Deep Impact looms a prohibitive favorite in the $2.25 million Spring Tenno Sho at Kyoto on Sunday, when even 17 rivals in the two-mile Grade 1 contest should not prevent his odds rising higher than 1-10.

Andre Fabre likely feels that the 1 5/16 miles of Sunday's $376,000 Prix Ganay at Longchamp is a little on the short side for his top horses, Shirocco and Hurricane Run, both 12-furlong specialists. In their place, he will saddle the likely favorite, Manduro, in the Ganay, the first European Group 1 race of the season.

Shirocco, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Turf, will make a cross-channel voyage to Newmarket for his 2006 debut on May 7 in the 1 1/2-mile Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes, his trainer, Andre Fabre, said Tuesday.

"Shirocco is due to go to Newmarket, and he is fine," said the Chantilly-based Fabre. "I am happy with him."

Shirocco, a 5-year-old German-bred, had also been nominated to Sunday's Prix Ganay at Longchamp, but perhaps Fabre felt that the 1 5/16 miles of that first Group 1 race of the European season was a bit on the short side.

Irridescence established herself as one of the world's leading racemares on Sunday as she led virtually throughout to win the $1.8 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin, holding off the late challenges of both Best Gift and Ouija Board.

Withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free on March 25 after getting hung up on Nad Al Sheba's paddock rails, Irridescence showed no signs of that mishap in Hong Kong with her determined performance in the Queen Elizabeth II, a 1 1/4-mile Group 1 event.

Andre Fabre's powerful stable of 3-year-olds suffered a slight setback on Sunday as the Nicolas Clement-trained Stormy River sprung a 10-1 upset in the $98,000 Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau, Longchamp's major course and distance prep for the French 2000 Guineas.

Irridescence established herself as one of the world's leading distaffers on Sunday as she led virtually throughout to win the $1.8 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin, holding off the late challenges of both Best Gift and Ouija Board.

Two females, Ouija Board and Irridescence, loom large in the $1.8 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Sunday at Sha Tin, where local hopes Viva Pataca and Russian Pearl have drawn unfortunately wide in the 1 1/4-mile Group 1 contest.

Two years ago, Barry Hills trained Haafhd to a Craven Stakes-2000 Guineas double. On May 6 Hills will attempt a repeat of that feat with Killybegs, the 3 1/2-length winner Thursday of the Group 3, $89,625 Craven over Newmarket's straight Rowley Mile.

Horatio Nelson's name was left off the five-day entries for Sunday's Group 3 Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown, raising the question of whether he will instead line up alongside his Aidan O'Brien-trained stablemate George Washington in the 2000 Guineas on May 6.

O'Brien had used the 1 1/4-mile Ballysax Stakes as a 3-year-old starting point for Galileo and High Chaparral, subsequent winners of the Epsom Derby, for which Horatio Nelson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite. O'Brien still has six of the 11 Ballysax nominees.

The British turf flat racing season got serious at Newmarket on Tuesday as Speciosa scored a 9-1 upset in the Group 3, $88,800 Nell Gwyn Stakes, a key prep for the 1000 Guineas.

Speciosa led throughout to win the Nell Gwyn by a length from Spinning Queen, with Salut d'Amour third and the 3-1 favorite, Sweet Travel, fourth, two lengths behind the winner. Speciosa covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.45 on good ground despite drifting sharply left through the last quarter.