Scottish trainer Keith Dalgleish is set to send his largest ever team of runners to Royal Ascot this year in the search of giving Scotland there second ever winner at the Royal meeting.
Victorian Era is the only Scottish horse to ever win at the prestigious meeting and Dalgleish is giving his best effort to change this with plenty of horses having big chances in the Handicap contests.
One of his stand out entries is What's The Story who finished a smart fourth last season in the Royal Hunt Cup will look to go better in that one whilst last time out winner of a big 21 runner Class 2 at York, Soldiers Minute goes in the Wokingham.
Dalgleish before becoming a successful trainer in Scotland was an established jockey winning twice at Royal Ascot under Mark Johnston and with both trainers having good winners at the Dante festival, they are now hoping they can transfer that to Ascot.
(Credit Racing Post) The Scottish handler said: "We've hit the crossbar there a few times and it would be great to get a winner in the board.
"Hopefully this will be the year and we're just trying to get the horses there in the best form we can.
"What's The Story ran a solid race last year and he's benefited from being gelded in the winter.
"The way he ran at York showed that – if I can get him there in similar form he'll run well. A mark of 100 isn't ridiculous and on any given day he can win off that – it's just whether there's something better on the day.
"Soldier's Minute is another one we gelded in the winter and he came on no end for it. He was really impressive at Kempton first time and he got a fair hike in the weights so we ran him with a penalty, he'd been up and down in a week and it was too much for him.
"He was drawn too wide at Musselburgh next but we gave him time and he won really nicely at York. The handicapper has had his say but we've kept him fresh and if he runs similar to that he's got to be in the shake up, hasn't he?"
Dalgleish is aiming on taking six of his horses to the Royal meeting with his oldest runner of the lot being the veteran nine year old Mixboy who has been such a special horse for the yard.
(Credit Racing Post) "He's been a great servant, and has never run a bad race," the trainer said. "You need to stay the two and a half miles. He's been an amazing old horse – it doesn't matter whether it's hurdles, fences or Flat he delivers for us.
"I Could Do Better is probably not going to have enough runs to get a mark in the Britannia so he'll have an entry in the Jersey.
"And I hope we'll have a couple of two-year-old or two, including Glasvegas who won a novice at Hamilton. He'll probably go in the Windsor Castle. It's a tough race but he's okay and if you're not in it you can't win it."