Mongolian Khan and Trip to Paris strengthened their claims as leading contenders for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup on Nov. 3, with a one-two finish Saturday in the $2.17 million Caulfield Cup at about 1 1/2 miles on turf at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia.

Mongolian Khan, the 4-1 favorite, won the Group 1 Caulfield Cup by a half-length over the 30-1 Trip to Paris, leading for the final quarter-mile. Mongolian Khan won the Group 1 Australian Derby in April. Trip to Paris won the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June.

Fascinating Rock, a 10-1 shot ridden by Pat Smullen, rallied between horses in the final quarter-mile to win the richest race of his career in Saturday’s $2,066,386 Champion Stakes at Ascot.

Solow won his ninth straight race and capped a perfect 2015 campaign Saturday at Ascot with a three-quarter-length win over Belardo in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Trainer Freddy Head, who sent Charm Spirit out to victory in 2014, won his second straight QE II, while Solow solidified his position as the best miler in Europe if not the world this year.

After wins in Grade 1 races earlier this year, Let’s Go Donki and Mikki Queen will try to rebound from recent losses when they start in Sunday’s $1,548,614 Shuka Sho for 3-year-old fillies at Kyoto Racecourse in Japan.

They lead a field of 18 in the race at about 1 1/4 miles on turf, which could provide a few runners for the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 29.

Solow burst onto the international stage with a powerful victory in the rich Dubai Turf in late March, and he can grandly step off it – still unbeaten this year – by winning the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Saturday at Ascot.

For a second-stringer, Jack Hobbs has put together quite a season in 2015.

Trained by John Gosden, Jack Hobbs won the Irish Derby in June but was second to stablemate Golden Horn in the English Derby earlier that month. Golden Horn later won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and is bound for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

The Japan-based Fame Game, the future-book favorite for the Grade 1 Melbourne Cup in Australia on Nov. 3, will have his first start since May in Saturday’s $2.17 million Caulfield Cup at about 1 1/2 miles on turf at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia.

The Group 1 Caulfield Cup, run as a handicap, drew a field of 24 but will have a safety limit of 20 starters. The race annually has a prominent role in the buildup to the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s most popular race.

Air Force Blue won his third straight Group 1 race with a dominant performance in the Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday at Newmarket in England.

His path to victory became easier when Emotionless, who looked on paper like Air Force Blue’s main rival, threw a dud, flattening out after bidding for the lead a quarter-mile out to finish last of seven. Air Force Blue and Emotionless made their move together, but where the latter faltered, the former ran on strongly, pulling away late to win by 4 1/2 lengths over the 20-1 shot Massaat.

Minding crushed nine rivals in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile on Friday at Newmarket, stamping herself as a major contender for the 3-year-old filly classics next season in Europe.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Galileo filly, who races for Coolmore, sat comfortably behind horses for the first six furlongs of the Fillies’ Mile, then quickly put the race to bed when steered out and asked for run by jockey Ryan Moore. She opened a big lead with a furlong left to race and crossed the finish 4 1/2 lengths in front of second-place Nathra while still under a hand ride.

The Dubai Racing Club on Thursday released the racing schedule for the 2016 Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan, which culminates March 26 with the Dubai World Cup card.

The World Cup Carnival season includes 11 race dates starting Thursday, Jan. 7. Meydan hosts a Thursday night card every week through March 3, with that night’s racing followed two days later by the Super Saturday card that includes preparatory races for all the major events on the $38.9 million Dubai World Cup card, headlined by the $10 million World Cup.