Four horses who should thrive now the rain has arrived on Royal Ascot day four

Hold your bets! Overnight rain has turned the ground soft at Ascot and further downpours could make things even muddier come race time.

Forget top-of-the-ground horses: here are four horses who will benefit from the change in conditions.

King Edward VII Stakes (3.05)

None who saw Gear Up plough through the mud to win the Group 1 Grand Criterium de Saint-Cloud last autumn will have any doubt about his ability to cope with this surface.

That was the only time he has encountered really testing ground and was much the best effort of his career.

The fact that Mark Johnston keeps faith in him after below-form efforts in the Dante Stakes and the Derby speaks in his favour – and it would be no surprise to see his bouncing back from his heavy defeat at Epsom.

Gear Up beat Bolshoi Ballet in the mud in FranceCredit: David Davies (Getty Images/Pool)

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Commonwealth Cup (3.40)

French filly Suesa will be right at home on her first visit to Britain – indeed, her first race anywhere other than at Chantilly.

The ground was officially heavy when the young mudlark won both her starts as a two-year-old.

And it was scarcely less testing when she earned a crack at this race with an easy Group 3 success last month.

Francois Rohaut (left) aims the unbeaten Suesa at the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal AscotCredit: Mark Cranham

Win O'Clock
Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (5.35)

The going has been on the soft side for each of Win O'Clock's four turf wins and he has a victory on heavy ground on his CV.

He bounced back from a below-form reappearance effort in unsuitably quick conditions at Nottingham to run a good fourth on a soft surface at York last month and will benefit from every drop of rain that falls here.

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Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes (6.10)

There is no doubt what sort of ground suits this in-form three-year-old who comes to Ascot on a six-timer.

When the surface was quick at Leicester in April, he only just scrambled home in a seller – and failed to attract a bid afterwards.

With give underfoot subsequently he has won a couple of similar events by a combined total of 14 and a half lengths then taken two handicaps in the Haydock mud – his BHA rating has risen fully two stone since he got his ground.

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More on Royal Ascot Friday:

ITV Racing tips: one key runner from each race on ITV on day four at Royal Ascot

Who is Frankie Dettori riding on day four at Royal Ascot on Friday?

The Punt Daily: best bets from Tom Collins on day four of Royal Ascot

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