Tac doubtful for Gold Marco Botti has revealed leading Gold Cup candidate Tac De Boistron is unlikely to line up in the Royal Ascot showpiece due to the drying conditions. The seven year-old ended his 2013 campaign with Group One glory in the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp and has returned in similarly fine form, running away with Ascot's Sagaro Stakes before being narrowly denied in the Yorkshire Cup. Tac De Boistron is towards the head of the betting for Thursday's two-and-a-half-mile feature, but Botti is not prepared to risk his star stayer on unsuitable ground. He said: "We'll check on the ground later today, but unless they get some rain and the ground changes, I don't think he will be running. "We always said we wouldn't risk him on good to firm ground. I thought the ground was good on Tuesday and it is likely to be even quicker today. "The ground is perfectly safe, but for him, it is too fast. "We will probably make a final decision in the morning, just in case there is a thunderstorm overnight, but I don't think they are forecast any rain and at this stage it looks unlikely he will be lining up. "We are happy with the horse and we had been looking forward to the rain, but there is nothing we can do about the weather. "The Goodwood Cup is the next option, but that will also depend on the ground. After that we will look towards the Irish St Leger."
