In a country like Ireland, one would be forgiven for assuming that the European champion 2-year-old must be trained by Aidan O'Brien for a combination of Coolmore owners consisting of John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and/or Derrick Smith.

Asiatic Boy upheld the fine record of Argentine-breds in the Group 3 UAE 2000 Guineas at Nad Al Sheba on Friday night as he sped to a 4 1/2-length victory over Traffic Guard in the $250,000 mile.

Kandidate threw his hat into the Dubai World Cup ring with a clear-cut victory in Round 2 of the $200,000 Maktoum Challenge at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night.

Ridden by the 2006 British champion jockey, Ryan Moore, Kandidate bounced out of the gate from a disadvantageous 12 post and never looked back, trouncing runner-up Mullins Bay by 5 3/4 lengths and covering the 1 1/8 miles of the Group 3 contest in 1:49.40.

Imperialista, the Brazilian-bred winner of Round 1 of the Maktoum Challenge on Jan. 18, will try to notch Round 2 of the Challenge at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night. A Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old, Imperialista will be sporting new colors for a new trainer in the 1 1/8-mile, Group 3, $200,000 contest.

Jorge Ricardo is the world's new all-time winningest jockey. The 45-year-old Brazilian scored the 9,591st victory of his career at the Hipodromo Argentino in Palermo, Buenos Aires, on Monday evening to move one ahead of Russell Baze, who was sidelined after cracking a rib at Golden Gate Fields last week.

Scintillation spoiled Silent Witness's farewell party at Sha Tin on Sunday with a near wire-to-wire victory in the Group 1, $576,000 Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup.

Under a cool-as-a-cucumber ride from Eric Saint-Martin, Scintillation, a 6-year-old son of Danehill, led after one furlong of the straight five-furlong dash and had no trouble holding safe the late challenge of the Hong Kong Sprint winner, Absolute Champion, by three-quarters of a length, as Silent Witness faded to

Russell Baze, racing's all-time winning jockey, faces losing his title, at least temporarily, to perennial Brazilian champion Jorge Ricardo.

With Baze out of action for at least a week after breaking a rib Sunday at Golden Gate Fields, Ricardo, now based in Argentina, is taking full advantage. On Wednesday at San Isidro, just north of Buenos Aires, the 45-year-old Brazilian rode six winners to bring his total to 9,585. A win at the Hipodromo Argentino in Buenos Aires on Thursday put Ricardo at 9,586, just four behind the 48-year-old Baze.

Silent Witness, Hong Kong's most popular horse, will make the final start of his storied career at Sha Tin on Sunday. Victory in the Group 1, $576,000 Centenary Sprint Cup will not come easy, though, as he is faced with a stern challenge from the recent Hong Kong Sprint winner, Absolute Champion.

The winner of his first 17 races in Hong Kong, including eight Group 1's, Silent Witness has suffered eight losses in a row since notching his ninth Group 1 triumph in the Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama, Japan, on Oct. 2, 2005.

Formal Decree came from last to first to nip Ace and Oracle West on the line in a thrilling renewal of the Group 3, $200,000 Al Rashidiya at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday night as he extended his winning streak to three.

Con Collins, the oldest and longest-serving trainer in Ireland, died in Dublin on Tuesday at the age of 82, according to published reports.

Active since 1952, he trained his first winner, Hallelujah, for Ireland's former U.S. ambassador George Garrett at Gowran Park that same year. His biggest victory came in 1984 with Princess Pati in the Irish Oaks. Other big-race winners included Sandy Creek in the 1978 Observer Gold Cup (now the Racing Post Trophy), and Chelsea Rose in the 2004 Moyglare Stud Stakes.