Goldikova, two-time winner of the , will attempt to become the first horse in history to win three Breeders' Cup races next year as her owners, the Wertheimer brothers, announced Monday that she would remain in training at the age of 5.
Interpatation and Just as Well, two of the three American-trained horses who will be running in the $5.9 million Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 29, arrived in Japan at Narita International Airport near Tokyo in good order on Monday. After a 17-hour journey from New York with a stopover in Anchorage, the two horses were transported to the Japan Racing Association Horseracing School Quarantine Center in Shiroi, about 40 miles from Tokyo Racecourse.
Queen Spumante sprung a 76-1 surprise in the Grade 1, $1.9 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto on Sunday as she stole the 1 3/8-mile race under a superb front-running ride by Hiroyasu Tanaka. French challenger Shalanaya could only close for fourth, ultimately finishing 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner.
Collection signaled an apparent changing of the guard in Hong Kong on Sunday as he powered to a two-length victory in the Group 2, $387,000 International Cup Trial at Sha Tin. The 4-year-old Irish-bred son of Arc winner Peintre Celebre put last year's winner, Viva Pataca, firmly in his place as the seven-time Group 1 winner could only mange seventh, 3 1/2 lengths behind.
Shalanaya, winner of the Prix de l'Opera at Longchamp on Arc Day, attempts to become the first foreign-trained horse to win the $1.9 million, Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto on Sunday. The QEII is the first of four major international races on the Japanese calendar to be run during the next four Sundays, each of them carrying valuable bonuses that have attracted a record number of foreign entries.
Conduit, two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf, has been confirmed for the $5.9 million Japan Cup at Tokyo on Nov. 29. Recently purchased by Shigeyuki Okada, for whom he will stand at stud next year at Japan's Big Red Farm, Conduit continues to be trained by Michael Stoute.
Conduit returned to his Newmarket, England, base from Santa Anita on Tuesday and will be shipped right out again for Tokyo next Wednesday. He will be joined in the 1 1/2-mile turf contest by another British horse, Scintillo, winner of the Grand Prix de Chantilly.
The $375,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, France's annual Group 1 exercise in which 2-year-olds are asked to go 1 1/4 miles on heavy ground, is a wide-open affair this year. Trainer Aidan O'Brien will send three horses to the suburban Paris track on Saturday in an effort to retain the prize he won last year with Fame and Glory, but a couple of locally trained juveniles could upset his plans.