Brian Meehan’s Rashabar will take on nine rivals as he gears up for his Classic preparations in the Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes at Newbury on Saturday.

A shock 66/1 winner of the Coventry Stakes under Billy Loughnane at Royal Ascot last season, Rashabar proved the performance to be no fluke when going down narrowly in the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville before finishing a neck behind Aidan O'Brien's Camille Pissarro in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp on Arc day.

The son of Holy Roman Emperor heads the ante-post market alongside Chancellor, who landed a Doncaster novice event last season before he was withdrawn at the start of the Champagne Stakes for breaking out of the stalls.

Just days after Cosmic Year launched himself onto the 2000 Guineas scene, Jonquil will be hoping to do the same for owners Juddmonte. Formerly trained by the recently retired Sir Michael Stoute, the Lope De Vega colt will make his first start for new handler Andrew Balding as he attempts to bounce back from a disappointing run in the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster last season.

Charlie Appleby will rely on his recent Qatar winner Al Qudra, while the unexposed trio of Rogue Alliance, Yah Mo Be There and Saracen, who ran out an impressive winner on debut for Joseph O'Brien, all add further interest to an intriguing Classic trial.

In the fillies' equivalent, the Dubai Duty Free Stakes, which is better known as the Fred Darling, sixteen horses will head to post.

Ollie Sangster has acquired the services of top international rider Christophe Soumillon for his leading contender Simmering. The Al Shaqab Racing-owned daughter of Too Darn Hot enjoyed a highly productive two-year-old campaign, winning the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot and Prix du Calvados at Deauville, before proving herself at the top-level with excellent efforts in both the Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.

Aidan O'Brien and Charlie Appleby are both represented, with the former saddling his Group 3 winner Heavens Gate, while the latter runs Mountain Breeze, who arrives back in the UK following two wide-margin successes at Meydan.

Facile Haydock debut winner Nardra looks like a fascinating contender for William Haggas.

Andrew Balding has deployed the first-time hood for his new recruit Formal, who was sent off second favourite for the Dubai Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket last season, while Time For Sandals, Bright Times Ahead and California Dreamer add extra depth to the opening 1000 Guineas trial of the season.