A cast of rare talent has assembled for tomorrow’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, in which Dylan Thomas, Red Rocks, Manduro and Notnowcato vie for recognition as Europe’s leading older horse. That status is presently shared by Manduro and Notnowcato, who were bracketed at 122 on official global ratings published earlier this month.

Also in the seven-runner field is Sir Percy, last year’s Derby winner, Kandidate and Pressing, the latter supplemented at a fee of £25,000. However, all three must improve on recent efforts to disturb the established order.

Pride Of Nation, market leader for the Royal Hunt Cup, is one of three Luca Cumani-trained runners in the annual cavalry charge tomorrow. The five-year-old started favourite last year before finishing thirteenth, but Cumani said: “He is still lightly raced and I feel he can improve.”

Mick Kinane, who rides George Washington in the Queen Anne Stakes today, is a best-priced 9-4 favourite to top the riders’ charts at the meeting. Most of Kinane’s best rides are for Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable.

Lee Freedman yesterday dismissed speculation that Miss Andretti, favourite for today’s King’s Stand Stakes, had returned a poor blood test. Nevertheless, the Australian trainer said of his mare’s prospects: “At 4-1, she is probably not great value.”