Manifest chasing Gold glory

Henry Cecil’s Manifest will face 12 rivals as he bids to confirm the huge impression he made last time out in Thursday’s Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.

The Prince Khalid Abdullah-owned four-year-old ran away with the Yorkshire Cup by eight lengths and has been favourite for the showpiece event ever since.

Cecil has a good record in the race having won it five times but his last victory came courtesy of Paean back in 1987.

Aidan O’Brien has a huge void to fill this year following the retirement of four-time winner Yeats and he relies on Age Of Aquarius to pick up the baton for Ballydoyle.

Godolphin have a good history in the contest with the likes of dual winner Kayf Tara, Classic Cliche and more recently Papineau on the roll of honour and they have two big chances this year with St Leger runner-up Kite Wood and Cesarewitch winner Darley Sun.

Kasbah Bliss, better known on these shores for his exploits over hurdles, has his first run in this country on the level while the foreign challenge is supplemented by the Mauricio Delcher-Sanchez-trained Bannaby.

Last year’s Coronation Cup and Prix Royal-Oak winner Ask makes his seasonal debut for Sir Michael Stoute while Tastahil and Akmal give Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum two chances. However, the former will only run if the ground is suitable.

That same comment applies to Roger Charlton’s Clowance.

Dermot Weld’s smart hurdler Rite Of Passage and Mick Channon’s Montaff complete the field.

Purple Moon filled second place behind Manifest in the Yorkshire Cup, but owner Craig Bennett believes they have nothing to lose by stepping up to two and a half miles in the stayers’ championship.

“We’re looking forward to it, but it’s a very tough race obviously,” said Bennett.

“It’s a very strong field and there are a number of very good horses in there and we are going into the unknown, but until you try you just don’t know.

“Unless we run him over this trip we are never going to know, so this race will tell us whether we stay at Cup level or whether we go back to a mile and a half. We’ll know a lot more after the race.

“There’s nothing to lose, he’s been working well and everything’s in order. We’ll give it the best shot we’ve got and if it doesn’t work out, well we’ve lost nothing.”