There will be a Hong Kong flavour to Thursday’s Group One Ascot Gold Cup (3,991m) at Royal Ascot but local owner Boniface Ho Ka-kui will no doubt be realistic about the chances of Wonder Legend in a race packed with crack stayers.

Trained by James Ferguson with Daniel Muscutt to take the ride, Wonder Legend brings winning form into the race but finds himself on the fifth line of betting in overseas fixed-odds markets at around $34.

Leading the way is the Aidan O’Brien-trained Illinois at $2.75, while Godolphin’s Trawlerman, runner-up to the great Kyprios in this race a year ago, sits at $3.5.

Victorious in the Group Two Queen’s Vase (2,800m) at Royal Ascot a year ago, Illinois enters the race off a first-up triumph in the Group Three Ormonde Stakes (2,700m) at Chester last month.

“You never know for sure whether they will stay the Gold Cup trip until you try it,” said O’Brien of Illinois, who has never raced beyond 3,000m but did win comfortably when tackling that trip in last October’s Group Two Prix Chaudenay.

“Once you go beyond two miles you’re entering unknown territory. But we always thought he would stay and we’ve been delighted with him at home over the last few weeks.”

The battle between O’Brien’s Kyprios and Trawlerman up the Ascot straight in this historic Group One had the crowd in awe of the courage of both horses last year, with Trawlerman failing by just a length after leading throughout.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Trawlerman arrives here off a different preparation than last year after winning last month’s Group Three Henry II Stakes (3,245m) at Sandown following his fifth in the Group Two Dubai Gold Cup (3,200m) at Meydan in April.

“Last year we gave him a full break from Dubai [when he was third in the Dubai Gold Cup] but this time we thought a prep [run] would suit him well,” said Thady Gosden.

At $8, Trawlerman’s stablemate Sweet William – who was third last year – is no forlorn hope either, especially as the record of Rob Havlin’s mount indicates that he is not in the habit of letting his supporters down, though he does tend to prefer softer ground.

Then there is Mickael Barzalona’s mount Candelari, who sits on the third line of betting at $4.50.

He cannot boast the hardbitten profile of the usual Gold Cup winner, having only started his career last December, and is also looking to become the first French-trained winner since Westerner in 2005.

But he does come from the hugely in-form Chantilly stable of Francis-Henri Graffard and he was mighty impressive when accelerating clear of eight rivals to win last month’s Group One Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (3,100m) on slow ground at Longchamp.

“He really wants the good, fast ground we will get at Ascot,” said Graffard.

But like Illinois, Candelari – who runs in the famous green and red silks of the late Aga Khan – now needs to prove himself at this famously stamina-sapping trip.