'He’s in the form of his life' - Coltrane strikes to delight Murphy as Trueshan camp eye hurdles in autumn

While just a head separated Trueshan and Coltrane in the Long Distance Cup in October, the form was decisively reversed in the Sagaro Stakes seven months on and their careers could now be going in dramatically different directions.

Coltrane came off worse in that Champions Day tussle but is now the 4-1 second favourite with most firms for the Gold Cup back at Ascot after charging four and three-quarter lengths clear in the race named after a horse who won it three times. The dual Group 1 winner Trueshan will join him there, but the force with which Alan King placed a novice hurdling campaign on the table does little to inspire confidence.

The Andrew Balding-trained Coltrane was positioned more conservatively than can often be the case by Oisin Murphy but he was swiftly on Trueshan's girth when Hollie Doyle orchestrated an audacious mid-race sweep for the lead. While Trueshan faded into fourth behind the redoubtable Wise Eagle and El Habeeb, Coltrane's potent late burst of speed took him clear.

"I was just worried you kept being in last!" were the words exclaimed by the successful owner Janice Mariscotti as she repeatedly embraced her rider in the winner's enclosure, but she needn't have worried as her charge put in his most explosive effort yet, and last year's Ascot Stakes winner will be aimed at a significantly grander prize at the royal meeting next month.

“I’ve been riding for the Mariscottis for some time and they’re lucky owners,” Murphy said. “They always have up to ten horses and they’ve had some good ones. It’s fantastic I’ve ridden another big winner for them and Andrew."

Coltrane: clears away from his Sagaro rivalsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Murphy, who will partner Mawj in Sunday's 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, was riding his 50th winner since returning from suspension and credited Balding's team for the renaissance of the teak-tough stayer.

He said: “I was so impressed with that. He relaxed great, the pace was slow but he took off when we got racing and he’s in the form of his life. The team have done a terrific job getting him to his best health-wise and fitness-wise because he suffered a bad injury about two seasons back. I’d hope he’d improve from that.”

Alan King will attempt to extract improvement from the evens favourite Trueshan by freshening him up before a first Gold Cup bid, but the initial doubts from his odds-on defeat in the Further Flight Stakes on his reappearance were underlined by this performance, and a code switch is now being more seriously entertained.

“I’ll probably stick to Nottingham and say he’s not the horse he was,” he said. "Hollie said they were getting slower and slower, and she was very happy with him throughout the race. It’s just that last bit – there’s not the fight there used to be. 

"I’m not going to keep doing this to the old boy. I’ll train him for Ascot but I’m not going to rule jumping out. It might just give him a new lease of life. His homework’s still very good. Reflecting on last time, I thought I was being a bit harsh but nine-tenths of the time your first reaction is right.”

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