Hollie Doyle's gem Trueshan could upset Frankie Dettori's mighty Stradivarius in the Goodwood Cup... but taking the crown from one of Flat racing's greatest stayers will not be an easy task

• Hollie Doyle's Trueshan could cause an upset in the Goodwood Cup on Tuesday 
• The mighty Stadivarius has been a standing dish for the past four seasons
• But Trueshan could be helped by the rain on the Sussex Downs in recent days 

The mighty Stradivarius has been a standing dish in the Goodwood Cup for the past four seasons but there could be a new special on the menu on Tuesday in Trueshan (Goodwood, 3.35).

Taking the crown from one of Flat racing’s greatest stayers will not be an easy task for the selection but the rain on the Sussex Downs in recent days will help his cause.

Trueshan missed a date with the Ascot Gold Cup because the heavens opened a day too late at the Royal meeting. So Alan King’s five-year-old has yet to prove he is a true Group One — after all, he was beaten on the all-weather in handicap company last time.

However, that race was very much an afterthought when the Ascot plan was aborted and he was also without his regular accomplice, Hollie Doyle.

Doyle, beaten just once in four outings when on the selection, is on board for Tuesday's feature and the partnership produced the gelding’s marquee career performance to date when running away with the Long Distance Cup at Ascot last autumn.

Like one or two of John Gosden’s horses at that meeting, Stradivarius failed to shine, trailing in 12th, but that was clearly an aberration, even if he was also well held by Subjectivist in last month’s Gold Cup.

It is probably premature to write him off but Trueshan should be stiff opposition.