The French 2-year-old season got under way in earnest at Maisons-Laffitte on Thursday as won the listed, $66,000 Prix La Fleche. In keeping with the normal precocity of French fillies at this time of year, it was the sixth time in the last 10 years that a member of her sex had won the 5 1/2-furlong dash. A French-bred daughter of Statue of Liberty and Miss America, she will appropriately make her next start on the fourth of July back at Maisons-Laffitte in the Group 3 Prix du Bois.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. − The $1.2 million in prize money is safely tucked away, at least the portion that has not been spent in celebration since late March, when Kinsale King traveled from California to Dubai to win the $2 million Golden Shaheen Sprint.

That doesn't mean the party has stopped for owner Patrick Sheehy and trainer Carl O'Callaghan. All they have done is shift the event to a new venue. Earlier this week, Kinsale King was back on an airplane for another international destination, this time England for the Group 1 Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot next Saturday, June 19.

Americans at Royal Ascot will be well represented Tuesday when Wesley Ward and Ken McPeek have horses running on opening day of the Royal Meeting, which will be kick started by a glittering renewal of the Queen Anne Stakes.

Distorted Humor is certainly the stallion of the moment. Just two days after his 3-year-old son Drosselmeyer landed the Belmont Stakes, Radharcnafarraige, an Irish-bred 2-year-old daughter of the Kentucky-based WinStar Farm sire won the $120,000, Group 3 Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint Stakes at Naas on Monday, thus earning herself a place in the Albany Stakes lineup at Royal Ascot next week.

Lope de Vega proved a carbon copy of his sire, Shamardal, at Chantilly on Sunday as he followed up on his victory in the French 2000 Guineas with an impressive triumph in the $1.8 million Prix du Jockey-Club, or French Derby.

Breaking wide from post 20 in the overflow field of 23, he was busted out of the gate by Maxime Guyon to track the fast early pace of longshot rabbit Vivre Libre, led a half-mile form home, went quickly clear, and was eased down near the line to defeat the 4.80-1 second choice, Prix de Noailles winner Planteur, by three lengths.

The Japanese home team held off a three-pronged Hong Kong invasion at Tokyo on Sunday as the 12.90-1 Showa Modern won the Grade 1, $2.1 million Yasuda Kinen, setting a stakes record of 1:31.70 for the mile on firm ground to break the 2003 mark of 1:32.10 set by Agnes Digital.

Rated in midpack by his rider, Hiroki Goto, the winning 6-year-old son of Air Jihad rallied to defeat Super Hornet by a half-length, with Smile Jack a head further back in third. The three Hong Kong raiders - Sight Winner, Fellowship, and Beauty Flash - finished fifth, ninth, and 11th, respectively.

On a day of record setting performances in Europe, Dalgahr cracked the track mark for seven furlongs at Longchamp with an impressive tally in the Group 3, $95,000 Prix du Palais-Royal. Ridden by Christophe Lemaire, the Anabaa 4-year-old tracked the fast pace of eventual runner-up Colonial, led just inside the three-eighths pole and ran on to a 2 1/2-length victory as the 11-10 favorite, stopping the clock at 1:17.40 on good ground.

An astonishing performance by the largely untried but fast improving Workforce electrified the crowd at Epsom on Saturday as the Michael Stoute-trained son of King's Best romped to a seven-length triumph in the $2.1 million Epsom Derby, setting a track record for 1 1/2 miles.

Finding the winner of the $1.8 million Prix du Jockey-Club, or French Derby, at Chantilly on Sunday was made even more difficult Thursday, when France-Galop officials waived the safety rule limiting the field to 20 runners.

As "a sporting gesture" to owners whose horses might have missed the cut, the field for the 1 5/16-mile, Group 1 classic was opened to any of the 25 horses who remained in the race at the four-day entry stage. Sunday's field will have 23 horses, the largest French Derby field since Magister beat 27 rivals in 1942.

There are no standouts in Sunday's $2.1 million Yasuda Kinen, a Grade 1 mile at Tokyo that was won the last two years by Vodka and in 2007 by Daiwa Major. A year earlier the race fell to Hong Kong invader Bullish Luck, and without a major hometown candidate, this year's running could go to one of the three Hong Kong raiders.