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The Gold Cup is the traditional highlight of the Royal Ascot meeting, but the showpiece race could be overshadowed this year by an opening-day card featuring a stellar cast and an international flavour.

Australian sprinter Star Witness, French champion mare Goldikova and 2000 Guineas champion Frankel are some of the world’s leading horses in action in Group One races when the five-day meet opens on Tuesday.

Hungarian horse Overdose, known as the “Budapest Bullet,” American challengers Holiday For Kitten and Bridgetown and entries from Hong Kong, Japan and Germany give the Royal Ascot a truly global feel in its 300th year.

Horses and trainers from all over the world will descend on the course in southwestern England, where there is total prize money of nearly four million pounds on offer.

Goldikova enhanced her credentials as arguably the best female horse in the world by following up a victory in last year’s Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot with a third straight win in the $US2 million Mile at the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs in November.

The Irish-bred mare defends her Ascot title Tuesday as she looks for the 17th win of her career – her most recent came at Prix d’Ispahan last month – and her 14th in Group One races.

The most likely challengers in the field of seven are Canford Cliffs – the favorite with British bookmaker Ladbrokes at 11/10 – and Cape Blanco.

Star Witness is the clear favorite among a global 19-horse field in the King’s Stand Stakes.

Overdose, who won the first 12 races of his career before a year-long layoff with a hoof disease, will be looking to make up for his poor run at Haydock last month in his first ever run in Britain, while Sweet Sanette from Hong Kong and Germany-trained War Artist are also contenders.

To round off a what promises to be a special opening day, unbeaten colt Frankel competes in the St. James’s Palace Stakes, a month after a sensational six-length victory in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Trained by Henry Cecil, who received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday, Frankel is the most talked-about horse in Britain at the moment.

“Frankel seems very well and hopefully he will have a very good chance of continuing his unbeaten winning run,” Cecil said.

“He has been hailed as a future champion and if he can go on from where he left off and confirms that status, it will be great for racing.”

Japanese horse Grand Prix Boss could be Frankel’s biggest threat in the race.

Wednesday’s feature race is the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, in which two-time Cox Plate winner So You Think is the odds-on favorite with bookmakers.

There will also be a new winner of Thursday’s Gold Cup following the late withdrawal of reigning champion Rite Of Passage because of an injury in training.

Fame And Glory, trained by Aidan O’Brien, is now considered the favorite for the showpiece race.

AP AAP TURF

 
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