Hard-to-train Sinon was today given the all-clear to bid to break Mark Johnston's duck in the Merewood Homes Yorkshire Cup on Thursday.
Injury problems have plagued the five-year-old, who has been restricted to just seven outings in his career to date, and he has suffered two further minor setbacks this spring.
But the gelding returned from nearly a year and a half out of action last autumn and went on to win a Listed race in France.
And he will step up to Group Three class at York in one of the few big staying races to have eluded his Yorkshire-based trainer, who has won virtually all the other top long-distance prizes in Britain.
'We have had a lot of niggly problems with Sinon but he will run on Thursday,' Johnston said.
'In the last couple of weeks he ripped a shoe off and stood on it and then less than a week ago he got loose and suffered an overreach on a heel.
'He is so fresh he is prone to doing that.
'But he is very well and he is very talented horse. The ground won't worry him at York and it would be nice to win the Yorkshire Cup for the first time.'
A field of 10 have been confirmed for the mile-and-three-quarter contest, including last year's first and second Churlish Charm and Largesse, Godolphin's Kayf Tara and Sea Wave, plus 1997 winner Celeric.
But James Fanshawe fears the ground may be too firm for Arctic Owl, and stable-companion Warningford in the Duke of York Stakes on the same card.
'They both want cut in the ground and both have alternative options in France,' the trainer said.
'If it is good they will run at York and if it is firm they won't so we will have to wait and see.'
Pipalong will bid to follow up her Palace House Stakes win in the Duke Of York Stakes, whose 16 entries also include Godolphin's Bertolini and Lend A Hand plus Sagitta 2000 Guineas seventh Primo Valentino.
But impressive recent Newmarket handicap winner Doctor Spin is likely to bypass the Group Three event, in favour of Thursday's Guilbert Rated Stakes.
'I put him in the Duke Of York but it looks quite a hot race and I think he will probably go for the handicap,' said trainer Fulke Johnson Houghton.
'He has been in very good order since Newmarket and came out of the race very well.
