Aidan O’Brien is set to try bridge a 10-year gap in Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and with a potential cross-generational team.European racing’s dominant figure has won British racing’s traditional midsummer highlight on four occasions, beginning with the legendary Galileo 25 years ago.Just a handful of three-year-olds have won the King George since. The race historically framed as a clash of the generations has instead become a prime target for top older horses. Francis Graffard’s pair of star older geldings, Calandagan and Goliath, have won the last two years and will line up again for a race that’s now worth a boosted £2 million (€2.3 million) in prize money. O’Brien’s 2016 winner Highland Reel, as well as Duke Of Marmalade (2008) and Dylan Thomas (2007) were aged four when successful.However, bookmakers reckon it is last month’s Irish Derby hero Benvenuto Cellini that rates the main threat to Calandagan this time. The Irish colt, a grandson of Galileo, is a general 5/2 second favourite behind the French star who will have to concede a hefty 11lbs to his rival on weight for age terms.The King George has also been a long-term target for O’Brien’s outstanding filly Minnie Hauk. Last year’s triple-Oaks winner bounced back to form at Royal Ascot last month when finding only Ombudsman too good in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.An unknown factor in this King George will be the two Japanese raider, Masquerade Ball and Wurttemberg. Masquerade Ball was beaten just a head by Calandagan in a memorable finish to last November’s Japan Cup in Tokyo. He was runner up to Croix Du Nord in last year’s Japanese Derby and graduated to the highest level there when victorious in the prestigious Tenno Sho. Although Japanese horses have made a huge impact internationally in recent years, none have won at Ascot. Top-flight success in this part of the world has been rare. Agnes World won the July Cup in 2000, but only Deirdre in the 2019 Nassau Stakes has since won. Hearts Cry was third to Hurricane Run in the 2006 King George. There have been a dozen Irish-trained winners of the King George. Vincent O’Brien’s Ballymoss was the first in 1958. The legendary trainer also scored with Nijinsky and The Minstrel. Ten winners have come from France, and Graffard will try to emulate Saeed Bin Suroor, who completed a hat-trick for Godolphin between 1997 and 1999, through Daylami and Swain twice. Colin Keane will be on-board Kalpana in the King George but he ventures to Mayo on Monday for the action in Ballinrobe. A 96-rating makes Heney de Bromhead’s Nuit something of a Keane banker in the finale, although before that Elusive Duke could hold a chance too. Daboya is on a hat-trick in a mile and a half handicap and proven course form is always a plus around Ballinrobe.