Cross Counter spearheads a powerful Godolphin squad for the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Saturday.

The four-year-old features among a four-strong Godolphin challenge for the 10-runner race over two miles on turf, with the son of Teofilo making his first start since cruising to a famous victory in the Melbourne Cup in November.

The Charlie Appleby-trained horse has looked solid in all eight of his starts, with five wins, including an impressive performance in the G3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood in August.

He is joined by another improving four-year-old in Ispolini.

The son of Dubawi steps up to two miles following a couple of devastating wins at Meydan this season, most notably when beating another Godolphin contender Red Galileo by 10-and-a-half lengths in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy in February.

Charlie Appleby said: “We are looking forward to getting Cross Counter’s campaign underway following his Melbourne Cup success.

“His preparation has gone well – he is a clean-winded horse, so he is quite easy to get fit for his first start of the year – and we are hoping that this can be a step for some of the major staying prizes throughout 2019.

“Ispolini is a progressive stayer and we have seen marked improvement since stepping him up in distance. He has the course experience and racing over two miles could see him progress again.”

Elsewhere, the Saeed bin Suroor-trained duo Team Talk and Red Galileo feature, although both horses are unlikely to pose the same threat as their progressive stablemates.

VERDICT: Cross Counter

The Melbourne Cup winner looks a class apart of his rivals and, after a four-month break, will be relishing the prospect of getting back to winning ways in one of the biggest races on the calendar.