There was a flurry of activity around the world over the weekend. Let us begin with the Nijinsky Stakes, a Grade II turf race, run on a soft course at Woodbine on Sunday. Woodbine is in Toronto, Canada and offers thoroughbred and harness racing. There are two buildings. One caters to fans who like playing the slot machines and the other houses the betting windows and the dining room.

Rahy’s Attorney was the 9-5 favorite in the Nijinsky Stakes. Ridden by Slade Callahghan, Rahy’s Attorney, a five year-old son of Crown Attorney, tracked the pace-setting French Beret, struck the front with 800 metres to run, opened a big lead and coasted to the wire. Marchfield , late on the scene, took the runner-up berth. The winning margin was one and three quarter lengths. The 2000-metre race was run in 2 08.42. Champs Elysees, trying hard to reproduce the form that made him a terror in 2008, was a non-threatening third. The Nijinsky Stakes carried a purse of $313,297.

Ian Black, Rahy’s Attorney’s trainer, heaped praise on his trainee. “I’m in awe of this horse. He’s wonderful. He loves to race and to win. He has so much desire and a great mind. I am honored to be around him.”

Jockey Callaghan spoke. “My job was to get my horse to relax today. He runs well over soft turf. He has a heart like no other. You can’t ask for more.”

On Saturday, the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks was contested at Belmont Park. The purse was $300,000. Funny Moon, a daughter of Malibu Moon, Alan Garcia up, went from last to first in the final 400 metres. Funny Moon won by a neck from Don’t Forget Gil. Funny Moon clocked 2 02.44 for the 2000-metre race on the dirt. Christophe Clement trains Funny Moon who returned $17.20.

Jockey Alan Garcia commented on the ride. “At the 3/8 pole, she did not want to make the turn. She wanted to keep going straight. She was green. All the time I was hitting her, she was giving me more. She was much the best.”

On the West Coast at Del Mar in California, the Eddie Read Handicap was taken by Global Hunter, a 14-1 chance. Thorn Song was at the helm of affairs going into the first turn of the 1800-metre race on the grass and bolted and moved to the far right. Monterey Jazz, the even money choice, was racing second. Thorn Song’s antics seemed to spook Monterey Jazz who went into a long lead. Jockey Tyler Baze was unable to exercise control and ration Monterey Jazz’s speed. Global Hunter followed the leader and cut the margin down as the two took the final turn. The others were more out of it than in it. In the lane, in a matter of moments. Global Hunter forged ahead and the winner of the 2009 Eddie Read had been spotted. The leg weary Monterey Jazz stopped. Awesome Gem ran on to be the bridesmaid.

Global Hunter covered the 1800 metres in 1 46.24 and paid $30.20. Jockey Cory Nakatani referred to his optimism level and how Global Hunter’s run in the Hollywood Gold Cup had set him up for the Eddie Read. “I think his race in the Gold Cup set him up for this. He traveled great and ran real relaxed. He came running and that was that. I thought he would run a big one today and I rode him with confidence.”

On Sunday at Maisons-Laffitte in Paris, two races of some consequence were run. In the Group II Prix Eugene Adam for three year-olds, John Gosden’s Debussy made it all to win easily. Jimmy Fortune rode the Diesis colt, a property of Princess Haya of Jordan. Debussy, a flop in the Derby at Epsom and the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, was a 22-1 chance in the French tote but only 10-1 with the British bookmakers.

The Criquette Head-Marek-trained Special Duty, Stephen Pasquier up, beat back the bid of Siyouni, the odds on choice, in the Prix Robert Papin, a Group II event for freshman boys and girls. Special Duty, a maiden and the only filly in the field, was 8-1 in the tote. The Hennessy filly is owned by Khalid Abdullah. Siyouni, owned by the Aga Khan and trained by Alain Royer Dupre, was going for four in a row and was spoken of as one with high pretensions.

Trainer Head-Marek spoke about Special Duty’s next race. “She will now be aimed at the Prix Morny. Special Duty is a progressive type who could go on to better things.”

Let us switch our attention to the Curragh. On Sunday, the feature was the Group I 1200-metre Phoenix Stakes. The going was heavy but that did not deter Alfred Nobel, the winner of the Railway Stakes on Irish Derby day, from staging a scintillating rally to land the Group I race. John Murtagh rode the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt. Murtagh had Alfred Nobel, the 5-4 favorite, last in the eight-freshman field. Air Chief Marshal, Alfred Nobel’s stablemate, set a steady gallop. As the race took a serious turn, Walk On Bye, supplemented to the race at a cost of 22,500 euros, made a move to threaten momentarily and failed to sustain. Alfred Nobel came with a full head of steam and closed relentlessly. In the final 100 yards, Air Chief Marshal looked like a winner but Murtagh and Alfred Nobel found another gear.

Trainer O’Brien spoke about his colt’s special qualities. “He is a proper horse. He has an impressive change of gears. It was just a case if he could use them on that ground. Not many horses can do that and he looks a real good one.”

However, Sunday at the Curragh belonged to jockey Pat Shanahan. Jockey Shanahan won the 2 10 opener with Tovaria who was at 8-1. Shanahan won the 2 40 race with the 11-4 Arctic who made it all. The 3 10 race also was won by Pat Shanahan aboard the 7-2 Girouette.

The Group I Grosser Dallmayr-Preis-Bayerisches Zuchtrennan was run at Munich in Germany on Sunday. It was a 2000-metre race. Pressing, trained by Michael Jarvis and ridden by Neil Callan, was the 2-1 favorite and duly obliged. That was the seventh win in a Grade I race for the globe-trotting Pressing who has been a symbol of endurance.

Strike The Tiger holds the distinction of being the only US-trained runner to win in England. The Wesley Ward trainee, with John Velasquez, won the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. Strike The Tiger was 33-1 in the Windsor Castle. On Saturday at Colonial Downs in Kent, Virginia, (outside Washington DC) Strike The Tiger was the 12-10 favorite in a $50,000 race on grass over 1100 metres. Strike The Tiger won from the word ‘Go’ and was ridden by Ariel Smith.

The five-day meeting at Goodwood begins on Tuesday. It is called Glorious Goodwood. I vividly recall my visit to Goodwood in September 2007. Goodwood is breathtakingly beautiful. Ryan Moore is 11-10 to be the leading rider. Richard Hughes is 7-2. Jimmy Fortune is a 7-1 chance.

North Light, a Ballymacoll runner, won the Epsom Derby in 2004. Kieren Fallon rode. Fallon also won the Oaks in 2004 with Ouija Board. North Light’s baby won a race at Ellis Park on Saturday. Ellis Park is in Kentucky. Celtic New Year is out of Reggae, a Dynaformer mare.

Kieren Fallon is returning to the saddle. In several pronouncements, Fallon had given out Conduit in the King George. Take it for me, he does a lot better riding than tipping. At this moment, it is not known who Fallon will be riding for.