Although it is nearly three months until the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will be run at Longchamp, this past weekend was chock-full of events that will have an impact on the great race. While Curlin's modest performance in the Man o' War Stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park impelled Ladbrokes to remove him from its Arc betting, just two days later Montmartre thrust himself into favoritism for what will almost certainly be the world's richest race come Oct. 5.

A $2 million colt from the much-anticipated first crop of Deep Impact stole the show Tuesday at the Japan Racing Horse Association's foal sale on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The price, 200 million yen, was well below the sale's 2006 foal record of 600 million yen, but helped Deep Impact make a strong commercial debut. A 6-year-old Sunday Silence horse, he was Japan's Horse of the Year in 2005 and 2006. His 18 foals at the two-day auction's opening session brought an average price of about $652,647.

Monica Dickinson, an English jumps trainer and mother of former trainer Michael Dickinson, died Tuesday in England at age 83. Taking over her son's string after he became a flat trainer in 1984, she trained big-race winners Brown's Gazette in the 1984 Christmas Hurdle, Badsworth Boy in the 1985 Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Wayward Lad in the 1985 King George VI Chase.

If Curlin’s intended trip to Paris for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is meant to seek victory, there is no reason to send him to Longchamp off his second-place finish to Red Rocks in Saturday’s Man o’ War Stakes.

A half-brother to Japanese champion Kurofune and Grade 2 winner Bella Bellucci brought about $2.3 million Monday as the Japan Racing Horse Association's July sale-topping yearling.

Japanese construction industry executive Riichi Kondo paid 245 million Japanese yen for the colt, a bay son of Agnes Tachyon and Blue Avenue. Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm consigned the colt to the session, the first of three days that make up the July sale on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The other two sessions are devoted to foals.

A star was born at Longchamp on Monday as Montmartre crushed a high-class field of 3-year-olds in the Group 1, $955,000 Grand Prix de Paris. So impressive was the victory that Ladbrokes immediately installed Montmartre as its new 4-1 favorite for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Freddy Head and Davy Bonilla collected their second Group 1 prize in four days at Chantilly when Tamayuz held off Raven's Pass and Rio de la Plata to win the $636,000 Prix Jean Prat.

Moonstone gave Aidan O'Brien his 13th Group 1 triumph of the year at the Curragh as she outdueled stablemate Ice Queen in the $795,000 Irish Oaks.

Second to Look Here in the English Oaks five weeks ago, Moonstone was not only winning her maiden in this 1 1/2-mile classic, she was providing O'Brien with his thrid straight Irish Oaks. The victory also gave O'Brien a sweep of all four of Ireland's 3-year-old classics as he had taken the Irish 2000 Guineas with Henrythenavigator, the Irish 1000 with Halfway to Heaven, and the Irish Derby with Frozen Fire.

Montmartre can hit the heights Monday in a competitive renewal of the $954,000 Grand Prix de Paris, a 1 1/2-mile Group 1 contest for 3-year-olds that highlights Longchamp's Bastille Day celebrations.

Archipenko could be on his way to Chicago for the Arlington Million after taking the Group 2, $199,000 Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. His three-quarter-length victory over longshot Barshiba was his third straight and comes on the heels of a Group 1 triumph at Sha Tin in the 1 1/4-mile Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Trained by South African master Mike de Kock, Archipenko was allowed to get away at a generous 11-1. At the same time, bettors sent defending title holder Cesare off as the 3-2 choice but he disappointed his backers in finishing third, one length behind the winner.