Saint Liam gets Japan invite

Saint Liam, the morning-line favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic, heads a list of eight American trainees included in the first list of horses invited by the Japan Racing Association to the Japan Cup Dirt, while America's leading hope in the Breeders' Cup Turf, the undefeated Shakespeare, has been invited to the Japan Cup.

Saint Liam, Borrego, Rock Hard Ten, Perfect Drift, Choctaw Nation, and Starcraft - all entered in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic - have been invited to the 1 5/16-mile, $2.1 million Japan Cup Dirt on Nov. 27. Shakespeare and Better Talk Now, the two leading American hopes in the Breeders' Cup Turf, have been invited to run in the 1 1/2-mile, $4.1 million Japan Cup on Nov. 26.