Trainer Jamie Osborne on Tuesday made official what he and owner Michael Buckley had insinuated for the past week: Toast of New York, the winner of the United Arab Emirates Derby, will not travel to the United States for the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Jockey Leighton Aspell had a plan for riding Pineau De Re in Saturday’s $1.66 million Grand National over 4 7/16 miles at Aintree Racecourse in England.

Aspell, who once retired from racing and later made a comeback, did not want to reach the front too soon in the grueling steeplechase race over 30 fences. So, he waited 3 1/2 miles into the race before asking Pineau De Re, who took the lead two fences from the finish. Pineau De Re responded to the patient approach and pulled away to win the Grand National by five lengths as a 25-1 shot in the field of 40.

Teaforthree had run four miles in the 2013 Grand National when he reached the front with two fences remaining in the famous steeplechase race. Going over the last fence, the gelding was caught by Auroras Encore, a 66-1 shot who went onto a nine-length win.

Teaforthree finished third in the field of 40, one of 17 finishers.

This year, the campaign for the 10-year-old Teaforthree has been geared toward a return to Saturday’s $1.66 million Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in England and winning the rigorous race over 4 7/16 miles and 30 fences.

Toast of New York has returned to his yard in Great Britain following his victory Saturday in the United Arab Emirates Derby, but whether he’ll venture across the ocean in a few weeks to try dirt for the first time in the May 3 Kentucky Derby is a decision his trainer, Jamie Osborne, is not ready to make just yet.

Copana Richard, a 4-year-old colt by Daiwa Major, won his first Grade 1 race and his fourth career graded stakes in Sunday’s $1,935,357 Takamatsunomiya Kinen for sprinters at Chukyo Racecourse in Nagoya, Japan.

Ridden by Mirco Demuro, Copana Richard closed from fourth in a field of 18 to win the six-furlong turf race by three lengths over 18-1 Snow Dragon. Straight Girl, a 5-year-old mare and the 8-5 favorite, finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Snow Dragon.

Gentildonna, the Japanese mare who finished second in the 2013 Sheema Classic, was extricated from stretch traffic in the nick of time by jockey Ryan Moore and beat 2012 Sheema winner Cirrus des Aigles by 1 1/2  lengths in the $5 million Sheema Classic on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse.

Gentildonna’s victory came one race after another Japanese horse, Just A Way, easily won the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, giving the Japanese a sweep of the major turf races on the card. Just A Way had beaten Gentildonna by four lengths last fall in the Tenno Sho at Tokyo Racecourse.

African Story, fifth in the 2013 Dubai World Cup and winless for more than a year, won his first Group 1 race with a career-best performance in Saturday’s $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.

The 7-year-old gelding was the beneficiary of a patient ride from jockey Silvestre de Sousa to win the world’s richest race by 2 3/4 lengths.

Six months and three starts ago, the Japanese-bred and campaigned 5-year-old horse Just A Way was a two-time winner whose peak success had come at the Group 3 level. But something transformed the horse last fall, and on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse, he delivered a dazzling performance in the $5 million Dubai Duty Free.

Sterling City closed from off the pace to catch Rich Tapestry in the final strides in Saturday’s $2 million Golden Shaheen, giving Hong Kong-based runners a sweep of the first two positions in the valuable sprint at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.

Sterling City was ridden by Joao Moreira, who also won the Al Quoz Sprint earlier on the program with Hong Kong’s Amber Sky. While Amber Sky led throughout, Sterling City, the 9-4 favorite, was the third horse to lead in the stretch of the Group 1 Golden Shaheen, run over six furlongs.

Toast of New York, whose previous claim to fame was a romping $6,400 allowance-race win Nov. 1 over the synthetic surface at Wolverhampton in England, crushed 11 rivals in the UAE Derby on Saturday night in Dubai, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over Asmar.

Toast of New York had earned $8,115 coming into the UAE Derby, but took home the winner’s share of a $2 million purse for his owner, Michael Buckley.