Top American turf racing, France's preview weekend for the Oct. 5 Arc de Triomphe program and the new season in Hong Kong highlight a weekend of horse racing.

Fort Washington, shown winning the Grade I Arlington Million at Colonial Downs, returns in the $2.5 million Kentucky Downs Turf Cup on Saturday, a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race. Photo by Coady Media, courtesy of Colonial Downs UPI Lennilu, shown winning the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park, is the favorite in Sunday's $1 million Untapable Stakes at Kentucky Downs after third-place finish at Royal Ascot. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Park UPI Hong Kong's Horse of the Year, Ka Ying Rising and champion jockey Zac Purton prepare Thursday 4 for their season-opening race Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club UPI

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Another big weekend of turf racing is on tap in North America, featuring a clutch of multimillion-dollar races at Kentucky Downs and added action at Del Mar and at Colonial Downs in Virginia.

Del Mar also has top West Coast 2-year-olds looking to make a case for spots in the Breeders' Cup Future Stars program on Oct. 31.

It's Arc preview weekend in France, Hong Kong is back in action, England has the Group 1 Sprint Cup, and Australia, Germany, Korea and Turkey also join in the fun.

Off we go.

Turf

Saturday's $2.5 million Grade II Kentucky Downs Turf Cup, a "Win and You're In" for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, has a talented of 11 with no real standouts. The 1-2 finishers from last month's Grade I Arlington Million at Colonial Downs, Fort Washington and Grand Sonata, are among the better-fancied.

World Beater is the solid morning-line favorite in Saturday's $500,000 Grade III Old Dominion Derby at Colonial Downs. In his last two starts, the Oscar Performance colt finished second in the Grade I Belmont Derby and won the Grade I Saratoga Derby.

Also: Saturday's $150,000 Colonial Cup at Colonial Downs and Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III HPIBet Singspiel Stakes at Woodbine.

Filly & Mare Turf

Miwa, a runaway winner early in the meeting, runs back against some mightier foes in Saturday's $2 million Grade III Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon Invitational. Among them are South African import Beach Bomb, German-bred Spanish Eyes and lightly raced, but promising, No Mo Candy.

Also: Medoro and Gimme a Nother top the hit parade for Saturday's $250,000 Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar, and Evershed and Will Then are the morning-line picks in Saturday's $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks field at Colonial Downs.

Already in the books: Pharoah's Wine rallied six-wide to catch pacesetting Sparkle Blue and win Thursday's $500,000 Mint One Dreamer Stakes at Kentucky Downs by 1 1/2 lengths.

Turf Mile

New Century cuts back to the mile distance for Saturday's $2 million Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs against what seems a slightly easier bunch. Namaron, formerly raced in Germany, but now is owned by Hronis Racing, ships in from his new training base at Del Mar.

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Older steeds go in Saturday's $2.5 million Grade III Mint Millions Invitational at Kentucky Downs, and a more competitive field would be hard to imagine.

Turf Sprint

Saturday's $2 million Grade I Franklin-Simpson Stakes for 3-year-olds at Kentucky Downs drew 16 nominations for 12 spots, so check the scratches on race day.

Saturday's $2 million Grade II Music City for 3-year-old fillies at Kentucky Downs has some interesting contenders, including Kilwin, winner of last year's Untapable Stakes over the course at the same 6 1/2 furlongs. She also won the Grade I Test at Saratoga in her last.

Witty and Alogon are 1-2 in the oddsmaker's estimation for Saturday's $150,000 Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs.

Classic

Brad Cox sends Texas Derby winner Instant Replay from his Churchill Downs base in search of victory in Saturday's $250,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.

Juvenile Fillies

Saturday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Debutante has seven entries with Explora and Himika the morning-line picks. Both are trained by Bob Baffert, who also has Bottle of Rouge in the field. Himika is 2-for-2 with a victory in the Grade III Sorrento in her last.

Saturday's $100,000 Desert Vixen Division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park is for state-bred fillies, but we always watch this series because it continues to turn out quality competitors.

Juvenile Fillies Turf

Lennilu is the 7-5 favorite on the morning line in an overflow field for Sunday's $1 million Untapable Stakes at Kentucky Downs. The Leinster filly, trained by Patrick Biancone, earned a trip to Royal Ascot with a victory in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park. She finished third in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Ascot.

Saturday's $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf has a field of 13 with La Ville Lumiere as the lukewarm 7-2 favorite.

Juvenile

Sunday's $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Futurity has a field of six, four of them from the Baffert barn and two trained by Doug O'Neill.

Saturday's $100,000 Dr. Fager Division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park. See the Juvenile Fillies section.

Juvenile Turf

Street Beast is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 for Sunday's $1 million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile.

Sunday's $100,000 Grade III Del Mar Juvenile Turf has 15 entries, among them Plutarch, a rare turf runner from Baffert's barn.

Saturday's $125,000 Kitten's Joy at Colonial Downs has seven colts to go 1 1/16 miles and looks like a program-stabber.

Juvenile Turf Sprint

Rogue Legend, third in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Gulfstream Park import Fear top the morning line in a field of 10 entered for Saturday's $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes at Colonial Downs. It's 5 1/2 furlongs.

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Around the world, around the clock

Hong Kong

Sunday's HKSAR Chief Executive Stakes kicks off the 2025-26 season stakes schedule at Sha Tin Racecourse with the reigning Horse of the Year, Ka Ying Rising, the heavy favorite. Ka Ying Rising seeks his lucky 13th straight win in a prep for a trip to Australia for the Group 1 The Everest.

England

Saturday's Group 1 Sprint Cup at Haydock has a field of 17, topped in the antepost wagering by Lazzat. The 4-year-old Territories gelding won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Cup at Royal Ascot and was second to long shot Sajir in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest in his last start.

He also finished a good fourth in the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile last December. He's one of three in the Sprint Cup for Wathnan Racing.

France

Sunday's Arc Preview Weekend at Longchamp features four significant races. The Group 2 Prix Foy, the Group 1 Prix Vermille for fillies and mares and the Group 2 Prix Niel for 3-year-olds are all at the Arc distance of 2,400 meters. The Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is contested at 1,600 meters.

The races certainly are not definitive previews of the Arc or its attendant prestige races on the Friday program. Other runners will be coming and the potential for softer turf grows as the weeks go by. Still, the results can't be ignored and some hopefuls likely will fail this test and be eliminated from the final exam.

Australia

Saturday's Group 1 Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley is a 1,000-meter test for sprint specialists looking for a shot at the riches of the Group 1 The Everest or the Group 1 Manikato. Some of the likely ones this year will be racing first-up, complicating handicapping.

Germany

Godolphin's Rebel's Romance is 4-for-4 in German Group 1 races and tries to go one better in his first start in Baden-Baden Sunday in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden. He faces Goliath, Dubai Honor and other heavyweights.

Korea

Saturday's Group 3 Korea Cup and Group 3 Korea Cup Sprint at Seoul are both "Win and You're In" events for the Breeders' Cup program. Iowa-bred and Hong Kong-based Chancheng Glory is entered in the Korea Cup.

Turkey

Sunday's Group 3 Topkapi Trophy at 1,600 meters and Group 3 Bosphorus Cup at 2,400 meters are the highlight of Turkey's racing season.