Golden Horn © Photo Healy Racing
The two best three-year-olds in Europe are on course to clash in next week's Juddmonte International at York after Golden Horn and Gleneagles featured among 10 remaining entries at the confirmation stage.
Ascot and Goodwood's loss is York's gain, with the Derby and Eclipse winner set to tackle the dual 2000 Guineas hero over 10 furlongs, as long as the ground is not too soft.
John Gosden's Golden Horn was due run in the King George at Ascot but was pulled out just hours before, while the Aidan O'Brien-trained Gleneagles missed the Sussex Stakes which had been his aim since being victorious in the Irish Guineas.
A third top-class three-year-old in the race is Roger Charlton's Time Test, one of the most impressive winners of the week at Royal Ascot and owned by sponsor Khalid Abdullah.
Charlton told the Guardian: "He's got to work on Friday and, if he does that well and comes out of it, yes, he's all on course.
"I'm quite pleased he (O'Brien) is running Gleneagles, actually.
"Gleneagles is a dual Guineas winner and we've got a Derby-Eclipse (Golden Horn) winner as well.
"It's going to be a four- or five-horse race. Golden Horn will have to make the running. Gleneagles may not get the trip.
"It would be no disgrace to be third. If we can finish in front of one of them, or both of them, even better."
The elder brigade is headed by Kevin Ryan's The Grey Gatsby, second in the race last year to Australia but ultimately no match for Golden Horn in the Eclipse at Sandown.
Gosden has a second classy contender in Mahsoob, also a winner at Royal Ascot, and he has supplemented Dick Doughtywylie, who has been bought by Golden Horn's owner Anthony Oppenheimer to presumably act as a pacemaker.
International flavour is added by the Australian, Criterion, while the sole filly is David Elsworth's Arabian Queen. Cougar Mountain and The Corsican complete the perfect 10.
The mosts notable defector was Free Eagle, who is due to be seen next in the Irish Champion Stakes.
