Americans fail in Japan

Disturbingthepeace and Echo Eddie were outrun in their Japanese venture on Sunday, finishing out of the money in the $1.5 million Takamatsunomiya Kinen, a six-furlong Grade 1 turf race at Chukyo Racecourse.

The American pair had been switched by trainer Darrell Vienna to Chukyo from Saturday's Dubai Golden Shaheen despite their superior form on dirt.

Jockey Jose Valdivia had the 29-1 Echo Eddie in second entering the stretch, but he weakened to 17th in the 18-runner field, 7 1/2 lengths behind the 8-1 winner Believe, a 5-year-old mare by Sunday Silence.

Disturbingthepeace, 9-1, was rated toward the rear by Japanese champion rider Yutaka Take, and made up some ground to finish 13th, 4 3/4 lengths behind Believe

* At Longchamp on Sunday, Ana Marie defeated 11 male rivals to take the Group 2 Prix d'Harcourt. Trained by Philippe Demercastel, Ana Marie came late under Christophe Soumillon to defeat Fair Mix by a short neck, getting the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.10 on good ground.

The winner last year of the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux, Ana Marie will go next in the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp on April 27.