Royal Ascot continues on Thursday with the Gold Cup, the highlight for many this week, taking centre stage. The favourite Stradivarius, trained by John Gosden, is attempting to become the first back-to-back winner of the two-and-a-half-mile Group 1 since Yeats won four in a row for Aidan O’Brien from 2006 to 2009.

The main rivals standing are Godolphin’s Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter and Coolmore’s Flag Of Honour. Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore partners have won this race a record seven times in all and look to Irish St Leger winner Flag Of Honour instead of Kew Gardens, who had been fancied to take his chance.

The other Irish interest in the race is provided by Willie Mullins who sends over Thomas Hobson, already a Royal Ascot winner having taken the Ascot Stakes over this same marathon distance in 2017. He rates a lively outsider on that count, with Andrea Atzeni booked to ride.

O’Brien has more big chances in the two Group 1 races on Friday. Dual 1000 Guineas winner Hermosa will likely go off a short price in the Coronation Stakes while Ten Sovereigns is also a short price for the six-furlong Commonwealth Cup.

The latter is dropping back in trip which should suit as he looked to have his stamina stretched over a mile in the 2000 Guineas last month.

Chances

It’s worth noting that there are other Irish trainers, operating with much smaller strings, that have significant chances in the remainder of the week.

Paddy Twomey’s Sunday Sovereign, electric on his previous two starts, is probably the pick of them as he is expected to start favourite for Thursday’s Norfolk Stakes.

Previously owned by the Sunday Racing Club, he was bought for a likely big price by the ever expanding King Power Racing, the ownership vehicle that was set up by the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the former chairman of Leicester City who tragically died last year.

Twomey also plans to run his Irish 1000 Guineas third Foxtrot Liv in the Jersey Stakes on Saturday, with Michael O’Callaghan also set to run I Am Superman in the same race.

Kildare trainer Jarlath Fahey will attempt to win his second Royal Ascot race with Sea The Lion in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes on Friday. In the same race Joseph O’Brien is likely to declare Arthurian Fame, who has won both of his races since changing ownership to the Blackrock Racing Syndicate, a large group of alumni from Blackrock College, who already have a reputation for celebrating a winner loudly.