A pair of Group 3 winners, Spirit One and Makaan, hold a decided edge at Saint-Cloud on Sunday in the $317,000 Criterium International, a Group 1 mile for 2-year-old colts and fillies.

Spirit One is making a belated run for European juvenile honors. He followed an eight-length cakewalk in the listed one-mile Criterium du Fonds European de l'Elevage at Deauville on Aug. 19 with an equally impressive six-length score in the one-mile Prix des Chenes at Longchamp on Sept. 16. Dominique Boeuf retains the ride.

The $2.1 million, 1 1/4-mile Autumn Tenno Sho at Tokyo on Sunday will be without the star quality of either Deep Impact or Heart's Cry, but Dance in the Mood and Daiwa Major are more-than-capable understudies in this first leg of Japan's fall triple crown for older horses.

NEW YORK - In a changing world it is dangerous to stand still, as someone is liable to sneak up from behind and knock you off your perch.

The Group 1, $2.4 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday will feature the Australian debuts of two horses well familiar to American racegoers in Honor in War and Grey Swallow, but the trainer David Hayes, who won last Saturday's Caulfield Cup with Tawqeet, may have an ace up his sleeve in the Australian 1000 Guineas winner Miss Finland.

George Washington will run in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4 and will be ridden by Michael Kinane, trainer Aidan O'Brien said Sunday.

The decision, made by the Coolmore braintrust, means that the Classic will feature three of the four highest-rated horses in the world: George Washington, Bernardini, and Lava Man.

Those three, along with Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Rail Link, sit atop the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities's list of the world's leading horses through Oct. 6, with mutual ratings of 127.

Heavy ground played havoc with the result of the Racing Post Trophy at Newbury on Saturday as the 25-1 Authorized led home a parade of longshots in the Group 1, $310,000 one-mile turf race for 2-year-olds.

Well behind in 13th at the halfway point on the rain-soaked course, the Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained Authorized rallied under Frankie Dettori to defeat the 33-1 Charlie Farnsbarns by 1 1/4 lengths, with the 20-1 Medicine Path third, another two lengths back. The Aidan O'Brien-trained 3-5 favorite Eagle Mountain was fourth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths. The winner's time was 1:43.74.

Tawqeet earned the role as favorite for the Melbourne Cup Handicap with a victory at 22-1 in the Group 1, $1.9 million Caulfield Cup Handicap at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia on Saturday.

Tawqeet and rider Dwayne Dunn overcame trouble at the top of the stretch, where Dunn had to steady Tawqeet and angle him inward for a run that produced a neck victory over Aqua d'Amore. Delta Blues, one of two Japanese invaders trained by Katsuhiko Sumii, was a neck further behind in third in the 1 1/2-mile race.

Meisho Samson will attempt to become Japan's second successive Triple Crown winner Sunday when he faces 17 rivals in the 1 7/8-mile, $2.28 million Kikuka Sho, or Japanese St. Leger.

While not as sensational as last year's Japanese Triple Crown champion, Deep Impact, Meisho Samson usually manages to get the job done. Trained by Tsutomo Setoguchi, he won the 1o1/4-mile Japanese 2000 Guineas by a half-length from Dream Passport on April 16, then landed the 1 1/2-mile Japanese Derby by a neck from Admire Main on May 28.

Sergeant Cecil heads a high-class renewal of the $315,000 Prix Royal-Oak, or French St. Leger, at Longchamp on Sunday, when 11 proven stayers will line up for the 1 15/16-mile Group 1 contest.

Japanese champion Deep Impact has tested positive for the banned substance ipratropium following a routine drug test after his third-place finish in the Oct. 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.