Richard Hannon will withdraw Paco Boy from the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Friday if he considers the the ground to be too fast.

Hannon's stable star quashed all stamina doubts by winning the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot over a mile, but his connections have never been in any doubt that he has the requisite speed to drop back to six furlongs.

Paco Boy is at his best with some juice in the ground, however, and while Headquarters was hit by rain on Tuesday night, the forecast is for another dry spell.

“We had to make a decision first thing on Wednesday morning and the reason I declared Paco Boy was because of all the rain and if the ground is suitable we will run,” Hannon said on Thursday. “But Newmarket can dry up quickly and if on Friday morning we feel that the turf has dried out too much we won't hesitate to pull him out.

“I have been open about the situation with Paco Boy all the way along the line.

“We don't think we saw anything from the Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot to worry us too much and while Scenic Blast is obviously exceptional, we are not worried about the opposition, just the state of the ground.

“If it suits us we will run - and with (Richard) Hughesie banned and Ryan (Moore) claimed by Sir Michael Stoute, we have been lucky to get Jimmy Fortune - but, if not, we will wait for the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville.”

Forming a strong Australian challenge with Takeover Target is impressive King's Stand Stakes winner Scenic Blast.

Danny Morton's five-year-old has been all the rage with punters since Ascot and his jockey, Steven Arnold, is pleased the gelding has been able to familiarise himself with Newmarket's undulations in recent workouts.

Although the July Cup is over a furlong farther than the King's Stand, Arnold is not concerned.

“It's great riding in international races, but even better when you're on one of the top chances,” Arnold said. “We know the form of his rivals and nothing seems to have burst on to the scene since Scenic Blast won the King's Stand.

“If he turns up in the same form at Newmarket, and everything suggests he will, then he's going to be the one to beat again.

“He's not a weak sprinter, so the extra 200 metres (furlong) won't bother him, especially now he's had that strong 1000m run in the King's Stand under his belt.

“He's also got a second at Group One level over 1600m (a mile), albeit against his own age, in the Caulfield Guineas.

“And he was very strong at the end of his Newmarket win.

“I think it's a real bonus Danny has been able to take him there twice and work alongside Takeover Target. The course won't be foreign to him.

“The undulating track has been in mind, but he's had some experience there and he's the sort of horse who travels well in his races and that will help him,” he said.