His record-breaking colt Rock Of Gibraltar may line-up but if the dry weather continues then he could make way for Hawk Wing.

O’Brien has indicated that Hawk Wing, runner-up to Rock Of Gibraltar in the Sagitta 2000 Guineas and to High Chaparral in the Vodafone Derby, could run in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes if he got his favoured fast ground.

Since his Derby run Hawk Wing has been campaigned over a mile and a quarter, winning the Coral Eurobet Eclipse Stakes and being beaten a whisker by Grandera in the Irish Champion Stakes.

He faced a simple task at Sandown while at Leopardstown he had his speed blunted by Godolphin’s enterprising team tactics.

His season was interrupted by a bout of coughing in the summer and O’Brien said: “Things have probably not gone right for Hawk Wing this year.

“I thought he ran a huge race at Leopardstown against hardened older horses. We had hoped the ground would be fast but he just possibly laboured a bit when the rain came.

“The only time he has run on real, fast ground was in the National Stakes last year when he took two seconds off the track record.”

O’Brien added: “We will see how they are closer to the time, but at this stage Rock Of Gibraltar and Hawk Wing are both possibles for the Queen Elizabeth and maybe one of them would run – that’s the way we are thinking at the moment.

“We were very happy with Hawk Wing coming back off a break. I imagine he would always improve a bit as well, but we were delighted he ran so well.”

After Rock Of Gibraltar’s history-making Prix du Moulin win on Sunday – his seventh successive Group One triumph – O’Brien said he would aim the colt at the Breeders’ Cup Mile, with the Queen Elizabeth a possible prep-race.

But with the weather set fair, Rock Of Gibraltar could wait for Arlington leaving the race at the mercy of Hawk Wing.

However, he will not have matters all his own way with another tactical battle against Godolphin looking likely.

The pick of Saeed bin Suroor’s entries looks to be Best Of The Bests, the horse responsible for drawing the sting out of Hawk Wing at Leopardstown and only a neck behind O’Brien’s star at the line.

Best Of The Bests landed a nine-furlong Group One at Longchamp earlier this season and will be a worthy opponent for the Ballydoyle runners.

He could be joined in the line-up by stable companion and last year’s winner Summoner but the five-year-old has failed to reproduce that level of form on three starts since making all the running 12 months ago.

Luca Cumani’s Irish 1000 Guineas winner Gossamer could prove a danger to all if getting her favoured soft ground.

She finished a two-length third to Rock Of Gibraltar in France last time after which Cumani said: “You have to be delighted with a run like that after a lay-off of three months. She took a little time to change gear and stayed on well.

“It was a big step up and it was the first time she was meeting the colts and older horses.

“The plan now is to run her in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, where we hope the going will be soft.”

Her jockey Jamie Spencer added: “We were taking on champions and would have been even closer on softer ground. We were a little outpaced but ran on again at the end.”

But it has to be Hawk Wing who gets the vote.

The afternoon‘s other Group One contest, the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile can go to James Fanshawe’s promising youngster Soviet Song.

Soviet Song won the Listed Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket last time in the style of a potentially very smart performer when beating Summitville by three lengths.

The race was run in a downpour but there was no masking the undoubted class of Soviet Song.

She was always on a tight rein under Oscar Urbina and, after being held up in touch, came through to swamp the runner-up inside the final furlong. She pulled right away to win in the style of a filly going places.

She had won on firm ground on her Kempton debut and she had no problems with that easier surface.

After the race Fanshawe enthused: “She has always looked a nice filly and it was a question of whether she handled the ground.

“She looks pretty special. She really, really travelled.”

The runner-up has gone on to land the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster so the form looks very solid.

Soviet Song will take all the beating on Saturday.

On Sunday the 70,000 pounds Tote Exacta Stakes can go to Barathea Blazer.

Peter Harris’s tough performer ran a blinder to finish a one-length third behind Hugs Dancer in the Tote Ebor at York last time, doing all his best work in the closing stages.

He still appears to be on the upgrade and looks sure to be concerned in the finish of this competitive mile and a half handicap.