Dubai: Recent Group 1 winners Taghrooda and Mukhadram will go head-to-head in what looks like an intriguing renewal of the Qipco King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot, United Kingdom, on Saturday.

The pair’s clash in the much-anticipated 2,400-metre contest, British racing’s most prestigious all-age race, will see them bid to present owner Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, with a long-awaited second success in the event after Nashwan’s famous victory in 1989.

Taghrooda, the unbeaten Epsom Oaks (G1) winner, and Mukhadram, who triumphed in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1) at Sandown Park earlier this month, figure prominently among the 12 runners at Tuesday’s five-day acceptance stage.

Other notable runners include Royal Ascot scorer Telescope, Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Magician and the Epsom Derby (G1) third Romsdal, who represents Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, Wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Angus Gold, Shaikh Hamdan’s racing manager, send out a strong message that both Taghrooda and Mukhadram have leading claims.

“Everything has gone very well with Taghrooda, she’s been working very well and looks fantastic,” he was quoted by the SportingLife website.

“She seems very happy in herself mentally.”

Commenting on Mukhadram’s first attempt at a mile-and-a-half, Gold said: “[Trainer] William [Haggas] has always felt he will stay and certainly his pedigree suggests he will. Whether he will be as effective over that trip, until he runs over it nobody can say.

“We know he’s very effective over a mile-and-a-quarter, so we’ll just have to see.

“We’ll wait and see later in the week how both horses are and let [Shaikh Hamdan] make up his mind what he wants to do.”

Shaikh Hamdan’s retained rider Paul Hanagan will partner Taghrooda, leaving Shaikh Hamdan’s second rider Dane O’Neill to partner Mukhadram for the first time.

“To pick up a spare with a live chance like he has is unbelievable,” O’Neill, who joined Shaikh Hamdan’s stable in 2012, told At The Races.

“William’s always been confident about him getting a mile-and-a-half and he’s pretty versatile in that you can go forward with him or drop him in a bit.”

Meanwhile, Nick Smith, Ascot’s Head of Communications and International Racing, was looking forward to Saturday’s midsummer showpiece.

“This is what the King George is all about — a Classic-winning three-year-old and up-and-coming Royal Ascot winner of that generation taking on the very best of the older horses, headed by Telescope, who has all the hallmarks of being another Harbinger for the same team after his Hardwicke Stakes win,” he said.

“To have Mukhadram, the Coral-Eclipse winner, in there too and the likes of Flintshire and Noble Mission as possibles, makes this one of the most exciting renewals of Europe’s premier midsummer race for some time.”