Royal Ascot premieres its glittering new $350 million state-of-the-art grandstand on Tuesday in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and an expected crowd of more than 50,000. The $1.6 million opening-day card starts a five-day, 30-race program worth $6,780,250, or an average of $226,000 per race.

Owner Gary Tanaka goes in search of an Italian classic double at San Siro in Milan on Sunday when his Rising Cross faces 15 rivals in the $550,000 Group 1 Oaks d'Italia.

Tanaka won the Derby Italiano with his French-trained Gentlewave in Rome on May 21 and now seeks the 1 3/8-mile Oaks with the British-trained Rising Cross. Trained by John Best in Kent, Rising Cross will have regular rider George Baker in the saddle. Tanaka bought Rising Cross, a Cape Cross filly, after her second-place finish to the runaway Alexandrova in the English Oaks on June 2.

Confidential Lady ended the undefeated record of the favored Germance at Chantilly on Sunday, overcoming a troubled trip for a 1 1/2-length victory in the $1 million Prix de Diane, or French Oaks.

Trapped on the rail entering the three-furlong stretch, Confidential Lady was angled out by jockey Seb Sanders for a clear run, of which she took utmost advantage, speeding to the line in 2:05.90, equaling the stakes record set in 1985 by Lypharita and within 0.1 of a second of the track mark for 1 1/4 miles, set by Darsi in last Sunday's Prix du Jockey-Club.

Germance will put her perfect record on the line at Chantilly on Sunday when she takes on 15 fellow 3-year-old fillies in the $1 million Prix de Diane, or French Oaks.

A Kentucky-bred daughter of Silver Hawk trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, Germance has prepped with victories in the Group 3 Prix Penelope at the Diane distance of 1 5/16 miles and in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary at 1 1/4 miles. In both cases she beat Sanaya and Alix Road, and while those two will try her again on Sunday, neither is likely to be third-time lucky.

Japanese females Dance in the Mood and Asahi Rising are headed to California for Hollywood Park's big invitational turf races over the Fourth of July weekend, the Japan Racing Association announced Friday.

What the Aga Khan and jockey Christophe Soumillon failed to achieve in Saturday's Epsom Derby with Visindar, they accomplished in Sunday's Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly as the unheralded Darsi prevailed to win the French Derby.

What the Aga Khan and Christophe Soumillon failed to achieve in Saturday's Epsom Derby with Visindar, they accomplished in Sunday's Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly as the unheralded Darsi prevailed to win the French Derby.

Bullish Luck hit a big triple at Tokyo on Sunday as his victory in the $1.85 million Yasuda Kinen gave him the Asian Mile Challenge title and, along with it, a $1 million bonus.

Added to the Yasuda Kinen's first-prize of $913,000, the Hong Kong invader had himself a $1,913,000 payday in the Grade 1 mile in which he swept to victory by 2-1/2 lengths over last year's winner Asakusa Den'en.

Jockey Martin Dwyer brought Sir Percy up the rail with a scintillating late run to win the $2.35 million Epsom Derby in a blanket four-horse finish Saturday in a race that saw the breakdown of Horatio Nelson, who was later euthanized.

Dance in the Mood puts her international credentials on the line in the $1.73 million Yasuda Kinen at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday when she faces 17 rivals in the Grade 1 mile, among them the dangerous Hong Kong raider Bullish Luck.

The winner of the Japanese 1000 Guineas in 2004, when she also finished second in the American Oaks at Hollywood Park, Dance in the Mood finally returned to the winner's circle on May 14 in the Victoria Cup, a Group 1 mile for fillies and mares.