Louis The King prepping at Milnerton earlier today (Liesl King)

“They galloped over a mile and put up a very fast 400m. They are fit and very well and have now seen the course, but there is still a way to go to the Met.”

The Black Minnaloushe colt Louis The King won the SASCOC Triple Crown last year, becoming the first since the great Horse Chestnut to do so, and in his last start he added a third career Gr 1 by getting up late to win the Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m, despite carrying second topweight of 59kg.

Woodruff felt that he was better over further and said, “He is an effective miler, but 2000m is more his game, although I’m not discounting him.”

Indeed, two of his most impressive performances have come over the Queen’s Plate 1600m distance, firstly when demolishing a strong field in the Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas, where he showed a phenomenal turn of foot, and then when running on from near the back when just failing in the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile, despite carrying a big weight.

He is drawn well in four and Piere Strydom remains aboard, an added bonus.

Tellina has been gelded since his disappointing last run in the Charity Mile and Woodruff said that he was “much improved” since the operation. An indication of his ability over 1600m is that he is also a Gauteng Guineas winner and finished just 0,75 lengths behind the high class Yorker and the champion miler Capetown Noir in last season’s Gr 1 weight for age HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.

Tellina, a five-year-old by Silvano, is drawn seven and Gavin Lerena rides.