Vodka outpolled fellow female Daiwa Scarlet in the Japan Racing Association voting for 2008 Japanese Horse of the Year announced on Monday, becoming just the third filly or mare to achieve that honor. The victories of Vodka, a Katsuhiko Sumii-trained daughter of Tanino Gimlet, in the one-mile Yasuda Kinen and the 1 1/4-mile Autumn Tenno Sho also earned her top filly and mare honors as she joined Tomei and Air Groove as the only females to be named Japan's champion Thoroughbred.

Good Ba Ba cruised to a handy score in the $1 million Stewards Cup Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday, confirming his position as the best horse in Hong Kong with a 1 3/4-length victory over Fellowship with Viva Pataca a length farther back in third and Egyptian Ra fourth.

Thirty-nine of the 263 early nominees to the $6 million Dubai World Cup announced on Firday are trained in the United States, but the quality that has resulted in six U.S. victories in 12 runnings of the world's richest race is missing this year. Commentator and Tiago, widely regarded as the two best older American horses in training, are absent from a list that includes last year's World Cup third, Well Armed, Albertus Maximus, Colonel John, Tale of Ekati, Harlem Rocker and Cowboy Cal.

Hong Kong's two best horses, Good Ba Ba and Viva Pataca, will clash at Sha Tin on Sunday in the $1 million Stewards Cup, a Group 1 race at a mile that should ostensibly be very much in favor of Good Ba Ba.

Barbecue Eddie will make his first start wearing the blue and white colors of Hamdan al-Maktoum at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday when he renews rivalry with Star Crowned in the Group 3, $200,000 Al Shindagha Sprint.

Great Leighs Racecourse in England has been shut down by the British Horseracing Authority just nine months after it became the first new racetrack to open in Great Britain since 1929. The track, struggling financially, had been operating since Jan. 1 on a temporary license, which the authority on Friday declined to extend.

Track officials said Friday that they were confident that they would obtain a new license and reopen in time for a scheduled meeting on Jan. 29.

Opening night of the Dubai Racing Carnival at Nad Al Sheba proved a hopeful one for Godolphin on Thursday as My Indy powered to a 5 3/4-length victory in Round 1 of the $200,000 Maktoum Challenge. Earlier, Saeed bin Suroor unveiled the Chilean-bred filly Sos Brillante, whose victory in a seven-furlong allowance marked her as a leading candidate for the UAE 1000 Guineas.

Nad Al Sheba hosts its first stakes race of the season Thursday when Round 1 of the Maktoum Challenge, a Group 3, $200,000 race at a mile on dirt, heads a seven-race, $830,000 card that starts the Dubai Racing Carnival.

Curlin and New Approach share championship honors on the 2008 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Ratings. Both horses were pegged at 130 by the worldwide panel of national handicappers and racing secretaries, Curlin landing the older horse championship while New Approach took the 3-year-old title.

Ascot Racecourse announced on Tuesday purse increases of 450,000 pounds, approximately $662,000, to its five-day Royal Meeting, which will be held this year from June 16-20. The increases apply to 11 of the 30 races on the five Royal Ascot cards and bring total prize money for the meeting to approximately $6.5 million.