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Aidan O’Brien’s Illinois heads ten confirmations for Thursday’s Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.

With the recent retirement of star stablemate Kyprios, Illinois is poised to take up the mantel of top stayer at Ballydoyle. Second behind fellow O'Brien-trained and Coronation Cup-winning stablemate Jan Brueghel in last year's Group 1 St Leger, Illinois has shown definitive improvement since stepping up to staying distances, commencing his four-year-old campaign with a victory in the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester.

Second in the market is the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Candelari, who bids to be the first French winner of the race since Westerner in 2005. The son of Frankel made the breakthrough to Group 1 company when taking the Group 1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier in late May, the first renewal of the Longchamp race since being upgraded to Group 1 status and he remains unexposed with only five career starts.

John and Thady Gosden's Group 3 Henry II Stakes winner Trawlerman will be joined by stablemate Sweet William, who finished third in last year's renewal and chased home Kyprios in both the Group 1 Goodwood Cup and the Group 2 Long Distance Cup. Jan Brueghel remains on the confirmation list, whilst Michael Bell's new recruit Yashin will be looking to confirm the promise of his Group 2 Sagaro Stakes victory from Ascot Trials Day.

Elsewhere on the card, 32 remain in contention for the opening six-furlong Group 2 Coventry Stakes, including the unbeaten Military Code and Aidan O'Brien's impressive Naas winner Charles Darwin.

The 1m4f Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes has attracted twelve entries at the current stage, headed by the lightly raced Serenity Prayer. Winner of a maiden at Newbury on debut, the daughter of Dubawi finished a well-beaten second behind Whirl in the Group 2 Musidora Stakes at York – form which has been given a significant boost with the victor a narrow second in the Oaks at Epsom.

It looks set to be a competitive renewal of the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes and the Prix du Jockey Club form will be represented by Detain, who finished third behind Camille Pissarro. Likely opposition includes 2000 Guineas fourth and Epsom Derby sixth Tornado Alert, Wood Ditton victor High Stock and the exciting Jackknife, who placed third in the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown Park.