Japanese challengers Masquerade Ball and Wurttemberg continued their preparations for Saturday’s stellar Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes with a workout on the Long Hill Polytrack gallop in Newmarket on Wednesday morning.

Based at James Horton’s Beech Hurst Stables on the Bury Road, both horses arrived in the UK on July 12th following a flight from Tokyo to Amsterdam via Anchorage in Alaska before completing the final leg of the journey by road.

Masquerade Ball is set to clash again with defending champion Calandagan after only a head separated the duo in the Japan Cup in November. The performance ensured the four-year-old tied for second behind the French star in the 2025 Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings with a rating of 128.

Trained by Takahisa Tezuka, Masquerade Ball had posted an authoritative victory on his previous start in the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan’s premier all-aged 10-furlong contest, and returned this year with a length second to Romantic Warrior in Hong Kong’s FWD QEII Cup in April.

The four-year-old is owned by Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd, who sent over Heart’s Cry to finish third in the 2006 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the best placing from six previous Japanese-trained starters in the 12-furlong highlight, worth £2 million for the first time this year.

Speaking via translator, Tezuka said: “Masquerade Ball has matured and developed a lot from three to four, not just mentally but physically as well. He is a lot bigger and stronger. I was nervous about the journey over, but everything went smoothly. The horse seems very happy, while his training is going better than I expected.

“The King George is one of the biggest races in the UK – it is a dream to bring him here. We have tried to give him the best preparation, so we hope for the best while also enjoying the experience because it is an honour to be involved.

“This race is the biggest of Masquerade Ball’s life so far. Calandagan is not the only horse we have to think about, even though there was only a head between us in the Japan Cup, because there are a lot of other strong competitors. We are looking forward to seeing how much our horse has developed since then.”

Masquerade Ball’s jockey Christophe Lemaire said in April that the colt has the potential to be ‘one of the greats’ of Japanese racing. Tezuka added: “I was very happy with those comments. Christophe has ridden many great horses, including Equinox, so it was an honour to hear that from such a great jockey.

“The horse’s owner Mr [Teruya] Yoshida loves Ascot Racecourse and, from last year, pushed me to challenge for this race. The King George rather than the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is our main reason for bringing Masquerade Ball to Europe.

“In Japan, the racecourses are very flat with no undulations, so Ascot will be a very different challenge. The downhill section could be quite difficult, as it is hard to imitate running downhill [in his training], but I am hopeful that he will be able to overcome this.

“I initially thought that a mile and a quarter was Masquerade Ball’s best distance. However, as time has gone on, I think a mile and a half is more appropriate for him.”

Wurttemberg arrives on the back of a career-best second in the Group 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles at Kyoto, in which he went down by a nose to last year’s Japanese Derby winner Croix Du Nord.

Owned by Teruya Yoshida, the six-year-old is a four-time winner over shorter for trainer Hiroshi Miyamoto, including taking an 11-furlong Stakes race at Hanshin last year.

Speaking via translator, Miyamoto said: “The owner gave me the choice of two races, the King George or the Goodwood Cup. I chose the King George because it is a highly prestigious and honourable race. For me, it is the number one race in the UK.

“Wurttemberg has good stamina, having raced up to distances of 3,600 metres, and I think Ascot’s mile and a half with the undulations should be suitable for him.

“Oisin Murphy is the number one jockey here, so we are excited for him to ride the horse. He knows Ascot very well and we will rely on him.”

A top-class lineup for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes is also set to feature Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Derby hero Benvenuto Cellini and stablemate Minnie Hauk, who completed a G1 Oaks hat-trick last summer. Calandagan’s trainer Francis Henri-Graffard is also due to saddle 2024 victor Goliath, while Kalpana hopes to improve on last year’s runner-up finish for Andrew Balding.