ROYAL Ascot winners Calyx and Soldiers Call are both among the first entries for the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival’s Group Two Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack.

The York Racecourse meeting’s famous two-year-old races often unearth future equine greats and 2018’s contests promise much.

Calyx will be hoping to follow up success in the Coventry Stakes by overcoming the Windsor Castle victor Soldiers Call.

Both sets of silks, Juddmonte and Clipper Logistics, will be familiar to regular racegoers as will those carried by Rathbone, whose owner, Mrs Angie Bailey, landed this £225,000 race with Astaire in 2013.

Some 16 horses from four different Yorkshire yards sit alongside a dozen possible contestants from Ireland, including eight from the powerful Coolmore operation in County Tipperary.

The winning owner on Friday, August 24 will earn the unusual opportunity to address the Gimcrack Dinner, being staged at York in December for the 248th time this year.

Among the fillies entered in the previous day’s Group Two Sky Bet Lowther, it could again be a showdown between winners at the Royal Meeting.

The Malton yard of John Quinn will be hoping that Signora Cabello can continue her fine form of successive wins in the Listed Marygate on the Knavesmire followed by the Group Two Queen Mary in Berkshire, with Main Edition seeking to continue her improvement after Group Three success for Middleham handler Mark Johnston.

Successful in France in Group company, Little Kim offers supporters of another Yorkshire yard, that of Karl Burke, hope of taking the £225,000 prize.

Full list of entries for The Sky Bet Lowther Stakes: Across The Sea, Alicia Darcy, Angel's Hideaway, Angelic Light, Beyond Reason,Chaleur, Chapelli, Chicas Amigas, Chocolate Music, Come On Leicester, Coral Beach, East Coast Swing, Fairyland, Fantasy, Farnham, Firelight, Flawless Jewel, Foxtrot Liv, Gossamer Wings, I'lletyougonow, Isaan Queen, Just Wonderful, Kodyanna, Lady Aria, Lady Cosette, Lady In France, La Pelosa, Little Kim, Lover's Knot, Main Edition, Natalie's Joy, Nevereversaynever, Nicki's Angel, No Way Jose, Orange Blossom, Prairie Spy, Pretty Pollyanna, Pursuit of Magic, Queen Jo Jo, Quiet Waters, Red Balloons, Rita Levi, Royal Intervention, Satisfying, Scintilating, Second Generation, Secret Thoughts, Servalan, Shumookhi, Signora Cabello, Snazzy, So Brave, So Perfect, Stage Play, Strict Tempo, Summer Blossom, Sunday Star, Swinging Jean, The Mackem Bullet, Third of March, Vallambrosa, Yourtimeisnow.

Full list of entries for The Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack Stakes: Advertise, Al Wafi, Art du Val, Axe Axelrod, Baldwin, Blown By Wind, Bruce Wayne, Burj, Calyx, Carbon Fibre, Charming Kid, Chuck Willis, Confiding, Converter, Cosmic Law, Decrypt, Dubai Legacy, Dunkerron, Emaraaty Ana, Empire State, Fume, Gabrial The Wire, Global Warning, Glory Fighter, He'zanarab, Indigo Balance, Jackstar, James Watt, Jonah Jones, Kinks, Konchek, Land Force, Legends of War, Luxor, Masaru, Mount Tabora, Quorto, Qutob, Rathbone, Rockin Roy, Rumble Inthejungle, Sabre, San Andreas, Secret Venture, Semoum, Sergei Prokofiev (CAN), Shine So Bright, Showout, Soldier's Call, Sosume, Space Traveller, Sporting Chance, Sunsprite, Ten Sovereigns, The Irish Rover, Three Card Trick, True Mason, Typhoon Ten, Van Beethoven (CAN), Ventura Ocean, Victory Day, Well Done Fox, Wise Counsel, Yousini.