Gold Cup: runner-by-runner guide to the Royal Ascot feature

Younger legs have dominated the Gold Cup in recent years, with nine four-year-olds taking the spoils since 2012.

And that generation again have two excellent candidates in Illinois, trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, and Candelari, who travels over from France.

You have to travel back to 2005 to find the last French-trained winner of the staying showpiece. O’Brien had not trained a Gold Cup winner at that time, but has since squeezed in a record-breaking nine triumphs.

Kyprios was his No 1 for Thursday's £650,000 feature until aggravating an old injury and being retired this month. So in steps Illinois to fill the void, perhaps a year or two earlier than intended.

The home team is again spearheaded by Trawlerman and Sweet William, who were the chief support acts 12 months ago. Here’s a guide to all eight runners. 

Official rating: 112. Timeform rating: 125. General odds: 40-1. 

Has given his owners, Mick and Janice Mariscotti, many memorable days, running some of his finest races at this track and scooping almost £1 milliin in prize money. 

Coltrane won the Ascot Stakes in 2022 before finishing runner-up in the Gold Cup a year later. He’s also got two Sagaro Stakes triumphs on his CV, plus was runner-up to Yashin in this year’s edition. 

However, Father Time has blunted some of his powers and he was thumped by Trawlerman in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown last month. 

The last eight-year-old to scoop this was the mighty Yeats, when he won this for a fourth time in 2009. Before him, no eight-year-old had won since 1900. 

Official rating: 116. Timeform rating: 128. Odds: 40-1. 

The last nine-year-old to take this prize was Beeswing in 1842 and most will quickly overlook Dubai Future after his lamentable run in France last time (well adrift of Candelari) when he was having his first run in Europe since the autumn of 2022. 

However, the highest-earning horse in the line-up has sprung surprises in the past, including when landing the Wolferton Stakes in 2022. And before fluffing his lines on his latest start, he had looked better than ever in landing the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in April, when trying 2m for the first time. Enjoy a full replay above.

That effort is worth a second look, given the third, Epic Poet, has since gone close in the Yorkshire Cup, and the fifth home was Trawlerman, who needs little introduction. 

A first-time hood goes on, while James McDonald becomes the ninth jockey to have a spin on him. Curiously, five of his eight previous riders have won on him at the first attempt, including twice at 20-1. 

Official rating: 116. Timeform rating: 130. Odds: 7-1. 

Quirks and injury problems have done little to halt Sweet William’s progress, with the six-year-old never finishing out of the first three in 16 races. 

Rab Havlin has been on board every time and played a full part in his climb up the ranks, which has been achieved even though he needs holding up for as long as possible and kid gloves when asked to seal any deal. 

Sweet William was a never-nearer six lengths third to Kyprios in the Gold Cup last year, and subsequently chased him home in the Goodwood Cup and Long Distance Cup, taking full advantage of his absence in the Doncaster Cup in between. 

His close comeback third in a muddling Yorkshire Cup should have put him spot on for this assignment, but he will need the cards to fall his way if he’s to hit the jackpot. 

Official rating: 118. Timeform rating: 134. Odds: 5-2. 

The Godolphin homebred has come a long way since fluffing his lines in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at this meeting three years ago. 

Highlights have included his wins in the 2022 Ebor, neck defeat of Kyprios in the 2023 Long Distance Cup and near miss in last year’s Gold Cup, when Kyprios turned the tables on him. 

Trawlerman was a little underwhelming when fifth in the Dubai Gold Cup on his return in March but was back in the groove when making all for an emphatic win in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown last time. 

Another bold bid looks guaranteed, although he is up against a couple of new kids on the block and the last seven-year-old to win a first Gold Cup was Happy Man back in 1923. Maybe the fact they share part of the same name is a good omen. 

Official rating: 108. Timeform rating: 124. Odds: 33-1. 

His sole win on turf was achieved in the mud over ten furlongs in the spring of 2023, and I doubt few imagined a tilt at the Gold Cup would be on the cards when he was beaten in a small-field handicap at Kempton in February off a mark of 94. 

However, connections have rolled the dice after successive wins at Wolverhampton and Newcastle. The latter victory, when attempting 2m for the first time, was impressive, and in a decent time to boot, suggesting that he may have found his niche as a stayer. 

Another chunk of improvement is going to be needed here, though, and, perhaps most significant, he’s also got to prove he’s as effective on turf. 

Official rating: 106. Timeform rating: 122. Odds: 33-1. 

This chunky bay had his limitations exposed when trained by Jessica Harrington and, having changed hands for 80,000gns, probably didn’t have to show improved form to beat Coltrane by a length in a muddling Sagaro Stakes at Ascot in April, having had another wind op. 

He's got a tough task on ratings and is far from certain to stay this far, although can surely do no worse than when last in action at this meeting in 2022, when he trailed home a distant last of 19 runners in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes. 

Official rating: 118. Timeform rating: 129+. Odds: 7-2. 

Seeks to become the first French-trained winner since Westerner 20 years ago. 

The Frankel gelding (the formbook suggests he suffered the unkindest cut of all after winning by a wide margin on Valentine’s Day, which seems a little harsh!) was unraced until early December last year but has quickly made up for lost time and is unfortunate not to be unbeaten in five starts. 

He put up a career-best when a decisive winner of the Group One Prix Vicomtesse Vigier at Longchamp last time, in the process turning the tables on the pair who edged him out at Longchamp the previous month. He was strong at the finish and Trueshan, beaten about seven lengths into fourth, helps give us some kind of gauge as to the merit. 

He's never raced over less than 13 furlongs and relished the near 2m trip he tackled last time. The official assessor already has him on the same rating as Trawlerman – and 2lb higher than Illinois – although the fast ground will be a niggle, given he has only raced on the all-weather or a softish surface. It goes without saying he is open to plenty more improvement. 

Official rating: 116. Timeform rating: 130. Odds: 7-4. 

Illinois is going to be one of Galileo’s final flagbearers and the half-brother to Danedream, the Arc and King George winner, could be a fixture in this race for years to come after getting called off the substitute’s bench to fill the void left by Kyprios. 

He’s done little wrong in his ten races, winning the Queen’s Vase at this meeting last year and being placed in all three Group One races he has contested, including when edged out by stablemate Jan Brueghel in last year’s St Leger. Before that, he had made Los Angeles dig deep in the Great Voltigeur.

There was plenty to like about the way he gave weight and a beating to his rivals in the Ormonde Stakes on his return at Chester last month (runner-up has since been a good winner) and he shapes like a thorough stayer, plus a more finished model than the one who ran about in front here 12 months ago. With age on his side – something that cannot be said for several of his rivals – he looks a worthy favourite. 

There hasn’t been a smaller field since seven lined up in 1996 but an honest tempo is on the cards as last year’s runner-up, Trawlerman, who is usually ridden forward, is a stout stayer, and William Buick will not want the race to develop into a sprint. The lure of the four-year-olds is strong, though, with ILLINOIS ticking just about every box. He can win at the main expense of intriguing French challenger Candelari. 

1 ILLINOIS. 2 CANDELARI. 3 TRAWLERMAN. 4 SWEET WILLIAM. 5 COLTRANE. 6 DUBAI FUTURE.  7 WONDER LEGEND. 8 YASHIN.