Rory McIlroy has dismissed a report that he was on the verge of a shock move to LIV Golf.

London financial paper City AM reported at the weekend that McIlroy, who has been among the staunchest critics of the Saudi-funded breakaway, could be about to jump ship in a deal worth USD850million (£680million).

McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty told the Irish Independent the report was “fake news” and the world number two was asked about the claim ahead of this week’s RBC Heritage.

“I honestly don’t know how these things get started,” McIlroy said in an interview with Golf Channel which he subsequently posted on his official account on X, formerly Twitter.

“I’ve never been offered a number from LIV and I’ve never contemplated going to LIV.

“I think I’ve made it clear over the past two years that I don’t think it’s something for me.

“Doesn’t mean that I judge people that went and played over there, I think one of the things that I’ve realised over the past two years is people can make their own decisions for whatever they think is best for themselves and who are we to judge them for that?

“But personally for me my future is here on the PGA Tour and it’s never been any different.”

Asked if he knew where the rumour had originated, McIlroy said: “No, no idea.

“Jeez, I think over the last two years there’s been so many rumours of guys… and I think the one thing I’ve realised as well is guys need to keep an open mind and I’m sure there’s been players who are still playing on the PGA Tour that have talked to the guys from LIV and had offers and whatever.

“But I have no idea. It’s never even been a conversation for us and it’s one of those things.

“It’s unfortunate we have to deal with it and this is the state that our game’s in but I’m obviously here today, playing this PGA Tour event and I will play the PGA Tour for the rest of my career.”

Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to the match court with victory over Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the Barcelona Open.

The 37-year-old was playing just his second tournament in 15 months after suffering another injury problem in his hip muscle at his comeback event in Brisbane in January.

Nadal only committed to playing at the tournament he has won 12 times on Monday but there was not much rust on display as he eased to a 6-2 6-3 victory over 21-year-old Italian Cobolli in his first match on clay since he won his 14th French Open title in 2022.

Nadal received a hero’s welcome as he strode out onto the court that bears his name and, although there were a few loose forehands in the early stages, the former world number one was too solid for Cobolli.

Cobolli understandably looked nervous and contributed to the scoreline with far too many errors, but a big factor in that was the pressure being exerted from the other end of the court.

A blip came when Nadal, who is set to retire at some point this season, played a poor game to drop serve for the first time in the third game of the second set but he had already broken Cobolli and quickly restored his advantage.

There were some vintage forehands from Nadal in the final stages and he clinched victory when Cobolli netted a final backhand, thrusting his fist into the air.

The home favourite faces a real test next, though, when he takes on in-form fourth seed Alex De Minaur.

Meanwhile, second seed Andrey Rublev destroyed his racket at the end of a 6-4 7-6 (6) defeat by Brandon Nakashima that continued his poor run of form.

Kikkuli ensured a notable family line and famous silks returned to the winner’s enclosure by claiming the Alex Scott Maiden Stakes at Newmarket in promising fashion.

The Harry Charlton colt, who is a half-brother of the great Frankel, shed his maiden tag with a gutsy performance during the seven-furlong contest in the green and pink colours of Juddmonte Farms in the hands of Ryan Moore.

He was placed in midfield for much of the race, where Manhattan Mirage flew into a huge lead but quickly weakened, before Moore found a gap for Kikkuli to power through.

Market leader Creative Story threatened to spoil the party by getting his nose in front at one point, but Kikkuli fought back to regain the lead and prevailed by a neck at 5-2, as he built on his encouraging debut last year with his first success.

“It’s wonderful to have him in the yard, but it comes with a little bit of added pressure. It means a lot to the family and a lot to racing,” Charlton told RacingTV about training Frankel’s half-sibling.

“We were hopeful we would see a similar performance to last year with that finish and I think with that final furlong, we saw that strength come through.

“There’s no immediate plan. Ryan said there is something in there but bide your time, he will be even better next year. No grand plans immediately but Ryan was hopeful we will get there one day.”

Ten Bob Tony (7-1) produced a fine one-length success in the bet365 EBF Conditions Stakes to complete a quickfire double for Ed Walker.

The three-year-old contested the lead with Bold Style on the near rail before the challenger moved two lengths clear. Ten Bob Tony then clawed back the advantage with two furlongs to go, as odds-on favourite Boiling Point made headway to try and dispute.

Roger Varian’s colt got to within half a length of the leading pair before jockey Tom Marquand judged the ride perfectly for Ten Bob Tony to finish strongly.

Walker hinted at a tilt at the Qipco 2000 Guineas, where his charge is now priced at 40-1 from 100-1 with Betfair and Paddy Power.

“He just showed a great attitude there, didn’t he?” Walker said. “Tom gave him a perfect ride and got the fractions right, and he hit the line really well.

“I think it has to be (targeting the 2000 Guineas). First horse for a new owner and the dream’s alive – and I think it has to be if he comes out of it well. He loves the track, so why not?”

Walker’s first triumph of the day came through 20-1 shot Hafeet Alain, who literally got his nose in front when it mattered most to land the Mutasaabeq New For 2024 Handicap.

Jockey Saffie Osborne was off the bridle with three furlongs left as Hafeet Alain swooped to the outside and started to gain on the challengers, getting ahead of Majestic inside the final 200 metres.

He battled gamely to move clear but Dutch Decoy was powering home and was a touch unlucky to be beaten by a nose, with Daysofourlives and Theoryofeverything close behind in third and fourth respectively.

“He’s a star,” Walker said of Hafeet Alain. “Last season, he had a great season and he just loves his racing, he is so game. He’s such a game horse, he’s a legend. A real yard favourite.”

Arran ensured Paul and Oliver Cole remained unbeaten with their juveniles so far this season by claiming the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes.

The colt – sired by Havana Grey – grabbed the early lead, which he never relinquished.

He held off a late charge from The Actor to win by a neck at 6-1 for the Coles’ second success with two-year-old runners this campaign. Hallasan, who is by multiple Group One winner Pinatubo and went off as market leader, finished in third.

Hugo Palmer got his first winner on the turf this season as Watcha Matey powered to a two-and-a-quarter-length victory in the JRA Handicap.

The three-year-old was prominent throughout the mile contest and did not panic when the aptly-named Crown Estate hit the front three furlongs out in the Royal colours.

However, that runner quickly weakened, leaving Watcha Matey, The Camden Colt and The Ice Phoenix battling for the lead in the closing stages, before the eventual winner kicked on for a convincing triumph.

Tees Spirit (10-1) ran out a good winner under the guidance of Mia Nicholls in the It’s Never Ordinary At bet365 Handicap.

The six-year-old, who had placed just once since his last win in August 2022, established an early lead on the far rail and was three lengths clear by the time they hit the halfway mark in the five-furlong race.

He weakened and drifted inside late on, but still crossed the line one and three-quarter lengths ahead of the strong-finishing Navello.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly unlikely to play when the Milwaukee Bucks open the NBA play-offs.

The Bucks expect to be without Antetokounmpo for the start of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Tuesday.

The two-time league MVP will continue to go through treatment on his left calf strain, and the team remains hopeful he'll be able to take the court at some point during the series against the sixth-seeded Pacers.

Game 1 tips off Sunday in Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo missed the final three games of the regular season after he strained his left calf in the third quarter of Milwaukee's 104-91 win over the NBA-best Boston Celtics on April 9.

It was a non-contact injury for Antetokounmpo, who was heading up the court when he awkwardly went down grabbing his left calf.

An MRI later confirmed it was a calf strain.

The eight-time All-Star is coming off another outstanding season, ranking second in the NBA in scoring with an average of 30.4 points per game and sixth in rebounding at 11.5 boards per game.

The Bucks lost two of the final three games of the season with Antetokounmpo injured to slip from second place in the Eastern Conference to the third seed.

On the season, the Bucks went 4-5 in games he missed and 45-28 in games he played.

Making matters even more difficult for Milwaukee is the Pacers went 4-1 against the Bucks in the 2023-24 regular season.

Daryl Jacob will not return to action for the end of the jumps season as he continues to recover from a broken collarbone.

The jockey, who is one of the most experienced in the weighing room, fell along with Henry Daly’s Moon Hunter in late March and incurred the injury.

He has since had to sit out as horses owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, to whom he is a retained rider, have gone on to win in his absence.

That absence will last a little longer than initially thought and Jacob will not be able to return to the saddle before the season is out.

He told sportinglife.com: “Because of the nature of the break, and where it is, I need to go back (to the specialist) again in three weeks.

“The injury is healing but is going to take a little longer than I originally hoped.

“I’ve been working hard in the gym to try and get ready but now I need to have a quiet week and then get going again.

“It’s frustrating but I’m going to give it all the time it needs and will be raring to go once I’ve been given the green light.”

Last season’s Cambridgeshire hero Astro King returns to headquarters to contest the bet365 Earl Of Sefton Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.

The seven-year-old enjoyed a hugely productive 2023 campaign for Daniel and Claire Kubler, with a nose defeat in the John Smith’s Cup followed by lucrative wins back at York and on the Rowley Mile.

Astro King has since enjoyed winter trips to the Middle East, running with credit in both the Bahrain International Trophy and the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia, and connections are looking forward to seeing him return to competitive action on home soil.

Claire Kubler said: “It’s obviously the same course and distance as the Cambridgeshire and it will be nice to get him back there, he’s in good form.

“It was a big ask to travel abroad, but he ran a great race in Bahrain, he was just a bit unlucky with the draw and got stuck against the rail. There was lots of promise there and we’re looking forward to another good campaign with him this year.

“It will be interesting to see how he runs, I just wonder what the ground will be like. The way it’s drying out, it might just be a bit holding, which is not ideal, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Karl Burke has declared Royal Rhyme to make his first appearance since finishing fifth in last season’s Qipco Champion Stakes, but his participation is far from certain due to the drying ground.

“He’s in good shape, but I’d be a bit worried about the ground and if we’re not happy with it, he’s a possible non-runner,” said the Spigot Lodge handler.

“If it goes on the firm side, he definitely wouldn’t run and really, to be at his best, he wants a bit of soft ground.”

Charlie Appleby and William Buick have teamed up to win the last two renewals of the Earl Of Sefton, with Master Of The Seas and Ottoman Fleet, and the latter returns to headquarters to defend his crown.

The five-year-old has enjoyed a productive winter campaign in Dubai, placing at Group Two and Group One level before failing to fire in the Group Two Singspiel Stakes on his most recent start in February.

“Ottoman Fleet put up a couple of decent runs in Dubai and we gave him a nice break since he disappointed slightly in the Singspiel Stakes,” Appleby said on the Godolphin website.

“He has freshened up again and we know that he runs well at the track. Some ease in the ground won’t do him any harm.”

Other contenders include Roger Varian’s Embesto, who dead-heated for victory in the Group Three Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury last summer, and Sir Michael Stoute’s admirable veteran Regal Reality.

Ryan Moore, who rides Regal Reality, told Betfair: “He has run some good races when fresh in the past and hopefully the ground remains decent for him, though he has winning form with a bit of dig, too.

“As a nine-year-old, he has to give a few years to all of his rivals and he would be vulnerable to an improver like Royal Rhyme, but he has run some very good races on this track, including when a narrow second in the Joel Stakes here in September. He is among the form horses here on that run.”

Paddy Twomey looks set to have no less than three runners in the Irish 1,000 Guineas as his yard is well-stocked with promising fillies.

The unbeaten A Lilac Rolla is the horse most recently seen from the trio, winning the Group Three Priory Belle at Leopardstown ahead of Natalia Lupini’s Kitty Rose when starting her campaign on heavy ground.

That run followed a juvenile season in which she was two from two, winning on debut at Cork and then taking a Curragh contest ahead of subsequent Newtownanner Stud Stakes and Prix Marcel Boussac winner Opera Singer.

“I was very happy with how she did it in the Guineas trial the other day at Leopardstown, she had two good runs last year and she backed that up,” Twomey said of the filly.

The trainer now considers the Irish 1,000 Guineas to be the right Classic for the bay and she is likely to head there instead of the English edition at Newmarket.

“I’d say the Irish 1,000 Guineas is the race she’ll go for next, she’s entered there and she’s not entered in Newmarket,” he said.

“She won the other day in spite of the ground I would say, she’s got form last year where she beat Opera Singer on pretty quick ground and then she’s won on heavy ground, so she’s pretty versatile.

“She’s a classy filly and every time she’s started a race, she’s done exactly what we thought she would do.

“The two fillies pulled away the other day and she had every chance to curl up, Natalia’s filly was very good on the day but she put her head down and the two of them passed the line well clear of the field. She was brave to win.”

Joining A Lilac Rolla in the race is likely to be Purple Lily, the winner of a Galway maiden last season and impressive when taking the TRM Equine Nutrition Race by three lengths at Naas on her first start this year.

As she is lightly raced, Twomey would like to take his time and target the Irish 1,000 Guineas, which is three weeks later than the Newmarket contest.

“Purple Lily is an exciting filly, she went to Galway ready to run and was impressive I thought,” he said.

“She did everything back to front and still won, I was keen to run her back this season in a winners’ race as opposed to a Stakes after having just one run as a two-year-old.

“She’s a filly that came from the breeze-ups, she’s a big, strong filly, so I wasn’t in a hurry to give her another run.

“We decided that she’d go to Naas and take on the colts, as I thought she might be fit to do it, and you’d have to be very happy with what she did on the day in the ground against highly-rated colts. She was impressive.

“She will go for an Irish Guineas and not an English Guineas, and she’s a filly that will stay 10 furlongs in time. She’s very exciting.

“I’d like to get another run into her of some description but she could go straight to the Guineas now.”

Finally, there is One Look, another real prospect who commanded a great deal of respect when running away with the Goffs Million by six lengths on her only start as a two-year-old.

Naturally, she was a very warm order when making her debut at three at Cork and she did not disappoint, winning by three lengths on heavy ground over seven furlongs.

She too is on the path to the Irish 1,000 Guineas, with either the Athasi Stakes or the Cornelscourt Stakes the probable port of call along the way.

Twomey said: “One Look won the Goffs Million last year, I didn’t feel like running her again after that. To go to the race in September and to win as impressively as she did, if you give her a month after winning, you were into November and there’s not really anywhere to go.

“I was keen then this year to run her in a winners’ race rather than going straight to a Stakes, she had her one day at the races and she won very impressively, but it all happened quickly and I wanted her to have some more education.

“We took her to Cork ready to run, the ground wasn’t what we’d be looking for but she did what we hoped she’d do. She was the 1-20 favourite and my first runner on the day had been beaten, so I wasn’t feeling great about it! But she went and did it, it was a good educational day out for her.

“My thinking now is that she won’t go to Newmarket, I think she’ll stay in Ireland and either go to the Athasi Stakes or more likely the Cornelscourt Stakes at Leopardstown, with a view to going to the Irish Guineas.

“I feel that I’d like to educate her a bit more along the way, I don’t want to land her into an English Guineas just now. Those are the two races I would run her in if she is going to run before the Irish Guineas and the preference would be the three-year-old only race (Cornelscourt).

“I think she needs faster ground. I know that it wasn’t fast the day she won the Goffs Million but the way she accelerated on that slightly softer ground, I think she’ll get a mile and I think that she’ll get further than a mile, she’s light on her feet and she’s athletic and I think fast ground would be a real plus for her.

“She’s one that I would hope will progress all year, I’m just not in a hurry to rush off to England and give her a grueller. I would like to take the next step with her career in mind.”

Britain’s oldest professional jockey Jimmy Quinn has confirmed his intention to continue riding until the end of the season, having initially planned to announce his retirement at Newmarket on Tuesday.

The 56-year-old has enjoyed multiple big-race victories during a 40-year career, most notably making the most of his light weight when coming in for the ride aboard John Best’s rapid two-year-old Kingsgate Native, who provided him with a first Group One victory in the 2007 Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

With the Charlie Hills-trained Bodorgan his only booked ride at this year’s Craven meeting, Quinn felt the time had come to call it a day, but he has now been persuaded to carry on for the rest of the year.

“It (licence) runs out today and word got out on the street pretty quick (regarding the planned retirement),” he told Racing TV.

“I got a few phone calls, positive ones from senior riders and other people riding, and one of them said ‘why are you packing up at the start of the season, why not ride for a bit longer in the summer?’

“I’m going to reapply for my licence again and ride until probably the end of the season on the turf and then say thank you very much.

“I’ve had a lot of support over the years and I’ve had a few good phone calls to say keep going with it. I have no weight issues, I’m pretty fit and ride out every day.

“Even if I get 20 rides between now and then, it’s 20 rides. I enjoy it a lot still, it’s a great job and it keeps you young. It keeps you active and gives you something to aim at every day.”

In Excelsis Deo will not be winning out of turn if he can belatedly open his account for the season in the Matt Hampson Foundation Silver Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

Although winless since making a successful British and chasing debut for Harry Fry at Hereford in December 2022, the JP McManus-owned six-year-old has run several good races in defeat and his trainer feels he is due a change of fortune.

Placed on his first two starts of the current campaign at Cheltenham, the Saddex gelding may well have secured top honours on his next appearance at Sandown but for unseating Jonathan Burke at the final fence.

He then did well to finish as close as he did when fifth at the Cheltenham Festival last month after being hampered by a faller four fences from home.

Fry feels In Excelsis Deo has more than enough ability to claim victory in Wednesday’s Grade Two feature if getting the rub of the green.

“He bumped into Madara in December, who then went and won at the Dublin Racing Festival, and we obviously unseated when with every chance at the last at Sandown on his next run,” said the trainer.

“I think it’s fair to say he hasn’t necessarily had luck on his side or the rub of the green this season, but he’s been running well in defeat and, with a bit of luck in running, hopefully he won’t be too far away in this.

“Hopefully he can put it all together and he’ll be in there with every chance.”

The title-chasing pair of Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls are both represented in the £70,000 contest, with Skelton saddling Sail Away and Nicholls running course-and-distance winner Il Ridoto.

Sail Away returns to handicap company after finishing last of four in the Grade One Ascot Chase, while Il Ridoto has been placed in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, the December Gold Cup and on Festival Trials day at Cheltenham this season, but could finish only eighth in the Plate on his latest visit.

“He’s a standing dish at Cheltenham and usually runs very well in these two-and-a-half-mile handicaps,” Nicholls told Betfair.

“It didn’t quite happen for him last time at the Festival, when he was towards the rear in the early stages before staying on at the finish. He has his chance, but is probably still on a stiff enough handicap mark.”

Scarface has won three of his last four starts over fences for Joe Tizzard and faces a rise in class.

Tizzard said: “He’s done nothing wrong and we were tempted to wait for Sandown next week, but the forecast is drying out all the time and we thought we’d have a go here.

“It’s a step up, but he’s in cracking form and he’s on the upgrade.”

Katie Taylor is relishing “the rematch the world has waited to see” after it was announced she will defend her status as undisputed world light-welterweight champion against Amanda Serrano on July 20.

The rivals made history as the first female fighters to headline at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden two years ago, with Taylor prevailing by split decision in an all-action lightweight contest.

A return bout will take place at 140lbs as the co-main event to Jake Paul v Mike Tyson at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium being broadcast by Netflix, which has more than 260million paid memberships globally.

It is set to be the third live sports event shown by the streaming giant following a celebrity golf event last November and a tennis exhibition between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in March.

“This is the rematch the world has wanted to see and I’m delighted that it’s finally happening,” the 37-year-old Taylor said.

“The first fight in New York was obviously an epic occasion and it more than lived up to the billing, and I’m sure the rematch will be no different.”

Taylor captured the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight titles in November by outpointing Chantelle Cameron, who handed the Irish fighter her first professional defeat six months earlier.

Serrano, who has won world titles in seven weight divisions, stepped back down to featherweight after losing to Taylor and has won all four fights since then.

She was the undisputed world champion at the 126lbs weight limit but elected to vacate her WBC crown to fight 12 three-minute rounds – the men’s championship standard – against Danila Ramos last year.

But the Puerto Rican, who has 46 wins – 30 inside the distance – two defeats and one draw in her decorated professional career, will drop back down to 10 two-minute rounds to face Taylor (23-1, 6KOs).

“I promised my fans they would see this rematch after we made history at MSG,” the 35-year-old Serrano said.

“It feels like a dream come true to know that Katie and I are finally making it happen on the biggest stage possible to show the world what elite women’s boxing is all about.

“While my focus continues to be on giving women the choice to fight with the same rules as men, I’ve always said that this is the one fight I’d go back to 10×2 for, if that’s what Katie wanted.

“I’m coming for her belts, she wants 10×2, so that’s what we will do. I believe I won our first fight, but I didn’t get the decision, so this time I’m not leaving it to the judges.”

Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott have been included in Team GB’s 33-strong swimming squad for this summer’s Olympics.

Peaty secured his spot at Paris 2024 at the British Championships earlier this month and will be gunning for a third successive gold medal in his signature men’s 100 metres breaststroke event.

He set the fastest time for 2024 in the discipline at the British trials after a turbulent past couple of years in which he has struggled with injuries and a much-publicised battle with his mental health.

“I’m thrilled to have made my third Olympic team,” Peaty said. “It’s always amazing to be part of Team GB, but with it being so close to home in Paris this summer, and us having more home fans there supporting us, it’s even more exciting.”

Scott, who became the first Briton to win four medals at a single Games at Tokyo 2020, also booked his passage by winning the men’s 200m individual medley and finishing as runner-up to Matt Richards in the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle events in London a couple of weeks ago.

Richards aims to break Scott’s record and become the first Briton to win five medals at one Games and has been chosen, as has Tom Dean although the double Olympic champion will almost certainly not defend the men’s 200m freestyle title he won in Tokyo after failing to get a top-two spot in the British trials.

Freya Colbert and Oliver Morgan are among 10 swimmers who will make their Olympic debuts, while Freya Anderson has been selected despite missing out on automatic qualification after contracting glandular fever at the start of the year.

Team GB won a record eight medals in the pool in Tokyo, surpassing their previous best of seven from the 1908 Games.

“Team GB has a proud tradition in Olympic swimming competitions, and I am delighted to welcome all 33 athletes to the team for Paris 2024,” said Team GB chef de mission Mark England.

“The strength and depth of our pool swimming team was evident to see at the recent Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, and along with the 10 swimmers making their debut for Team GB it is fantastic to welcome back seven Olympic Champions and nine Olympic medallists.

“I have no doubt the thrilling races we saw at the British Championships last week will be equally close fought.”

Roger Varian’s True Cyan will be put to the test in the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.

The grey is a daughter of No Nay Never and the smart mare Realtra, a multiple Group winner who was also trained at Carlburg Stables by Varian.

True Cyan has run once to date, competing in a seven-furlong maiden on the Rowley Mile last September and prevailing by a length and a half.

She now returns to the same course and distance but at Group Three level to test her credentials in the Nell Gwynn, a race that can often serve as a trial to the various 1000 Guineas contests in Europe.

“She won her maiden well on the same track last autumn, we’re really on a mission to find out where we might go with her and what we might do this season,” said Chris Wall, racing manager to owner Shaikh Khalid’s KHK Racing organisation.

“It looks a good opportunity to do that, it’s a competitive race and depending on how we run, we’ll know what we’re going to do in the future.

“She’s wintered well, she’s been training satisfactorily, we’re hopeful of a positive effort and then we’ll take it from there.”

There are proven Group performers in the race in Matrika and Dance Sequence and those horses will act as good yardsticks for True Cyan as connections seek to understand her calibre.

“If you’re going to be stakes class, you’ll have to be up there competing with them – and if not, we’ll have to go down another route with her,” Wall said.

“We’ll see, we’ll know a lot more after her run tomorrow but she’s done everything in the right way and has been training nicely, we’re hoping for a nice run.”

Godolphin and Charlie Appleby’s Dance Sequence heads the market at present.

A winner of a July Course maiden last summer, the Dubawi filly then contested the Oh So Sharp over the Nell Gwyn course and distance and prevailed again.

That latter run was at Group Three level and the three-year-old now returns to start her season at the same grade.

“Dance Sequence has done very well over the winter,” Appleby said on the Godolphin website.

“She has already won over the course and distance in the Oh So Sharp Stakes and looks the one to beat again.”

Aidan O’Brien is represented in the race by Matrika, another daughter of No Nay Never who steps up to seven furlongs having last been seen winning the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh.

Prior to that, she won her maiden and was second in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot when coming home a length behind subsequent Cheveley Park heroine Porta Fortuna.

Ryan Moore takes the ride and told Betfair: “Dance Sequence has looked pretty good in winning in both her starts, including the Oh So Sharp Stakes, but I don’t think my filly is far behind her, if at all.

“Her only defeat came in the Albany at Royal Ascot, when second to the subsequent Cheveley Park winner and Breeders’ Cup runner-up Porta Fortuna, and she did it well for me in a Group Two at the Curragh subsequently.

“We didn’t see her after that win in July but the fact that she is here speaks for itself, Aidan has his horses in very good nick and, while she has plenty of speed, I’d have thought she will get the extra furlong here OK.

“But there are a few promising horses in this, and this certainly isn’t a straight match between us and the Godolphin horse, for all Dance Sequence is the hot favourite in here, I see.”

Elsewhere in the race is John and Thady Gosden’s Spiritual, fourth in the Rockfel on her last outing of 2023, with Richard Fahey’s Dubawi filly Pretty Crystal entered after collecting a Group Three placing last term.

A new £3million funding initiative will aim to help develop more players and coaches from across the British Isles ahead of the first British and Irish Lions Women’s tour in 2027.

The Lions will play three Tests against world champions New Zealand during September 2027 and are also expected to have warm-up fixtures against provincial sides.

Among the challenges facing the historic tour is England’s clear superiority over the other unions, which has seen the Red Roses dominate the Six Nations – with Saturday’s 46-0 victory over Scotland in Edinburgh stretching their overall winning run in the tournament to 27 matches.

Backed by the Lions Women’s team founding partner Royal London, the £3m ‘Levelling the Playing Field’ pathways funding grant will be utilised in tailored plans for each union to best match their needs.

The Irish Rugby Football Union has decided to use the funding to host additional women’s under-18 and under-20 camps and training matches to accelerate player development as well as developing a ‘Coach Accelerator Scholarship Program’ and working with universities to identify future talent.

The Welsh Rugby Union will strengthen its women’s pathway coaching staff with five new members, including a performance pathway coach and specialist skills coach. The WRU will also invest in talent identification programmes, and initiatives to engage Welsh qualified talent based outside of the nation.

Scottish Rugby is set to recruit two ‘Performance Pipeline’ coaches and will deliver additional youth camps and training matches to accelerate development within the teams as well as hosting residential camps for a national academy.

The Rugby Football Union will use the grant to further develop England’s current player development groups, which will help increase the targeted skill development of players coming through the pathway.

It is hoped collaborative working and shared research and ideas will help develop playing standards and give the Lions Women’s squad the best chance of a successful tour to in New Zealand in three years’ time.

Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said: “Supporting the growth of the women’s game is a key strategic priority for the British and Irish Lions as it is for each of our constituent unions.

“Royal London’s ‘Levelling the Playing Field’ grant represents a significant investment into the women’s game in the four unions and will make a positive impact on women’s rugby.”