ONE of the most unfortunate aspects of the season is that it didn’t give the chance to see Alan King’s Trueshan and the perennial champion stayer Stradivarius fight out a series of battles on the track, with the former a late withdrawal three times due to fast ground in races won by John and Thady Gosden’s seven-year-old chesnut.

The pair were meeting for the second time in a fortnight, however, in the Group 2 Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup and Trueshan under Hollie Doyle confirmed the Prix du Cadran form without having to be at his best in a race Frankie Dettori will want to forget.

The pair looked set to fight out the finish a furlong out, but even-money favourite Trueshan made the best of first run, and in the end, Tashkan (Brian Ellison/Ben Robinson) rallied well to hold an honourable second at 50/1.

Trueshan was keen in the early stages off a modest gallop, while Stradivarius found Baron Samedi hard to manoeuvre past just as he had struggled to get out of the shadow of Princess Zoe in the Gold Cup.

Dettori raging

Dettori raged against Dylan Browne McMonagle afterwards, but Joseph O’Brien’s jockey rode to hold his place rather than to frustrate the Italian, and Dettori has twice been shown up at Ascot this season having done a superb job getting the best out of Stradivarius over the years. This was a sad way for the partnership to end, and Dettori’s frustration was understandable in the circumstances.

Unfortunately, he gained no new fans by lashing out as he did, and he finds himself again at a career crossroads, with John Gosden not shy to blame an old ally when he feels it is justified.

Trueshan has only been defeated once at staying trips, and that came in the Northumberland Plate off an official mark of 118. He will remain the one to beat next season when the ground allows, especially with both Gold Cup hero Subjectivist and Stradivarius not on the scene. There is scope for something to make hay on fast ground, however, and it will be interesting who will fill that role, assuming some sunshine next summer.

Quite hot

Alan King was as much relieved as triumphant afterwards, but is looking forward to next year, rain permitting. “I was more nervous today because of the fact it had only been two weeks since Longchamp,” he said. “Trueshan was quite a handful to saddle and quite hot. I don’t think he was at his best, but I think we got away with it today, but only just.

“He had to be very brave – the runner-up kept coming back at us and I thought Stradivarius ran a great race. Let’s hope we get a wet Royal Ascot next year as it would be lovely to run him in the Gold Cup.”

Aldaary crowns Crowley’s day

A DAY to remember for Jim Crowley was capped with the comfortable victory of Aldaary (William Haggas) in the Balmoral Handicap, and the son of Territories showed that there was no hint of a fluke about his win in the Challenge Cup here earlier in the month, as he and the runner-up that day again dominated.

Aldaary and Andrew Balding’s Symbolize raced alone on the far side when coming over seven lengths clear in the Challenge Cup, leading some (me included) to suggest there was a strong draw bias, but for the pair to come out and fill the first two spots here off their revised marks knocks that theory on the head.

The winner is a miler of some potential granted soft ground, and is certain to pick up blacktype sooner rather than later.

Murphy, Ghiani, take season’s riding honours

OISIN Murphy has been under intense pressure in the last week or two, and had the full glare of the media on him last weekend having hit the headlines for the wrong sort of reason.

He saw William Buick close the gap again in the jockeys’ championship when Creative Force won, but he hung on to win his third consecutive title by a margin of just two winners.

The champion apprentice award went to the effervescent Marco Ghiani, who has impressed with both his riding and his personality in the past year.