Top trainer Henry Cecil today dismissed suggestions that he is to quit racing at the end of the season.
The master of Warren Place has not enjoyed high-profile successes with his usual frequency in recent seasons but slammed reports of his impending retirement in a Sunday newspaper as "totally untrue".
"An article stating that I am expected to retire at the end of this season is totally untrue and without foundation," Cecil said today.
The handler has few peers when it comes to saddling winners at Royal Ascot and he is eagerly awaiting Britain's premier meeting, which gets underway on Tuesday.
I'm looking forward to Ascot this year - and next year," he said. "I haven't got the strongest team I've ever had but I've got a chance of four or five horses running very well and it would be nice to have a winner or two.
"Horses like High Pitched (Hardwicke Stakes) and Sea Star (Royal Hunt Cup) - let's try and have a couple of winners."
One Cecil runner who will not be at the Royal meeting though is Protectress, who did hold an entry in the Ribblesdale Stakes.
"She's not ready." Cecil said.