Rip Van Winkle took a while to get going when landing the 10-furlong Juddmonte International Stakes at York last month and unsuitable ground was cited as the excuse when he chased home stablemate Cape Blanco in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown three weeks ago.
However, he powered home under Johnny Murtagh, who appeared to simply get his tactics wrong and gave the Galileo colt far too much to do.
Of the three darts Aidan O'Brien is throwing - the others being Beethoven and Air Chief Marshall - Rip Van Winkle is the most likely to trouble the favourite, because Godolphin's Celebration Mile winner Poet's Voice and the Pat Eddery-trained Hearts Of Fire look to be outclassed. The Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile (3.05) will provide plenty of clues towards next year's Classics. White Moonstone puts her unbeaten record on the line against five rivals in the Group One event after trouncing her rivals in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster and she has been given a ringing endorsement from big-race jockey Frankie Dettori.
He said: "She's on the way up and she's a lovely filly. She's won a Group Two at Doncaster and this is a Group One, another step forward. We have plenty of faith in the filly and we hope she's going to do well. If she does win she's something to look forward to next year. She's got plenty of scope and we hope she's going to do it."
Trainer Brian Meehan's Theyskens' Theory might burst her bubble, though. She won the Prestige Stakes from the front at Goodwood last month and ran on in game style under Martin Dwyer. With Dwyer breaking his right thumb and a bone in his elbow in a fall on Monday, champion jockey Ryan Moore comes in for the ride.
Frankel (2.30) looks to have an easy task in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes and in the Deloitte Rosemary Handicap, Dance East (1.55) can avenge her defeat by Sajjhaa at Bath on this more suitable track.
