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Secret Brief Heads Hunt Cup Squad

J A McGrath
Secret Brief, the Lincoln winner at Doncaster in April, heads a lengthy list of Godolphin contenders in the rich major handicaps, which provide the depth at next week's Royal Ascot meeting.

Secret Brief, the Lincoln winner at Doncaster in April, heads a lengthy list of Godolphin contenders in the rich major handicaps, which provide the depth at next week's Royal Ascot meeting. He is set to contest the Royal Hunt Cup on Wednesday.

The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old has not run since beating Bravo Zolo and Battle Of Marathon in the Heritage Handicap that in a bygone age signalled the start of the British Flat season, but he has pleased his trainer in the build-up to this important week.

Secret Brief will be joined in the enormous Hunt Cup field by the Michael Halford-trained Portage, an Ascot winner for Godolphin last July and already a winner over a mile and a quarter at the Curragh earlier this month.

Godolphin plan to have three runners in the Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) on Thursday - Folkswood, Yattwee and Carrington.

Lovell is set to run in Thursday's King George V Stakes, Penglai Pavillion and Galizzi in Tuesday's Ascot Stakes, while Godolphin could have as many as three runners in the Wokingham Stakes on June 18, namely Flash Fire, Hold Tight and Kickboxer.

Friday's Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes is another in which Godolphin are likely to be well represented, this time with Elite Army, A Soldier's Life and New Year's Night.

In other Godolphin news, Best Of Times is to join Oceanographer in the Listed Wolferton Stakes on June 18.

Secret Brief Heads Hunt Cup Squad