by Kyprios and Trawlerman meet for the third time in an exciting head-to-head race, with the result clear ahead of the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup.
John and Thady Gosden’s Trawlerman emerged victorious in this competition last season after Kyprios was nursed back to health following a serious injury.
Then, at Royal Ascot in June, the two met again and it was close again, with Aidan O’Brien’s Chestnut winning by a wide margin.
Since then, Trawlerman has been kept fit for this competition, but Kyprios has danced every dance after his interrupted campaign last year.
His season began in April and this will be his seventh appearance. He did not take part in the race in August but returns to action less than two weeks after his second victory at the Prix du Cadran.
“He’s really incredible, he always comes up with great ideas,” O’Brien said.
“He seems to be in good form since France. We just wanted to give him all the time to see how he got out of it, but he seems to be in good shape.
“The ground never seemed to bother him, whatever it was. This year the ground was fast in the Gold Cup and then it was soft on the final day in France, everything seems to be the same for him.
“We didn’t have many like him, he was an incredible horse.”
O’Brien also runs the three-year-old The Euphrates, who didn’t lag far behind Kyprios in the Irish St. Leger and then won the Irish Cesarewitch.
“Euphrates ran very well in the Irish St Leger and then went back to the Curragh and won the Irish Cesarewitch. This was a big handicap prize and we believe he is a horse that is improving a lot,” said O’Brien.
Trawlerman has developed into a top-notch stayer, although he needs to prove he’s just as effective on soft ground.
John Gosden said: “Trawlerman had a tough race in the Gold Cup so we put him away – he had a lovely holiday at his owner’s stud. He came back and is in great shape for the second leg.”
The Gosdens have a strong second partner in the form of Sweet William, the Doncaster Cup winner.
Robert Havlin finds good vibes in him and told Racing TV: “He’s never been out of the top three in his life.
“There is no Trueshan in the race this year, but there are a number of others. Tom Clover’s Al Nayyir has been impressing lately. We will be drawn alongside Kyprios so I hope I can keep an eye on him throughout the race.
“He’s much more straightforward with his homework and his last few papers have been his best, so I’m hoping for a big success.
“We’ve been changing things up all year, giving him a few surprises, tinkering around – and he seems to be enjoying it.”
Al Nayyir has only had two runs for Clover since moving from France, but he narrowly edged Vauban at York and was then an easy winner at Newmarket.
“He worked on Sunday morning and seems to be feeling really good,” the coach said.
“If he can repeat the two runs he did for us, we hope to have a good chance. It can also be used in a variety of ways on the ground.”
Caius Chorister has been winless for David Menuisier this season but has still had some good races in defeat before disappointing in France last time out.
“She was going well when with three furlongs to go another runner came towards her and she felt hemmed in and tried to run away, so she ran her race on the wrong straight and had nothing left to offer. She had beaten the winner (Grateful) at Goodwood,” Menuisier said.
“With Kyprios competing we just want to get the breadcrumbs, but she has some of the best form of the others and a second or third place would be great.”
