ROYAL EMPIRE has been in cracking form since arriving here and his three runs have seen a rise of 12lb in the handicap. His recent defeat by Kassiano was given a boost on Thursday when the winner scored very easily and Saeed Bin Suroor's charge should defy top weight. Starboard won a Group 3 at Longchamp in September and will be better for last week's run behind Await The Dawn while the selection's stablemate Quick Wit usually takes a while to warm up here and his recent form figures are not representative of his ability. Burano never got into the action here last time and is much better judged on his earlier run and when landing a Listed contest here a year ago.