Prince Gibraltar in his final start at age 2 and first race at 3 looked like the best French horse of his generation, an impression he can confirm Sunday at Chantilly in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club.

Prince Gibraltar finished third in his debut last September but has since won three straight races by a combined 9 1/2 lengths, and after capturing the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud by five lengths last November, he impressively mowed down four foes on May 3 in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe in his 3-year-old debut and trial for the Prix du Jockey Club.

In April, Nuovo Record was caught in the final strides of the Grade 1 Japanese 1000 Guineas by Harp Star, losing the classic race by a neck. In Sunday’s $2,204,393 Japanese Oaks at Tokyo Racecourse, Nuovo Record held off a late challenge from the heavily favored Harp Star to win the first stakes of her career.

Ridden by Yasanuri Iwata, Nuovo Record (8-1) won by a neck after taking the lead with a furlong remaining in the race over 1 1/2 miles on turf. Harp Star, the 3-10 favorite, finished a neck in front of 15-1 Bounce Shasse in the field of 18 3-year-old fillies.

Cirrus des Aigles won for the first time in a $9,000 race on Jan. 29, 2009 at the Cagnes-sur-mer racecourse in the south of France. What a road he has since traveled.

Now 8, Cirrus des Aigles won for the 20^th time on Sunday at Longchamp, leading from start to finish and capturing the Prix d’Ispahan by 1 1/2 lengths over Anodin.

Kingman, the beaten favorite when second May 3 in the English 2000 Guineas, made amends with his first classic win in Saturday’s $376,188 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh.

Ridden by James Doyle, Kingman (4-5) closed from fourth in a field of 11 to win by a comfortable five lengths over 7-1 Shifting Power, the pacesetter and another English import. Mustajeeb (4-1) stalked the pace but could not keep up with Kingman in the final furlong.

Harp Star, who rallied from last in a field of 18 to win the Japanese 1000 Guineas at Hanshin Racecourse in April, will be favored to win her third consecutive stakes in Sunday’s $2,204,393 Japanese Oaks at Tokyo Racecourse.

Harp Star, by Deep Impact, is part of a field of 18 in the Grade 1 Japanese Oaks, run over 1 1/2 miles on turf. Trained by Hiroyoshi Matsuda, Harp Star will be ridden by regular jockey Yuga Kawada, who was aboard for the win in the Japanese 1000 Guineas and the filly’s first start of the year, the Group 3 Tulip Sho in March.

There is Group 1 racing in Ireland both Saturday and Sunday, but the big European race of the weekend is the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan on Sunday at Longchamp, in which Olympic Glory ships from England to face the ageless French gelding Cirrus des Aigles.

Heavily favored Olympic Glory easily won his 4-year-old debut in the Group 1 J.T. Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in England on Saturday, as Verrazano, making his turf debut and first start for trainer Aidan O’Brien, finished a creditable third.

Haskell Stakes winner Verrazano’s first start in Europe comes in an ambitious spot, the Group 1 J.T. Lockinge Stakes on Saturday at Newbury in England.

The Coolmore ownership group initially announced Verrazano would be retired to stud following his 3-year-old campaign, but instead he was shipped from trainer Todd Pletcher to Aidan O’Brien in Ireland to prepare for a European grass campaign. The Lockinge, which is contested over one mile, will be Verrazano’s first race on grass.

Mikki Isle led throughout Sunday’s $1,883,693 NHK Mile for 3-year-old colts and fillies at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan, the colt’s fifth consecutive win and first in a Grade 1 stakes.

Mikki Isle was timed in 1:33.20, finishing a neck in front of the 113-1 Tagano Burg. Kings of the Sun, a 77-1 shot, was third in the field of 18.  The first seven finishers were separated by a length.

The favored Karakontie added the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) to his Group 1 tally in the Jean-Luc Lagardere last fall, outlasting Prestige Vendome by a neck to win the French classic on Sunday at Longchamp.