Testing ground at Sandown for Thursday night's Brigadier Gerard Stakes has placed Remote's first outing of the season in jeopardy.

This is set to be a comeback from almost a year on the sidelines for Kingman's half-brother, who has been absent since he won the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Remote has been given an entry by trainer John Gosden in the Prince of Wales's Stakes, a logical next step after what is always a strong Group Three won by many elite-level older horses over the years.

Should Remote run, he would be taking on Hillstar, whose trainer Sir Michael Stoute seeks his ninth winner of the race and has saddled such names as Opera House, Pilsudski, Notnowcato and Workforce at the season's biggest evening meeting.

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Remote's owner Khalid Abdullah, said: "We're going to walk the track first, I doubt he'd run if it's heavy. We'd like to run if we can, but the ground looks like being very soft. He has progressed really well, both physically and in his work."

Hillstar, also on the board at the Royal meeting in the King Edward VII Stakes, needs to move on from defeats in the Dubai World Cup and the Ormonde at Chester.

Kieren Fallon has been booked to ride the ex-Irish Sharestan, who had a stunted first season with Saeed bin Suroor and ran only once in Britain, narrowly winning an Ayr Listed race in September under the same pilot.

"Sharestan has improved this year. He has been working very nicely and heads to Sandown in good order. He has won on a softer surface in the past and I think he will be fine with some cut in the ground. I am looking forward to seeing how he gets on, but he will improve for his first start of the year," the trainer told www.godolphin.com.

Top Notch Tonto, a revelation when moved to Brian Ellison last term, finished up by taking second to Olympic Glory in the QEII. He has not matched those exploits in either the Sandown Mile or Lockinge and now steps up in trip by two furlongs.

Owner Keith Brown said: "He's going to get his ground, which is the main thing. We thought that would be the case in the Lockinge, but it ended up being like a road and that obviously didn't suit him. Time will tell if he gets that trip, but Brian seems pretty confident he will. We're very confident he'll run really well."

Sheikhzayedroad, back from a stint in Dubai, completes a select quintet.