Queen Anne preview: Ribchester primed for Royal Ascot curtain-raiser

"Ribchester probably got his own way too much at Newbury and that probably won't be the case in the Queen Anne.

"He'll still take a lot of beating, but our horse will improve for the ground.

"That's not to say it won't suit Ribchester, but if we get a bit of pace on better ground, hopefully we'll finish a bit closer."

Sheikh Fahad's racing manager, David Redvers added: "Lightning Spear is in fantastic nick and loves a good, sound surface so he will have that - it should be very different to Newbury.

"David and his team feel this is the horse's year. He is the most heavenly horse to be around and is as genuine as the day is long.

"If there are any holes in Ribchester's armour, he is there to expose them."

Mutakayyef is an interesting contender for William Haggas.

The six-year-old won the Summer Mile at this venue last July before placing in the Juddmonte International and behind last year's Queen Anne heroine Tepin in Canada.

He was a shade disappointing on his return to action in the Dubai Turf in March, but is expected to raise his game on the faster ground he will encounter on Tuesday.

"It's a big day and the great thing for this horse is the ground is in his favour," said Haggas.

"I've been very happy with him at home and he's working very well.

"He's got a nice draw, he's won at Ascot on fast ground and I hope he'll run another good race."

There are two trans-Atlantic challengers in Todd Pletcher's American Patriot, the mount of Frankie Dettori, and Miss Temple City from Graham Motion's stable.

Pletcher's assistant, Ginny DePasquale, said: "They've always thought a lot of the horse and he stepped up to the mark at Keeneland last time.

"He seems to handle things very well and takes things in his stride so I can't imagine the different type of track will faze him.

"He's used to being an underdog. There are obviously a couple of big players in here, but hopefully he'll have a good trip with no excuses.

"He'll probably be up close to the pace and I think he can run into a place."

Aidan O'Brien sends both Cougar Mountain and Deauville into battle.

Other contenders include the Charlie Hills-trained Dutch Connection, Roger Varian's Ennaadd and Jane Chapple-Hyam's Kaspersky, who will be ridden by Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne.