Espoir City and Buena Vista punched their tickets to Dubai with winning performances in Japan this weekend. Espoir City routed a very good field in taking the $2 million, Grade 1 February Stakes at Tokyo on Sunday, earning a trip to Meydan for the Dubai World Cup. On Saturday, the 4-year-old filly Buena Vista broke a three-race losing streak, beating males in the Grade 2, $1.35 million Kyoto Kinen to secure a place in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Sacred Kingdom remains the world's premier sprinter after his unsurprising 1 1/4-length victory in the Group 1, $580,000 Chairman's Sprint Prize at Sha Tin on Sunday. Although stuck on the rail in sixth place into the stretch, the 6-year-old Australian-bred son of Encosta de Lago quickened under Brent Prebble to lead just inside the eighth pole and won rather decisively.

Bankable and jockey Ryan Moore outdueled Imbongi and his rider, Christophe Soumillon, for a game nose victory in the $250,000, Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort at Meydan on Friday night, performances that could ultimately land both horses in the Dubai Duty Free.

The task awaiting Sacred Kingdom at Sha Tin on Sunday in the six-furlong Chairman's Sprint Prize, a Hong Kong Group 1 dash valued at $580,000, appears to be a straightforward one. The world's highest rated sprinter, Sacred Kingdom will be facing much the same group of horses he has beaten in his last two starts, when he won the Hong Kong Sprint on Dec. 13 and the Centenary Sprint Cup on Jan. 31.

Espoir City and Success Brocken renew their growing rivalry at Tokyo on Sunday, when they will jockey for Dubai World Cup positions in the February Stakes, a Grade 1 dirt mile worth $2 million.

A Gold Allure 5-year-old trained by Akio Adachi, Espoir City got the upper hand the last time these two met, taking the 1 1/8-mile Japan Cup Dirt on Dec. 6 when Success Brocken was six lengths behind in fourth. Espoir City also took the measure of Success Brocken when he beat him by four lengths into second in the Mile Championship on dirt at Morioka in October.

Buena Vista, Japan's champion 3-year-old filly in 2009, presents her Dubai Sheema Classic credentials at Kyoto on Saturday when she squares off with champion Japanese older horse Dream Journey in the $1.3 million, Grade 2 Kyoto Kinen.

Musir proved to be an easy winner of the $250,000 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan on Thursday as he cruised past Godolphin runner Frozen Power for a handy 3 1/4-length victory in the Group 3 mile, which serves as a prep for the $2 million UAE Derby.

European turf form proved the key to Round 2 of the 1 3/16-mile Maktoum Challenge on Thursday night as Allybar held off Crowded House in the $200,000 Group 3 trial for the Dubai World Cup on Meydan's synthetic Tapeta surface.

Coming from last of twelve to first with a bold outside move under Ahmed Ajtebi, Allybar was following up on a 7 1/2-length victory over the highly regarded Presvis in a 1 1/4-mile handicap on Feb. 5. Now 2 for 2 on the Meydan Tapeta, the King's Best 4-year-old gives Godolphin a legitimate dark horse contender in the Dubai World Cup.

Justenuffhumor makes his Dubai debut for trainer Saeed bin Suroor at Meydan on Friday night in the Group 2, $250,000 Al Fahidi Fort, a one-mile prep for the $5 million Dubai Duty Free.

The $250,000 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan on Thursday night is Dubai's first major stepping-stone toward the Kentucky Derby, but the one-mile Group 3 race will go without Godolphin's leading Derby candidate, Vale of York.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Vale of York was termed "not quite ready" for the Guineas by Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford on Tuesday.