The Japanese horse Orfevre punched his ticket to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, while the French horse Moonlight Cloud booked trainer Freddie Head passage back to the Breeders’ Cup Mile during the course of a major day’s racing Sunday at Longchamp.

Royal Diamond, a 6-year-old who had failed to win a race of consequence in any of his previous 24 starts, came out on the right side of a three-horse photo finish in the Group 1 Irish St. Leger on Saturday at the Curragh.

Massiyn finished a head behind the winner with Brown Panther another nose back in third. Fourth-place Aiken also was in the frame, a neck farther back in fourth.

DONCASTER, England – The cheers that greeted Derby and 2000 Guineas winner Camelot as he loped past the finish post on his way to the start for Saturday’s classic St. Leger Stakes turned to stunned mumbles some 10 minutes later, after chances for the first English Triple Crown winner in 42 years went down by three-quarters of a length at the hands of the 25-1 longshot Encke carrying Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin blue.

Somewhat lost amid Camelot’s bid for an English Triple Crown this weekend is the presence of Japanese Triple Crown winner Orfevre at Longchamp on Sunday.

Orfevre is one of five horses entered in the Group 2 Prix Foy, which along with the Group  2 Prix Niel for 3-year-olds and the Group 1 Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares serve as major preparatory races for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Sunday’s excellent card also includes a compact but interesting renewal of the Group 1 Prix du Moulin over one mile, and a good sprint race, the Group 3 Prix du Petit Covert.

First off, let’s get one thing straight. The English Triple Crown and the American Triple Crown have about as much in common as cricket does with NASCAR.

Yes, there are three races involved. Two in the English version even run counterclockwise, known the world over as American style. They’ve each got a Derby and a leg named for some guy, and betting on them is both legal and encouraged.

There is also the uncomfortable fact that horses just don’t win Triple Crowns anymore, Yank or Brit. But at that point the similarities come to a screeching halt.

On Saturday afternoon at Doncaster in England, trainer John Gosden will take two shots at odds-on favorite Camelot in the English St. Leger Stakes, but Gosden might have a stronger chance to take down the Group 1 Irish St. Leger on Saturday evening at The Curragh.

All eyes will be focused on the Town Moor at Doncaster Racecourse in Yorkshire County on Saturday when the heroically named Camelot attempts to dust off the history books and become the first winner of the English Triple Crown in 42 years.

Sky Lantern gave noted trainer of 2-year-olds Richard Hannon his latest success in a major race for juveniles when she won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on Sunday at The Curragh in Ireland.

Sky Lantern raced midpack under Richard Hughes in the early stages of the 13-horse Moyglare Stud, a seven-furlong race. Hughes moves her into a challenging position about a quarter-mile from the finish, and Sky Lantern had little trouble dashing to a clear victory. She beat runner-up Scintillula by 2 ½ lengths, with favored Harasiya another head back in third.

Snow Fairy hurt a tendon in her leg last winter while preparing for a race in Hong Kong, but she has come back from that injury at least the equal of the horse she was before it.

Snow Fairy won her comeback race Aug. 19 at Deauville in France, the Group  1 Romanet, but bagged a bigger prize Saturday at Leopardstown in Ireland, out-kicking Nathaniel to capture the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes by 1  1/4 lengths.

The most surprising thing about Sunday’s Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland is the fact trainer Aidan O’Brien doesn’t have an obviously prime contender in the Group 1 race for 2-year-old fillies. O’Brien has won the Moyglare Stud the last two years with Maybe in 2011 and Misty for Me in 2010 and has sent out the winner in six of the last 12 editions, but his two entrants this summer, Snow Queen and Magical Dream, are accorded no more than outsiders’ chances in a field of 13 entered for the seven-furlong race.