Auroras Encore, a 66-1 longshot who had lost his last eight races, scored a convincing win in Saturday’s Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, a first career win in Britain’s most popular race for trainer Sue Smith and jockey Ryan Mania.

An 11-year-old gelding making his 44^th start, Auroras Encore was held up for most of the race over 4 3/8 miles, but emerged from a stalking position in the final half-mile to challenge for the lead. Auroras Encore led after the last fence, and pulled clear to win by nine lengths over 12-1 Cappa Bleu.

Saga Dream, winner of the Group 3 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud last month, and Dalkala, who won the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu last October, are among seven runners for Sunday’s $167,000 Prix d’Harcourt at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris.

The Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt is run over about 1 1/4 miles and is a prep for the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp on April 28.

Sunnyhillboy was beaten a nose in the Grand National over 4 1/2 miles at Aintree Racecourse in England last April, and a repeat performance may be enough for him to win this year’s Grand National on Saturday.

Sunnyhillboy, a 10-year-old, led in the run between the last fence and the finish last year only to be caught at the wire by Neptune Collonges.

Overreach, a filly who has won two of her first three starts, will be favored to beat males in Saturday’s $3,640,000 Golden Slipper Stakes, the world’s richest race for 2-year-olds, at Rosehill Gardens racecourse in Australia.

In a way, the Dubai World Cup was a race Animal Kingdom needed to win.

Animal Kingdom had his victory in the Kentucky Derby and subsequently had performed in ways that suggested he could be a truly special horse. But suggestions do not in the end make reputations, and since his triumph in the 2011 Derby, Animal Kingdom had won a grand total of one race from five starts, that victory having come in a mere allowance race.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Animal Kingdom is by Leroidesanimaux, a horse bred in Brazil, and he was produced by a German-bred mare named Dalicia. Late last year, an Australian stud farm acquired controlling rights to the horse, and Animal Kingdom will retire to stallion duty there sometime in the next year. Animal Kingdom’s breeder and now co-owner, Team Valor, has “International” appended to its name, and indeed, in many ways, Animal Kingdom is an international horse. But Animal Kingdom made his first 10 starts in the United States.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A spot of trouble might have cost St Nicholas Abbey victory in the 2012 Sheema Classic, so jockey Joseph O’Brien was taking no chances this year. O'Brien placed St Nicholas Abbey just off the pace of Shareta, and they had a clean run the entire trip, winning the Group 1, $5 million Sheema Classic by 2 1/4 lengths over favored Japanese filly Gentildonna.

[DUBAI WORLD CUP: Watch replays and read race recaps]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Sajjhaa came to Dubai this winter with a Group 3 win in Italy as the pinnacle of her career, but she has blossomed into a star at Meydan. Her convincing victory Saturday night in the Group 1, $5 million Dubai Duty Free was her fourth group stakes win of the Meydan season, and Sajjhaa could well be the best horse to winter in Dubai this year.

[DUBAI WORLD CUP: Watch replays and read race recaps]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – You can teach an old horse new tricks. Seven-year-old Reynaldothewizard has raced in blinkers his last three starts, and he has won them all. His newfound prowess had produced a handicap win and a victory in a Group 3 stakes this winter, and on Saturday night, Reynaldothewizard hit the jackpot, winning the Group 1, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen by a neck over Balmont Mast. Defending champion Krypton Factor finished third, while the two U.S. runners in the race faded badly after showing early pace, Private Zone finishing ninth, Trinniberg 11^th.

[bc_video_id:287902:]DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Trainer Mike de Kock called Shea Shea his best hope of the World Cup card, and jockey Christophe Soumillon said he had no mount more live on the night. Shea Shea did not let them down, rallying down the outside of the course after getting an ideal trip to win the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint by three-quarters of a length over Joy And Fun. He paid $3.80 to win in the united States.