'It's new territory for us' - Coltrane's owner counting down the days to Ascot Gold Cup

Mick Mariscotti has described it as "every owner's dream" to have a Gold Cup favourite as he counts down the days to Coltrane's date with destiny at Royal Ascot on Thursday. 

With his wife Janice, Mariscotti is enjoying an unbelievable ride with Coltrane, a horse who ran nine times last year, finished outside the first two only twice, and won the Ascot Stakes at the royal meeting.    

Handicaps are now a thing of the past for the Andrew Balding-trained six-year-old, who returned to action this year with an impressive win by four and three-quarter lengths in the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes at Ascot, and now shades Gold Cup favouritism ahead of Eldar Eldarov at a general 11-4.