White Birch absent from Wednesday's Prince of Wales's Stakes declarations

Joseph Murphy’s star grey will not feature at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

Royal Ascot 2023 at Ascot Racecourse . Picture: Getty Images

The rematch between Auguste Rodin and his Tattersalls Gold Cup conqueror White Birch will not take place in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot after Joseph Murphy's stable star was absent from the list of ten declarations on Monday morning.

White Birch was a general 5/2 second favourite to follow up his Group 1 success in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, but his absence now sees Aidan O'Brien's Curragh runner-up and dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin clear at the top of the betting.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Inspiral is next in the market after connections confirmed the daughter of Frankel, who was favourite for the opening day Queen Anne Stakes over a mile, would instead opt to run in the one-mile two-furlong Group 1 on Wednesday. Impressive when winning the Grade 1 Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita last November, Inspiral is now as short as 9/4 to claim further top-level success despite only finishing fourth in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on her reappearance last month.

France is responsible for four of the ten declarations with Blue Rose Cen and Horizon Dore leading the challenge from across the channel. They will be joined by Zarakem and Snobbish, while Alflaila, Lord North, Royal Rhyme and Hans Andersen round out the field of ten.

Elsewhere on the card, Highbury heads a four-strong Aidan O'Brien team in the Group 2 Queen's Vase, which includes Grosvenor Square, Illinois and The Equator.

The unbeaten Birdman represents Jessie Harrington, while Owen Burrows' See The Green and Andrew Balding's Mina Rashid both feature among the twelve declarations for owner Ahmad Al Shaikh.

26 horses have been declared for the two-year-old Queen Mary Stakes over five-furlongs, with Diego Dias' impressive Naas debut winner Make Haste towards the top of the betting alongside Paul and Oli Cole's Miss Rascal and Aidan O'Brien's Truly Enchanting.


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