King delighted with Smad Place performance

Trainer Alan King says Smad Place’s performance in his Hennessy Gold Cup victory took his “breath away”.

Smad Place pulled well clear of fellow pacesetter Fingal Bay to secure a comfortable victory by 12 lengths, beating the likes of Theatre Guide, Saphir Du Rheu and First Lieutenant.

King insists he was confident going into the race but never expected such a dominant performance from the eight-year-old.

He told the Racing Post: “We hoped for a good run but that took my breath away. Full credit to Wayne (Hutchinson, jockey) – I’m not sure those were the tactics we discussed!

“We learnt from last year and giving him a prep he’s a different horse. He deserved a big one and we learnt from Kempton that he likes being up there. It was a ballsy ride.”