Hillstar has, as expected, been supplemented for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Sir Michael Stoute's three-year-old claimed the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and owner Sir Evelyn de Rothschild has stumped up the required £75,000 to add him to the field for the midsummer highlight.
Stoute is bidding for a record sixth King George triumph and Hillstar is one of 11 confirmations, with ante-post favourite St Nicholas Abbey one of three possible runners for Aidan O'Brien. The master of Ballydoyle also has Chamonix and Ernest Hemingway in the reckoning.
Corine Barande-Barbe's French superstar Cirrus Des Aigles is set to be joined on the trip across the Channel by compatriot Very Nice Name, as well as Andreas Wohler's German raider Novellist, who will be partnered by William Buick or Johnny Murtagh.
Ryan Moore steered the Wohler-trained four-year-old to Group One glory in last month's Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, but now that he is required for Hillstar, Wohler has moved quickly to seek a replacement.
Wohler said: "The plan is for William Buick to ride, but we don't know for sure if he will be available. There is a chance he may have to go to York to ride for John Gosden. He (Gosden) wants to look at the entries and then decide.
"William is the first choice, as he has ridden Novellist before, at Baden-Baden last year. If he is unable to ride, then Johnny Murtagh will ride. The horse is very well - he couldn't be better."
Very Nice Name won three times in Qatar earlier in the year and was an excellent third behind St Nicholas Abbey in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan. Trainer Alban de Mieulle said: "He did a nice piece of work on the racecourse at Chantilly last week with Olivier Peslier, and the plan is for Olivier to ride at Ascot."
Universal, Red Cadeaux and Irish Derby hero Trading Leather also stand their ground, while Roger Varian is anticipating a bold bid from Ektihaam, who won the Buckhounds Stakes over the course and distance before slipping up in the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting.
"He's just had routine exercise, he's had a couple of canters, and he'll do stronger work tomorrow. I'm happy with how he is, he's moving well and he looks great. To have a horse going who is a genuine contender is really exciting. It's a huge race, one of the top races in Europe, and to be involved is massive for me," Varian told At The Races.
