Last year's winner Highland Reel and Argentinian superstar Sixties Song feature among 42 entries unveiled on Wednesday for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO), worth £1.15 million and staged over a mile and a half at Ascot on July 29.
First run in 1951, the highly-prestigious British Champions Series contest offers the first chance for three-year-olds and older horses to take each other on over a mile and a half in Group One company.
There are 16 three-year-olds among the 2017 entries, headed by the winners of the two 12-furlong Epsom Downs Classics, Wings Of Eagles (Investec Derby) and Enable (Investec Oaks).
Highland Reel, one of 11 entries for Ireland's champion Flat trainer Aidan O'Brien, could attempt to become only the third horse to win the race twice (following Dahlia (1973 & 1974) & Swain (1997 & 1998)), following his length and a quarter victory over Wings Of Desire in 2016.
The five-year-old son of Galileo subsequently landed the Breeders' Cup Turf and looked as good as ever last time out at Epsom Downs on June 2, when defeating the Godolphin pair of Frontiersman and Hawkbill in the Investec Coronation Cup.
O'Brien, who has sent out four King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) winners, has 11 entries in total. They are split into six three-year-olds and five older horses. The former group includes the first two home in the Investec Derby, Wings Of Eagles and Cliffs Of Moher, plus Investec Oaks runner-up and third, Rhododendron and Alluringly. His older horses include last year's Gold Cup winner Order Of St George.
However this year's race has a different attraction in the shape of Sixties Song, a dual Group One winner in South America and the winner of the continent's premier all-aged 12-furlong contest, the Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano over a mile and a half on turf at Valparaiso, Chile, in March.
Trainer Alfredo Gaitan, who walked the course at Ascot on Tuesday, commented: "I may not have travelled the world, but I have been to Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, yet I have never been to a racecourse like Ascot. It is incredible, absolutely amazing.
"We walked the track on Tuesday morning and Chris (Stickels - Clerk of the Course) said it was good ground. That would be perfect for us on King George day.
"The track is beautiful, but obviously it is a very undulating track, which is a bit of a worry, if only because our horse has not really encountered it.
"However, we do know that we have a good horse and we hope he can show it when he comes over. I don't really know the opposition, even though I have watched the Derby, so I have seen Wings of Eagles and Cracksman.
"This is a great opportunity and a real honour and we are grateful to everyone who has made this possible. No horse from South America has ever attempted to come over and run in a race like this and we are all very excited. It is something unique and very special."
Race entries:
Horse Age Owner Trainer
ACROSS THE STARS (IRE) 4 Saeed Suhail Sir Michael Stoute
ALGOMETER 4 Kirsten Rausing David Simcock
ALLURINGLY (USA) 3 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
BENBATL 3 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
BEST OF DAYS 3 Godolphin Hugo Palmer
BEST SOLUTION (IRE) 3 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
CLIFFS OF MOHER (IRE) 3 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
COUNTERMEASURE 5 Khalid Abdullah Roger Charlton
CRACKSMAN 3 Anthony Oppenheimer John Gosden
DARTMOUTH 5 The Queen Sir Michael Stoute
DESERT ENCOUNTER (IRE) 5 Abdulla Al Mansoori David Simcock
DOUGLAS MACARTHUR (IRE) 3 Markus Jooste/Sue Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE
EMINENT (IRE) 3 Sir Peter Vela Martyn Meade
ENABLE 3 Khalid Abdullah John Gosden
ERUPT (IRE) 5 Niarchos Family Francis-Henri Graffard FR
FRONTIERSMAN 4 Godolphin Charlie Appleby
HAWKBILL (USA) 4 Godolphin Charlie Appleby
HIGHLAND REEL (IRE) 5 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
IDAHO (IRE) 4 Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
JACK HOBBS 5 Godolphin & Partners John Gosden
JOHANNES VERMEER (IRE) 4 Tabor/Smith/Magnier/China Horse Club Aidan O'Brien IRE
JOURNEY 5 George Strawbridge John Gosden
KHALIDI 3 Nizar Anwar John Gosden
MAVERICK WAVE (USA) 6 Godolphin John Gosden
MIDTERM 4 Khalid Abdullah Sir Michael Stoute
MY DREAM BOAT (IRE) 5 Paul & Clare Rooney Clive Cox
ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE) 5 Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Lloyd Williams Aidan O'Brien IRE
PERMIAN (IRE) 3 Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Mark Johnston
POET'S WORD (IRE) 4 Saeed Suhail Sir Michael Stoute
QUEEN'S TRUST 4 Cheveley Park Stud Sir Michael Stoute
RACING HISTORY (IRE) 5 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
RHODODENDRON (IRE) 3 Sue Magnier,Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE
SALOUEN (IRE) 3 H Balasuriya Sylvester Kirk
SIR JOHN LAVERY (IRE) 3 Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
SIXTIES SONG (ARG) 4 Haras Santa Elena Alfredo Gaitan Dassie ARG
STELLAR MASS (IRE) 4 Mrs June Judd Jim Bolger IRE
THUNDER SNOW (IRE) 3 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor
TIBERIAN (FR) 5 Haras Du Logis/H Volz/S Falk Alain Couetil FR
ULYSSES (IRE) 4 Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd Sir Michael Stoute
US ARMY RANGER (IRE) 4 Sue Magnier,Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Aidan O'Brien IRE
WINGS OF DESIRE 4 Lady Bamford John Gosden
WINGS OF EAGLES (FR) 3 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O'Brien IRE
