THE French, with two winners yesterday, can add to their Royal Ascot haul tomorrow on Knavesmire by striking it rich in the £225,000 Ascot Gold Cup, the showpiece event of the five-day Royal meeting.

Westerner, trained by Elie Lellouche, is the winner of his last five starts and looks to have an outstanding chance of making it six in this Group One event.

Runner-up last year to Papineau, beaten a lengthand- a-half, Westerner is fancied to turn the tables on the Godolphin horse this time around.

In arguably better form now than at any time in his life, he won with ease at Longchamp last month and comes into this race on a high.

By contrast, Papineau has reportedly had a troubled preparation, owing to a bruised foot, so it will take a major effort from him to confirm his superiority over Westerner, who may have most to fear from Ireland's Vinnie Roe.

A four-times winner of the Irish St Leger, Dermot Weld's charge finished second in the Gold Cup three years ago.

He is worth another chance at this marathon trip and looks the biggest danger to Westerner and Olivier Peslier.

In the Ribblesdale Stakes, a Group Two contest, Something Exciting makes plenty of appeal.

An excellent runner-up to Eswarah in the Vodafone Oaks at Epsom, David Elsworth's high-class filly has only to reproduce that Classic effort, admittedly only 13 days ago, to come out on top to gain £130,000-worth of compensation here.

Classic Encounter, who lines up in the opening Norfolk Stakes, is the nap selection on day three of the Royal meeting.

He is trained at Newmarket by David Simcock, a name probably unfamiliar to many York racegoers, but a man who gained a lot of experience as an assistant to Luca Cumani before striking out on his own a year or so ago.

In Classic Encounter, Simcock has a horse who can put him firmly on the training map. Too green to do himself full justice on his debut at Windsor, where he finished third, the juvenile showed the benefit of that outing at Newmarket next time when he absolutely trotted-up by five lengths, showing exceptional speed in the process. He should be ideally suited by this fast five-furlong course and is strongly fancied to take plenty of beating.

Sir Michael Stoute should have a big say in the outcome of the Britannia Handicap with Mostashaar, the mount of Richard Hills.

This lightly-raced three-yearold met trouble in running at Chester last month when finishing a luckless runner-up to Notability and is now fancied to turn the tables on that winner, who has since run a mighty race in defeat in a valuable contest at Haydock.

Richard Fahey has a live contender in Mutawaffer in the Buckingham Palace Handicap over seven furlongs.

Previously trained by Barry Hills and campaigned at up to an extended ten furlongs last season, Mutawaffer shaped very creditably on his debut for Fahey in a six-furlongs handicap on this course last month, when he finished fourth to Soldiers Tale.

Fahey had hoped to run Mutawaffer in Saturday's Wokingham Handicap, but the four-year-old is not guaranteed to get into the line-up for that race, hence why he is running tomorrow.

He has strong claims.

In the Hampton Court Stakes, make a note of Zalongo, who is fancied to step-up on previous efforts and provide York-based Robert Winston, riding for Sir Michael Stoute, with a winning effort.

Thursday's tips:

Royal Ascot at York

2-30 Classic Encounter(NAP)

3-05 Something Exciting

3-45 Westerner

4-20 Mostashaar

4-55 Zalongo

5-30 Mutawaffer

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, June 15, 2005