Connections of Taghrooda believe the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, owned horse's tactical versatility will stand her in good stead as she aims to keep her unbeaten record intact in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
John Gosden's Sea The Stars filly was a brilliant winner of the Investec Oaks at Epsom in June and justified the bold call made by her connections to let her take on the boys with a stunning display in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The three-year-old is a long odds-on favourite to secure a third successive Group One prize on the Knavesmire back against her own sex and Angus Gold, racing manager for owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, is confident she would be quite capable of making all the running if required.
Gold said: "Taghrooda is in good form and everyone is very happy with her.
"As we have already seen, she has got a great temperament, she settles well and stays well and if it came down to it, Paul (Hanagan) could make the running himself. I don't think that it will be tactics that get her beat – she could do it from the front if necessary.
"I don't think that the ground will be a problem on Thursday. Taghrooda does not want it rock hard but anything other than that will be fine for her."
Having suffered a hairline fracture to his left arm in a fall at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July, Hanagan returned to action with a double at Pontefract on Sunday and Gold is delighted to have him on side at York this week.
"Paul has played a huge part in the team over the past three years, he is a very hard-working chap, and it will be great to get him back aboard," said Gold. "I spoke to him on Sunday evening and he said that he was feeling great."
Hanagan himself is unsurprisingly itching to get back in the saddle on the Knavesmire, a track where he performed superbly during his time as stable jockey to locally-based trainer Richard Fahey.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Hanagan told Racing UK. "York is one of the best (tracks), I had so much success there with Richard and to go with Taghrooda and show her off, it's like giving something back to the crowd who've been so good to me over the years.
"You have to keep pinching yourself, how lucky I am to be associated with such a good filly.
"It's down to Sheikh Hamdan if she goes to the Arc but it would be great to see her go there. She's an unbeaten filly, she's won the Oaks, the King George and hopefully the Yorkshire Oaks, it would be great for the game.
"I wouldn't be worried about any ground to be honest. At Breakfast With The Stars it was heavy and she glided through it, I wouldn't be worried about anything."
The Luca Cumani-trained Volume was a little under four lengths behind Taghrooda at Epsom and arguably performed even better when finishing a close third in the Irish Oaks having attempted to make all the running.
Cumani said: "Volume has to take on Taghrooda again but she's a tough, consistent filly and she deserves to run in all the big mile-and-a-half fillies' races."
