The feature race on the third day of Ascot’s Royal meeting is the world’s oldest G1 contest, the Gold Cup.
While Stradivarius is favoured to equal Yeats’ record of four consecutive victories in the race, Subjectivist (Teofilo) could well be the one to take the crown this year.
Subjectivist is one of six 2020 G1 winners for his sire – a figure that can only be bettered by his own sire Galileo. Mark Johnston’s charge landed the G1 Prix Royal-Oak late last year, but was arguable more impressive at Meydan earlier this season when defeating a high-class field by almost six lengths in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.
Teofilo is also responsible for Twilight Payment, last year’s G1 Melbourne Cup winner. He already has form at Royal Ascot, having finished third in the Queen’s Vase back in 2016.
Earlier on the card, the three-year-old colts reoppose in the G3 Hampton Court Stakes.
Dubawi will aim to sire his fourth winner of the race with One Ruler, last seen finishing a creditable sixth in the Derby. His previous victors are Afsare, Time Test and Benbatl, with the latter going on to success at the highest level.
One Ruler is one of four Stakes winners bred on the successful Dubawi/ Shamardal cross, which is currently recording an incredible 24% Stakes winners to runners.
Buratino is represented by the very experienced Snapraeterea, winner of this year’s Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas. Buratino himself was of course the winner of the G2 Coventry Stakes in 2015, where he beat Air Force Blue.
Next is the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes, where the Darley stallions are very well represented.
Golden Horn has two fillies running: Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes winner Ad Infinitum and Taslima, who was third in the Pretty Polly Stakes during Newmarket’s Guineas meeting.
Annerville (Iffraaj) steps up markedly in class having broken her maiden in impressive fashion at Leopardstown last month.
Iffraaj has sired two G1 winners at Royal Ascot in record-breaking Queen Anne hero and promising young sire Ribchester, plus Coronation Stakes victrix Rizeena.
Teofilo’s Cheshire Oaks winner Dubai Fountain will seek to bounce back from a disappointing run in the Oaks, but on her day she could well be a leading contender.
