Jack Hobbs heads 17 left in Prince of Wales’s Stakes

William Buick celebrates victory on Jack Hobbs in Dubai. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Jack Hobbs features among 17 horses left in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday following the confirmation stage.

The Dubai Sheema Classic winner will be attempting to copp his first QIPCO British Champions Series victory if he lines up. He has run three tremendous races in the Series without winning – finishing runner-up in the 2015 Investec Derby, and third in the past two runnings of the QIPCO Champion Stakes.

The five-year-old has had little racing since his Classic campaign when he lifted the Irish Derby, but showed he is as good as ever when striking at Meydan.

His trainer John Gosden also has Wings Of Desire in the ten-furlong showpiece while Godolphin, who are major shareholders in Jack Hobbs, can call on Hawkbill and Scottish from Charlie Appleby’s stable, the Jim Bolger-trained Moonlight Magic and Saeed bin Suroor’s Prize Money.

Highland Reel, winner of the Investec Coronation Cup at Epsom this month, is one of three possibles from the Aidan O’Brien battalions along with Deauville and Johannes Vermeer.

Dermot Weld is responsible for The Grey Gatsby, who was second in 2015 when trained by Kevin Ryan.

Last year’s winner My Dream Boat, trained by Clive Cox, could bid to become the first dual winner since Muhtarram in 1994-95, but he is expected to run in the Hardwicke Stakes three days later.

Sir Michael Stoute is double-handed with Ulysses and Queen’s Trust, while Roger Charlton has Decorated Knight, who took the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month.

Jean-Claude Rouget’s Mekhtaal is the sole French entry. The list is completed by the William Haggas-trained Mutakayyef and Roger Varian’s Nezwaah.