

Point Lonsdale won impressively at Chester earlier this season but faded in the Lonsdale CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

He was never travelling when a beaten 2-1 favourite in the Lonsdale Cup at York last time, finishing two places behind Gregory and looking in trouble before stamina became an issue on his first start at this sort of trip. But connections clearly think he stays as he goes further.

All of his best form has come in defeat, but his fourth in last season’s Champion Stakes at Ascot stands out like a sore thumb at this level and he will be too good if he repeats it here.

Coltrane won this in 2022 but finished last 12 months ago and that has set off a pattern of inconsistent performances. He won the Sagaro well on his seasonal reappearance, but has finished a combined total of more than 48 lengths behind the winner on his last two starts.

He would be a surprise winner and so would the other runner Wise Eagle, a huge outsider.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

'He's just a rhythm horse' - Hollie Doyle

This race saw Trueshan transform his season a year ago and Hollie Doyle is optimistic of recording back-to-back victories in the race.

The popular stayer was being considered for a switch to jumping after two below-par runs in 2023 but his trainer Alan King persisted, with a break and a wind operation proving the catalyst to a hard-pulling success over Sweet William.

"He's been relaxing much better and I've been really pleased with him," Doyle said of the eight-year-old's season. 

"This is the route we went down last year, running here and then in the Cadran and to Ascot. He's an older horse and it's good to keep him ticking over and not have too much time between runs. Thankfully, he's been able to take his chance more these days. 

"The ground should be okay tomorrow, good ground and no jar in it. You don't really get quick ground at this time of year. Alan's happy with him. I haven't sat on him between runs, I don't tend to really, but fingers crossed."

Trueshan: winner of last year's Doncaster Cup and Prix du CadranCredit: Edward Whitaker

This year Trueshan has been much more consistent, running creditable races when fourth and third in the Sagaro and Henry II Stakes under a 7lb penalty before chasing home Kyprios on quicker-than-ideal ground in the Goodwood Cup in July.

"It was tough at the start of the year with a Group 1 penalty but that's dropped off now," Doyle said. "I thought it was a really good run at Goodwood considering it was really quick ground." 

On potential tactics, she added: "He's run against most of these before apart from Point Lonsdale. I'll ride him as I find him. He's got his own mind and what happened last year wasn't the plan. He's just a rhythm horse. Gregory led at Goodwood and York, so we'll play it by ear. We have a good draw."

What they say

Oisin Murphy, rider of Coltrane
He's moving super. He seems to have plenty of enthusiasm at home. We're looking forward to running him.

James Doyle, rider of Gregory
He makes his jockey work hard. He's capable and he's run well in defeat but he needs to step up to win.

Robert Havlin, rider of Sweet William
I hope the ground’s still like it was on Thursday, it definitely felt like good to soft and that would suit him. He ran a huge race in this race last year and he seems a little bit more of a willing partner this year. It’s the same old sparring partners that he’s taking on and he’s come out on top the last few times. He’s never been out of the first three in his life, he’s ultra consistent and I’m really looking forward to it.

Doncaster Cup named in honour of Racing Post founding member Howard Wright

Howard Wright, pictured in the Doncaster press room, which has since been renamed in his honourCredit: David Carr

Howard Wright, a founding member of the Racing Post and one of the sport's most widely-respected journalists, will be remembered on Friday with the Group 2 Doncaster Cup renamed in his honour.

As well as the Betfred Howard Wright Doncaster Cup being run in his memory, Wright, who died last month at the age of 79, will have the Doncaster press room permanently renamed after him.

This year's St Leger will be the first in 77 years to be run without Wright, who was born in Doncaster and had attended every edition of the Classic since Black Tarquin's win on Town Moor in 1948.

Wright joined the Racing Post in 1986 after working as a journalist at a number of publications, including Timeform. In 1995, Wright would compose the definitive biography of the organisation's charismatic founder, Phil Bull.

Racing Post editor Tom Kerr described Wright as "the journalist's journalist" for his incomparable book of contacts and deep understanding of racing both domestically and internationally.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Wright had been a trustee of the National Horseracing College near Doncaster since 1990, and vice-chairman since 2004, and was also a member of the British Flat Pattern Committee between 1986 and 2009.
Reporting by Maddy Playle

Read the rest of Friday's previews:

1.50 Doncaster: East India Dock and Subsequent bid to extend three-year-old handicap dominance 

2.25 Doncaster: 'He's got that steely mentality' - Sir Michael Stoute unleashes promising Juddmonte colt in the Flying Scotsman 

3.00 Doncaster: Big Mojo bids to emulate stablemate Big Evs in Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes 

Some old friends return to the ring for 12 rounds of thumps in one of Doncaster's most iconic races 

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