Eight foreign horses were confirmed by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) on Friday for next Sunday’s $6.1 million Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse. The invading octet will be led by Canadian International winner Joshua Tree and includes a single North American hopeful, Canada’s Ian Black-trained Fifty Proof, the fifth-place finisher in the Canadian International.

Goldikova was named the Cartier Racing Awards Horse of the Year on Tuesday, an honor emblematic of the best horse trained in Europe. The winner of five Group or Grade 1 races in 2010, the Wertheimer brothers’ 5-year-old mare capped her championship season with her third Breeders’ Cup Mile victory on Nov. 6.

Harbinger is the world leader in the latest World Thoroughbred Rankings computed by national handicappers from all of the world’s major racing nations. The now retired 5-year-old son of Dansili maintains a wide edge in the standings with the135 rating he achieved for his 11-length triumph in the 1 1/2-mile King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 24.

Mike Smith will represent the United States in the 24th World Super Jockeys Series at Tokyo Racecourse on Saturday, Nov. 27, the day before the 30th running of the $6.1 million Japan Cup at the same track.

Johnny Murtagh, whose relationship with Coolmore and Aidan O’Brien will cease at the end of the year, has been hired by the Aga Khan as his No. 1 rider in Ireland. Murtagh will now be first in line for the 120 of the Aga’s horses trained in Ireland by John Oxx and Michael Halford.

Murtagh replaces Fran Berry, who had inherited the position this year following the retirement of Michael Kinane. Berry will continue to ride for the Aga Khan when needed. Christophe Lemaire is the Aga Khan’s contract rider in France, where his horses are trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre.

Johnny Murtagh and Aidan O’Brien may be parting company at the end of the year, but they are going out with a bang as the duo landed the Group 1, $340,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Saturday with Recital. In just the second start of his career, the 2-year-old son of Montjeu came from well out of it to defeat Bubble Chic by five lengths as he took to the very heavy going as if it were second nature.

Irian rallied late to win the Group 2, $387,000 Jockey Club Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday, thus presenting himself as a key contender for the Hong Kong Cup on Dec. 12.

Trained by Hong Kong’s all-time winningest trainer John Moore and ridden by Brett Prebble, the 3.55-1 Irian came form ninth in the 11-runner field to defeat Packing Winner by 1 3/4 lengths while traveling the 1 1/4 miles on good to firm ground in 2:02.11. King Dancer was third, 1 1/4 lengths farther back, with Super Satin fourth and Collection fifth.

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Ave comes into Sunday’s $2.1 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto in the best form of her career. The Roger Attfield-trained Ave is fresh from a victory in the Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park on Oct. 2, but has drawn unfortunately wide in a field of 18 fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles.

The revamped local prep for the $2.6 million Hong Kong Cup will be run at Sha Tin on Sunday. Formerly known as the International Cup Trial, the 1 1/4-mile, $387,000 contest has had its name changed to the Jockey Club Cup and will be run for the first time with international Group 2 status.