Torcedor Contests Group 1 Goodwood Cup

Without the presence of Vazirabad (Manduro) and Order Of St George (Galileo), two of the quartet who made this year's Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m4f) such a thriller, Stradivarius (Sea The Stars) is odds-on to complete back-to-back victories in today's Goodwood Cup (Gr 1, 3200m).

But the task facing owner Bjorn Neilsen's star of the staying division may not be as straightforward as the markets suggest, with trainer John Gosden conscious of the threat posed by Torcedor (Fastnet Rock), the Gold Cup third.

He insisted: "I don't think it's a one-sided race - on the book it isn't. There are some nice horses in there, and Torcedor looks a real threat to us."

Stradivarius denied Big Orange (Duke Of Marmalade) a Goodwood Cup hat-trick last year when taking full advantage of a 13lb weight-for-age allowance.

However, with no three-year-old contesting the race this year, he meets his opponents at level weights but is 1lb worse off with Torcedor, just less than a length behind Stradivarius at the royal meeting in June.

Gosden said: "Stradivarius is in good form. All those horses in the Gold Cup had a tough race, but he's freshened up well and we're happy with him going in. It looks a good, contentious race and I have plenty of respect for Jessie Harrington's horse, who is a smart horse."

Andrea Atzeni, who rode the horse to victory at Goodwood last year, returns to the saddle, having emerged as the obvious understudy in the absence of the suspended Frankie Dettori.