Last-minute withdrawal with Trueshan out of Gold Cup clash due to ground

Your one-stop shop for Royal Ascot news on Thursday

Trueshan, who was available at 5-1 for the Gold Cup (4.15), was withdrawn at the eleventh hour by Alan King due to the ground.

He won the Long Distance Cup under Hollie Doyle, who told ITV Racing: "Alan was never going to risk him on quick ground."

The forecast heavy rain did not come for the five-year-old and the ground at Royal Ascot was described as good to firm on Thursday.

Stradivarius remains favourite for the race as he tries to equal Yeats' four wins in the race, but Spanish Mission is the one coming in for support against him.

The Andrew Balding-trained five-year-old won the Doncaster Cup over 2m2f last season and produced a career-best performance when winning last month's Yorkshire Cup. He is now 7-1, with Stradivarius the odds-on favourite following Trueshan's withdrawal.

Jamie Spencer is often a go-to jockey on the straight course at Ascot and his mount Air To Air is sharing favouritism at 6-1 (from 7) for the Britannia Stakes. King Power Racing's Aerion Power (11-1 from 20) and the Sir Mark Prescott-trained Royal Pleasure (12-1 from 18) are two more who have noticeably shortened in the 29 runner field.

Updated 3.40pm

Who is Frankie Dettori riding on day three at Royal Ascot on Thursday?

Going update: good to firm remains

The going remains unchanged at good to firm for day three of Royal Ascot after the Berkshire track missed the worst of the forecast thunderstorms, receiving 2.4mm of rainfall overnight.

Ascot's clerk of the course Chris Stickels had warned after racing concluded on Wednesday that a change in the going description was likely, with "anything from 5mm to 28mm forecast".

However, that level of rainfall failed to materialise overnight and a mainly dry afternoon is forecast, although occasional showers are possible this morning.

Speaking just before 8am, Stickels said: "It seems like we've been pretty lucky overnight. We've had 2.4mm of rain, we didn't really get any thunderstorms, it was just sort of fairly standard rain for a little while in the evening and then since midnight we really haven't had a lot, less than half a milimetre.

"It is raining very lightly as we speak and the forecast is for occasional showers, maybe a sharper shower later today, but at the moment we remain good to firm.

"We had over 3mm of evapotranspiration yesterday so 2.4mm will just replace some of that moisture we lost yesterday."

As a comparison, nearby Kempton Park had 5mm of rain and Sandown 9mm, according to the latter course's clerk Andrew Cooper.

Thunderstorms are expected to hit the course on Friday, with Stickels adding: "It does look like some thundery showers are going to develop tomorrow and potentially we could see 8-12mm of rain. There is a risk for more but that is the general forecast for the moment."

All four GoingStick readings issued by the course have improved, with the stands' side reading now 8.6 (from 8.3), centre 8.1 (from 8.0), far side 8.4 (from 8.2) and, most significantly, the round course 8.4 (from 7.8).

Updated at 8.50am

ITV Racing tips: one key runner from each race on ITV on day three

Non-runners: six ruled out

3.05 6 Pythagoras (going)
4.15 5 Trueshan (going)
5.00 18 Royal Air Force (not eaten up)
5.35 17 Surrey Gold (bruised foot)
6.10 22 Teston (declared in error), 26 Milltown Star (going)

Updated at 3.50pm

Top stories

Silvestre de Sousa was left furious after the starter showed what he perceived as a lack of patience at the start of the Kensington Palace Stakes, the last race on Wednesday's card.

The rider was unable to remove the hood from his mount Stunning Beauty before the gates opened, with punters and bookmakers left waiting for more than 30 minutes to determine whether she would be declared a runner or not. She was eventually declared a runner.

Stradivarius is the star name on show today and the three-time Gold Cup winner's jockey Frankie Dettori won his 75th Royal Ascot race in Wednesday's Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.

Posted at 7.20am

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Thursday's Royal Ascot previews:

2.30 Royal Ascot: 'Course form is the best form' – find out which trainer is feeling bullish

3.05 Royal Ascot: Mohaafeth bidding for redemption for William Haggas after late Derby withdrawal

3.40 Royal Ascot: Noon Star out to be best of the rest as classy fillies clash in Ribblesdale

4.20 Royal Ascot: 'We could have done without it' – rain the worry as Stradivarius chases history

4.20 Royal Ascot: what does it take to beat Gold Cup favourite Stradivarius? (Members' Club)

5.00 Royal Ascot: 'He's on a big upward curve' – key quotes before the Britannia Stakes

5.35 Royal Ascot: can favourite Sir Lamorak advertise his Classic potential in open handicap?

6.10 Royal Ascot: 'Any rain should help his cause' – the trainer who hopes the storms arrive

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