French fillies Tigertail, second in the E.P. Taylor, and Ana Marie, runner-up in the Nassau Stakes, will test the mettle of some of Japan's best fillies and mares in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup at Kyoto on Sunday.

Dalakhani has been named named the 2003 Cartier Racing Awards Horse of the Year. His owner, the Aga Khan, was to received the prize at the annual Cartier Awards dinner in London on Wednesday night.

The brilliant winner of both the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby), Dalakhani was also heralded as Cartier's champion 3-year-old colt by a 568-379 margin over Epsom Derby/King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes winner Alamshar in the complicated Cartier voting system.

Six American-trained horses, led by Breeders' Cup Turf dead-heat winner Johar, have accepted invitations for Japan Cup Weekend in Tokyo.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Johar heads four Americans in the Grade 1, $4.3 million Japan Cup, a 1 1/2-mile turf race scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 30. He will be joined by last year's Japan Cup runner-up, Sarafan, as well as the Manhattan Handicap winner, Denon, and Man o' War runner-up, Slew Valley.

Trainer David Smaga celebrated his first Group 1 victory in 9 1/2 years when Voix du Nord revealed great reserves of stamina to win the Criterium de Saint-Cloud in France on Saturday.

The Criterium de Saint-Cloud is the only Group 1 juvenile race of the European season to be run over the extreme distance of 1 1/4 miles, and, once English challenger Top Seed set a strong pace, it was apparent that the winner would have to be a very strong stayer.

NEW YORK - The British Horseracing Board, in conjunction with the European Pattern Race Committee, has just pulled off a coupe de course designed to stem the flow of fillies and mares from Europe, and especially England, to the United States.

Michael Kinane has resigned as the rider for Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle yard to continue his riding career as a freelancer. The announcement, made on Friday afternoon, was to take effect on Saturday.

On Saturday, Magritte will attempt to give Aidan O'Brien his third straight victory in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

At 1 1/4 miles, the $171,000 contest for juvenile colts and fillies will be a severe test of stamina in boglike conditions.

Magritte was the handy winner of a Tipperary maiden race in his debut, but was only third of four in American Post's Racing Post Trophy. He could be vulnerable to more experienced rivals.

Makybe Diva, a 5-year-old mare trained by David Hall, won the 143rd running of the $3.2 million Melbourne Cup Handicap on Tuesday before a record crowd of 122,736 at Flemington Racecourse.

Ridden by Greg Boss, the 7-1 shot rallied in traffic to lead approaching the furlong marker to defeat another 5-year-old mare, She's Archie, by 1-1/4 lengths with the Alan Jarvis-trained British invader and highweight Jardines Lookout three lengths further back in third. The time for the two miles on good ground was 3:19.90.

Mamool could become the first British-trained winner of Australia's biggest race, the Group 1 Tooheys New Melbourne Cup, after he drew well, in post 11, for the two-mile handicap at Flemington Race Course in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Mamool, the prerace favorite, is one of four Northern Hemisphere-trained horses in a 24-runner field for a race that has twice been won by Irish raiders - in 1993 by Vintage Crop and in 2002 by Media Puzzle. Trained in England by Saeed bin Suroor for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation, Mamool will carry co-highweight of 122 pounds.

Godolphin has brought leading British juvenile filly Carry on Katie and promising middle-distance horse Doyen on board for its 2004 season.