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| Sumita Pawar |
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Alan King has declared Trueshan for Thursday's Ascot Gold Cup (4.20) and if there is sufficient rainfall, the horse could compete against 13 other rivals.
At the final declaration stage on Tuesday morning, only Changingoftheguard, the winner of last year's King Edward VII, was withdrawn, while Aidan O'Brien will have two other horses competing - Broome, who won the Hardwicke 12 months ago, and Emily Dickinson.
Undefeated Eldarov Aims For Royal Ascot Glory
Eldar Eldarov defeated Broome by a length in the Yorkshire Cup in their previous encounter, and Eldarov aims to uphold the form and continue his undefeated record at Royal Ascot, having won the Queen's Vase before claiming victory in the St Leger last year.
In the race, Eldar Eldarov is competing with Coltrane, trained by Andrew Balding, for the top spot.
Coltrane had a convincing win in the Gr.3 Sagaro trial last month, beating Wise Eagle and Nate The Great, who will also be competing.
Coltrane has previously won the Ascot Stakes, as has Subjectivist, who will be making his first appearance in the UK since winning the Group 1 event and taking home £600,000 in prize money this year.
John and Thady Gosden's unbeaten Courage Mon Ami will be Frankie Dettori's hope for a ninth and final Gold Cup success.
However, Dettori will ride Ralph Beckett's Bluestocking for the first time in an attempt to thwart the Gosden father-and-son combination in the Ribblesdale Stakes (3.40). The Gosdens have odds-on favourite Al Asifah, who was supplemented for the Group 2 event and will face 18 other fillies, owned by Shadwell and trained by the Gosdens.
On the third day of the royal meeting, Dettori will have seven rides, including Epictetus, the Blue Riband winner who finished fifth in the Dante and Prix du Jockey Club in his last two starts, in the Gr.3 Hampton Court Stakes. Dettori will also ride No Nay Mets, trained by George Weaver, in the Norfolk Stakes (2.30), but the stronger fancied American challenger in the 16-runner Group two opener is Wesley Ward's Keeneland winner American Rascal, who will compete against Karl Burke's Elite Status, the impressive winner of National Stakes at Sandown last time.