4.20 Gold Cup: The long-distance race at Royal Ascot has had many returning heroes, Sagaro winning under Lester Piggott three times in the 1970s while Aidan O’Brien won four times with Yeats from 2006. Stradivarius aims to go back to back having won the 2m4f race for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori. He has 10 rivals this year.
STRADIVARIUS (Trainer: John Gosden, Jockey: Frankie Dettori) 6-4: Done nothing wrong in winning streak, the one they all have to beat.
CROSS COUNTER (pictured; Charlie Appleby, James Doyle) 7-2: Melbourne Cup winner so big occasion not a worry, but the distance might be.
DEE EX BEE (Mark Johnston, Silvestre De Sousa) 9-2: Well fancied for this but taking a chance over extra trip and step up in class.
FLAG OF HONOUR (Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore) 12-1: Rain probably not a help but should be in with a chance in last half mile if good enough.
CALLED TO THE BAR (Pia Brandt, Maxime Guyon) 18-1: Not shown anything to suggest yet that market leader can be challenged.
CAPRI (Aidan O’Brien, Donnacha O’Brien) 20-1: Pretty disappointing over the last year or so, would need a big improvement on recent efforts to win.
THOMAS HOBSON (Willie Mullins, Andrea Atzeni) 20-1: Veteran of his field has won over course and distance but at this top level might find a couple of others too good.
MAGIC CIRCLE (Ian Williams, Jim Crowley) 25-1: Not particularly consistent but has had plenty of experience and wins over long distances.
RAYMOND TUSK (Richard Hannon, Jamie Spencer) 50-1: Has place claims if getting the extra half mile.
MASTER OF REALITY (Joseph O’Brien, Wayne Lordan) 100-1: Form does not suggest he will be in the mix.
CYPRESS CREEK (Aidan O’Brien, Seamie Heffernan) 125-1: Trip should suit and best runs have come over 2m but two moderate runs this season.
