Reel heads O'Brien King George trio Aidan O'Brien has left three in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes as he bids to win the Ascot showpiece for a fourth time on Saturday. Highland Reel, Shogun and Sir Isaac Newton are still in contention to follow in the hoofprints of Galileo (2001), Dylan Thomas (2007) and Duke Of Marmalade (2008), who landed the King George for the Ballydoyle trainer. Dartmouth pipped Highland Reel in the Hardwicke Stakes and has been supplemented for the King George. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by The Queen, t he four-year-old son of Dubawi has won each of his three races this season and will be arriving at the top of his game as he tackles the odds-on favourite Postponed. The Queen's racing manager John Warren said: "The horse is in exceptional form and the trainer has been delighted with his progress since Ascot. With that side of things going so well, we felt he was a worthy candidate. Olivier Peslier, who rode him to such good effect in the Hardwicke, will ride him once again so there is continuity on that front." Last year's winner Postponed has been unbeaten since and has also changed trainers, now residing with Roger Varian rather than Luca Cumani. He would become the first horse since Swain in 1997 and 1998 to win back-to-back runnings. Varian has also left in Ajman Bridge in case he needs to be used as a pacemaker following the sad loss of Roseburg, who carried out his duties perfectly at Epsom in the Coronation Cup. "Unfortunately we won't be using Roseburg, but we do have Ajman Bridge and we'll decide whether he runs when we see how the race is shaping up," Varian told At The Races. "It's the stuff of dreams, to be heading to a race as prestigious as the King George with a horse of the quality of Postponed, it's something I would have dreamt of doing only a few years ago. "The King George is a race I grew up watching and to be involved in it at the highest level is very exciting for me and everyone involved. For me it's one of the summer highlights, it's always a competitive race, and it will be, no race at the highest level is easy to win. "Of course, Postponed's credentials are very strong and he'll need to be on his game, but hopefully he will be." John Gosden and owner Lady Bamford had to settle for a very narrow second last year with Eagle Top and this year they send Wings Of Desire to have a go at Postponed. Winner of the Dante at York, he went on to finish a respectable fourth in the Derby. Gosden may also run Western Hymn. There is the possibility of French interest with Erupt, while Second Step is still in for Cumani.
