The Yorkshire Oaks is the preferred next target for Rosscarbery after she came off second best in a clash with Emily Dickinson at the Curragh on Saturday.

Paddy Twomey’s mare has won three times at Group Three level and last summer came within a neck of claiming Group One glory in the Prix Jean Romanet, narrowly failing to reel in Aristia.

Having finished fourth over 10 furlongs in the Pretty Polly Stakes on her penultimate start, Rosscarbery stepped up to a mile and three-quarters for last weekend’s Curragh Cup – but after travelling strongly to the front, she was oustayed by the hot favourite.

A return to Deauville for a second tilt at the Romanet is not being ruled as the five-year-old’s next objective, but Twomey views the Yorkshire Oaks on August 24, over the intermediate distance of a mile and a half, as the ideal aim.

“She ran great on Saturday over a trip that is probably as far as she wants to go in ground that was more favourable to Emily Dickinson than her – she likes a bit of faster ground,” said the trainer.

“We sort of have the Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix Jean Romanet in mind, that’s why we ran her at the weekend as it fitted in perfectly in our schedule.

“Out of those, the preference is probably for the Yorkshire Oaks. The Romanet is the Sunday before and she was second in that last year.

“I think a mile and a half at York would be her ideal track and trip and very suitable for her, so that’s what we have in mind.”

Simca Mille could bypass Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth II Qipco Stakes if conditions are not suitable.

The Stephane Wattel-trained four-year-old has won twice at Group Two level – at ParisLongchamp and Chantilly – this term, latterly producing an eye-catching turn of foot to land the Grand Prix de Chantilly by an easy three and a half lengths under Alexis Pouchin.

It promises to be a high-class renewal of the King George, which features this year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, along with 2022 Epsom hero Desert Crown and defending champion Pyledriver.

However, with an unsettled forecast and ground that is officially described as good to soft, soft in places on the round course, a decision on Simca Mille’s participation will be made on Thursday morning.

Wattel said: “The ground might be a concern. A final decision will be made on Thursday morning.

“We have prepared toward this race for a long time. I know the competition is very, very high and it will be a fantastic race.

“I don’t mind competing with the very difficult competition – if the horses are better, then they are better – but I want to have the best conditions for my horse to handle correctly, which at the moment is a concern.

“It is going to be a fantastic race and it will be great for the public and fun for all the sportsmen to see such good horses, but for Simca Mille, he needs fast ground and I doubt we will get fast ground.

“It is difficult to put a percentage on it, and I don’t want to say too much about it. A final decision will be made on Thursday morning. I am not the only one (to make the decision).”

Should last season’s Group One Grand Prix de Paris neck runner-up not take his place in the King George line-up, he could head to Germany or stay closer to home.

Wattel added: “He is entered in the Grosser Preis von Berlin (at Hoppegarten on August 13) in Germany, which is a Group One, but I would say I will be very happy, even if it is only a Group Two, he has the Grand Prix de Deauville (August 27), which for a Deauville-based trainer is an important race also.

“He has had fantastic results at Longchamp, so we will keep an eye on the Arc, if the ground is suitable for him.

“My concern is to have too difficult a race in the King George and leave his race there, on ground that is not his optimum.”

Go Athletico has been handed Group One targets following his fine performance in the Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh.

The five-year-old raced 26 times in France, winning on six occasions, before being picked up by his new owners for €165,000 in the spring when he was switched to Ireland and trainer Adrian McGuinness.

The gelded son of Goken has made a fine start to life in the care of his new handler, scooping Listed honours at Cork on stable debut and following that up by finishing second to course specialist Art Power in the Curragh Group Two last Saturday.

Now connections are eyeing a further step up the sprinting ladder for the soft-ground loving speedster and are targeting either a possible Curragh rematch with Art Power in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes on September 10 or returning Go Athletico to France for a crack at the Prix de l’Abbaye on October 1.

“We got lucky and we happened to get him at the right time,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Shamrock Thoroughbreds.

“It is amazing how a horse can have run as many times as him, be five years old yet all of a sudden he’s getting better. We’ve got lucky and he’s a cool horse, I’ve never had a horse like him. He’s a fun horse to watch.”

He went on: “This horse needs a bit of cut in the ground, we got it on Saturday and got lucky, and there is another race at the Curragh coming up in September, the Flying Five. We might have to take on the same horse that won on Saturday again and if the ground comes up soft, we will do it.

“If not, we might possibly take a look at the Prix de l’Abbaye on the day of the Arc.

“It’s only five furlongs and he’s better over six, but in a big field like that, with soft turf and the right draw, you can get lucky.”

The severity of forecast rain on Wednesday and Thursday is set to play a key part in determining ground conditions for Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.

The 12-furlong Group One is one of the highlights of the summer and the feature event of the Berkshire track’s two-day meeting, which starts on Friday.

There are over 150 entries for Saturday’s eight-race card, with a stellar cast set to assemble for the King George itself, in which Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel could take on last year’s Epsom hero Desert Crown and the likes of defending champion Pyledriver.

“We’re delighted with how the whole card is shaping up and the entries are excellent,” said Chris Stickels, Ascot’s clerk of the course.

“The King George itself looks like it could be a fantastic renewal.”

Conditions are currently described as good to soft, soft in places following a drying day on Monday.

However, Stickels will be keeping a close eye on the band of rain set to pass through the area later in the week with anything between seven and 15 millimetres forecast to fall – something he believes could be the deciding factor on whether the meeting is held on good or soft ground.

Stickels said: “The going is currently described as good to soft, soft in places.

“That will probably change on Tuesday given we’ve only had 1mm so far on Monday.

“It’s been fairly breezy and will be drying a bit. There was only a little bit of soft first thing this morning in it, we were expecting a little bit more rain, so it’s quite good it has stayed dry.

“I imagine there will be a change in the going on Tuesday to reflect it drying a bit, unless we do get any further rain now.

“The forecast for Tuesday looks generally settled. There is rain again and showers on Wednesday night through Thursday which will soften things up again and then Friday and Saturday look generally dry and blustery, with a chance of a blustery shower.

“We don’t know what to expect because every forecast model is different, but we’re forecast between 7mm and 15mm. If we had 7 or 8mm it would be goodish ground, but if we had the top-end of that forecast it would be slower than that.

“There’s a front coming through late on Wednesday through Thursday and the volume of that will be the factor that will determine what the ground will be like over the weekend.”

Tim Easterby’s Art Power will aim to return to his favourite track after an impressive success in the Sapphire Stakes.

The popular grey is a constant in high-quality sprint contests and is an eight-time winner for owners King Power Racing.

Now six years old, the gelding is unbeaten at the Curragh in four runs having won the Renaissance Stakes twice, as well as the Greenlands Stakes earlier in the season.

Armed with that knowledge, he was well backed as the 6-5 favourite for the Group Two Sapphire Stakes over five furlongs at the track on Saturday.

Under David Allan, he did not disappoint and cruised to an unchallenged four-and-a-quarter-length success to maintain his flawless record at the Kildare venue.

Another trip to the Curragh is now on the horizon for the son of Dark Angel, who holds an entry for the Flying Five Stakes on September 10.

“He’s come home and he’s in great form, he’s come out of it really well,” said Easterby.

“He ran a super race, we were delighted with him and he’s come out of it in great form.

“He’ll probably go back there for the Flying Five in September. He loves it there and he liked that bit of cut in the ground too.

“He just seems to love it, it’s nice ground that often has a bit of cut in it.

“It’s a good, level track for him and he just seems to really enjoy it.”

The British Horseracing Authority has accepted Sean Levey took no prohibited substance following a “non-negative” saliva test at Sandown last year, which was later deemed negative by a laboratory.

Levey was stood down by the raceday stewards on September 14 when an instant saliva test produced a positive result for amphetamine.

The Group One-winning rider requested a urine test within 24 hours and when that returned negative, he was allowed to resume riding.

However, Levey was forced to miss the closing night of the Racing League, for which he was the leading rider ahead of the final meeting. He was subsequently caught by Saffie Osborne, who rode a treble to claim a £20,000 bonus.

In a statement, the BHA said: “The BHA would like to provide the following update on the oral fluid testing pilot, which was paused following a negative laboratory follow-up analysis requested after a point of care racecourse non-negative sample given by Sean Levey at Sandown on September 14, 2022.

“Following that negative laboratory follow-up analysis, the BHA has carried out extensive analysis to ascertain the circumstances behind the original non-negative, remaining in close communication with Mr Levey throughout. The BHA is grateful for his co-operation during this time.

“The BHA completely accepts that Mr Levey did not take amphetamine or any other prohibited substance and has not committed any offence under the rules of racing, with the cause of the non-negative appearing to have been a supplement that those administering the test were not aware of at the time.

“A further update regarding the resumption of the oral fluid testing pilot will follow in due course.”

Billy Loughnane says he will be “pushing to be back as soon as I can” after a thumb injury suffered at Nottingham has left him facing a spell on the sidelines.

The 17-year-old has established himself as one of the rising stars of the weighing room since bursting onto the scene over the winter and is bearing down quickly on a century of winners having continued to have success throughout the summer.

However, his quest for three figures has been halted following the injury sustained in a stalls incident aboard the Ed Dunlop-trained Lucidity on Friday night and although Loughnane is unsure how long he will be out of action, he is keen for a quick return.

He said: “I will be pushing to be back as soon as I can.

“I’m taking it day by day and I’ll be back as soon as I can. It’s obviously frustrating and hard at the minute, watching the horses you could have been on run, but I have had over 500 rides now and been lucky not to pick anything up so far.

“It’s annoying, the timing of it, but it’s just one of those things.”

Upon his return, Loughnane could represent Ireland in the Racing League where his 3lb claim could be a vital asset for Kevin Blake’s team as they bid to climb the table after two years rooted to the bottom of the standings.

Despite his injury, Loughnane is still 14-1 joint favourite with William Hill to be the competition’s top jockey.

He added: “I am looking forward to it, to be part of the Racing League is great. Hopefully I’ll be there for a few of the meetings.

“I was born in Ireland and class myself as Irish, so I’m looking forward to representing Ireland.

“Hopefully it can boost me a little bit and give me the chance to ride for a few different trainers and get myself to the next level a little bit. It’s hopefully going to be a good place to build contacts and there’s great prize-money as well.

“Fingers crossed, I get a bit of luck and can ride a couple of winners.”

David Menuisier’s exciting Sunway could have his potential put to the test at Ascot on Saturday in the Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes.

The son of Galiway created a taking impression when winning at Sandown on debut and is now being thrust straight into Listed company as one of 17 possibles for the seven-furlong Listed event.

Since his Sandown bow, Qatar Racing have become involved on the ownership side alongside Guy Pariente and Thomas Lines and his handler is keen to see how the colt has progressed from his first start.

“It has been the plan pretty much since Sandown and the rain that has arrived shouldn’t be a problem,” said Menuisier.

“The horse is well and al being well between now and Saturday he will line-up.

“I am not quite sure of the form of the race at Sandown being critical, but he did it in good style and we hope he has improved and he can put on another good display.

“Qatar Racing have decided to buy into the horse which is always very flattering, so lets hope he can run up to the standard they are expecting.”

Charlie Appleby has won this contest the last two years and could be represented by the unbeaten Ancient Wisdom, while Charlie Hills’ Iberian skipped the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket and looked a youngster full of potential in his Newbury debut.

Aidan O’Brien could saddle three, while the Ballydoyle handler could also be represented by Brighter in the Princess Margaret Keeneland Stakes.

Other names to note amongst the 17 entries for that Group Three contest include George Boughey’s Albany third Soprano and recent Anglesey Stakes scorer Kairyu.

Jonathan Portman could also be represented by Cry Fiction who showed plenty of greenness when second in the Empress Fillies’ Stakes but is backed to improve with experience by her handler.

He said: “We’re very happy with how she has been progressing. She was still a bit green at Newmarket having only had the one run.

“She’s come on again for that run and we’re looking forward to running her again and I think she deserves a go.”

A maximum of 19 will head to post for the Longines Valiant Stakes where Ed Walker’s Random Harvest could attempt to bounce back from her disappointing run in the Falmouth Stakes over a course and distance she finished second over during Royal Ascot in the Duke of Cambridge.

Walker also has Sea Of Thieves and Rose Pick entered as he bids to add to his 2021 victory in the race, while Random Harvest’s regular rivals Prosperous Voyage and Grande Dame also feature amongst the list of possible runners.

Karl Burke’s Electric Eyes and Johnny Murtagh’s unbeaten Cadeau Belle will fly the flag for the three-year-olds in the Group Three event, while in the Moet & Chandon International Stakes, defending champion Fresh and Bunbury Cup winner Biggles are the headline acts as 36 stood their ground for the fiercely-contested handicap at Monday’s confirmation stage.

Michael Dods’ Commanche Falls could be set for a Curragh return after his tough success in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.

The six-year-old is enjoying a fine season and was third in the Duke of York before winning the Listed Dash Stakes at the Irish track in early July.

That run set him up for a Group Three outing in the Hackwood at the weekend, though wet weather left the ground softer than ideal as he left the stalls the 4-1 favourite.

The gelding did not look to be enjoying conditions early on under Connor Beasley, but as the race reached the final furlong, he edged through a gap to lunge over the line in a group finish.

Commanche Falls had prevailed by a head from Clive Cox’s Diligent Harry and could now head back to the Curragh as he holds an entry for the Rathasker Stud Phoenix Sprint Stakes in August.

“He’s been out in the paddock every day since, he’s eaten up and he looks good,” Dods said.

“The ground really wasn’t to his liking as you could see, he looked beaten at halfway but Connor switched him and asked him a few questions and he showed a lot of guts and bravery to go through the gap and put the race to bed.

“There didn’t look to be a lot of a gap but he dug very deep, he showed his guts to get through it and win.

“He’s been unbelievable to be honest, he keeps surprising us. He never does anything the easy way because he’s usually the first horse off the bridle.

“He looks beaten and then he digs deep, once he gets into gear he motors to the line.”

Of the Curragh trip, which would be dependent on suitable ground, Dods added: “That is the plan, all things being well. I don’t think I would travel over there if it was very soft ground, we’d have to have a rethink.

“All things being well and on decent enough ground, the plan is to go there in August.”

Dods also has another classy sprinter in Azure Blue, who beat Commanche Falls and Highfield Princess to land the Group Two Duke of York on the Knavesmire in May.

The grey then headed for the July Cup at Newmarket but came home sixth under Paul Mulrennan having pulled hard in the early stages.

A York comeback could be on the cards now as the filly holds an entry for the Group One Nunthorpe over five furlongs in late August.

“We’ve given her an easy week, I thought she ran a bit free at Newmarket. Whether it was the sticky ground or what, but she seems well,” said Dods.

“She’s been out in the paddock and we’ll probably start her off this week again cantering and build her up to go again.

“I’ve got to discuss with the owners, she’s got quite a few entries, so we’ll have to decide where to go but she’s in good fettle anyway.

Of the Nunthorpe entry, the trainer said: “It’s definitely in the picture, she’s got other entries as well but I’d like to think she could end up going there.”

Desert Crown is poised to return from his latest injury setback in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes as last year’s Derby winner is one of 15 confirmed for the £1.25million Ascot contest.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the son of Nathaniel stormed to Classic glory at Epsom in 2022 before spending almost a year on the sidelines and made his return in the Brigadier Gerard in May where he finished second to Owen Burrows’ reopposing Hukum.

A further setback ruled him out of an intended Royal Ascot engagement but having worked on the Limekilns gallop at Newmarket on Sunday morning, he is now on course for a belated appearance at the Berkshire track in search of one of the season’s most prestigious prizes.

“He’s going OK. He worked yesterday morning and he worked nicely,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager for owner Saeed Suhail.

“He doesn’t do a lot now, but everyone was very pleased. It was good to see him on the grass.”

There could be a rematch of this year’s Derby as Roger Varian’s Royal Ascot scorer King Of Steel will attempt to gain his revenge over his Epsom conqueror Auguste Rodin.

The dual-Classic winner is one of six in the mix for Aidan O’Brien, who could also be represented by Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale, Adelaide River, Broome and Bolshoi Ballet.

Defending champion Pyledriver will bid to enhance his fine Ascot record having landed the Hardwicke Stakes following almost a year off the track during the Royal meeting, while John and Thady Gosden’s Eclipse runner-up and Coronation Cup champion Emily Upjohn adds further spice to a race which looks like being a high-class renewal of the 12-furlong showpiece.

Others bringing strong form to the table include Ralph Beckett’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Westover and Stephane Wattel’s French raider Simca Mille, while William Haggas’ recent York scorer Hamish and James Ferguson’s Deauville Legend complete the line-up.

There will be a continental flavour to the Qatar Sussex Stakes next week as French raider Facteur Cheval is set to take his chance in the red-hot Goodwood contest.

It will be a long journey to the Sussex Downs for the four-year-old, with trainer Jerome Reynier based near Marseille in the south of France.

However, having produced a career best when denied by a head in the Prix d’Ispahan in May, connections are keen to pick up a share of the £1million prize-fund on offer, en-route to their main objective for the second half of the campaign, the Woodbine Mile on September 16.

“Our main goal for the fall is the Woodbine Mile and we needed something to tick him over,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the gelding in partnership with Gary Barber.

“We know this is going to be an insurmountable task, but the timing is right and he is improving, so we are going to send him and see what happens.”

Facteur Cheval has won five of his 10 career stars with his biggest victory coming in the Prix Perth on his final outing last year.

Although he has failed to add to his tally this season, the son of Ribchester has held his own in three high-class events and connections retain plenty of faith in Facteur Cheval, who will be partnered for the first time by Maxime Guyon in the Qatar Goodwood Festival contest.

“Obviously we’re probably going to be running against Paddington and you can’t go into it thinking we’re going to win,” added Irwin.

“But we’ve got a lot of faith in this horse, he’s had a lot of bad luck and we’re hoping we’re going to get a better go of it this race.

“He’s going to be ridden by Maxime Guyon and he has a lot of ability. He just needs the space to run in, once he gets going he’s pretty good.”

Irwin hopes Facteur Cheval will fare better than Star Of Cozzene, who was sent to the Sussex Stakes in the early 1990s in search of testing ground and found the undulations of Goodwood too hot to handle.

“I ran a horse there in the same race in 1992 called Star Of Cozzene,” he added. “He was one of the best horses we have ever had.

“He was fantastic over here in America and I got the bright idea to send him to Europe because he loved heavy ground. He never won a race there, he placed a couple of times but it just never happened.

“When we ran him at Goodwood, he had never run without toe wraps before and he just slid down the hill, he must have been 25 lengths off the lead at one stage and ran sixth. So I know what a difficult place Goodwood is.”

Jamaica's horse racing enthusiasts can rejoice as the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) have successfully resolved their impasse. This means that race meets will return to full race cards, as opposed to the short six-race programme that was run on Saturday.

That six-race card marked the return of live racing after a one-week break, when horsemen opted not to nominate as a show of their discontent to a $27 million purse increase offer put forward by SVREL.

However, following a productive meeting and constant dialogue, both parties have reached a mutual agreement, paving the way for the resumption of full race cards, as TOBA encouraged its members to support nominations for the meet scheduled on Saturday, July 29, starting on Tuesday, July 25. This will be followed by an action-packed first week of August, featuring three race days in seven days, including the much-anticipated Jamaica Oaks and Jamaica Derby.

In a statement released on Sunday, July 23, TOBA said that having met with SVREL on Monday, July 17, following the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission's (BGLC) prior confirmation of the promoting company's 2022 sales figures of $5.32 billion on local racing, TOBA has agreed to continue working with SVREL and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) to implement major initiatives towards negating the annual wrangling over prize monies.

In its statement, TOBA said it hoped that these initiatives, if successfully negotiated and implemented, including returning monies derived from the local-racing industry, will lead to a substantial and sustainable purse- money environment, as exists in other international racing jurisdictions, historically bringing Jamaica in line with North America, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, jurisdictions which all access and thrive on purses supplemented by other consistent income streams.

This positive development will not only attract horse owners but also boost the excitement and engagement of racing enthusiasts across the country.

Regional is likely to skip the King George Qatar Stakes, with Ed Bethell favouring heading straight to the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes with his in-form sprinter.

Although having always been a consistent operator over the shorter distances, the five-year-old had won just one of his first 10 outings for the Middleham handler.

However, he has taken his form to the next level this season, winning a competitive York handicap in fine style before striking with authority in the Listed Achilles Stakes at Haydock.

Bethell is now keen to test the waters at a higher level with his speedster and with the Regional proven on the Knavesmire, the trainer is keen to head to the Nunthorpe fresh rather than take on what could be a stellar cast at Goodwood.

“He is still entered in the King George at Goodwood, but I would imagine it would have to cut up for him to go there,” he said.

“Goodwood wouldn’t really be his track. We ran him in the Stewards’ Cup and although he ran well, he absolutely hated the downhill.

“I imagine we will be going straight to the Nunthorpe. He’s very good fresh and he’s a big, flat track type of horse.”

Regional was meant to run over the Nunthorpe course and distance in the City Walls Stakes earlier this month, but was pulled out when rain altered the going prior to the contest.

Bethell is content with the decision he made, with the focus firmly on keeping Regional’s confidence high ahead of his shot at Group One glory.

“I could have run him at York in the City Walls with a penalty, but he is a fast ground horse and it did go good to soft,” he added.

“I was conscious I want to go to the Nunthorpe with a horse full of confidence, rather than me ruining his confidence by running him on soft ground.”

As well as Regional, Bethell has also seen Oviedo fly the flag for his Thorngill House string and the handler was pleased with his third-placed finish in Newbury’s Steventon Stakes despite the race not unfolding in the colt’s favour.

“Unfortunately the hour and a half of rain before the race got into the ground, so it was softer than ideal,” explained Bethell.

“But I thought he ran very well and way above 100. He needs a fast pace to aim at really and it was quite a stop-start race, which doesn’t play to his strengths.

“I was thoroughly encouraged by the run and it was maybe not a career best, but it was right up there with the best performances he’s shown me in the past.”

Bethell will now wait to see how the assessor adjusts Oviedo’s mark before finalising future running plans, with big-money pots at both Goodwood and York, as well as a raid on Deauville on the agenda.

“I will see what the handicapper does with him,” he added. “There’s two very nice handicaps, one at Goodwood and one at York that he might slip into nicely.

“He’s a very hard horse to place in those Listed and Group races because, like yesterday, you could end up taking on a horse like Al Aasy who we all know is very good.

“He will have an entry in the Prix Nureyev (August 13) at Deauville as well, which would be very much ground dependent, but Deauville in August, you might just get some good ground over there.”

James Fanshawe’s Fresh will bid for back-to-back victories in the Moet & Chandon International Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The six-year-old was a short-head winner of the contest last season and is something of an Ascot specialist having been successful there three times and placed on several occasions.

His last run came in the Wokingham at the Royal meeting in June, a race he finished second in in 2021 and this time was the fifth-placed horse when beaten two lengths in a field of 27.

That run has persuaded connections to bid for an International Stakes title defence after the gelding disappointed when 19th in the Victoria Cup earlier in the season.

“He’s very well, he’s had this race as a target as he likes it there and he ran very well there last time,” said Fanshawe.

“He needs a lot of things to go right, but we’ve targeted it and he seems to really love the track there.

Of why the Fresh likes the course so much, Fanshawe added: “I don’t know, some horses just really do like the straight track at Ascot and he’s one of them fortunately!

“In the Wokingham he was just drawn on the inside, he ran really well and was finishing well. He was one that came from a long way back and ran very well.

“He won the International last year so it was the obvious race, the main thing after the Ascot run was that he’d gone well as he was a bit disappointing the time before.

“I’m really pleased with him and he seems in good form.”

Connections of Tashkhan are willing the rain to keep falling ahead of his shot at the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes.

Brian Ellison’s five-year-old has been an ever-present in the top staying contests in recent years, counting a second in the 2021 British Champions Long Distance Cup and a fifth in the following year’s Ascot Gold Cup as some of the highlights.

Seen just three times this season, he skipped this year’s Ascot feature on account of fast ground and was beaten just three-quarters of a length in his most recent outing in the Silver Cup at York.

Ellison believes he will come on for that first appearance since April and is keen to test his star stayer in Group One company once again, especially with Tashkhan’s favoured soft ground entirely possible on the Sussex Downs.

He said: “Hopefully it will be the Goodwood Cup next, that’s the plan.

“He’s fine and in good fettle and he will come on for the run at York. He hadn’t run for a while and making the running was a bit of a disadvantage to him, he’s always better coming to challenge horses, so it was a good run really. I’m really happy with him.

“He stays longer than the mother-in-law, but knowing our luck, things will start drying up. He doesn’t need to have it heavy or anything, but obviously the softer the better for him, that will give him more of a chance.”

After Goodwood, Ellison has his sights on a return to the Knavesmire for a tilt at the Sky Bet Ebor and a hefty share of it’s £500,000 prize-fund.

“You can’t keep him out of the top four really in these top races and there’s good prize-money and the plan is to go to Goodwood and then to the Ebor.

“I think the Ebor will suit him, a good handicap and a good gallop that he needs.”