Eddie Jones accepts that Australia are “under the pump” as they prepare for a make-or-break Rugby World Cup clash against Wales.

A first pool stage exit in World Cup history will loom for the Wallabies if they fail to beat Warren Gatland’s team in Lyon on Sunday.

In contrast, Wales are sitting pretty, top of the group with a maximum 10 points from two games and moving towards a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance.

And while the Welsh go about business back at their Versailles training base, Jones and his coaching staff are picking through the pieces of a first loss to Fiji since 1954.

“We are moving on to Wales now,” said Australia head coach Jones, whose side were beaten 22-15 by the Pacific nation in Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

“These are the weeks you remember when you are under the pump quite a lot and you have got to produce a good performance.

“We are starting to set our sights on how we need to play against Wales. The only thing we are worried about is Wales this week.

“We would be happy to play them tomorrow if they wanted to play. We would get the television (coverage) organised. We can’t wait for the challenge.”

Wales have beaten Australia in three of the countries’ last four meetings, and they will tackle a team reeling from a loss that has left them teetering on the brink.

Australia will also be without injured key forwards Taniela Tupou and Will Skelton, increasing their degree of difficulty in a game of inevitably intense pressure.

Jones added: “There are no problems with motivation. This team cares a lot about their performance.

“We are all still searching for answers. None of us has the 100 per cent answer, but we have ideas about where the game came unstuck.

“Wales are a completely different team. They grind away at you, whereas Fiji is power.

“This is one of the biggest challenges for this team and for the coaching staff. We know how we want to play against Wales and we are going to work really hard to get the players back on track.

“When you have a loss like this, it knocks you around a bit. It knocks you emotionally and team-ethics wise. You start seeing shadows in every corner of the room.

“There is noise from outside which you have to handle. That is the challenge for the coaching staff this week, to make sure they have got the right noise.”

Wales are back at their training base, with only flanker Tommy Reffell and prop Henry Thomas among Gatland’s squad likely to need fitness assessments.

Reffell pulled out of Wales’ clash against Portugal just before kick-off in Nice due to a tight calf muscle, while Thomas has played no part in the tournament so far because of a hamstring issue.

Gatland said: “People had an opportunity to put their hand up (against Portugal), so we will review that and see which guys did perform well.

“I thought Rio Dyer looked sharp on the wing, and I was really happy with his aerial stuff. Probably the lineout didn’t function as well as I would have liked, and we were a bit lateral at times.

“But when we were direct and in contact we looked comfortable.”

Scotland are ready to ramp up preparations for Tonga in the coming days after “a good, productive week” of down time and recuperation mixed with intense training sessions since their opening World Cup match against South Africa.

The Scots were idle on the second weekend of the tournament after beginning their campaign with an 18-3 defeat by the defending champions in a gruelling showdown in Marseille on September 10.

The players were given three days off with their families after that match and returned to the training pitch in Nice on Thursday before undertaking further sessions on Friday and Sunday.

The Scots’ regular Test week routine effectively begins on Tuesday ahead of next Sunday’s meeting with Tonga, who lost 59-16 to Ireland in their opening match on Saturday.

“It’s been a good, productive week,” said Scotland’s strength and conditioning coach Stuart Yule. “We had some time off after the game to allow the players to recuperate, recover and spend some time with their families.

“We had time to get reviews done and then we came back into training on Thursday and had three good physical sessions (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) before we came back into the Test match week.

“It’s been a good opportunity to get some more physical work in because it’s a long tournament and it’s important we retain our fitness through this period.”

With a full fortnight between their first two games at the World Cup, Yule explained that the Scots had to find the right balance between down time and keeping the players in prime condition.

“It’s a long tournament, but I think it was an opportunity that we’ve had and we’ve taken to work hard,” he said.

“The way the tournament is, every team will have different situations in terms of where that week is and what it means.

“Recuperation and recovery is vital for every player in this tournament because it’s when you grow and adapt.

“That few days off after South Africa allowed the bodies to recuperate so in the first session back the players were in excellent form, ready to go again, full of enthusiasm and motivation to work hard in the few days prior to the week of the Tonga match.”

The start of the World Cup coincided with France sizzling in a late-summer heatwave, with temperatures across the country in the high 20s and even into the 30s since the tournament began. Yule has been impressed with the way the Scots have acclimatised to working in such intense heat.

“We were fortunate that right at the start of pre-season we had some excellent weather in Scotland and we had a couple of weeks training out here in France (in June and August), so we’ve been exposing the players regularly to the heat,” said Yule.

“There’s a perceptual aspect to the heat as well and once you’ve been exposed to it for a while that perception slowly starts to reduce. It’s something we’ve definitely had to consider, especially in terms of hydration and cooling.

“This group’s resilient, it’s the best group I’ve been with in terms of showing an ability to perform in the heat. They are excellent at getting their heads down and doing the work.

“We’ve had a long period together where we’ve been working hard on our underlying fitness levels and supporting the players with their recovery between training days. The heat’s not affected at all how we’ve prepared.”

Desert Hero will start the vetting procedure for the Lexus Melbourne Cup, with trainer William Haggas eager to keep all avenues open for his St Leger third.

The Sea The Stars colt, who is owned by the King and Queen, was beaten just over three lengths by Continuous at Doncaster on Saturday and is a general 12-1 shot for the Flemington feature on November 7.

International runners in the two-mile contest are subject to a series of veterinary checks before being permitted to run by Racing Victoria, a process which Haggas will begin with Desert Hero, although he underlined undertaking those checks does not necessarily mean the horse will make the trip.

He told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “We want to leave all options open, so the horse will go through his veterinary tests.

“I think we start tonight and then we’ve a couple of days (of) MRIs, tomorrow and Wednesday, so we will get those completed. That doesn’t mean he’s going, but the weights come out tomorrow and then we can collate all the information. Who knows, the veterinary protocols might rule him out anyway, so we will see what happens.”

The King and Queen were at the Town Moor track to see Desert Hero post a gallant effort in defeat, with the crowd providing a warm reception.

Haggas added: “It was a fabulous day – there was a huge crowd, very enthusiastic. I don’t think anyone really believed the King and the Queen would come, so the fact that they did was terrific.

“They weren’t there for very long, but it was great that they came.”

The King and Queen assumed the late Queen’s racing interests following her death, with Desert Hero giving them a first Royal Ascot success when winning the King George V Stakes in June.

Asked if he thought the King was enjoying his racing experience so far, Haggas said: “It appears that way and that’s fantastic because he’s very keen, but obviously it’s been his mother’s baby for as long as we’ve been alive and he didn’t get involved until sadly she left us.

“He’s been full on since and I think he’s enjoying it – I hope he is anyway.

“There was a bit of nervous tension on Saturday, as you can imagine – excitement, but there was a little bit of nerves. We’d spoken about the horse and everyone knew the situation, we were just all hoping for the best.”

Arrest is set to be put away until next season after filling the runner-up spot in his bid to provide Frankie Dettori with one final Classic success in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

Having put Derby and Royal Ascot disappointment behind him with victory in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury last month, the Frankel colt was the Italian’s chosen mount as he looked to secure a seventh victory in the Town Moor showpiece.

While the impressive Continuous was too good on the day, Arrest stuck to his task to finish best of the rest and connections are looking forward to seeing what he can achieve as a four-year-old.

Barry Mahon, racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “I was delighted and thought he ran a great race. I was more disappointed for Frankie than anything because it would have been lovely for him to have a fairytale ending in the last Classic of the year, but it wasn’t to be.

“The horse ran a brilliant race and Frankie was very complimentary about him afterwards and said what a good horse he thinks he’ll be next year. I think we’ve plenty to look forward to with him.

“I think that seemed to be the consensus with John and Thady (Gosden) and Frankie after the race, that we’d put him away for the year now and he’ll be a nice horse next year.

“He still has a lot of strengthening to do – he’s a tall, lean horse and he’ll strengthen up from three to four. We’ll look forward to the spring next year.

“We know he likes to get his toe in a little bit and once there’s a little bit of juice in the ground he’ll compete in all those big mile-and-a-half races next year.”

Juddmonte’s other top-class performer in the middle-distance division is the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover, who on Friday enjoyed a racecourse gallop at Salisbury in preparation for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday week.

The four-year-old has been kept fresh since being narrowly denied by Hukum in a pulsating renewal of the King George at Ascot in July, and Mahon is counting down the days until his next big-race assignment in Paris.

He added: “Westover had a day out in Salisbury and everything went lovely. Ralph was very happy and Rob (Hornby) was very happy with him. He had a good blow afterwards and that will put him spot on.

“I think he’ll head away to the beach this week, which he usually does, and he’ll be ready to head to Longchamp then.

“His form is very good – he’s been competing with the best of them – and just looking at the long-range forecasts the weather looks pretty settled in Paris, so hopefully we might get nice ground, which would be great.”

Lewis Ludlam has urged booing fans to keep the faith after admitting that England could have shown more enterprise in their 34-12 World Cup victory over Japan.

Head coach Steve Borthwick declared it was job done as England took a stranglehold on Pool D through a bonus-point win, but after the 14-man rout of Argentina it felt like a backwards step had been taken on a messy evening at the Stade de Nice.

Early in the third quarter supporters groaned when Alex Mitchell – a live-wire scrum-half whose instinct is to run – booted the ball dead and the jeering grew in volume when the kicking continued.

England then ignited, defying the humidity-soaked conditions that made handling treacherous, to stage a thrilling all-out assault on Japan that was directed by George Ford and replacement full-back Marcus Smith.

The gameplan was to grind down unorthodox opponents and then take them apart when they were out on their feet. In that sense it worked, but for lengthy periods it was also a hard watch that clearly alienated some fans.

When asked for his message to supporters, Ludlam said: “I just say stick with us.

“We are a team that is learning every week and there are probably opportunities in there when we could have run that ball.

“However, it was hard to see how greasy that ball was. It was humid in that stadium and a couple of times we tried to play and ended up straight back on our tryline.

“George Ford is very good at putting us in the right areas and putting us in behind so that we have better opportunities to attack farther up the pitch. It’s hard to get the fans excited about that and we understand, but we’re building.

“That was probably not the performance we wanted – it was not a complete performance – but we are happy to get the win and the five points.

“We will take more opportunities and we want to be a better team next weekend and play in the right areas of the pitch.”

For the second successive weekend Ford was named man of the match as he single-mindedly executed England’s gameplan, but his stellar form presents Borthwick with a conundrum.

Owen Farrell returns from suspension against Chile on Saturday and while Ford will surely be rested for the showdown with Pool D’s weakest opponents, Borthwick must decide who to start at fly-half in a tricky appointment with Samoa a week later.

As England’s captain and talisman Farrell demands selection, but his return would alter a winning team that has been well led by the indomitable Courtney Lawes.

Borthwick’s likely solution is to reunite Ford and Farrell in a playmaking axis against Samoa on October 7 with the Saracens ringmaster reacclimatising to Test rugby at 10 in Lille on Saturday.

“Owen’s always chomping at the bit to get involved whether he’s banned or not. He’s always there and always leading the team forward,” Ludlam said.

“It is massive that we have got him back. He’s a massive leader for us. It’s just brilliant adding to that competition at 10 which is so fierce at the moment.

“Owen’s a proper competitor. He’s one of the most competitive blokes I have had the pleasure of playing with or against.

“You know he’s going to fight to the end and lead the team in the right way. He’s a massive character around the place and we are happy he’s back from his ban now.”

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard welcomes the increased competition within the squad – highlighted by manager Mikel Arteta now choosing to rotate his two goalkeepers – as he believes it will make them stronger.

David Raya, who signed on loan from Brentford and on whom the Gunners have a £27million option to buy, made his debut in the 1-0 victory at Goodison Park, which extended their unbeaten start to five matches.

It means England international Aaron Ramsdale’s position as established number one is likely to be challenged over the coming weeks, but Odegaard said that principle should apply to the whole squad.

That was evident as Leandro Trossard came off the bench for the injured Gabriel Martinelli to score the only goal in the second half, but it is the position of goalkeeper which is set to remain the major talking point.

“I think it showed the depth in the squad now. We have so many quality players, the players on the bench can come on and change the game if we need it,” said the Norway international.

“The competition for places is huge and I think that is a great thing for us and helps a lot.

“You see in training every day the quality we have so everyone has to be on their best every day in training and that’s a good thing and will help us improve as a team as well.”

On Ramsdale’s response to being dropped at Goodison Park, having started England’s friendly victory over Scotland just a few days previously, Odegaard added: “I think he will just keep working hard, like he is always doing.

“He was there supporting us, cheering for us, helping us. He is a great character and he showed a very good response today by backing his team-mates, being there and giving us energy.

“Excellent from him. We have two good goalkeepers there and it’s big competition.

“Two top goalkeepers, different qualities, and both so good on the ball and in the goal as well.

“We are lucky to have two such good goalkeepers and we will see who will play, but both of them are excellent.”

Victory at Goodison Park, where they had not won in their previous five visits, was psychologically important to keep pace with the rest of their top-four rivals and the manner of the performance, having to grind out three points despite not being at their best, was pleasing for the Gunners captain.

“It was a tough one. We knew it was a tough place to come, it’s been a tough place for Arsenal for a long time, but I think we did really well and deserved the win as well so very happy,” he added.

“It’s a tough team and they play a bit different, and we had to deal with a lot of different things.

“But we knew it would be a tough game, but were ready for it and I think we did really well on the pitch to fight and get the goal in the end so credit to the team and happy for the win.”

Great Britain are dreaming of more Davis Cup glory after pulling off a remarkable victory over France to book their spot in the quarter-finals.

Needing victory in their final tie at a sold-out AO Arena in Manchester to reach the knock-out stages, it went all the way to a final-set tie-break in the last rubber, with Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saving four match points against Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin before triumphing 1-6 7-6 (4) 7-6 (6).

When a final French return flew long, Evans and Skupski fell to court before leaping into each others’ arms then celebrating with the rest of the team.

Evans was Britain’s key man across the three ties, winning four rubbers, including two against France having battled from behind to see off teenager Arthur Fils in the opening singles.

“It was nuts,” said the 33-year-old. “The singles is the singles and I feel comfortable on that court but the doubles was chaos. I just kept saying to Neal, ‘We’ve got a chance, we’ve got a chance’. We both kept going. We stuck together.

“It was an amazing day, an amazing feeling. Emotional more than anything. You want to be with these guys in the finals and you know what happens if you lose, it’s not ideal being at home as well. You feel that. It’s an immensely proud moment for me and the team.”

Evans talked after beating Fils about how attending Davis Cup matches as a boy in Birmingham had made him want to play professional tennis and this was his 25th tie across 14 years.

His has been one of the more tumultuous careers in British tennis and last year he annoyed captain Leon Smith and his team-mates by publicly airing his grievances about not being picked in doubles after Britain crashed out in the group stage in Glasgow.

Smith gave the 33-year-old a chance alongside Skupski in February’s play-off in Colombia, where they claimed an important victory, and two wins in decisive rubbers this time have seen him put his money where his mouth is.

Smith remains unhappy with the way Evans made his point, saying: “Am I glad he did it? No I’m not glad he did it and he knows that.

“You can’t get every decision right as captain. What’s important I think is how we came together not just here but when we were in Colombia together.

“I’ve always known Evo and Neal are a good pair. That’s why I think what’s happened this week is really good for us because it was really, really disappointing last year, it hurt a lot.

“Everyone feels it, it comes out in different ways. But for me the most important thing is moving forwards. Me and Evo are great and the team spirit has been brilliant.”

Having a strong doubles team is central to success in the new Davis Cup format, where ties are played over three rubbers rather than five.

Tuesday’s draw will determine who Britain face in the final eight week in Malaga from November 21-26, although they already know it will either be Italy or Novak Djokovic’s Serbia.

Whoever they come up against, Smith will believe that his team, with its improved strength in depth, can have a chance of matching their historic 2015 title run, when Andy and Jamie Murray made it virtually a family affair.

“It’s absolutely brilliant we’re going to Malaga,” said Smith. “We’ve definitely got a chance. We’ve got a really good team.

“We had the benefit at one point of having the best player in the world in our team. Obviously Jamie and Andy doing those things and winning a lot of matches, then the others pitched in and we became really strong.

“We’ve got a chance against anybody. It’s really tight, matches can go either way. Every single tie we’ve had here could have gone either way.”

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The only negative was two defeats for British number one Cameron Norrie, whose Davis Cup record now stands at an underwhelming seven wins and seven losses.

Norrie’s lack of recent wins was evident in Sunday’s loss to Ugo Humbert, where he played well for long periods but made errors at key moments, including double-faulting on match point.

Smith is not concerned, though, saying: “He’s amazing. He works his socks off. Every practice this week – bang on it. Every time you watch him, his intensity, his focus, his discipline.

“Some parts will just go like that. But that’s why he’s got top 10, why he’s top 20, because he goes at it every single day. He’ll be fine. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.”

South Africa-born Ireland hooker Rob Herring insists there will be no split loyalties among his family and friends when his side face the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in Paris.

Andy Farrell’s men are seeking to secure a quarter-final spot with victory over the defending champions on Saturday evening following bonus-point wins over Romania and Tonga.

Herring’s mother and two of his three sisters have travelled from Cape Town for the tournament, while a number of his friends will be at Stade de France for the standout fixture in Pool B.

The 33-year-old Ulster player has twice before lined up against his native country – Dublin victories in 2017 and last November – but will do so on the biggest stage for the first time.

And he is in no doubt about where his relatives’ allegiances lie.

“They’re all supporting Ireland,” Herring told the PA news agency.

“All of my friends that are coming over and my family, they’re all in Irish jerseys so there will be no divided support. They will be fully behind us.

“It will be great. I’ve played against them a few times now and it’s always a good battle.

“I just want to be a part of the squad, contribute any way I can. It will be a good atmosphere, we’ll have our Irish fans there in full force.

“Every week we think we need to step things up and it’s going to be like that going into the long run of the competition. We’ll keep getting better and it will be another big challenge for us.”

Herring, who qualified for Ireland through a grandfather from Belfast, missed out on selection for the World Cup in 2015 and 2019.

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He is already making up for lost time, having claimed tries in the 82-8 opening-weekend win over Romania and Saturday’s 59-16 success over Tonga.

“I keep saying to myself, I’ve got to enjoy these moments,” he said.

“I’ve missed out before and I’ve worked so hard to be here over the last four years so I’m going to put in big performances when I get the opportunity and other than that I’m ready to take it all in and enjoy it.

“This group of boys, we love playing for each other so it’s a great team to be a part of and hopefully we’re going to go into the deep end of the comp.”

Herring’s rival hooker Dan Sheehan could return to contention for the South Africa showdown.

The 25-year-old has been sidelined since sustaining a foot injury in last month’s warm-up win over England but Ireland’s coaching staff are confident he will be available.

Back-rower Jack Conan (foot) and prop Finlay Bealham, who was forced off by a head knock against Tonga, will also be assessed ahead of the visit to the French capital.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will face questions from supporters at a Fans Forum at the club’s stadium on Tuesday night.

It will be a rare public appearance from Levy with this set to be the first Fans Forum hosted by Spurs since Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and now Ange Postecoglou all sitting in the managerial hotseat since.

Postecoglou will be alongside Levy as part of a panel that includes new captain Son Heung-min, women’s head coach Robert Vilahamn and newly appointed women’s captain Bethany England, who helped the Lionesses reach the World Cup final last month.

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While Levy took part in a Q&A session at The Cambridge Union Society earlier this year, this will be an opportunity for Tottenham supporters to quiz the club’s long-serving chairman following a tumultuous 12-month period.

Spurs have enjoyed an excellent start to life under new boss Postecoglou this season, but Levy was forced to part company with Conte in March while several fan protests occurred during the latter stages of the 2022-23 campaign with repeated chants at matches for the chairman to leave.

A demonstration over increased match day ticket prices occurred before last month’s win at home to Manchester United and Tottenham remain without a director of football following Fabio Paratici’s resignation in April after he was given a worldwide ban for allegations of false accounting at Juventus.

Levy also sanctioned the sale of record goal-scorer Harry Kane in August, but he did attend a Fan Advisory Board meeting with members from Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, Spurs REACH and Proud Lilywhites earlier this month at Lilywhite House.

It was revealed during the two-hour long meeting on September 5 that Spurs were set to replace Paratici with the appointment of a technical director while Scott Munn, the club’s chief football officer, will start later in September.

Levy was asked during the meeting by THST representative Steve Cavalier what does success look like for the club and how is it measured?

“This changes over time, but the most important thing for the club is to be a highly competitive team that wins and, importantly, entertains fans,” Levy replied according to minutes of the meeting.

Levy later expanded: “The strategy to date has been to invest in the playing squads, build a new training centre and increased stadium capacity.

“The focus now is to optimize those investments – both tangible and intangible – and drive revenues that enable the club to reinvest in players and create a winning club.”

Meanwhile, Levy provided an insight into potential plans for the women’s team this season with scope to host more matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium due to the men’s side only having Premier League commitments between now and January.

“With no European fixtures this season, more women’s first team fixtures could be held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,” Levy told the FAB meeting.

On the women’s team, Levy stated “it is a long-term project” and “while it currently loses a lot of money is a way of engaging a new fanbase” with an initial goal to challenge for the top-six in the Women’s Super League.

Ahead of Tuesday’s Fans Forum, which will be a 90-minute Q&A session in front of 250 Tottenham supporters selected by a ballot, it was revealed by Spurs director Donna Marie-Cullen that a “full ticketing review” was in hand.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will be absent from this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix as he undergoes knee surgery.

The 51-year-old is set to have an operation in his native Austria to restore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg.

Wolff damaged his knee a number of years ago and blamed it for a cycling accident during Formula One’s summer break which left him with a fractured elbow.

Wolff’s role will be divided between a number of the team’s staff – including driver development director Jerome D’Ambrosio, the Belgian who took part in 20 F1 races in 2010 and 2011, and Mercedes’ long-serving British chief communications officer Bradley Lord – often seen shadowing Wolff at the back of the garage. It is understood Wolff will be on the team’s intercom across the weekend.

Mercedes will head to Suzuka perhaps fearing that their best shot at victory this year may have escaped them following Carlos Sainz’s triumph at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Ferrari’s Sainz became the first non-Red Bull driver to win this season – ending the world champions’ unbeaten streak and Max Verstappen’s record run of 10 consecutive victories.

Lewis Hamilton finished third, just 1.2 seconds behind Sainz, after George Russell – who at one point looked likely to win following Mercedes’ roll of the strategy dice – crashed out on the final lap.

Verstappen qualified 11th and finished fifth, 21 seconds adrift of Sainz. But Hamilton fears Red Bull’s lack of speed on the streets of Singapore is because they have already turned their attention to next season.

While Verstappen can now not be crowned champion of the world for a third time in Japan, it is possible he could clinch the title in Qatar on October 8 with five rounds still left.

And asked if Red Bull’s blip provided him with hope Verstappen’s dominance could be coming to an end, Hamilton, 38, said: “If you think about it, they probably haven’t been developing their car.

“McLaren brought an upgrade here. Other teams are still bringing upgrades, and they’re working on next year’s car. They would have definitely migrated to 2024 before us.

“So it is just one of those things. They are so far ahead that maybe they’re not developing their car, while we are still pushing to develop our current one.”

Verstappen, who warned in the build-up to Sunday’s city-state race that the high-downforce street track would not suit Red Bull, said he expects to be back on top in Suzuka.

Wolff, who is likely to return for the Qatar GP, added: “They will be strong again. The track in Singapore was an outlier for us when we were dominant and I have no doubt they will be strong on conventional race tracks.”

Soprano will bid to hit the right note at Newmarket later this month where she will attempt to register her first Group-race success.

George Boughey’s youngster was a fast-finishing third in Salisbury’s Dick Poole Stakes on her most recent run, but connections were left frustrated after their charge reared in the stalls and gave away plenty of ground at the start before storming home to be beaten just one and a quarter lengths in the hands of Ryan Moore.

She will now attempt to set the record straight in either the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel Stakes on September 29 or shoot for Group One gold in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes a day later on the Rowley Mile.

“It was just really unfortunate and such a shame,” explained Harry Herbert, managing director of owners Highclere Thoroughbreds.

“She seemed to anticipate the gates and they didn’t open and she sort of got a bit of a fright, went up and then the starter let them go which was infuriating.

“Ryan probably thought he was just going to come home in his own time and then suddenly realised he had an awful lot of horse under him, so it was a hell of a performance under the circumstances.

“I think everyone can see she would have won if she had broken on level terms.”

He went on: “We’re looking at either the Cheveley Park or Rockfel and I think we’ll see the entries for both first.

“At the moment, if you were talking to George, he would probably be edging more to the Cheveley Park. But we want to take our time and see who is doing what and the ground and everything.

“Fingers crossed she is taking her races so well and she’s so tough and as long as George is happy, we will go to Newmarket for one of those two races.”

Soprano burst onto the scene at Newmarket earlier in the season, but since being upped immediately in class for the Albany at Royal Ascot, she has been thwarted in four subsequent outings when running in Pattern company.

Connections feel Soprano certainly does not lack talent and are confident there is plenty to look forward to with the versatile daughter of Starspangledbanner.

“She’s a very very good filly and very special,” continued Herbert.

“She’s had the most extraordinary year where things just haven’t gone right for her. She could have had a few Group races by her name, but that’s racing and sometimes the cards don’t fall quite right for whatever reason.

“Everyone can see how talented she is and she has a size and scope to her so should be even better next year.”

As well as Soprano, Highclere also have Believing housed at Boughey’s Saffron House stables and Herbert was thrilled with her third-placed effort in the Betfair Sprint Cup.

Supplemented into the Haydock Group One at a cost of £20,000, the daughter of Mehmas defied her odds of 66-1 to earn just shy of £46,000 for making the podium.

“She’s such a tough and talented filly and she had worked so well coming into this race and ran a blinder,” said Herbert.

“She showed incredible natural speed and finished her race off really well. Had she been a bit closer to the two in front of her who were racing away from her, who knows, she might have got closer still.”

Believing holds an entry for Ascot’s Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes on October 21 which will form the centrepiece of the filly’s end-of-season programme, but a tilt at ParisLongchamp’s Prix de l’Abbaye on October 1 will now also be considered – despite the progressive speedster again needing to be supplemented.

“Ascot would be the main target and we will look at the Abbaye,” continued Herbert.

“We would have to be forking out again because she’s come forward at such a rate of knots and we didn’t put her in initially. So we would consider supplementing and see how the land lies nearer the time before making a decision about the Abbaye.

“She’s a very, very good filly, a fast filly, and like her father, has this most incredible attitude for the game.

“The way she holds her head is extraordinary and reminds me so much of Mehmas, who stuck his neck out and was really tough. She’s definitely inherited that trait and is a really exciting filly for her shareholders.

“Those horses who give their all are worth their weight in gold. She goes on any ground, has a wagon load of speed and, touch wood, she’s been so far very sound. Everyone had a great day at Haydock and hopefully there is a lot more to come.”

What the papers say

Potential ins and outs at Manchester United continue to attract plenty of attention with Scott Mctominay again linked with a move away from Old Trafford. The Daily Mirror reports the Scotland midfielder, 26, is a potential alternative for Bayern Munich if they are unable to lure Joao Palhinha, 28, from Fulham in the January transfer window.

Israel youngster Oscar Gloukh is being linked with a move to Old Trafford, according to The Sun. Arsenal and Liverpool are also believed to be tracking the 19-year-old attacking midfielder from Red Bull Salzburg.

Brighton are poised to swoop for Boca Juniors teenage left-back Valentina Barco, reports The Sun. The Seagulls are expected to make a fresh move for the 19-year-old Argentine before the transfer window opens.

Nottingham Forest have reignited their interest in 17-year-old winger Tom Watson from Sunderland, according to The Sun.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Nico Williams: Aston Villa have joined Liverpool and Barcelona in monitoring the 21-year-old Spain winger at Athletic Bilbao.

Hugo Ekitike: The 21-year-old Paris St-Germain striker is interesting West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Liverpool signed Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara from European champions Bayern Munich on this day in 2020.

The Spain international was in the last year of his deal with the Bundesliga club and arrived at Anfield for an initial fee of £20million.

Thiago’s signing had been anticipated by supporters for some time and he went straight into the squad to face Chelsea, playing 45 minutes in a 2-0 win.

Thiago told the club’s website: “I think it’s an amazing feeling.

“I was waiting for this moment for a long time and I am very, very happy to be here.

“When the years are passing, you are trying to win as much as you can – and when you win, you want to win more.

“I think this club describes what I am as well. I want to achieve all of the goals, win as many trophies as possible.

“It also (has) this kind of family (feeling) that I need because we (like to) have a very close relationship with the club and I think I will feel this, I will have this feeling, with this club as well.”

Thiago, who played in Liverpool’s FA Cup final success in 2022, has made 97 appearances in his injury-hit three years at Anfield.