Jockey Yuichi Fukunaga, who is scheduled to begin riding in Southern California in early July for two months, won his first Grade 1 race of 2012 in Sunday’s $2.6 million Yasuda Kinen aboard Strong Return at Tokyo Racecourse.

Fukunaga, the leading rider in 2011 and this season at Japan Racing Association tracks, rode Strong Return to a neck victory over Grand Prix Boss in the one-mile turf race. Strong Return was second by a neck in the 2011 Yasuda Kinen.

The 20-starter Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby, gave every indication of basically being unfathomable, and that proved to be the case, as little-known Saonois scored an upset victory in a roughly run edition of the Group 1 race Sunday at Chantilly.
 
Saonois, a French-bred son of Chichicastanengo trained by J. P. Gauvain, muscled between horses in deep stretch under Antoine Hamelin to win by three-quarters of a length. Godolphin’s Saint Baudolino came home second, a head better than Nutello, who in turn beat well-regarded Kesampour by a nose.

Was, considered one of trainer Aidan O’Brien’s lesser 3-year-old fillies, pulled a 20-1 upset in Friday’s English Oaks at Epsom Downs, holding off a sustained threat from Shirocco Star to win by a neck.

The Fugue, the 11-4 favorite, could only finish third in the field of 12 after racing in traffic early in the race over 1 1/2 miles on turf.

In all honesty, it appeared all Camelot had to do to win the Epsom Derby was show up and run his race. The competition this year looked weak, Camelot strong. But Camelot did more than merely go through the motions. Rating beautifully near the back of a short field under 19-year-old Joseph O’Brien, Camelot found a gear in the final quarter-mile of the race that none of his eight rivals could dream of hitting, and he powered home to a five-length victory on Saturday, giving Aidan O’Brien his first Derby win in 10 years.

A day after the Epsom Derby in England was to run with Camelot as an overwhelming favorite in a short field, the Prix du Jockey Club, or French Derby, presents an entirely different look, with 20 horses, none of them anything like an apparent standout, set to face the starter on Sunday at Chantilly.

The Group 1 Coronation Cup, a race with a rich history, typically is run on Friday, Oaks Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse, but in 2012, because of the Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the race has moved to Saturday, Epsom Derby Day. And that shift is perfectly fitting, since most in the European racing realm have all but crowned Camelot the winner of the Group 1 Epsom Derby before the race is even run.

Maybe, only third as the favorite in the English 1000 Guineas on May 6 in her first start of 2012, is one of six runners trained by Aidan O’Brien in Friday’s Group 1 English Oaks at Epsom Downs.

Maybe, a filly by Galileo, won four stakes in England and Ireland last year, including the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on Aug. 28, her final start of the season.

In the English 1000 Guineas, Maybe was beaten 10 lengths by stablemate Homecoming Queen.

Black Caviar, the undefeated Australian sprinter, will not face the unbeaten miler Frankel in England this summer, a spokesman for trainer Peter Moody said on Monday.

Jeff O’Connor, speaking on behalf of Moody, was quoted in a press release issued in England saying that Black Caviar will not run in the Sussex Stakes over a mile at Goodwood Racecourse on Aug. 1.

There was widespread speculation earlier this year that Black Caviar, a winner of 21 races, would start in the Sussex, which is expected to include the European star miler Frankel, who is unbeaten in 10 starts.

The stallion Deep Impact continued his domination of the Japanese classics this spring when the colts Deep Brillante and Tosen Homareboshi finished first and third in Sunday’s $3.9 million Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse.

On May 20, the Deep Impact fillies Gentildonna and Verxina finished first and second in the Japanese Oaks. Gentildonna won the Japanese 1000 Guineas in April.

Golden Lilac’s 4-year-old debut Sunday at Longchamp in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan produced a three-quarters length victory over top-class Cirrus des Aigles and pointed the filly out as one of the best middle-distance runners in Europe.