Vengeance of Rain will try to get back on the winning track at Sha Tin on Saturday when he cuts back in distance for the Group 2, $385,000 International Mile Trial.

A New Zealand-bred 6-year-old trained by David Ferraris, Vengeance of Rain won the Dubai Sheema Classic going 1 1/2 miles in March but has been second in his last two starts, the 1 1/4-mile Hong Kong Gold Cup and the 1 1/2-mile Hong Kong Champions and Chater Cup. He was beaten both times by Viva Pataca, who last week won the International Cup Trial.

Dylan Thomas was named Cartier Horse of the Year in Europe on Wednesday night at the annual Cartier Awards dinner in London.

Dylan Thomas won four Group 1 races in 2007, including the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, but could manage only fifth on the soft ground in the Breeders' Cup Turf. A 4-year-old son of Danehill trained by Aidan O'Brien, he edged Manduro - who beat him in their only meeting, the Prince of Wales Stakes - for both Horse of the Year honors and the best older horse award.

Grand Couturier has been pulled out of the Japan Cup because of a leg injury, but Dylan Thomas has been confirmed as a starter in the $4.8 million, 1 1/2-mile turf race at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 25.

Trainer Robert Ribaudo announced the withdrawal of Grand Couturier, winner of the Sword Dancer Handicap, on Tuesday, one day before Dylan Thomas, winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, was booked to fly from Ireland to Japan in an effort to make up for his sixth-place finish at 9-10 in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

Louis Romanet, director general of France Galop and chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities will be the recipient of a special Sovereign Award this year, the Jockey Club of Canada announced Tuesday.

The award will be presented in recognition of Romanet's many years of service to the international racing and breeding industry.

Louis Romanet, who will retire as director general of France Galop on Dec. 31, will continue to serve as chairman of the international federation until October 2009.

Daiwa Scarlet led throughout at Kyoto on Sunday to make off with the Grade 1, $1.6 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, Japan's definitive filly and mare test. Her three-quarter-length victory as the odds-on favorite was made far easier by the scratch of the Japanese Derby winner Vodka. The time for the 1 3/8 miles on firm ground was 2:11.90.

Full of Gold rewarded the faith of owner Alex Head and his daughter, trainer Criquette Head-Maarek, on Sunday as he drew away to a two-length victory in the Group 1, $363,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Supplemented to the 1 1/4-mile juvenile race for $21,800, Full of Gold registered a two-length victory. Sent off at 2-1, he took the lead at the three-sixteenths pole under Thierry Gillet to defeat the 7-5 favorite Hannouma, with Putney Bridge third, a short neck farther back. The time on very soft ground was 2:18.10.

Sunday's 1 1/4-mile, $366,000 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, France's annual Group 1 foray into uncharted juvenile waters, should be a competitive affair in which the ability to handle soft ground will spell the difference.

The most accomplished entrants are Hannouma, the David Smaga-trained runner-up in the 1 1/8-mile Group 3 Prix de Conde, and Redolent, a Richard Hannon trainee who has been third to Thewayyouare in the one-mile Group 1 Criterium International and second to Ibn Khaldun, subsequent winner of the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy, in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes.

Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka renew their rivalry in the Grade 1, $1.7 million Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto on Sunday. A daughter of the Sunday Silence stallion Agnes Tachyon, Daiwa Scarlet defeated Vodka in both the Japanese 1000 Guineas in April and again last time out in the 1 1/4-mile Shuka Sho over the Queen Elizabeth course and distance.

The career of Dylan Thomas, a fifth-place flop in the Breeders' Cup Turf, may not be over yet, as his connections have tentatively accepted an invitation to run in the $4.6 million Japan Cup on Nov. 25, when he could clash with Americans Grand Couturier and Artiste Royale in Tokyo Racecourse's 1 1/2-mile, Grade 1 turf contest. Meanwhile, the red-hot Student Council is heading to Tokyo for the $2.4 million Japan Cup Dirt on Nov. 24.

Efficient denied British invader Purple Moon with a remarkable late run to land the spoils in the $4.7 million Melbourne Cup Handicap at Flemington on Tuesday.