Thunderbear is “not going to make up the numbers” when he lines up in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Jack Davison-trained three-year-old notched up just his second victory at Nottingham on his penultimate start, but highlighted his potential for competing with regularity at Group level when knocking on the door in the Lacken Stakes at Naas last month.

The son of Kodi Bear was beaten little over a length when fourth to Aidan O’Brien’s The Antarctic on that occasion and he will now step up to seven furlongs for the first time this season when he represents Davison’s burgeoning operation at the Royal meeting.

“He will go for the Jersey and we can’t wait for it really, he’s a really progressive horse,” said the Irish handler.

“He’s more of a six or seven-furlong horse, but a fast one all the same and it’s great to have a competitor at Ascot once again.

“I don’t think there were any hiding places at Naas last time, it was a very strong renewal and I think the extra furlong here will bring about more improvement.

“It’s a big day for our small but hopefully expanding stable. We’ve been training for five years and this will be the fourth year with a runner at Royal Ascot. We’re not going to make up the numbers, we’re going to try to be competitive, so it is definitely exciting.”

Pensee Du Jour puts her unbeaten record and lofty reputation on the line when she contests Sunday’s Prix de Diane at Chantilly.

The daughter of Camelot made it three from three when winning the Prix Penelope with supreme ease at Saint-Cloud in April and having won by a combined 13 and a half lengths in her outings so far, will now bid to give trainer Andre Fabre a fifth win in the fillies’ Classic.

Owned by Ballymore Thoroughbreds, for whom Fabre trained Miss France to win the 1000 Guineas in 2014 and also guided Persian King to a trio of Group One victories, connections are hopeful Pensee Du Jour will continue her progressive ways following a short break.

“She was a backwards filly last year and Andre thought he could win some black type early on this year,” said Anthony Stroud, racing manager for Ballymore.

“Then she developed and developed and she won three races. After she won those races we thought we would give her a bit of time, as she had run in those races quite quickly.

“I thought she won nicely and in a progressive way (in the Prix Penelope). She has had to make the running in her three races and it would be nice if she didn’t. She’s also had three different jockeys on, so it will be nice that she will have a bit of consistency next time.”

Pensee Du Jour’s potential rivals include Oaks winner Soul Sister and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches victor Blue Rose Cen at this stage, with Stroud admitting he would like some rain in the coming days as her previous wins have come with cut in the ground.

“I would hope she will handle the ground OK, but I would love to see a thunderstorm come along,” continued Stroud.

“I would like there to be some sort of rainfall. She’s never run on this ground but we know she goes with a bit of ease in the ground, so I would like a thunderstorm to appear.”

If Sunday’s Classic mission proves successful, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe could prove an enticing proposition later in the year considering Fabre’s impeccable record in Europe’s richest middle-distance contest and the filly’s proven attributes on soft ground.

Although preferring to focus on matters closer to hand, Stroud is allowing himself to briefly dream about such races later in the season, with him envisaging Pensee Du Jour’s future lying over further.

He added: “I could see her going up to a mile and a half down the line and I think as time goes on, she will get better as she is quite a physically big filly. But it’s not often you have a filly that has won all three of her races and she deserves her chance to take part in this race.

“I think the Arc would be a wonderful dream, but we have to take it step by step and this weekend coming is the next step.

“I’m sure she will have a break and we will see how she is and then we will be advised by Andre. Of course there is the Prix Vermeille and the Arc, but I think it is important to not get ahead of ourselves, get Sunday out of the way and go from there. But it’s good to have dreams.”

A total of 18 fillies remain in contention for the race, with Running Lion, who was withdrawn at the start at Epsom, standing her ground along with the likes of Oaks fourth Caernarfon, Never Ending Story, Jannah Rose and Left Sea.

Ground conditions remain key to Hukum’s participation at Royal Ascot next week, with a tilt at the Hardwicke considered more likely than supplementing for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

Having suffered a career-threatening injury when breaking his Group One duck in the Coronation Cup at Epsom last term, the full-brother to the brilliant Baaeed made a successful return when inflicting defeat on last year’s Derby hero Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard at Sandown last month.

That first career triumph over 10 furlongs has led some to question whether the six-year-old should having another shot at top-level honours in the Prince of Wales’s on Wednesday week instead of lining up for the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes over a mile and a half three days later.

However, the combination of an uncertain forecast and the fact Hukum would need to be supplemented for the Prince of Wales’s on Thursday at a cost of £70,000 means he looks set to take the perceived easier option, if he runs at the Royal meeting at all.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owner-breeders Shadwell, said: “We need rain, nobody has ever made any secret of that, and if the heavens suddenly opened and the ground did go very soft, various people have said we should be supplementing for the Prince of Wales’s.

“If I’m brutally honest, I don’t think we’ll get enough rain to warrant spending that sort of money, especially when he’s favourite for the Hardwicke three days later.

“It is very much ground dependent. We’ve spent a long time looking after this horse and getting him back, so we don’t want to risk him on unsuitable ground. We’ll see what the weather is going to do.

“We’ve always quietly thought that if he’s in one piece the King George is the primary target, so if we couldn’t run next week, we’ll just have to wait for that and hope we get some rain in July.”

Hukum could lead a quality Shadwell team into battle at the Royal meeting, with Mutasaabeq set to be the opening batsman in the curtain-raising Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.

The Charlie Hills-trained entire dominated from the front in the bet365 Mile at Newmarket on his seasonal bow before finishing fifth, beaten three lengths, in the Lockinge at Newbury.

“We’ve just freshened him up a bit since Newbury and tried to keep him sweet mentally,” said Gold.

“He won very well first time out this year at Newmarket and on that run he deserves to take his chance.

“Various people thought he went too quick in the Lockinge, Jim (Crowley, jockey) himself felt the horse was a bit flat. He’s a horse who runs very well fresh, hence why we’ve tried to kid him into Royal Ascot and come in above himself a bit.

“He’d have to run a career-best to be winning a Queen Anne, but he was impressive on that first start so we’ll see how we get on.”

Mostabshir from John and Thady Gosden’s yard is also set for a Group One assignment on the opening day in what looks a red-hot renewal of the St James’s Palace Stakes.

The impressive York novice winner will have to take on 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Paddington, but connections are happy to roll the dice.

Gold said: “We have huge respect for the Guineas horses and all the other improving three-year-olds. You never know until they meet, I’m a big Chaldean fan and obviously Aidan O’Brien’s horse (Paddington) has improved and improved, but our horse was impressive at York and has worked very well since.

“I think he’s going in the right direction and we’ll find out where that takes him next week.

“The only thing that surprised me (at York) was the way he quickened – I hadn’t seen him do that before. It didn’t surprise me that he won, but it surprised me that he quickened as well as he did.”

Shadwell’s other intended Group One runner is Mostabshir’s stablemate Mostahdaf, who is being readied for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes in the assumption Hukum will not be added to the field.

The son of Frankel enjoyed a lucrative start to 2023, winning the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia before finishing fourth behind Japanese superstar Equinox in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

“I think he’ll run there, as things stand at the moment,” Gold added.

“He’d have to run out of his skin to be competitive in a Prince of Wales’s, but he’s won £1million this winter for us, he’s a fun horse and that’s why Sheikha Hissa kept him in training, to be contesting these good races, so we’ll let him take his chance and see how he gets on.

“He tried to serve it up to the Japanese horse off the bend in Dubai and paid the price against such a fantastic horse. He’d shown plenty of speed before then and they (Gosden team) just thought it was worth a try coming back in trip.”

Cicero’s Gift will step into the unknown as he lines up in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot next Tuesday.

Though unbeaten in three starts, trainer Charlie Hills is keen to see how the inexperienced Muhaarar colt fares against the likes of 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean and Paddington, who won the Irish version.

Cicero’s Gift has made rapid strides this spring and is a general 3-1 third favourite for the Group One mile contest, run on the round course.

A unfancied 22-1 chance on his debut in a Newbury novices’ race in October, he ran on well to score with ease and returned in March to take a restricted novice over an extended mile on the all-weather at Wolverhampton.

It was his five-and-a-half-length win in a conditions race at Goodwood last time that propelled him into the reckoning for a mouthwatering clash with a pair of Classic winners, however.

Hills said: “He did it really well at Goodwood last time.

“I was delighted with it. He has improved with every run he’s had.

“Mentally, he has taken a bit of a while to come to himself. Last year we were nice and patient with him. Physically he has strengthened up. His is nice-looking horse, similar to his dad, probably a little bit bigger version.

“It is hard to know where we stack up against the others, as we have come through a different route, but hopefully he will run well.”

The Faringdon Place handler is no stranger to recent success at the meeting. Dark Shift (2022) and Afaak (2019) landed the Royal Hunt Cup, while Battaash struck in the King’s Stand (2020).

“We might have quite a big Royal Ascot team – about 20-odd this time,” said Hills. “We are still finalising plans, but we have a nice team.”

Galeron, who was fourth in the 2000 Guineas, did not get the cleanest of runs behind Paddington at the Curragh. He also holds an entry in the St James’s Palace, but could go elsewhere.

Hills added: “Galeron has done very well and they are two nice horses. Cicero’s Gift is less exposed.

“I’m not sure what race Galeron will go for – he’s in the Hampton Court as well. He wasn’t beaten far at the Curragh and was a little bit unlucky not to be closer, as he didn’t get the room when he needed it, and we got a little bit too far back in the race.”

Orazio is the general 8-1 market leader for the Wokingham Handicap. He has won three of five starts on the turf, including the last two, with a clear-cut victory over the same six-furlong course last month filling Hills with every confidence he can complete a hat-trick.

“I’m looking forward to Orazio running,” Hills added. “He is in the Wokingham and he would have a good chance, I would have thought. I think there is a little bit of rain in the forecast, and any rain wouldn’t go amiss for him.

“It was nice to get a bit of course-and-distance form last time. He had a bit of a problem last year, so he had a year off. He is a lightly-raced horse and he is unexposed, too.

“It is always hard to win at the meeting. Just one winner would be nice and if I had to pick one, I think Orazio would have a good chance.”

Tanmawwy could join his stablemate in the same race, despite having been a well-held favourite at Newmarket last month.

“Tanmawwy would like a little bit of cut in the ground as well. He ran in the Buckingham Palace last year and seven furlongs was a bit too far,” said the trainer.

Khaadem similarly holds a Wokingham entry. The consistent seven-year-old won the Group Two King George Stakes at Goodwood last July before finishing fourth in the Nunthorpe at York.

Touched off under hold-up tactics on his return to action at Salisbury, Hills would like quicker ground for him.

He said: “I was delighted with his run last time at Salisbury. We were just trying to run him a bit differently and he hit the line really well.

“We have a couple of other entries in the King’s Stand and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee, so we will just keep a weather watch.”

He added: “We also have a couple in the Britannia. Racingbreaks Ryder has won his last four starts and he might have a squeak. He won at Ascot last time over seven furlongs.

“Bodorgan, if he gets in, will have a chance in that as well. We have a couple of two-year-olds, but they have to step up from their last run, but we have a nice team and as always, we’re really looking forward to the meeting.”

Kieren Fallon knew from the very first moment Russian Rhythm was a special filly. And so she proved when storming to Royal Ascot glory 20 years ago.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Fallon first got to sit on the daughter of Kingmambo on the gallops in Newmarket at the beginning of her racing journey and it did not take him long to realise he was aboard a thoroughbred of the highest order, with his mind already drifting 12 months down the line to when she would get to contest the 1000 Guineas.

Having completed Fallon’s prophecy by securing Classic honours at Newmarket in the spring of 2003, attentions turned to Royal Ascot where the Cheveley Park Stud-owned Russian Rhythm would be assigned the task of completing the 1000 Guineas/Coronation Stakes double.

Although a regular in the winner’s enclosure at the Royal meeting, Russian Rhythm would go on to fittingly provide Fallon with his sole Coronation Stakes victory, justifying odds-on favouritism to see off Soviet Song.

“She won the Coronation and she was an amazing filly,” said Fallon.

“She probably didn’t get the recognition I think she should have done. I remember the first time I ever rode her it was up the Limekilns and a place they call the golden mile. She was a two-year-old and it was one of her first pieces of work, and I said this filly was something else. All I could think about was the Guineas, she was always special.”

Following her Royal Ascot triumph, Russian Rhythm went on to add another Group One in the Nassau Stakes and although only one further success in the following year’s Lockinge Stakes was to follow as injury curtailed her on-track career, there are few fillies that Fallon holds in higher esteem.

He continued: “She was like a colt, she had some stamp to her and everything about her was amazing. It was like driving a Rolls Royce, she had this cruising speed and you just floated on her. I will never forget that filly.

“She was an exceptional filly. I won the 1000 Guineas four times, nine (Guineas) in all if you include the colts, but she stood out by a mile. I rode Ouija Board, Bosra Sham and Russian Rhythm – they were the three. They were all stamped the same, they were like colts and had serious engines and serious temperaments, and I was lucky to come across Russian Rhythm.”

The 2003 edition proved to be a fruitful Royal Ascot for Fallon as he also got his hands on the Gold Cup for the first time when steering Mr Dinos to a six-length victory over Persian Punch for Paul Cole in the week’s feature.

He went on to add a second Gold Cup three years later when guiding Yeats to the first of four victories in the race, and having ridden many big winners at the Royal meeting over the course of his decorated career, the five-day festival holds a special place in the six-time champion jockey’s memories.

“Royal Ascot is amazing. It’s unique,” continued Fallon.

“You go down there on the Tuesday and you stay there for the week, everyone comes together from all over the world, you can have your parties after racing on the evenings, it’s just amazing. You have the royal family there. The Queen was a highlight of the whole week from start to finish – forget the horses, sometimes people just wanted to see the Queen.

“For all the great horses I had to ride – and that was some feeling and a buzz – but it is also a buzz when you walked into the paddock and saw the royal family. It really is something not a lot of people experience and the pleasure you get from it you take to your grave.

“When you were on horses for Aidan (O’Brien) and Sir Michael you knew you were on live ones, but even to get rides down there was special.

“There were times when I was starting out when I could have had five good rides at Redcar or somewhere like that, but you’re not even thinking about that, you want to go to Ascot just to be part of it. It’s once-in-a-lifetime thing, Royal Ascot, it’s like heaven.”

Ascot clerk of the course Chris Stickels is preparing for unsettled weather ahead of the start of the five-day Royal meeting next week.

The track has been bereft of any significant rainfall for the last few weeks and although isolated thunderstorms are forecast at the Berkshire venue until Tuesday morning, temperatures are set to remain high in the coming days.

Stickels is struggling to find much clarity from the metrological forecasts ahead of the meeting, which starts next Tuesday.

On Monday afternoon, he said: “We are very happy with where we are. The track is in lovely condition. The grass coverage is lovely and thick and it is a nice racing surface.

“At the moment we are just maintaining it so we can apply more water if we need to closer to the event. The forecast is tricky because we may get thunderstorms later today, then drier weather, then maybe a slightly trickier week next week.

“There are varying scenarios at the moment. Different models are giving us different information, but it will not be a settled week next week.

“It makes things more complicated when the forecast isn’t settled.”

The Queen Anne Stakes – which sees a potential clash between Breeders’ Cup Mile and Lockinge hero Modern Games, Coronation Stakes and Prix Jacques Le Marois heroine Inspiral, and last season’s Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Native Trail – is the first of three Group One races on the opening day.

Stickels and his team are pulling out all the stops to ensure they are not caught out by the vagaries of the weather.

He added: “From tomorrow (Tuesday) there will be daily going updates. GoingStick readings will be taken tomorrow, then on Friday, then every day from Sunday. We will be monitoring the situation and updating things.

“We have been watering every day. At present, we are a mixture of good, good to firm, and firm, depending on where we are with our watering.

“We haven’t had rain for months. You’d be rock hard if we didn’t water, but we are very happy with where we are at the moment.”

Haskoy, a leading contender for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, has been retired after straining a tendon.

Trained by Ralph Beckett, Haskoy did not make her racecourse bow until last July, when she ran out a seven-length winner on the all-weather at Wolverhampton.

The daughter of Golden Horn made rapid strides, winning a Listed race at York before coming home second in the St Leger, although the filly was demoted to fourth after causing interference in the closing stages.

Haskoy was as short as 5-1 for the Gold Cup after a game Group Three victory on her Newbury return last month, but the setback means she will now head to the paddocks rather than the Royal meeting.

Beckett tweeted: “Haskoy has strained a tendon, consequently she is being retired to the paddocks.”

Connections of Shaquille can hardly wait for his big date at Royal Ascot, with the exciting three-year-old reported to be in rude health ahead of his intended appearance in the Commonwealth Cup.

Winner of three of his four juvenile starts last season, Julie Camacho’s stable star picked up where he left off with an impressive comeback victory in handicap company at Newmarket’s Guineas Festival.

The Charm Spirit colt successfully stepped up to Listed class for the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury last month and is now being readied for a tilt at Group One glory on June 23.

Camacho’s husband and assistant, Steve Brown, said: “He worked well (on Saturday morning) and you’re counting the days – the bubble wrap is on!

“He’s in good shape and we’re not changing anything. We’ll stick to his routine and he’ll have one more strong bit of work and then we’ll leave him.

“He looks good and we’re happy. It’s fantastic to think you’ve got a chance of going down there and being competitive and he’s a horse that keeps finding some improvement.

“We can dream a bit longer and see what comes.”

Saeed bin Suroor intends to run both Shining Blue and Ghaly in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot on June 21.

The Godolphin trainer won the annual cavalry charge with the high-class Real World two years ago, and his two entries are both towards the head of the betting this time around.

Shining Blue bolted up off a mark of 103 at York last month, while the lightly-raced seven-year-old Ghaly has not been seen since beating King Of Conquest at Newmarket in October.

“Shining Blue won well last time and he’s come back good, he’s in good form. Ghaly worked a few days ago and he worked well, but he still has a few more bits to do. Both are in good form and we’re looking forward to running them,” said the Newmarket-based handler.

“Shining Blue is back in good condition, in good form. He’s happy and healthy so he should run well.

“We’ll see how he gets on at Ascot before we make any more plans, but maybe we can start looking at Listed races for him.”

He went on: “Ghaly has had some problems, he had a setback earlier in the year so we’ve given him time.

“He’s been back in full training for some time and it has been going good, two more pieces of work and he’ll be ready to run.

“He’s not had many races for a seven-year-old and he’s not very big but he always tries.

“I think this race should suit the both of them, this is the right trip for them and they go on any ground.”

Hollie Doyle landed a Classic success when guiding Shavasana to victory in Sunday’s Oaks D’Italia Tattersalls at San Siro racecourse.

Stefano Botti’s filly, who had previously taken the Italian 1,000 Guineas in heavy ground under Cristian Demuro, travelled sweetly on her first try at a mile and three furlongs.

Doyle’s mount, a daughter of Gleneagles, took her unbeaten record to five in defeating 11-5 favourite View Zabeel by half a length in the Group Two contest.

It was a second Classic success for Doyle, having landed the French Oaks with Nashwa last summer.

Owned by Katsumi Yoshida, Shavasana was keen in landing the Italian Group Three 1,000 Guineas over a mile a Capannelle in Rome last month, and Doyle was not about to disappoint her this time.

Having enjoyed the run of the race from the front, she stayed on well to give the Herefordshire-born rider victory on her first visit to the Milan track.

Doyle said: “It was a great result. It all went to plan, really. She was stepping up from a mile and was very exuberant over a mile.

“She travels too well usually, but Mr Botti did not want me to get in a fight with her, so I just got her into a rhythm where she was happy. She ended up in front and stayed the trip well on the quick ground, which really helped the situation.

“She is a very talented filly and I got a soft lead on the front end, so hopefully there is more to come.

“I need a British Classic now! It’s great. The people here are so passionate and the people here were so welcoming. It was great to ride a winner, especially a Classic winner for Mr Katsumi Yoshida, who owns her now. He is a very influential person in Japan.

“I met him last year and had a tour of Northern Farms, which was a great day and it is great that I can ride him a winner like this.”