Al Riffa, the horse acquired with the ambition of winning a Melbourne Cup, will have the chance to definitively prove his elite stayer status on day three of the 2026 Royal Ascot meeting.

The six-year-old gelding is set to be tested over 4014 metres in the week’s premier race, the Group 1 Gold Cup, which will be broadcast live at 1:15 am Friday AEST.

Jamie Lovett of Australian Bloodstock, the owners who purchased Al Riffa just prior to last year’s Spring Carnival, admitted there was a question mark over the son of Wootton Bassett’s ability to handle the extreme distance of the Gold Cup, indicating the race tempo would be critical.

“It will depend on how the race was run, if it was a brutally run race I’m tipping no (he won’t stay), but if it was one where they hack around like they’re in training down around the back and then they zip up, he can get away with it,” he said.

Al Riffa’s turn of foot was a standout feature in his most recent performance, the Group 1 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (3100m) at Longchamp on May 21, where he made a strong late charge to finish less than half a length behind the winner, having been held up in the straight.

Al Riffa has garnered significant support in the Gold Cup betting markets since the field was announced earlier this week, with UK bookmakers now offering him at odds as short as $6.50.

The current favourite at $3 is last year’s English St Leger Stakes winner, Scandinavia, while the defending champion, Trawlerman, is priced at $4.

Al Riffa made an appearance at Royal Ascot last year, finishing second to Rebel’s Romance in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes (2405m), a race that was also considered for him this year.

The decision by O’Brien to target the Gold Cup instead of the Hardwicke Stakes could potentially leave the door open for Al Riffa’s return to Flemington. In last year’s Melbourne Cup, he finished seventh, beaten by just over nine lengths under 59kg.

His last victory came in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m) prior to his Melbourne Cup run last year. Lovett stated that a return to Flemington was unlikely, though not entirely ruled out.

“Unlikely but it would depend what’s in it, if he got 57.5 (kilos) you’d definitely be tempted,” Lovett said.

“I thought last year was inconclusive. He obviously carried weight, but he drew wide and got back.

“I’m not saying he couldn’t carry weight in the Melbourne Cup with the right draw and he got the right run around.”

Check out the racing odds for this event.