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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.

The connections of Dangerous Midge, the 8.50-1 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, have declined an invitation to run in the Japan Cup.

Three stakes winners from last month's West Virginia Breeders' Classic program will challenge defending champion Saxet Heights in a highly competitive field of 10 statebred fillies and mares in Saturday night's $50,000 My Sister Pearl Stakes at Charles Town.

Aspenglow, winner of the $250,000 Cavada, Stowe White, who dominated the West Virginia Division of Tourism for 3-year-old fillies, and Devonspaintedlady, who upset the nine-furlong Distaff, all bring sharp form into the 1 1/8-mile My Sister Pearl.

The Group 1, $345,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud at 1 1/4 miles on Saturday will feature the first three home from the 1 1/8-mile, Group 3 Prix de Conde, but there is much more to this, the world’s longest juvenile group race, which has drawn a competitive field of 11 without a standout.

Roger Attfield reports from Kyoto Racecourse that his Flower Bowl Invitational winner Ave is on course for her Sunday assignment in the $2.3 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup. After watching her gallop around the right-handed turf course Thursday, the Woodbine-based Englishman pronounced himself pleased with her condition.

“She is eating well, and I was quite happy with what I saw this morning,” he said. “She is also keeping her weight well, gaining nine pounds since we weighed her last time.”

Jockey Johnny Murtagh resigned as contract rider for the Irish-based Ballydoyle on Monday. A statement released by Eddie Byrne, the agent for the 40-year-old Irish rider, read, "Johnny Murtagh has spoken to John Magnier, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, and Aidan O’Brien today and informed them that he will not be renewing his contract to ride as stable jockey to Coolmore/Ballydoyle next season, 2011."

Red-eyed after his victory aboard Dangerous Midge in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf, Frankie Dettori arrived in Rome on Sunday just in time to pilot Rio de la Plata to victory in the Group 1, $337,000 Premio Roma at the Capannelle. The win was Dettori’s 100th Group 1 or Grade 1 victory for Godolphin, his first having come aboard Balanchine in the 1994 English Oaks.

Richard Hannon will watch his two Breeders’ Cup runners, Tale Untold in the Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday, and Paco Boy in the Mile on Saturday, from a bed at Southampton Hospital in England. The 66-year-old trainer underwent bypass surgery earlier this week and is reported by his wife, Jo, to be resting comfortably.

“Everything went well,” Jo Hannon said on Richard Hannon Racing’s website on Friday. “Having been restricted to sitting in a chair for the last couple of days, he hopes to be able to leave intensive care today and move into his own room.”