Nownownow, winner of the first running of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Monmouth Park in October, will soon leave the United States to join trainer David Wachman in Ireland for a tilt at the European classics, according to a report in the French racing daily Paris-Turf.

Nownownow, a son of Whywhywhy, is owned by Fabien Ouaki, who races in America under the nom de course Fab Oak Stable. Nownownow was trained for his Breeders' Cup race by Francois Parisel only because his original trainer, Patrick Biancone, is under suspension through next October.

Hong Kong's best miler, Good Ba Ba, proved too good at his favorite distance at Sha Tin on Sunday when he scored an impressive victory in the $1 million Stewards Cup, the first leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown for older horses.

The brief racing marriage of trainer Andre Fabre and owner the Aga Khan came to an end on Sunday when the Aga Khan announced that he was removing all 30 of the horses he has in training with Fabre, France's perennial champion trainer.

Citing "operational disagreements," the Aga Khan's racing manager, Georges Rimaud, said that the horses, all of them culled from the stock of the late Jean-Luc Lagardere, which the Aga Khan bought in 2005, would leave Fabre's Chantilly stable this week and be distributed among Alain de Royer-Dupre, Guy Henrot, and Jean-Claude Rouget.

Good Ba Ba and Viva Pataca will go head to head at Sha Tin on Sunday in the $1 million Stewards Cup, a one-mile Hong Kong Group 1 contest that serves as the first leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown for older horses.

The winner of the Hong Kong Mile on Dec. 9 over a classy international field that included Creachadoir and Darjina, Good Ba Ba is in search of his third consecutive victory for trainer Andreas Schutz and will be piloted by regular rider Olivier Doleuze.

The owner of Colonial Downs has put the Virginia racetrack and its nine offtrack betting facilities up for sale, citing the inability to offer casino-type gambling at the track.

Jacobs Entertainment, which is based in Golden, Colo., and owns several small gambling operations in Colorado, Nevada, and Louisiana, announced this week that it had hired Libra Securities to take offers for the properties. Colonial Downs, which opened in 1997, is located in New Kent, Va.

NEW YORK - The World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, recognized throughout the world save North America as the definitive ordering of Thoroughbred meritocracy, threw up the usual number of surprises when revealed this past Tuesday.

While arguing with Manduro's selection as the highest-rated horse in the world would be a risky project in light of his perfect season, with Group 1 victories at a mile, 1 1/8 miles, and 1 1/4 miles, plus a Group 2 score at 1 1/2 miles, there is plenty of room for debate below the champion's rating of 131.

Happy Boy looked like the second coming of the Darley Arabian at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night, as the 5-year-old Brazilian-bred gray cruised to a nine-length victory in Round 1 of the Group 3, $200,000 Maktoum Challenge.

Manduro was declared the world Thoroughbred champion of 2007 on Tuesday as he was awarded a highweight rating of 131 in the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings by a global panel of handicappers.

Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin and Epsom Derby winner Authorized tied for the world 3-year-old title at 129, and the undefeated New Approach was named European juvenile champ with a rating of 126.

Jorge Ricardo became the first jockey in history to ride 10,000 winners on Wednesday when he rode five horses to victory at San Isidro Racecourse near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ricardo set the mark in the 11th race on the card, the Premio Le Exima, a 5 1/2-furlong dirt allowance in which he rode Membresia to a half-length victory.

George Moore, one of the greatest jockeys in Australian racing history, died in Sydney on Tuesday at the age of 84.

The winner of 119 Group 1 races, an Australian record, Moore won five AJC Derbies, two Victoria Derbies, two Cox Plates, and two Golden Slippers. In two stints in Europe, he won the 1959 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Saint Crespin and the French Derby on Charlottesville in 1960. In 1967 he won both the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby aboard Royal Palace, as well as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on Busted and the 1000 Guineas aboard Fleet.