A SECOND Group 1 Prix du Cadran victory for Trueshan at the age of seven was well-deserved, and what a star he has been for trainer Alan King, who has now guided him to a total of 15 wins, and the weekend’s success pushed the gelding’s earnings past the €2 million mark.

The son of Planteur (Danehill Dancer) two years ago won the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, and the Didier Blot-bred bay has no inbreeding in his first five generations. He is the best runner to date for his sire, and comes from that Group 1 Prix Ganay winner’s second crop. Trained initially by Elie Lellouche, Planteur moved for his final two seasons racing to Marco Botti.

Wildenstein sire

Winner of seven of his 24 races over five seasons, the Wildenstein-bred Planteur was a high-class runner. At three he beat Rewilding to win the Group 2 Prix Noailles, running second to Lope De Vega in the French Derby and to Behkabad in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris. His victory at four in the 10 and a half-furlong Ganay was a career best, beating Sarafina and Cirrus Des Aigles.

He competed admirably against the world’s best at five and six, being runner-up to Golden Lilac in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan and to Maxios in the same race a year later, and he twice finished third in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, to Monterosso and Animal Kingdom.

He went to stud at Haras de Bouquetot where he stood for five seasons, starting out at €6,000, and moved to Haras du Grand Courgeon for a couple of years at €2,500. Now he stands at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire at £4,000 having been sourced and purchased by Richard Venn on behalf of Simon Davies.

An €8,000 yearling purchase at the 2017 Osarus Yearling Sale, Alan King secured the son of Planteur for 31,000gns in association with Highflyer Bloodstock at the following spring’s Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale. Trueshan is one of five winners to date from his General Holme (Noholme II) dam Shao Line, a two-time winner and one of six successful offspring from Marie D’Altoria (Roi De Rome), none of which earned any blacktype, but her granddaughter Marie Coastala (Coastal Path) is a listed hurdle winner this year in France. .

While this branch of the family has been somewhat quiet for four decades, until the emergence of Trueshan, his fourth dam was the winning mare Herbissima (Herbager), foaled in 1965, who bred nine winners. She is ancestress of a number of well-known runners, many of these descend from her granddaughter Halwah (The Minstrel).

That mare’s best runner, and later sire, was Group 1 Derby Italiano winner Houmayoun (Shernazar), while over a number of generations runners of the calibre of Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Sizing John (Midnight Legend), and the Group 1 Irish St Leger winner and now National Stud stallion Flag Of Honour (Galileo) have popped up.