The unbeaten (from 5 starts) Investec Epsom Derby winner of 2015, Golden Horn (by Cape Cross) looks a touch above the ordinary and, barring rain, should not be too hard pressed to account for 9 older rivals in the feature event of the English Summer, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (12 fur.). The race is to be run at Ascot on Saturday, July 25^th at 3:50 p.m. BST and it appears significant precipitation is expected in the region.

Whether it will materialize on the track and render the going soft or heavy, only a clairvoyant can say! On the other hand, whether the three-year-old Golden Horn is worth backing at his current odds of 8 to 13 is a more mundane question. Suffice it to say that the late-finishing type of runner, of which John Gosden's bay is an excellent example, does not appreciate cut in the ground – it blunts their acceleration. Still, with Frankie Dettori on board, the Oppenheimer standard-bearer will have every chance to retain his unblemished record, even considering the fact that his best form is on a firmer surface than he may encounter.

One whose connections expect will benefit from a more searching test of stamina is the winner of the Hardwicke Stakes on this very course last month, namely Snow Sky (by Nayef), who has been supplemented at the substantial cost of £75,000. The racing operation he represents, Juddmonte, almost always  know what they are doing, and so one must take this development as being significant. His handler, Sir Michael Stoute, has a well-deserved reputation for improving older horses.

The in-form Pat Smullen, who scored with Snow Sky last time out, has been drafted again for the ride, which will be his first in this event for the Irishman. He was quoted as saying: "My fella stays well and I admit he surprised me with the turn of foot he showed last time….We made all the running and he quickened again. It just goes to show how horses can develop a bit of speed as they get older….I am convinced Snow Sky is good enough to win a big race like this one." Snow Sky is trading at 7 to 1.

Both John Gosden and Juddmonte have supporting casts for their main players. The former – who annexed this race through Taghrooda last year – also sends out Hardwicke Stakes runner-up, Eagle Top (by Pivotal), with the soon-to-retire Richard Hughes essaying his swan song in a race he has yet to win; as well as Godolphin's soft-ground-loving Romsdal (by Halling), who will have William Buick to guide him.

If there is a valuable all-aged Group 1 race over the classic trip somewhere in the world, Flintshire (by Dansili) will be there! Andre Fabre's globetrotter, the second Juddmonte runner, has amassed a fortune running on 7 different tracks in 5 different countries. Most recently, with new rider Vincent Cheminaud in the saddle, he chased home the peerless Treve at Saint-Cloud, beaten just over a length. The same pilot is in the cockpit here and the package, at 10 to 1, could well be a profitable each-way proposition.

Don't run and you can’t win. That seems to be the philosophy behind trainer David Simcock's decision to pitch in The Corsican (by Galileo) and Madame Chiang (by Archipenko), the latter being the only distaff runner in the line-up. And what is wrong with that line of thinking? Fit horses should keep racing, unfit ones should never be risked (as Be Safe recently showed us!). Anyway to return to this pair – while neither has as yet shown that they are viable commodities at this level, they are not that far off either. However, one would have to countenance the failure of too many rivals simultaneously for either of them to be worthy of a win bet.

Italian connections dominate the remaining challengers. In this connection, one must mention Luca Cumani's Postponed (by Dubawi), who stays the trip well enough but has often given best to Snow Sky. It will be the schooler's fellow countryman, Andrea Atzeni, who will have the onerous task of eking out that "something extra" that will be required to enable him to score.

That brings us to a genuine Italian raider, the oddly-named Dylan Mouth (by Dylan Thomas), who is handled in his home country by Stefano Botti. While the four-year-old may find conditions alien to those in his native land, he will have the reassuring and familiar hands of Fabio Branca holding the reins. Moreover he has raced over the Ascot track. A grandson on his dam's side of the late and much lamented Noverre, who stood at Sohna Stud, Dylan Mouth is aiming to follow in the footsteps of another Italian raider who made this race his own back in 1956 – Ribot!

The only runner in the field who is even remotely close in ability to the great Ribot is the aforementioned Golden Horn and he is taken to keep his unbeaten record intact – weather permitting.