The 5-year-old mare Odeliz found herself in an unfamiliar spot leading Sunday in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville, and then she found herself in a place she’d never been before at all – the winner’s enclosure following a Group 1 race.

A 35-1 shot with English bookmakers, the England-based mare sprang a major surprise Sunday, traveling comfortably over very soft going that surely took several of her opponents out of their game and turning back a stern late-stretch challenge from Bawina, who might have poked her head in front before Odeliz pushed back.

Course experience worked in favor of Ajaya on Saturday, when the colt won the $339,445 Gimcrack Stakes for 2-year-olds at York Racecourse in England.

Finnegan, a maiden-race winner at Pimlico in May for trainer Wesley Ward, finished seventh of eight as the 11-4 favorite after setting the early pace in the Group 2 race at six furlongs on turf.

The American invader Acapulco was good but not quite good enough to win the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes on Friday at York, settling for second of 19 behind Mecca’s Angel after looming boldly a furlong from home.

The Nunthorpe, a five-furlong, straight-course dash, is open to horses ages 2 and up. A pair of 2-year-olds previously had won the race, and after Acapulco romped at Royal Ascot in the Queen Mary Stakes, trainer Wesley Ward, ever keen to take on new challenges, said he was pointing the strapping chestnut filly to the Nunthorpe.

A week of upsets in Group 1 races continued at York Racecourse in England on Thursday when Pleascach (8-1) outran 15-8 favorite Covert Love to win the $522,600 Yorkshire Oaks for fillies and mares.

Pleascach, ridden by Kevin Manning, finished a neck in front of Covert Love, who had a four-race winning streak end in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at 1 1/2 miles on turf. Sea Calisi, a 7-1 shot, finished third in the field of 11. Covert Love led in the final furlong, but could not hold off Pleascach.

Arabian Queen, a 44-1 shot in North American parimutuel betting, shocked the previously unbeaten Golden Horn on Wednesday in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York Racecourse, turning back the Epsom Derby winner by a head.

The four-race win streak Covert Love has compiled this year began in a modest maiden race on the all-weather surface at Chemlsford City, near London, in early May. The winning streak may be extended when Covert Love starts as the favorite in Thursday’s Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at York Racecourse in northern England.

In North America, Wednesday is just another sleepy midweek racing day, but on Wednesday in England, one of the most intriguing matchups of the season, Golden Horn vs. Gleneagles, is set to go down at York Racecourse in the Group 1 Juddmonte International.

Golden Horn is the unbeaten winner of the Epsom Derby still writing his place into racing history: If he were to win Wednesday and win again in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he’d be considered one of the best colts in recent memory.

Soft ground and the straight-course mile at Deauville bring out the best in Esoterique.

The 5-year-old mare won the Group 1 Prix Rothschild under those conditions Aug. 3, 2014, and subsequently lost five races in a row but was back in the winner’s circle Sunday after a convincing 1 1/2-length tally over the favored Territories in the Group 1 Prix Jacques Les Marois.

Karakontie makes his first start since an impressive upset win in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Mile last fall at Santa Anita when he starts Sunday at Deauville in the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois.

The Marois is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In race, the winner earning an expenses-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which Karakontie might well have as an autumn goal once again.

Amazing Maria confirmed her status as the leading female miler in Europe with a third consecutive major stakes win in Sunday’s $330,000 Prix Rothschild at Deauville Racecourse in France.

Ridden by Olivier Peslier, Amazing Maria, the 9-2 second choice of eight, closed from midpack to lead in the final sixteenth. The 4-year-old Amazing Maria finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of Ervedya, the even-money favorite. Ervedya, 3, was starting for the first time against older fillies and mares.