Ruler & Cirrus among King George 29 Ruler Of The World heads 29 entries for the £1-million King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair) at Ascot on Saturday, July 27th. The mile and a half contest is the summer showpiece of the European Flat season and regularly throws up a mouth-watering clash of the generations between the top middle-distance three-year-olds and older horses. Among the 29 entries for this year's renewal is the unbeaten 2013 Investec Derby hero Ruler Of The World, who is one of 10 representing champion trainer Aidan O'Brien. The lightly-raced son of Galileo is a half-brother to the 2008 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Duke Of Marmalade and belied his inexperience at Epsom, his third start, to score by a length and a half from Elaine Burke's rapidly improving Libertarian. O'Brien has also entered last year's dual Derby scorer Camelot, record three-time Coronation Cup victor St Nicholas Abbey, who has twice finished third in King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and impressive Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Magician. Trading Leather, trained by Jim Bolger and third to Magician in the Irish Classic, showed his liking for further next time out with an easy success in the Listed Silver Stakes over 10 furlongs at the Curragh. Danedream denied Nathaniel back-to-back victories in last year's renewal when becoming the first German-trained winner of the historic contest. Trying to follow in her footsteps will be Pastorius, from the stable of Mario Hofer, and Andreas Wohler-trained Novellist, who were the first two home in last year's German Derby. They both subsequently scored at Group One level, with Pastorius landing the Prix Ganay on his return in April and Novellist ending 2012 with an easy victory in the Gran Premio Del Jockey Club Italiano. Alban De Mieulle, who trains predominantly in Qatar but also in France, is planning to run improving four-year-old Very Nice Name. The son of Whipper, who is currently in France, racked up five wins from as many starts in Qatar, culminating with a comfortable victory in the valuable Emir Trophy (local Group One) in February. Very Nice Name was last seen out at Meydan, UAE, in the Group One Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup Night, when he ran a gallant race to finish a close third to St Nicholas Abbey and Japanese star Gentildonna. Olivier Peslier, who knows the colt well, will take the ride again. He won the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Harbinger in 2010. De Mieulle revealed: "We plan to bring Very Nice Name over for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. "The horse has been good since Dubai. We hoped to run in the Grand Prix de Chantilly last week but the ground was not right for him so we decided to wait. He will go straight to Ascot now. "We were very pleased with his performance in Dubai. He didn't have a good draw and, although he wouldn't have won, I think he would have been closer to the second had he been drawn better. He has proved he is high-class there and that's why we want to run him at Ascot. "He has improved a lot since he has come back from Dubai. He did a very good piece of work under Olivier Peslier one morning recently when we were preparing him to run at Chantilly and I'm hoping there is more to come from him on the track." The world's highest-rated horse in training, Cirrus Des Aigles, trained by Corin Barande-Barbe, heads the other three French-based entries. The six-year-old, off the track since October following a tendon injury, has produced his best form at the Berkshire track, annexing the QIPCO Champion Stakes in 2011 and chasing home the mighty Frankel in the same contest last year. Another Chantilly-based trainer Mikel Delzangles could run Dunaden, who was second in the Coronation Cup and triumphed in the 2011 Melbourne Cup and Hong Kong Vase, and Group Two winner Vadamar. The 12 British-trained entries are headed by Libertarian and the Roger Charlton-trained Al Kazeem, who has won both his starts this year and most recently lowered the colours of Camelot in the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup over an extended 10 furlongs at the Curragh. Ed Dunlop has entered his globetrotting star Red Cadeaux, winner of the last season's Hong Kong Vase and runner-up in this year's Dubai World Cup, while fellow Newmarket handler John Gosden could be represented by top-class filly The Fugue and lightly-raced three-year-old colt Brass Ring. Other notable entries are Group Two Jockey Club Stakes victor, the Mark Johnston-trained Universal, Luca Cumani's impressive Group Three Ormonde Stakes scorer Mount Athos, and the Godolphin-owned trio of Hunter's Light, Prince Bishop and Saint Baudolino. There is a supplementary entry stage on July 22 costing £75,000 while the race is part of the British Champions Series.
