Racing by Tom O'Ryan

Persian Punch can give his rivals a knockout punch tomorrow by lifting the prestigious £200,000 Ascot Gold Cup.

Jockey John Reid, on the mark at yesterday's opening Royal Ascot programme aboard Faithful Son in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, takes the mount on Persian Punch, who suffered a real misfortune in last year's Gold Cup.

The David Elsworth-trained stayer banged his head on the side of the starting stalls just before the off and trailed home 12th of the 13th runners.

Persian Punch has been in cracking form this season.

Winner of the Sagaro Stakes at Newmarket on his reappearance, the five-year-old went on to finish an excellent third to Busy Flight in the Yorkshire Cup on Knavesmire over a trip (one mile and six furlongs) too short for him.

He was back on top next time at Sandown, winning the Henry II Stakes for the second successive year in typically game style.

An out-and-out stayer, who will relish every yard of this two and a half miles, the in-form Persian Punch has an excellent chance of capturing this most coveted of Royal Ascot prizes.

John Carroll, who rode a 13/1 treble at Thirsk yesterday, has high hopes of continuing his purple patch in tomorrow's Norfolk Stakes aboard Rosselli.

This unbeaten colt has scored at Newcastle and Beverley and is clearly tough, talented, and significantly on the upgrade. Trained by Jack Berry, who won this race in 1994 with the Carroll-ridden Mind Games, Rosselli faces some stiff opposition, not least from his stable-mate Speedy James.

Frankie Dettori, who rode two winners yesterday, Intikhab and Plan-B, can again take a large slice of the Royal Ascot riding honours tomorrow.

The former champion jockey teams-up with Bahr in the Ribblesdale Stakes, and this Musidora winner, who finished second to Shahtoush in the Vodafone Oaks, will take all the beating in this Group 2 test.

Dettori also has good prospects on Kahal in the Cork And Orrery Stakes.

This lightly-raced colt failed to stay a mile when fourth to Cape Cross in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month, and is expected to be well suited by this drop down in distance.

Dettori has yet another solid winning chance aboard Opera King in the King George V Handicap, the Godolphin colt having overturned the odds-on Success And Glory on his reappearance at Lingfield last month.

At Ripon, Kings Cay is napped to land the Beaumonts Insurance Ladies' Derby for the second time in three years.

Trained by Terry Caldwell, who sent out Bend Wavy to score at Thirsk yesterday, Kings Cay was just touched off by Lord Advocate at Hamilton last time over a distance just too far for him.

Cinder Hills, a confirmed mud-lover, can give the hat-trick seeking Altitude plenty to think about in the Levy Board Handicap.

Meanwhile, Lago Di Varano may be able to defy top weight in the Middleham Handicap.

Prospects for Redcar's revamped Saturday card appear to hinge on the hope of a dry spell of weather over the next couple of days.

The Cleveland track - still waterlogged in places after heavy rain forced it to abandon its meeting on Tuesday of last week - has already called off this Friday's fixture, the first of a two-day meeting.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.