Meiner Charles is the horse to beat in Sunday's Satsuki Sho at Nakayama. Better known in the Western world as the Japanese 2000 Guineas, the 1 1/4-mile turf contest is the first leg in the Japanese Triple Crown and carries a purse of $2.2 million.

Trained by Ryuichi Inaba, Meiner Charles has won his last three starts over the Satsuki Sho course and distance, the latest coming on March 9 in the key classic prep, the Yayoi Sho. A handy sort, he tends to race close up under regular rider Masami Matsuoka.

Great Leighs will become the first new racecourse in Britain to open its doors in 81 years on Sunday when the suburban London track will run seven races on its left-handed Polytrack oval.

Twice Over is Juddmonte Farm's newest classic hope. A son of Observatory trained by Henry Cecil, Twice Over outdueled Stonerside Stable's favored Raven's Pass to land the Group 3, $98,000 Craven Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday and is now third choice for the 2000 Guineas behind New Approach and Raven's Pass himself.

In prevailing by a short head, Twice Over completed the mile in 1:38.54 on good ground.

Gliding goes after the world's second-richest jump racing prize on Saturday when he takes on nine foes in the $1.6 million Grand Nakayama Jump at Nakayama Racecourse east of Tokyo.

An 8-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding trained by Paul Fout, Gliding won last year's Temple Gwathmey Hurdle and the Foxboro Supreme Hurdle. He prepped for his Japanese adventure with a third-place finish behind Preemptive Strike in the Imperial Cup at Aiken on March 22.

Never worse than fourth in his 15 jump races, he will be encountering steeplechase fences for the first time Saturday.

England's Tattersalls Craven 2-year-old sale in Newmarket, England, ended Thursday with steep gains that produced records across the board and the sale's highest price ever for a filly.

Infallible was so impressive in winning Wednesday's Group 3, $98,000 Nell Gwyn Stakes that she was immediately installed as the favorite for the classic 1000 Guineas on May 4.

The Kern Lillingston bloodstock agency snapped up the top-priced horse Wednesday at the Tattersalls company's Craven 2-year-old sale's opening session, paying about $786,030 for a Haafhd filly.

The Bloodstock Connection of Ireland sold the filly, a bay daughter of the stakes-winning Trempolino mare Allespagne.

The filly previously failed to bring her reserve price when she was hammered down for about $102,907 at the 2007 Tattersalls October yearling sale. Then she was consigned by Old Mill Stud, as agent.

Thursday's Group 3 Craven Stakes, a course and distance prep for the classic 2000 Guineas on May 3, could be as competitive as any of the previous 126 runnings of the one-mile trial at Newmarket.

Raven's Pass, currently the Guineas second choice behind New Approach, will offer many clues as to what may transpire at Newmarket on the first Saturday in May. As for New Approach, he is expected to head straight to the 2000 Guineas.

Reginetta led home a parade of longshots in a closely contested but topsy-turvy $2.1 million Oka Sho, or Japanese 1000 Guineas, at Hanshin on Sunday. A 42-1 shot, Reginetta came late to defeat the 93-1 F T Maia by a half-length, with the 9-1 So Magic a neck farther back in third, producing a $68,782 trifecta, the highest ever returned in a Japanese classic.

Zarkava and Natagora have confirmed their 1000 Guineas potential with a certain style. Zarkava breezed to victory in Sunday's Group 3 Prix de la Grotte at Longchamp, and Natagora proved an equally convincing winner of the listed Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffitte on Monday.