HELISSIO, Bijou d'Inde and Timarida are among a 94-strong initial entry for the world's richest race, the 1997 Dubai World Cup, at Nad Al Sheba on Saturday March 29th.
Classic winners Zagreb and Oscar Schindler feature among six Irish entries along with John Oxx's globe-trotting filly Timarida.
In the meantime, Timarida, unbeaten in two North American starts but absent from the Yellow Ribbon Stakes due to a fever, may try to extend that enviable record in the Grade One Matriarch Stakes at Hollywood Park on December 1st.
The Irish Champion Stakes heroine has remained in southern California and is currently stabled at Santa Anita.
John Oxx said: "She seems to be making a good recovery. She's exercising every day, eating well and her temperature is down. She might work at Santa Anita on Thursday but it won't be anything strong. It would be lovely to run her in the Matriarch, but it is too early to say whether she will make the race."
Bijou d'Inde and Even Top, who fought out a titanic finish to the 2,000 Guineas alongside Mark Of Esteem, head a British entry of 12 for the Dubai race, which also features the Group One winners First Island, Luso and Sil Sila.
Helissio, the runaway winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, is the star of a quintet of French entries. Other notable Gallic contenders are Spinning World, Carling and Red Roses Story, all of whom can boast victories in Group One company.
Commenting on the entry, the chairman of the Dubai World Cup committee, Michael Osborne, said: "We are all absolutely delighted by the response from the owners and trainers in six continents making their first entries for the 1997 Dubai World Cup.
"Cigar's emphatic victory in the inaugural Dubai World Cup, seen by connections and viewers worldwide, demonstrably put the race in line for one of the world's great sporting events, and we are particularly gratified to have doubled the number of entries at this first stage compared with last year.
Three places in the 14-runner field are likely to be set aside for European challengers.
Connections of any horses missing from the original entry list have another chance to make them eligible for the £1,548,387 first prize by taking advantage of a second free entry stage by noon on Wednesday, February 5th.
An international panel of senior handicappers and racing secretaries will then select the 14-strong field, which will be announced by Wednesday, February 12th, together with a list of reserves in ranking order.
Louis Quatorze, the winner of the Preakness Stakes and beaten a nose by Alphabet Soup in the Breeders' Cup Classic, is arguably the pick of 33 North American entries.
Editor's Note, who beat Louis Quatorze into fourth place when landing the Belmont Stakes, is one of trainer D Wayne Lukas's three entries.
The Michael Dickinson-trained Da Hoss, the Breeders' Cup Mile winner, and Donna Viola, who won the recent Yellow Ribbon Stakes for Chris Wall but who is now trained by Ben Cecil, are other interesting American candidates.
The home team numbers 21 and features last year's fifth, Tamayaz, and Key of Luck, who won the 1996 Reserves race in a time marginally quicker than the one clocked by Cigar.
Also entered are a number of top-class performers who have only recently moved to the stable of new British champion trainer Saeed bin Suroor, such as Alhaarth, Swain and Tulipa.
The two Australian representatives include 1995 Melbourne Cup winner, Doricmus, while the South African duo are National Emblem and London News, first and second in the Group One Champion Stakes in Durban in August.
