As has become the norm in recent years, Yulimar Rojas dominated the triple jump competition as the Diamond League season resumed in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.
Fresh off her triumph at the World Championship triumph last week, the Venezuelan, a now four-time world champion, had jumps of 15.08 and 15.15, either of which would have comfortably secured victory against a stacked field that included world championship silver medalist Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of the Ukraine and Cuba’s Leyanis Perez-Hernandez, the bronze medalist.
However, it was Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts who claimed the runner-up spot on this occasion with her jump of 14.78m. The Jamaican had a second-round jump of 14.62. The 14.78m followed on her third attempt.
Meanwhile, Liadagmis Povea of Cuba, sixth at World’s, took third place with her third-round effort of 14.73m.
Ricketts remarked that it was almost redemptive to be able to finish second in Zurich after missing out on a medal in Budapest.
"It is outside of my control in terms of what happens on the day so all I have to do is to control the things I can control, which is to jump the best I can on that day. Of course, I was disappointed to come out fourth again in Budapest but coming here and finishing on the second place, it is like icing on the cake," she said.
"I just hope to keep building on this. I tried to get a lot of rest and hydration in between the two events as it was extremely hot in Hungary so I have been really focusing on recovery to make sure I can still focus on the rest of the season. Out here, the surface felt a bit different - I think that track was much faster there and I had to make a few adjustments in terms of the runway. But in overal, I think it was a good competition. You do not need to focus on beating anybody, just beating yourself. Because once you do your best, you will be satisfied with the result."
Perez-Hernandez was fourth with 14.62 with Dominica’s Thea LaFond, who produced a new national record of 14.90 in Budapest, finishing fifth with an effort of 14.42m.
Bekh-Romanchuk had four fouls with her one legal jump being 14.37, which placed her sixth.
Dawid Malan admitted his relief at making England’s provisional World Cup squad.
The Yorkshire batter struck a half-century in the seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first T20 on Wednesday.
Malan made 54 off 42 balls as England chased 140 with 36 deliveries to spare after pacemen Brydon Carse and Luke Wood took three wickets apiece to restrict the tourists to 139 for nine at Chester-le-Street.
With England having so much strength in depth these days, Malan was delighted to be in his country’s white-ball plans.
He said: “(It was) definitely relief, you look at the amount of depth we’ve got in English cricket, especially having sacrificed so many tournaments over the last couple of years to get in this World Cup squad, to get the call was extremely satisfying.
“I know there are people who’ve missed out and I have so much sympathy for them. From a personal point of view I was exceptionally pleased to get that call because I felt I’ve worked really hard to get in that squad.
“Every opportunity I’ve been given in 50 overs in my last four or five series I’ve gone and had to score the runs, doing it the tough way to get in there.
“Especially the top three, I know people compare me to Brooky (Harry Brook), but I bat top three and he bats four, five, six, so I don’t know where that comparison comes from.
“To be able to push for a place in that World Cup squad and get the call was extremely satisfying.”
England’s white-ball preparations for the World Cup continue after the New Zealand series with three ODIs against Ireland in September before flying out to India for the 50-over tournament which begins in October.
After his omission from the provisional World Cup squad, Harry Brook showed off his heavy hitting at the Riverside with 43 not out from 27 balls and Malan is determined to keep scoring in order to claim his spot for India.
“I think you always have to score runs when you play international cricket, especially when you have the depth we do here,” he added.
“It’s a provisional squad but from my understanding it’s up to us to score runs to stay in it.
“I think it would be tough, two weeks before we are flying, especially with people potentially resting for the Ireland series, to suddenly lose their place.
“But that is cricket and that’s the way life goes. Nothing is ever guaranteed until you stand on that plane.
“I try my best to score runs- that’s what I’m picked for, to score runs and win games. I am not there to please anyone, I’m there to score runs for Jos (Buttler) and (Matthew) Motty and contribute to wins.
“I feel like I have done that consistently over the last five or six years, whatever it is in white-ball cricket.”
Ollie Chessum knew from the reaction of his England’s team-mates that he had done some serious damage as his World Cup dream flashed before his eyes.
Chessum faced a battle to be fit for the tournament hosted by France when a “freak training accident” during the final week of the Six Nations left him needing surgery to repair a dislocated ankle.
It was a savage end to his season but England’s breakout star of the Championship had already done enough to convince boss Steve Borthwick that he should be given every chance to prove his fitness for the World Cup.
Now two matches into his comeback, the Leicester Tiger is set to join Maro Itoje in the second row for the crucial Pool D opener against Argentina on September 9.
“I got a tackle from behind and I got my foot caught. It was just a freak training accident,” Chessum said.
“Initially I just thought I’d rolled it, but as I rolled over and the lads were around me, I saw them all turn away and that’s when I knew I should probably have a quick look – and my foot wasn’t where it was supposed to be.
“When I first did the injury one of the first things I said to Freddie Steward was ‘that could be my World Cup’, and he said ‘don’t think like that’. I was quite emotional at the time.
“There have been days in the last five months where I’ve thought it doesn’t feel great, but getting back was always the goal.
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“We knew it was going to be close. I spoke to the surgeons and they said it would be four to six months and with no setbacks, that would be a semi-realistic goal.
“But then I had conversations with some of the physios and they said that they’ve had lads who have had similar injuries that have taken seven to nine months.
“I just cracked on with it. If it happened, it happened. And if it didn’t, it didn’t.
“It’s still not 100 per cent now. There is enough there that I can do what I need to and I can play rugby, but the likelihood is that for the next year or two I will need to look after it.”
Marco Silva admitted it is inevitable that bigger clubs will be interested in Fulham’s players in the wake of the club’s success last season, but would not be drawn on reports Joao Palhinha is set to join Bayern Munich.
Palhinha, who scored a late equaliser in last weekend’s draw against Arsenal, trained with the team on Thursday morning ahead of their trip to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Reports in Germany have claimed a deal has been agreed in principal between the player and the Bundesliga champions, but the west London club would not confirm the midfielder is about to be sold ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline.
Should Palhinha move to Germany, it would leave limited time to find a replacement for a player who was critical to the side’s successful first season back in the Premier League during the previous campaign.
He featured 35 times in the league as Fulham finished 10th and almost matched their top-flight points record.
Silva said the club had players in mind as possible replacements but would not commit to mentioning names, nor would he shed light on Palhinha’s future, beyond hinting that ultimately it would be decision made jointly from a financial and technical perspective.
“I won’t make any comments about the situation of Joao, there is nothing new to say to you,” he said.
“It’s the business part of the football club; the people that are taking care of that are doing their job, I’m doing my job as well to work for the football club. Anything can happen in the next 36 hours.
“We made a fantastic season. Of course, you receive some offers for the players. Probably it’s the first time this club are receiving so many offers and big offers for players. That means what we did, (is what) people are looking for.
“Now it’s up to us on the financial side to take decisions and in a technical point of view for me to decide if I receive the OK from the club.
“I will not mention players from other clubs. It doesn’t make sense really. If we expect to lose a player like Joao or I can mention other players who are really important for us, of course we should have a replacement be ready to come and help us because we are talking just two days (left) in the market.
“I’ve said in the last few weeks as well, we sold (Aleksandar) Mitrovic (to Al Hilal) and it’s difficult to replace in the striker position. I’m doing my job, it is (my job) to try to give solutions if the club decides to sell any player from our squad.
“We sold a number nine and it’s not easy to go for the number nine market. What I can promise our fans is that we will go for players if I feel they can be good additions for us and they can add something for our club and our squad.
“Signing players just to sign players for more numbers, we are not going to do, even if you’re short in numbers, like now.”
Fulham have been heavily linked with a move for Everton’s Alex Iwobi, who Silva previously signed when he was manager at Goodison Park.
Werder Bremen striker Niclas Fullkrug, who played for Germany at the World Cup in Qatar last year, has also been linked as the club seek a replacement for the departed Mitrovic, who scored 14 Premier League goals last season.
“If no one leaves our club; we have to add a left-back, another midfielder, another forward player,” said Silva. “It’s clear we need it in terms of depth and to be more competitive.
“I would like to have news for you because it would be good for me as a manager and for our fans because they know the reality as well.”
Silva also confirmed the club are trying to agree a new contract with Harrison Reed despite reported interest from Wolves for the midfielder.
“He’s an important player for us,” he said. “If he wasn’t important, he wouldn’t be playing almost all the games since I joined. We have to add players and not lose players right now.”
Lewis Hamilton said he has “unfinished business” after signing a new £100million contract to extend his Formula One career beyond his 40th birthday.
After months of negotiations, the seven-time world champion finally concluded a new two-year deal – understood to be worth £50m-a-season, a salary hike of £10m – at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
The announcement ends speculation surrounding the seven-time world champion’s future with his current deal up for renewal at the end of the season.
Hamilton’s extension – which draws him level with Max Verstappen as the grid’s highest earner – will take him to a month shy of his 41st birthday. It will also allow him to continue his pursuit of a record eighth crown.
Hamilton will still be partnered by George Russell after Mercedes also confirmed they 25-year-old’s stay for at least another two years.
“I have had such an incredible journey with Mercedes, and we still have unfinished business,” said Hamilton ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
“We want to get back to the top, and back to fighting for world championships. We are in this together.
“We have a lot of work to do, but there is nowhere else I would rather be. You are all stuck with me for a little bit longer.”
Hamilton has won a record 103 races, and was carried to six of his seven championships by Mercedes, but he has not tasted victory since the controversial Abu Dhabi decider of 2021 – a losing run of 36 races.
Hamilton is fourth in the championship, an eye-watering 183 points behind Verstappen, with Mercedes unable to challenge the Dutchman’s all-conquering team.
Verstappen has won 11 of the 13 rounds so far – with Red Bull unbeaten this season.
But Hamilton added: “It is not about revenge or redemption. Abu Dhabi is in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it.
“In life, you have ups and downs, and last year everyone was questioning whether they wanted to continue. But that thought quickly went away, and you put your mind and energy into being the best you can be.
“I truly believe we can win more world championships and more races together and that’s where all my energy is going.
“I’m not thinking that it’s going to take another four years to get to where we need to be. I’m aware that it does take time.
“But I’m so hopeful the decisions we are taking will put us in that target zone. In my heart I truly believe if it’s not next year it will be the year after that we can challenge.”
Hamilton, who made his F1 debut in 2007 aged 22, once scoffed at the idea of racing into his forties.
But after signing up for his 18th and 19th seasons, he revealed the careers of NFL star Tom Brady, who retired at the age of 45, and Fernando Alonso, who turned 42 last month, is proof he can continue to compete at the highest level.
“I definitely didn’t think I would get to the age that I am and feel the way I do, physically and mentally, and still love what I’m doing as much as I do,” he added. “That’s something I’m incredibly grateful for.
“I look at people like Tom Brady, who has been such an incredible athlete, and has shown what can be done today. He’s a role model in that respect.
“I’ve been fortunate in being able to speak to him and to understand what he has done and what he does consistently to keep himself in shape.
“It is also great seeing Fernando. He was here way before I was and is still doing an amazing job.
“It just shows that your talent never really leaves you so long as you have that passion and commitment to continue.”
Russell joined Hamilton at Mercedes in 2022, out-scoring his team-mate in their first season together.
He also claimed his maiden victory – Mercedes’ sole triumph of last year – at the penultimate round in Brazil.
“Lewis wouldn’t have stayed if he didn’t think the team was capable of winning again,” added Russell. “That reinforces the confidence that I have in the team.”
The Minnesota Vikings announced Thursday that they have reached an agreement with Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson on a multi-year contract extension that will reportedly make him the NFL's highest-paid tight end.
ESPN reports the deal has a total value of $68.5 million over four years and includes the largest amount of guaranteed money for a tight end at $42.5 million. The contract's average annual value of $17.125 million is also the highest ever at the position.
Hockenson, a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 and 2022, was entering the final season of a five-year, $29.2 million contract he signed as a rookie in 2019.
"He fits our culture, he’s the type of player that we want around here in Minnesota," Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Thursday at a press conference announcing the signing. "Really excited to get it done, a lot of late nights into this and we’re excited about that,"
Hockenson had missed the majority of training camp with an inner ear infection and a lower back injury, though head coach Kevin O' Connell said Thursday he expects the fifth-year pro to be ready for the Sept. 10 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 26-year-old was taken by the Detroit with the eighth overall pick of the 2019 draft and spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Lions before being traded to the NFC North rival Vikings on Nov. 1.
Hockenson fit in seamlessly with his new team, as his 60 receptions were the most by a Vikings player through his first 10 games with the team in franchise history. He added 519 receiving yards and three touchdowns while helping Minnesota capture its first division title since 2017.
The University of Iowa product's 2022 campaign was highlighted by a 179-yard, two-touchdown performance for Detroit against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 2 and a 13-catch, 109-yard, two-touchdown effort against the New York Giants on Dec. 24. Hockenson had another double-digit catch outing against the GIants in the NFC playoffs, as he finished with 10 receptions totalling 129 yards in Minnesota's 31-24 loss.
Hockenson ended the 2022 regular season second among NFL tight ends in receptions (86) and receiving yards (914), trailing only Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Travis Kelce in both categories while setting career highs in each.
Hockenson has recorded 60 or more receptions in three consecutive seasons and has compiled 246 catches, 2,587 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in 57 career regular-season games.
LGBT+ England fans could turn their backs on Jordan Henderson when he plays for his country in a symbolic response to the midfielder’s move to Saudi Arabia.
Henderson was included in the 26-man squad for the upcoming games with Ukraine and Scotland as England manager Southgate stuck with the 33-year-old despite his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.
Southgate does not believe Henderson will be jeered when he next turns out for England, despite the criticism he has faced for moving to Saudi Arabia after being a keen and vocal supporter of the Premier League’s ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign and also working alongside Liverpool’s official LGBT+ fan group.
And while Joe White, the co-chair of Pride in Football and founder of Three Lions Pride believes Henderson will not receive a hostile reception, his presence on the pitch could be greeted with a symbolic gesture “in the same way he turned his back on us”.
“It definitely will be a very muted atmosphere and, whilst he’s got presence in the squad, he will not have a presence in our banners that we take to games any more,” White told the PA news agency.
“I don’t think it will go hostile because ultimately we want England to do as well as possible but I do think that, say he came on as a substitute, where before there would be a lot of cheering, particularly from our group at Three Lions Pride, I think there will just be silence now .
“It may well be that there comes a joint message from the LGBT fans in the stadium who may well turn their backs on him coming onto the pitch in the same way he turned his back on us by going to Saudi.”
Speaking after announcing his squad, Southgate said: “We are picking a team for football reasons.”
“There are lots of different ownership models of clubs in England, there are lots of players playing in countries where there are different religious beliefs, I don’t really know why a player would receive an adverse reaction because of where he plays his football.
“That of course is a personal choice.
“It is really difficult to… I’m a bit lost really with some of the questioning because you walk in to try and talk about a squad announcement based on football decisions and increasingly we are navigating such complex political aspects that I’m not really trained to do.
“Forgive me if I am stumbling a little bit but I find it a really difficult scenario to try and get right.
“We’ll do the best we can and we try to make decisions for any number of reasons but I have to pick a squad based on the players that I think can get us qualified for a European Championship and that’s why we’ve picked the players we have.”
England had previously been criticised by LGBT+ groups after they opted against wearing the ‘One Love’ armband during the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Southgate, though, reaffirmed his commitment to inclusivity, adding: “We are supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.
“A large number of the team and staff have either relatives or friends from that community.
“It is something that we are very conscious of and a situation we are very conscious of.
“We have tried to be very supportive but I also accept members of the community felt let down around the World Cup.
“These are all very complex situations that we are trying to do our best to navigate.”
Southgate told BBC Radio 5Live that it had been a straightforward decision to pick Henderson, while adding it was up to the player himself when he would address the issue.
“It’s for him to decide when he’s going to speak and how he speaks,” he said.
The PA news agency understands media plans for which England players will be put forward to speak at St George’s Park next week are still to be confirmed.
Asked if there was anything Henderson could do to win back support of the LGBT+ community, White added: “I don’t think he can regain the trust purely because he’s now living in a country where it’s illegal to be LGBT, where the local LGBT community have to hide and live in fear of arrest, of state-sanctioned abuse.
“He can’t just suddenly start going ‘Oh well, I’m engaging on LGBT rights’ because he doesn’t have the influence in the country and if he does things without listening to the likes of Amnesty International and people who know what it’s like to have to protect local LGBT people, all he’ll do is end up damaging those who are most affected by that regime.”
Former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips were both included in Southgate’s squad despite being yet to play a minute of club football this season.
Under-21 European Championship winner Levi Colwill received his maiden formal call-up and uncapped Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has also got the nod for the first time, although there is no place for Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling despite a strong start to the campaign.
Marco Botti has expressed his pride in Giavellotto’s brave run in defeat at York, with connections now mulling over a possible tilt at the Melbourne Cup later in the year.
The Yorkshire Cup champion was returning to the scene of his finest hour when lining-up in the Lonsdale Cup and lost little in defeat as he fought out the finish with the Ascot Gold Cup first and second, Courage Mon Ami and Coltrane.
It was Andrew Balding’s consistent performer who came out on top on the Knavesmire, with Botti’s four-year-old giving way to the stronger stayers late in the day as he finished two lengths adrift in third.
However, the Newmarket-based handler was far from despondent as his long distance star showed his qualities once again.
Botti said: “It was a good run and he was beaten by two proper stayers who finished first and second in the Gold Cup. They are the best stayers around and maybe they just outstayed him.
“I always thought one-mile-six would be Giavellotto’s optimum trip. He gets the two miles but when he runs against the proper stayers, maybe the final furlong gets a bit hard work.
“It was no disgrace to finish third behind two proper stayers and he is a horse who has been consistent and tries his best all the time. For sure he handles York quite well.”
Giavellotto holds entries in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger (Curragh, September 10) and the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot on British Champions Day (October 21).
However, Botti is hoping to get the go-ahead from owner Francesca Franchini of Scuderia La Tesa Limited to travel to Australia for the ‘race that stops a nation’ at Flemington on November 7.
“He’s a horse who wouldn’t want the ground too soft. He is in the Irish St Leger, but we thought by then you don’t know what the ground will be,” explained Botti.
“We are still discussing about the Melbourne Cup and I’m pretty sure we will enter him and then finalise the plans. Otherwise in England it will just be Champions Day as the only goal left for him.”
He went on: “I would be in favour (of going for the Melbourne Cup). The fact he went to Dubai and is a horse who travels well and I also think the track will suit him – it is similar to York, a left-handed track.
“I think he will get in. He won a Group Two so he should make the cut for the Melbourne Cup, but then it is up to the owners as it is quite an expensive trip to take on and as we know the rules are quite strict before the race. The vetting can be tricky but he is a sound horse.
“If we take that route, hopefully all goes to plan, and I would be in favour if the owner wanted to go.”
If a trip to the Southern Hemisphere doesn’t come to fruition, Botti hopes to explore other options overseas for Giavellotto during his five-year-old campaign as he envisages his stable star improving further with experience.
“He’s a nice horse to still have in the yard and we have been able to win a Group Two this year,” he added.
“He’s a nice horse to have and maybe campaign abroad next year, whether that be Dubai or Saudi Arabia. We’re not planning too far ahead but he’s definitely a horse who has scope to get even better.”
Liam Smith questioned Chris Eubank Jr’s intelligence as the pair bickered ahead of their rematch this weekend.
The British fighters meet for a second time at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday, seven months on from Liverpudlian Smith’s fourth-round stoppage victory over his middleweight rival.
Both were in bullish mood as they held a fractious press conference in the city on Thursday, with Eubank predicting he will gain revenge with a “beautiful, artistic display of savage boxing”.
Eubank has brought in a new coach in Brian McIntyre and introduced other changes to his training regime in preparation for the contest.
McIntyre has hailed Eubank, 33, as an intelligent fighter, but 35-year-old Smith scoffed at that suggestion when they met with media.
The former WBO super-welterweight champion said: “You class Chris as an intelligent fighter? That is one thing Chris is not!”
“I’m definitely more intelligent than you, my friend,” Eubank responded.
Smith, who has a career record of 33-3-1, said: “Results speak for themselves!
“You are trying to convince people you’re intelligent? You’ve been fit, you’ve been durable, you have an engine, but you’ve never been classed as intelligent.”
“You have one form of fighting, I have many,” said Eubank. “So, if we are going to talk about intelligence there is no competition.”
Eubank, who now has 32 wins and three defeats to his name, is so confident of victory that he says he has banned his camp from even taking a towel to the ring.
Eubank’s former coach Roy Jones Jr had appeared ready to throw in the towel immediately prior to the referee’s decision to halt the first bout.
“We are not going to look for the easy way out,” said Eubank. “If it gets rough, if it gets hairy, we are there for the long haul. We are going to get through it.
“If there is going to be a towel involved in this fight it will definitely be coming from the other corner.
“What happened in the last fight was not supposed to happen. Even to Liam – he may not admit it – but he was not expecting the fight to finish how it finished. Nobody was.
“I know I am the better fighter and I am going to go out there and prove it on Saturday.
“The preparation I have had has been excellent and the performance I am going to have is going to be exquisite, supernatural. It is going to be a beautiful, artistic display of savage boxing.”
Smith was incredulous at Eubank’s remarks and claimed the outcome would be similar to that of the first fight.
He said: “All week it was, ‘Chris couldn’t be hurt’. I was like, ‘Never say never’.
“I told everyone, ‘Don’t think anyone can’t be hurt because they have got a good chin’. I do still think he has got a good chin, but he got hit, looking at the floor, and he went.
“The same will happen again. If he makes the same mistakes, I will punish him.”
Gareth Southgate says Raheem Sterling is “not particularly happy” to have been overlooked for an England recall.
The 28-year-old is one of the national team’s most experienced players but has not added to his 82 caps since December’s World Cup quarter-final exit to France.
Sterling missed the March meet-up through injury and a nagging hamstring issue led to what his camp described as a “mutual decision” to recuperate his body after a rocky first season at Chelsea.
But the forward’s expected return did not come to pass, with the forward the most eye-catching omission from Southgate’s 26-man squad for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and friendly in Scotland.
“We were really pleased with the group (in June),” the England manager said.
“To bring Raheem back in we have to leave someone else out and on the back of three games I didn’t think anybody in this group of attacking players warrants being left out.
“It’s really good to see him start the season so well. He looks in good condition, he looks hungry.
“He’s obviously an important player for us and has been an important player for us.
“But we have in those attacking areas just behind the nine a lot of competition for places.
“I think all of those players have started the season well and certainly the group that are with us has done really well for us in the in the recent games.”
Put to the England boss that Sterling has missed three squads in a row, Southgate said: “He was not available for the last two and of course that’s given other people the opportunity to play well and to establish themselves in the group.
“It’s a difficult call and Raheem is not particularly happy about it, but I understand that because he’s an important player for us.
“I’m convinced he’s going to have an excellent season with Chelsea, there’s no doubt about that.”
Sterling has started Chelsea’s first three Premier League matches of the season, including scoring twice and providing an assist in Friday’s 3-0 win against Luton.
A statement from the player’s camp on Thursday read: “Raheem will revert to the coach for all comment but would like to reinforce that the decision has been respected. Raheem will continue to focus on his domestic form.”
While Sterling was overlooked, Southgate kept the faith with England vice-captain Jordan Henderson despite his controversial move to Saudi Arabia club Al-Ettifaq.
There was also a place for former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, despite neither having played a minute of club football.
Harry Maguire retains his place in the squad despite not featuring for Manchester United this season (Martin Rickett/PA)“With Harry Maguire, we’ve lost a lot of experienced players in terms of caps at centre-half, so we’re giving some less experienced players the opportunity to come into the squad,” Southgate said.
“Unfortunately it looks like Tyrone (Mings) is out for most of the season. John Stones is out for this camp. Eric Dier hasn’t appeared in Tottenham’s squad.
“If I’m looking at all the players we’ve given caps to in the last few years, Conor Coady is also out and playing in the Championship now so there is a space there.
“I think, for these two games, it’s important we have some experience in that area of the pitch.
“Clearly with Harry and with Kalvin Phillips, it’s far from ideal that they’re not playing football.
“But similarly with Kalvin, I think Declan Rice was the only English player to start at the weekend as a single pivot and Kalvin is the next best positioned to do that.
“Hendo can play there, Conor Gallagher could play there, but it’s not the best position.
“We’ve got players play in the league that are playing in a double pivot. Someone like Angel Gomes is doing that but it’s a different sort of role.
“So, yeah, it’s not a good situation that those guys aren’t playing football but in certain positions we have a lot of depth in in other positions we don’t have a lot of depth.”
Southgate largely stuck with the tried and tested, but there was a place for uncapped Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and, more surprisingly, Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.
“Two young players who are doing very well, who have done well with our junior teams,” Southgate said. “Levi, of course, had some time with us in the summer anyway.
“Eddie is coming in because it’s an area where we’d like to have a look at him.
“He’s a young player with a really good pedigree, very good finisher and it’s good for him to have some time with us.
“I think he’s record goalscorer with the Under-21s as well.
“He’s not had the chance to work with us up to this point but he’s a player that we’re really interested in.”
Francis Meynell could be immediately upped in grade at Doncaster’s St Leger Festival having made a successful introduction at Navan.
Michael O’Callaghan’s speedily-bred Blue Point youngster cost 125,000 guineas at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year and went some way to justifying that price-tag with a taking display in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Sent immediately to the front by Leigh Roche, he barely saw another rival as he defied inexperience to produce an ultra-professional performance and register a running-on three-quarters of a length success at 8-1.
His trainer was suitably impressed and is now eyeing a trip to Town Moor on September 15 for the Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Stakes, the Group Two contest most commonly known as the Flying Childers.
“He’s a horse I’ve taken my time with. He’s quite enthusiastic at home so we went back to basics with him and we’ve slowly let him get himself ready for this,” said O’Callaghan.
“He’s going to improve plenty. It’s more so his mind that made him look so professional today, but I think he’ll improve a lot from what he’s done at home.
“It looked like a good race on paper beforehand and Leigh said he thought that he was only in second gear.
“I thought if he was able to win his maiden today and he looked nice that I might pitch him into something like the Flying Childers.
“He’s quick, he’d get six furlongs I’d say, but he has a lot of speed and there is no point trying to tame it.
“I not trying to talk him up but I honestly don’t know where the bottom of him is.”
Earlier on the card Aidan O’Brien’s Pop Star (100-30) highlighted his potential when downing 1-3 favourite Yosemite Valley to shed his maiden tag at the third time of asking.
Off the track since finishing second at Navan just over a year ago, the son of Sioux Nation showed plenty of pace to make up for lost time and potentially earn a shot at something bigger and better next time.
“We thought a bit of him last year and he got a setback, he’s missed a lot of time off the track,” said winning rider Seamie Heffernan.
“Pat Martin trained the mother, she was very genuine and she won a heap of races.
“In the last 20 yards was quite green but I was more than happy with him.
“He’s quick, five or six furlongs. If he gets seven furlongs, he’s definitely a stakes horse.”
Also on course for a sterner test in his next outing is Michael Mulvaney’s Bid For Chester (7-2) who thrived dropping back in trip to break his duck at the fifth attempt in the Navan Racecourse Nursery Handicap.
“He fired a warning shot the other day and Chris came in a said he was a bit green when he went for him,” said Mulvany.
“When he came through them today the hill suited him.
“Hopefully now he’ll go to the sales race, the Goffs Sportman’s Challenge in Naas on September 14th. That was the plan all year.”
Gareth Southgate does not believe Jordan Henderson will be jeered when he next turns out for England as he reiterated his support of the LGBT+ community after naming the Al-Ettifaq midfielder in his latest squad.
Henderson was included in the 26-man pool for the upcoming games with Ukraine and Scotland as England manager Southgate stuck with the 33-year-old after his move to the Saudi Pro League.
The transfer proved to be a controversial one, with Henderson leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia despite having been a keen and vocal supporter of the Premier League’s ‘Rainbow Laces’ campaign and after previously working alongside the Merseyside club’s official LGBT+ fan group in the past.
The England boss has no concerns that there will be any adverse reaction next time he pulls on the shirt.
“We are picking a team for football reasons,” he said.
“There are lots of different ownership models of clubs in England, there are lots of players playing in countries where there are different religious beliefs, I don’t really know why a player would receive an adverse reaction because of where he plays his football.
“That of course is a personal choice.
“It is really difficult to… I’m a bit lost really with some of the questioning because you walk in to try and talk about a squad announcement based on football decisions and increasingly we are navigating such complex political aspects that I’m not really trained to do.
“Forgive me if I am stumbling a little bit but I find it a really difficult scenario to try and get right.
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“We’ll do the best we can and we try to make decisions for any number of reasons but I have to pick a squad based on the players that I think can get us qualified for a European Championship and that’s why we’ve picked the players we have.”
England had previously been criticised by LGBT+ groups after they opted against wearing the ‘One Love’ armband during the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Southgate, though, reaffirmed his commitment to inclusivity, adding: “We are supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.
“A large number of the team and staff have either relatives or friends from that community.
“It is something that we are very conscious of and a situation we are very conscious of.
“We have tried to be very supportive but I also accept members of the community felt let down around the World Cup.
“You have to live your life as you see fit. I can only talk on a personal level and my feelings of what the team represents.
“I always try to do things with my life that I believe are inclusive, I try to be accepting of all cultures and understanding of everybody’s different positions and there might be a feeling we haven’t done enough in certain situations.
“If that is the case, then we have to accept that criticism. But it is not intentional that we would let down any of our fans.
“These are all very complex situations that we are trying to do our best to navigate.”
Former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips were both included in Southgate’s squad despite being yet to play a minute of club football this season.
Under-21 European Championship winner Levi Colwill received his maiden formal call-up and uncapped Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has also got the nod for the first time, although there is no place for Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling despite a strong start to the campaign.
Derby third White Birch is set to return to the track at Leopardstown during the Irish Champions Festival following a mid-season break.
Trained by John Murphy, the colt acquitted himself with real credit in the first half of the season and it was at Leopardstown where he won the Ballysax Stakes on his seasonal bow before podium finishes in both the Dante and the Derby at Epsom.
The only blot in the son of Ulysses’ copybook came when misfiring at the Curragh in the Irish Derby prior to his break, but he is now reported to be in rude health ahead of his impending return to the track.
He holds entries in Leopardstown’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp, but connections are favouring the Group Three Paddy Power Stakes at the Dublin track for White Birch’s comeback outing.
“He’s in super shape and he’s had a couple of weeks of a break,” said George Murphy, assistant trainer to his father.
“We’re just building him up slowly to run probably next weekend. He’s in the Champion Stakes, the Kilternan Stakes (Paddy Power Stakes) and the Prix Niel in France.
“There’s no concrete plan which we will go for next, but he will run in one of those races.
“I think at the moment it is likely we will go to the Kilternan Stakes.”
White Birch has plied his trade at the highest level in his most recent outings, contesting Classics on both sides of the Irish sea.
However, he will be dropping back to Group Three company if contesting the Paddy Power Stakes, with Murphy explaining it is the mile-and-a-half distance that is the biggest determining factor when selecting the horse’s next target.
He added: “There is going to be nothing easy about a race on Champions Weekend, but I think a mile and a half is his most suitable trip and it just happens to be a Group Three.
“That’s the race that suits him that weekend other than the Prix Niel in France which he also has the option of as well.”
White Birch’s appearances are set to be limited this autumn as his training team already have one eye on a four-year-old campaign.
However, there is the possibility the colt may take an enterprising trip to Germany before the end of the season for a crack at Munich’s Grosser Preis von Bayern in early November, a Group One contest won two years ago by Sir Mark Prescott’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Alpinista.
“He’s entered in the Grosser Preis von Bayern and there is the potential he may go there – that’s a bit later in the year,” said Murphy.
“There’s a couple of other races but we’re probably not going to over-race him in the autumn.
“He’s grown quite a lot and we’re kind of looking forward to next year with him really.
“There’s a nice programme throughout the year for older horses and he’s shown throughout this year he is more than happy to travel. He should have a big future next year, please God.”
A return to France on Arc weekend and a trip to the Breeders’ Cup will come under consideration for Tiger Belle following her front-running success in the Prix d’Arenberg at ParisLongchamp.
The Ado McGuinness-trained filly was a 7-1 shot stepping up to Group Three level following a narrow Listed success at Naas and was smartly away in the hands of Cristian Demuro.
Karl Burke’s Dawn Charger finished with a flourish, but Tiger Belle saw her off by a neck, with Graceful Thunder the same distance further away in third for George Boughey.
McGuinness said of the winner: “She’s a very tough filly and I’ve said all along she’s very fast, one of the fastest fillies I’ve ever had.
“She’s improving with every run, she’s a lovely filly to have and I’m delighted for the guys that own her (Shamrock Thoroughbreds).”
The County Dublin-based handler confirmed Tiger Belle could carry new colours on her next start if a suitable offer arrives as he targets a potential step up to the highest level.
“No one rang us after she won in Naas, but she is for sale and hopefully someone might buy her now. We’d love to keep her, but the lads that own her are an investment syndicate and we have to sell to survive,” McGuinness added.
“We have plenty of options for her now. She could run at the Breeders’ Cup over five or we have the option of going for the Prix de l’Abbaye if we wanted.
“She obviously handles the track. I think the key to Longchamp is the draw, but her gate speed is very fast, she kills the race halfway through and they just struggle to catch her.”
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