Juddmonte’s unbeaten colt Frankel will face eight rivals in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1600m) at Ascot this Saturday.

Frankel (3c Galileo – Kind by Danehill) will be joined by his three-quarter brother Bullet Train after Sir Henry Cecil confirmed both will take part.  The latter will act as pacemaker for his stablemate.

“There are one or two good horses in the race and it’s not a formality,” Cecil said.  “I don’t want it to be a crawl and then turn into a sprint.  Bullet Train should make it a true run race although he won’t go off like hell in front.”

The field includes G1 Coronation Stakes winner Immortal Verse (Pivotal) and G1 Prix du Moulin winner Excelebration (Exceed And Excel).  

Godolphin has nominated Italian G1 winner Rio de La Plata (Rahy) and reigning titleholder Poet’s Voice (Dubawi) while champion trainer Richard Hannon is represented by Dick Turpin (Arakan) and Dubawi Gold (Dubawi).

The line up is completed by Cityscape (Selkirk) who is trained by Roger Charlton for Juddmonte owner Khalid Abdulla and Side Glance (Passing Glance) who is back home after an unplaced run at Woodbine last month.

Frankel was last seen in the G1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood when he turned the proposed showdown with Canford Cliffs into a one-horse race.  Prince Khalid Abdullah rates Frankel higher than his 1986 Arc de Triomphe winner Dancing Brave.  

Frankel was rated Britain’s champion colt last year after a campaign that included a G1 victory in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.  He scored a truly awesome victory in the G1 English 2000 Guineas in May and then maintained his unbeaten record with another remarkable victory in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot prior to the Glorious Goodwood triumph.