They've come a long way, from Tokyo via Alaska and Amsterdam, but Masquerade Ball and Wurttemberg already look right at home on Newmarket Heath as the countdown continues towards their first appearance on a British racecourse. That this Saturday's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is the race of the season so far is beyond dispute. Ascot's premier weight-for-age contest – which from next year will be run for a record £2.5 million – has not only attracted these two stars from the east but is also set to feature the last two winners of the race in Calandagan and Goliath, as well as 2025 runner-up Kalpana, last year's Derby and Oaks winners Lambourn and Minnie Hauk, and this year's Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini. Any one of those horses is a headline act in their own right, but place them together on the same bill and there's a heady blockbuster in store. Masquerade Ball's trainer Takahisa Tezuka was all smiles as he conducted lengthy interviews with the assembled press at James Horton's Beech Hurst Stables, where the Japanese visitors are boarding. The prospect of reopposing Calandagan, who beat his horse by the slimmest of margins in the Japan Cup, appears to hold no fear.“He 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, and his training is going better than I expected,” said Tezuka of the four-year-old son of Duramente who won the 10-furlong G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) and has been seen just once this year when finishing a length second to Romantic Warrior in Hong Kong's G1 FWD QEII Cup in April. For his epic tussle with Calandagan last November, Masquerade Ball, who will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire, was awarded the joint-second-highest rating of 128 in the 2025 Longines World's Best Racehorse rankings. Takahisa Tezuka, trainer of Masquerade Ball | Emma Berry Tezuka, who has also trained the multiple Grade 1 winner Fierement, knows that Masquerade Ball is the best he's had though his hands and, ominously, he suggested that he may not yet have reached his peak.“This is the biggest race of his life so far,” he said of Saturday's challenge. “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. “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.”Both Masquerade Ball and the six-year-old Wurttemberg were bred by Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm, and while the latter, a son of Kitasan Black, races in Yoshida's own colours, Masquerade Ball represents the Shadai Race Horse Co Ltd. Speaking to Brian Sheerin for TDN earlier this week, Yoshida admitted that he is still yearns to win the King George after Heart's Cry finished third in the race 20 years ago. Tezuka added, “The horse's owner Mr 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.” The Japanese runners complete a sharp four-furlong blast | Emma Berry Wurttemberg was beaten just a nose by 2025 Japanese Derby winer Croix Du Nord in the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over two miles on May 3 but is also a four-time winner between nine and 11 furlongs. His trainer Hiroshi Miyamoto said that he had elected to run at Ascot over next Tuesday's G1 Goodwood Cup despite the staying credentials of his charge.“For me, it is the number one race in the UK,” he said of the King George. “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.” Hiroshi Miyamoto with Wurttemberg | Emma Berry Masquerade Ball and Wuttermberg are stabled alongside Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa) in a growing Japanese enclave at Horton's yard. The top sprinter has come closer than any of his compatriots to winning a race at Ascot when twice finishing second in consecutive runnings of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, this year being beaten just a nose by Almeraq. We are likely to see Satono Reve next in the G1 City of York Stakes at the Ebor meeting, but for now it is up to his temporary stable-mates to uphold Japanese pride in what will be one of the best King George line-ups for many a year. The post ‘The Biggest Race of His Life’: Masquerade Ball’s Trainer Tezuka Relishing King George Rematch With Calandagan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.