Al Wukair took the lead in the last stride of Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois for turf milers at Deauville Racecourse in France, prevailing in a three-horse photo for the first major win of his career.

Al Wukair (4-1) was always close to the front in a compact field of six, and won by a short head over 15-1 Inns of Court, giving trainer Andre Fabre a sweep of the first two positions.

Thunder Snow, the 8-5 favorite who set the pace, was beaten a short neck by Inns of Court, and was followed by Trais Flours, Tareef and Gold Luck.

Almanzor, Europe’s top-rated horse of 2016, will have his long-awaited 2017 debut against five overmatched rivals in Tuesday’s Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club at 1 1/4 miles at Deauville, France.

Almanzor was out of training earlier this year with a fever and physical issues, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget told the press. Intended comebacks in June or July were scrapped in favor of Tuesday’s $94,400 race.

Taareef takes a three-race winning streak into Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois for turf milers at Deauville Racecourse in France on Sunday.

His leading rival is a familiar foe - Al Wukair, a 3-year-old colt who was second to Taareef in the Group 3 Prix Messidor at Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse outside of Paris last month.

They are the two leading runners in a field of six in Sunday’s $827,960 race, which is formally known as Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le Buffard Jacques le Marois.

Brando won his first start outside of Great Britain, and his first Group 1, in Sunday’s $449,500 Prix Maurice de Gheest for sprinters at Deauville, France.

Bound for Nowhere, the Kentucky-based colt trained by Wesley Ward, finished 10th of 13 after racing near the front for the first half of the race at 6 1/2 furlongs on a straightaway turf course. Bound for Nowhere was a winner at Turfway Park and Keeneland earlier this year and fourth in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in June.

Bound for Nowhere had a rude introduction to European racing at Royal Ascot in June, finishing a troubled fourth in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-old sprinters.

Following that race, Bound for Nowhere was sent back to trainer Wesley Ward’s Kentucky base. He worked so well in July that Ward put the colt back on a plane for France last week, targeting Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf at Deauville Racecourse.

We shall see about the fall, but the spring and summer have revealed the 3-year-old filly Winter to be exceptional.

On Thursday at Goodwood, Winter won her fourth Group 1 race in a row, capturing the Nassau Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths over Blonde Me. The Nassau followed Group 1 wins in the English and Irish 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, and at just a few yards short of 1 1/4 miles, it was about a quarter-mile farther than Winter ever had raced.

Heavy rain Wednesday at Goodwood Racecourse in England turned the ground to mush. An hour before the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, the connections of star 3-year-old Churchill bowed out, but odds-on favorite Ribchester stayed in, and then went down to defeat, beaten by the unheralded 7-year-old Here Comes When.

Stradivarius, who won the Group 2 Queen’s Vase Stakes at Royal Ascot in June in his stakes debut, scored an upset in Tuesday’s Group 1, $686,800 Goodwood Cup at Goodwood Racecourse, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of 3-2 favorite Big Orange.

Big Orange won the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and won the Goodwood Cup in 2015 and 2016.

Stradivarius gave trainer John Gosden his second Group 1 win in four days. Saturday, the Gosden-trained Enable won the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

The 3-year-old filly Winter hasn’t raced in more than five weeks, but during her downtime, her stock has gone up, and she figures to be a solid favorite Thursday at Goodwood, where Winter meets older rivals for the first time while stretching out to 1 1/4 miles in the Group 1, $449,000 Nassau Stakes.

On a level playing field, Churchill would have scant chance to beat Ribchester on Wednesday at Goodwood Racecourse in the Group 1, $739,000 Sussex Stakes.

Ribchester, a fairly fully grown 4-year-old, is a horse at the height of his powers, the best miler in Europe right now. Churchill is a 3-year-old, lacking Ribchester’s maturity, who in his most recent start could only finish fourth against rivals his own age.

But by design, the playing field is not level.