The rematch between the English and Irish 2000 Guineas winners, Night Of Thunder and Kingman, in the St James’s Palace will be one of the most enthralling contests of the first day of Royal Ascot.
It will be the third time the pair have met this season with John Gosden’s Kingman winning the Greenham at Newbury while Richard Hannon’s Night Of Thunder turned the tables in the Classic at Newmarket.
Since then Kingman has been over to the Curragh to win his own Classic and he is favoured to come out on top again.
It is far from a two-horse race, however, with Hannon’s champion juvenile from last year, Toormore, looking to make up for a below-par run in the Guineas at Newmarket having already won the Craven Stakes in which he beat subsequent Dante and French Derby winner The Grey Gatsby.
Kingman is 11-10 with Coral to turn the Newmarket form around, despite support for Night Of Thunder at 2-1.
The first four home from last year’s King’s Stand Stakes will all do battle once more over five furlongs (1000m) in Tuesday’s Group One sprint.
Sole Power, Shea Shea, Pearl Secret and Jack Dexter will face a serious challenge from Temple Stakes winner, three-year-old Hot Streak.
American raider Ancil, trained by Joan Scott, will be ridden by James Doyle with Joel Rosario stuck at home due to visa issues.
