York

The clear star of this field — Portcullis won his only race at Newmarket last month in seriously impressive style, earning plenty of editorial praise, and arrives here unbeaten. He is trained by the formidable John and Thady Gosden and ridden by William Buick, one of the best jockeys in the country. No other horse in this race can match that combination of quality form and top-level support.

Ervani is dropping down two class levels from where he has raced before, which is a significant switch that could suit — or could simply reflect a search for easier ground. He has also never raced on normal conditions, having run only on different surfaces in his two career races so far. A runner-up finish last time out at Wetherby is decent form, but the market at 16-1 suggests he has plenty to find on the favourite.

Pearl has never set foot on a racecourse before, so there is genuinely nothing in the form book to go on — this is her first race, full stop. She is also four years old, which makes her older than every other horse in this field and an unusual debutant at this stage. Trainer Ralph Beckett is well-regarded and jockey Rossa Ryan is no stranger to big days, but without any evidence of ability, this is a leap of faith.

Lord D'Or has the longest absence of any horse in this race — he has not run for nearly ten months since finishing sixth at Kempton, beaten over eleven lengths. He is dropping two class levels from that sole outing, and has never raced on normal ground conditions. With no wins, no placed finish, and almost a year off the track, there is very little here to inspire confidence.