The result seemed immaterial after the Group One Goodwood Cup on Tuesday as confirmation arrived that Trueshan, one of the most popular horses in training thanks to a hugely successful partnership with his regular jockey, Hollie Doyle, had sustained a fatal injury in the two-mile feature event on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood. 

Trueshan sustained a fracture of his left-hind pastern while galloping uphill on the far side of the track and was immediately attended by the track’s veterinary team. Alan King’s nine-year-old gelding had set off as a 22-1 chance for a repeat of his win in this race in 2021, which was Trueshan’s first success – and Doyle’s second – at Group One level. 

The race on Tuesday was the 35th start of Trueshan’s career, during which he was a last-minute scratch from several major races because of concerns over fast ground. 

In addition to his Goodwood Cup success four years ago, he recorded two wins in the Group One Prix du Cadran at Longchamp in October, one in the Group Two Doncaster Cup and three in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions Day in October. Trueshan also put up one of the most impressive handicap performances of recent decades in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle in 2022, when he won the famous two-mile race under 10st 8lb off an official mark of 120.