And Lyons, who enjoyed his best campaign to date last year, highlighted by the Queen Mary success of Elletelle at Royal Ascot, is delighted to have the services of Moore.

“At the moment I’m very happy with him and Ryan Moore rides,” said Lyons.

“His people contacted me and he’s a nice horse to get the leg-up on.

“He’s stood his ground and as long as the going is no better than good to soft he’ll go – soft is what he needs.

“He did his last bit of work on Saturday and I was very happy with him and at the moment we are all guns blazing.

“He’s a very poor work horse so with the Lincoln in mind I took him to Dundalk for a change of scenery and to blow the cobwebs away.

“I’m not sure I learned anything because it will be different ground and everything, he comes into his own on soft ground.

“He’s the most straightforward horse, but the only negative is you never know what you are going to get until he steps onto a track, but he’s never let me down on a track.

“He ran a great race at Epsom last year when he was second so we know he travels.

“He’s off 102 and that is as high as I’d ever imagined him to be, he’s not going to be a 110 horse and he’s not hiding anything from the handicapper.

“There is a big pot in him and the English Lincoln is massive, whether he is good enough to win one I don’t know.”

The ante-post favourite for some time has been the Barry Hills-trained Zaahid, owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum, who also has Heaven Knows engaged.

However, as 90 horses stood their ground at the five-day stage, Zaahid is still not guaranteed a run.

“Barry Hills has been pleased with the horse recently,” said the owner’s racing manager Angus Gold.

“He wouldn’t mind a bit of cut in the ground but obviously he wouldn’t want a slog, like most of them, so we just need to see if he’ll get a run.

“Richard Hills has ridden him in work and feels he has got plenty of speed and that he is not a horse who will stay a lot further, so he wouldn’t want it too soft from that point of view either.

“We tried Heaven Knows over 12 furlongs last year and I haven’t had a chance to discuss him properly with William Haggas.

“A mile and a quarter is probably his trip but having said that the horse has done very well this winter, we’ve gelded him and it seems to have turned him round a bit hopefully.

“Whether he’ll have the speed for this I don’t know, but we might let him take his chance and see.”

Karl Burke is hoping for another bold show from Raptor, who finished fourth in the race last year on his British debut.

“He wasn’t anywhere near the condition he’s in now (last year). I’m very hopeful that he can run a huge race on Saturday,” said Burke.

“It’s an impossible race to say you are confident about with the draw still to come, but I would be disappointed if doesn’t give anyone who has backed him a good run for his money.”

Conditions could be testing on Town Moor, with clerk of the course David Williams anticipating significant rainfall in the coming days.

“I’ve left the ground as good to soft, soft in places on the round course - certainly Bawtry Road is a lot easier and the straight is very much good to soft.

“It could possibly be soft, heavy in places, it will depend on how much rain we get really. We have got three relatively dry days so we will have to see.”

Zaahid is now as low as 6-1 with Blue Square, a point ahead of Sir Michael Stoute’s Lang Shining, who sits well down the list of entries and appears in serious danger of missing the cut.

“Zaahid has only ever been as big as 14-1 with us since the market opened for the Lincoln, but he is already a big loser in our book,” said Blue Square spokesman George Primarolo.

“Barry Hills traditionally makes a flying start to the Flat campaign and punters are obviously hoping the trend continues this season.”

William Hill Lincoln – Blue Square bet: 6-1 Zaahid, 7-1 Lang Shining, 9-1 Atlantic Story, 12-1 Yeaman’s Hall, Prince Forever, Escape Route, 14-1 Don’t Panic, Smokey Oakey, 16-1 Plum Pudding, European Dream, Very Wise, Vitznau, Heaven Knows, Little White Lie, 20-1 Orchard Supreme, Ella Woodcock, Blythe Knight, Fajr, Fremen, 25 bar.