If the ground does not dry up before Friday, Royal Shakespeare will not be able to run at Ascot. Steve Gollings explained that the hurdler would have his second public appearance over fences in the Scanmoor Noel Novices’ Chase, if the conditions were suitable.

“He's absolutely fine at the moment, but it all hinges on ground,” Trainer Gollings said. “The weather forecast says it's going to be dry, but the ground has changed to good to soft, soft in places. We'll play it by ear. Ideally, it would have to be good, good to soft in places at worst. In an ideal world, good ground is what we would be looking for.”

Last week, Royal Shakespeare lost to Twist Magic at Fakenham mainly because the ground turned out to be too soft for the seven-year-old. “I walked away from Fakenham quite disappointed, but in hindsight, giving 11lb to Twist Magic wasn't bad. He's very good,” Gollings explained. “In the end, the ground was far too soft in places for him and he was going the wrong way round. It was an up and down dale and Cheltenham proves he doesn't like that kind of scenario.”