Staying stars Stradivarius and Trueshan head entries for Friday's Doncaster Cup

Stradivarius and Trueshan are lined up for a heavyweight clash on Friday as the two star stayers head 16 entries for the Group 2 Doncaster Cup.

The pair have yet to meet this season despite holding matching entries to three Group contests this summer. Soft-ground specialist Trueshan missed the Ascot Gold Cup and the Lonsdale at York - where Stradivarius recorded his most recent success - but was able to land the Goodwood Cup with his chief rival taken out of the race on the day.

That means the stayers could meet for the first time since October in the Doncaster Cup, the feature race on day three of the Cazoo St Leger Festival.

However conditions at Doncaster are currently good to firm, falling in favour of 2019 winner Stradivarius and putting Trueshan's appearance in doubt.

Also entered for the 2m2f contest are Lonsdale Cup third and fourth The Grand Visir and Stratum, with the Willie Mullins-trained runner the joint oldest in the field alongside last year's Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment for trainer Joseph O'Brien.

Twilight Payment fends off Princess Zoe (grey) at the Curragh in AugustCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The O'Brien-trained eight-year-old comes fresh from Group success in the Irish St Leger Trial, where he landed a one-and-three-quarter length success over Princess Zoe, who finished ahead of Stradivarius in the Gold Cup and is set to reoppose.

Twilight Payment is one of three O'Brien entries for next week's race along with Master Of Reality and Belmont Gold Cup winner Baron Samedi.

Henry de Bromhead could test Lismore at Group 2 level for the first time and the four-year-old was last seen winning the Henry II Stakes in May.

Alerta Roja could make her first start in Group company as one of two three-year-old entries in the field alongside the Mark Johnston-trained Dancing King.

Doncaster Cup racecard

Doncaster Cup entries

1 Alerta Roja
2 Baron Samedi
3 Dancing King
4 Eagles By Day
5 Lismore
6 Master Of Reality
7 Max Vega
8 Mekong
9 Nayef Road
10 Princess Zoe
11 Rodrigo Diaz
12 Stradivarius
13 Stratum
14 The Grand Visir
15 Trueshan
16 Twilight Payment

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