TOKYO – When the brothers Terikchand and Naipaul Chatterpaul claimed Mission Approved at Belmont Park in June 2010, they thought they were getting “a nice New York-bred,” Terikchand Chatterpaul remembers.

They were right. Mission Approved is a very nice New York-bred. He is also a Grade 1 winner in the Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park in June and the only American representative in Sunday’s $6.7 million Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse.

In his first start after the claim, the Chatterpauls, who co-own Mission Approved, knew they had something better in their stable.

TOKYO – The walk to the winner’s enclosure after the 2010 Japan Cup was the strangest trek of its kind for horse owner Shunsuke Yoshida.

His Sunday Racing Co. partnership had finished one-two with Buena Vista and Rose Kingdom, only for Buena Vista, the 9-10 favorite, to be disqualified and placed second behind her 7-1 stablemate for causing interference in the stretch.

Never had winning such an important race felt so much like losing to Yoshida.

TOKYO – There will never be another autumn like 2011 for German jockey Andrasch Starke.

Danedream, a 3-year-old German-bred filly, gave the 37-year-old Starke his first win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Oct. 2, bursting away from a strong field to win by five lengths in track-record time.

“She’s definitely the best horse I’ve ever ridden,” Starke said.

TOKYO – Danedream, the upset winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Oct. 2, had a seven-furlong workout on the dirt track at Tokyo Racecourse on Wednesday, her last major exercise for Sunday’s $6.7 million Japan Cup on turf.

Ridden by jockey Andrasch Starke, Danedream was timed in 1:33.20 for approximately seven furlongs. Trainer Peter Schiergen said he told Starke to ask Danedream for speed over the last three furlongs.

“She’s in the same form as she was for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, so our hopes are high,” Schiergen said.

The 4-year-old Eishin Apollon recorded the most important victory of his career Sunday at Kyoto Racecourse in Japan when he captured the Group 1 Mile Championship by a neck over Fifth Petal.

The French mare Sahpresa checked in third, another 1 1/2 lengths back, while Immortal Verse, the only other international shipper in the race, could only finish seventh in another sub-par performance.

Three-year-old French filly Immortal Verse has made her first international trip, shipping to Japan where she starts Sunday at Kyoto in the Mile Championship, worth a little less than $2.5 million.

All that travel and Immortal Verse runs into a familiar foe, Sahpresa, another French filly and the fourth-place finisher in the 2010 edition of the Mile Championship. Robert Collet trains Immortal Verse, and his son, Rod Collet, trains Sahpresa.

The 3-year-old colt Frankel – to the surprise of no one – has been named Cartier Horse of the Year for 2011.

Workforce, a top European 3-year-old of 2010 but something of a disappointment this season at 4, has been sold by owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms to owner Teruya Yoshida and retired to stud at Yoshida’s Shadai Farm in Japan.

Workforce, a King’s Best colt, won 4 of 9 career starts. He won the 2010 Epsom Derby by seven lengths, and after a surprising defeat came back to capture the 2010 Arc by a head. Workforce was shipped to Churchill Downs for the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf, but was scratched the morning of the race, his connections unhappy with course conditions.

Zazou held off a late threat from Rio de la Plata to win Sunday’s Group 1 Premio Roma at Capannelle racecourse in Italy, denying the defending champion his fourth career Group 1 win.

Ridden by Mikael Barzalona, Zazou closed from fifth in the stretch. The colt took the lead in the final quarter-mile and was fully extended to beat Rio de la Plata, who was at the back of the field early. Voila Ici, a Group 1 winner in Italy in June, finished third in the field of nine.

Black Caviar, Australia’s reigning Horse of the Year, extended her unbeaten streak to 16 races with an easy win in the $1.03 million Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington Racecourse on Saturday.

Ridden by a confident Luke Nolen, Black Caviar stalked pacesetter Buffering for the first half of the Group 1 race over about six furlongs, took the lead in the final quarter-mile, and won without significant urging by 2 3/4 lengths. Black Caviar was sent off at odds of 1-25.