Preview of today´s Emirates Airline Champion Stakes.

John Oxx, who has always been more of a pessimist than an optimist, concedes that the rain has put a dampener on the chances of Azamour becoming the first Irish-trained winner of the Group One Emirates Airline Champion Stakes since Cairn Rouge 24 years ago.

Oxx, whose father, also John, trained the first Irish winner - Arctic Storm in 1962 - admits that he is going into unknown territory ground-wise with Azamour, who has excelled on a faster surface during the summer. He started the season off when the fast-finishing third to Haafhd in the UltimateBet.com 2000 Guineas here at Newmarket on good going. He was then second in the Irish eequivalent of the classic.

Azamour, successful in the Group One St James´s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, looked as if he relished the step up to 10 furlongs when he came from last to first to beat Norse Dancer by half a length in the Group One Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last month.

However, whether Azamour will be as effective on this soft ground is debatable - 'we certainly could have done without the rain, but I don´t know how he will cope with soft going as he has never run on it,' said Oxx - and the Aga Khan´s colt is actually 2lb worse off with Norse Dancer, who never ran his race when finishing well in the ruck behind Rakti in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot next time out.

Doyen also ran well below par in the Leopardstown contest, but he has never worked particularly well going left-handed and the Godolphin star, thought by many to be happier going the other way round, is better judged on his majestic performance in winning the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot in July.

Simon Crisford, racing manager to Godolphin which is looking for a first success in this prestigious race, is not overly concerned about the trip - 'Doyen has plenty of speed and it won´t be a problem' - and, though the colts´s best form has been shown on fast ground, he is a son of Sadler´s Wells, whose progeny have generally shown a liking for soft going.

Refuse To Bend is the Godolphin second-string but he is no forlorn hope and, having won the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown over this trip in July, should enjoy stepping back up in distance, having been done for toe when third behind Rakti in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

Aidan O´Brien is also looking for his first win in the Group One feature but his sole representative, Mikado, will need to improve plenty on his omeback third in Listed company at Newmarket a fortnight ago.

Rodrigo de Triano (1992) was the last 2000 Guineas winner to triumph, but Barry Hills has been growing in confidence about the well-being of Haafhd, who looked such an exciting prospect when landing the UltimateBet.com-sponsored classic here in May but has since failed to fire, either at home or on the racecourse.

Yorkshire have waited 51 years - since Charlie Elsey´s Nearula in 1953 - to win this race, but they have two strong contenders in the Mark Johnston pair, Lucky Story and Mister Monet.

Lucky Story, one of last season´s top juveniles, ran a cracker to chase home Rakti at Ascot, while Mister Monet, who has graduated from handicaps, has just got better and better as the season has progressed.

The 11-strong field is completed by Chorist, who was re-routed here, having been unable to fly to Paris for the Arc meeting after banging her head when being loaded on to the plane, the enigmatic Salselon and Naheef, who is adopting the pacemaking role for Godolphin.