Delacroix and Ruling Court head the runners in a field of 19 set to contest Saturday’s Derby at Epsom.
Ryan Moore will ride Delacroix, one of three contenders – alongside The Lion In Winter and Lambourn – for Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, who is seeking a record-extending 11th win in the race.
Ruling Court, for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby, will bid to become the first 2,000 Guineas victor to win the Derby since Camelot in 2012.
Appleby and jockey William Buick team up on Friday with 1,000 Guineas winner Desert Flower in the Oaks, the fillies’ Classic.
The going on the eve of the two-day meeting was described as good, good to soft in places after rain on Thursday.
Dante Stakes winner Pride Of Arras is one of two Derby entries for Ralph Beckett, who also has Stanhope Gardens, although the pair have been drawn 16 and two – two stalls that have never produced the winner.
John and Thady Gosden run York runner-up Damysus and the fifth-placed Nightwalker in the biggest Derby line-up for 22 years.
Declarations closed at the 72-hour stage for the first time this year after being brought forward a day in an effort to provide greater build-up for the race, which is for three-year-old horses only.
Approximate Derby odds: 7-2 Delacroix, 7-2 Ruling Court, 5-1 Pride Of Arras, 7-1 The Lion In Winter, 10-1 Lambourn, 12-1 Damysus, 16-1 Midak, Stanhope Gardens, 25-1 Bar.
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