A field of 11 will face the starter in Saturday’s Gr2 Dubai Gold Cup over 3200m and Mike de Kock will have Star Empire (Wayne Smith) and Tellina (Ryan Moore) in the race, both with clear eachway chances.

Star Empire: Happy, sound and well. (Andrew Watkins)

The evergreen Star Empire ran on well for second to Brown Panther in last year’s Gold Cup and Mike commented: “He’s very well, healthy, happy and sound. It’s not easy to predict how nine-year-olds will run but he should give a good account. I don’t think I’ve ever raced a 10-year-old, this will probably be his last run and he will retire to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum’s barn at his Palace and live out a good retirement.”

Tellina could be the surprise package. He’s run very well every time he’s been tried further than 2000m and it could well be that the 3200m is what he needs to get back to winning ways.

Mike assessed: “Tellina has very good cardio-vascular, his heart rate is much like a horse that will stay all day. He finished just out of the frame in the Nad Al Sheba Trophy over 2810m last time after suffering some interference. Jockey Ryan Moore felt he could’ve finished second or third but for that, and he urged us to run Tellina in the Gold Cup, asking for the ride. That gives us confidence.”