Royal Ascot - Mabs Cross can help Michael Dods land first Royal triumph

The filly was third last year to Blue Point and Battaash, who reoppose in this five-furlong sprint – part of the Qipco British Champions Series.

Though Mabs Cross, a subsequent winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye at Paris Longchamp after finishing runner-up in York’s Nunthorpe Stakes, was beaten by Battaash on her reappearance at Haydock, Dods has grounds for optimism.

Big-race jockey Paul Mulrennan, based at Boroughbridge, is buoyed after riding his 1,000th career winner at Doncaster on Sunday.

“She lost a hind shoe at Haydock and at the time I didn’t think it probably cost her anything but she was a bit sore for the next few days,” said Dods.

“Ascot does play to her strengths because it’s a stiff finish and a bit of juice in the ground will also help her.”

Dods has yet to savour a winner at Royal Ascot but it has not diminished his admiration of the meeting.

“We won the Abbaye at Longchamp last year but the facilities are nothing like Ascot. We were disappointed,” said the Darlington trainer. “Ascot do it right, they know how to put on a show. We’ve not managed a Royal winner but, hopefully, at some stage we will.”

A strong international challenge includes Enzo’s Lad, just the second New Zealand-trained horse to run at Royal Ascot after Seachange in 2008.

Enzo’s Lad is trained by 64-year-old Michael Pitman, who has successfully fought cancer in the past year and has a prosthetic left limb after a car accident that left in hospital for six months as a young man.