Where will the pace come from?

Anywhere (except Dubai Honour).

Although West Wind Blows and Paddington have both previously raced prominently, it is possible Emily Upjohn is going to take the pacemaker role for the first time in the capable hands of William Buick. None of the quartet are confirmed front-runners but she's the only one who is a proven top-level winner over 1m4f and will undoubtedly want to make this more of a stamina test.

Do Dubai Honour and West Wind Blows have a chance in the race?

Unlikely but not impossible.

The William Haggas-trained five-year-old Dubai Honour won two Group 1 contests over ten furlongs in Sydney in March and April and backed up those performances with a good third in the Group 1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin on his way back to the UK.

His UK efforts are nowhere near up to the same standard as Emily Upjohn and Paddington, but the Haggas yard have form with improving older horses. Addeybb placed in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at the end of the 2019 season before travelling to Australia, where he completed the same Group 1 double as Dubai Honour (Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes). On his return, he looked an improved horse and ended that year with a surprise victory in the Group 1 Champion Stakes.

West Wind Blows has an excellent record over ten furlongs (4-5) yet remains untried at the very top level in these conditions. He won the Group 3 La Coupe at Longchamp on his first start following a gelding operation in June and ran well to finish second behind Pyledriver in the 1m4f Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, who is probably difficult to beat over the Ascot twelve furlongs.

Who will win?

Paddington.

We are yet to see a chink in the armour of the progressive three-year-old colt and Aidan O'Brien's recent comments suggest there is plenty of confidence about his step up to ten furlongs. A lot has been said about the importance of Augustin Rodin to the Coolmore breeding operation, but Paddington fits into the same mould as a son of Siyouni and the Eclipse on his stallion CV will be important.

He looked in a different league when cruising to a comfortable three-and-three-quarter length victory in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and 'travelled strongly' is a frequent in-running comment about him.

Similar comments could be applied to Emily Upjohn after her easy win in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom on Oaks Day at the start of June, but she is beatable and the drop to ten furlongs may not see her to best effect.

An interesting sideline, the last three-year-old to win the Group One treble on the same date – Irish Guineas (28 May), St James's Palace (20 June) and Eclipse Stakes (8 July) was the Aidan O'Brien champion racehorse and super-sire Giants Causeway in 2000.