Desert Crown will miss York’s Juddmonte International Stakes on Wednesday after suffering a fresh injury.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, last year’s Derby hero has been seen just once since his Epsom triumph, when meeting with his first career defeat at the hands of Hukum in Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes.

He subsequently missed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot through a setback, while a leg infection ruled him out of a rematch with Hukum in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes last month.

A showdown on the Knavesmire with Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington and Royal Ascot scorer Mostahdaf was inked in for the son of Nathaniel, but his career is now on hold having reportedly pulled up lame during morning exercise on Sunday.

Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, told the Racing Post: “He’s got quite a bad injury and I’m just heading to the equine hospital now. He won’t be running at York.”

With news of Desert Crown’s absence, Coral have cut Paddington to 4-7 from 4-6 for the feature of the opening day of York’s Ebor Festival.

“Following the disappointing news that Desert Crown will not be in Wednesday’s Juddmonte International line-up, Paddington is now an even firmer favourite for the York showpiece, with Mostahdaf his closest market rival for what is sure to be a small but select field,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is on the brink of a stunning heptathlon gold at the World Championships.

The 30-year-old is fighting to reclaim her world crown from 2019 and holds a 26-point lead ahead of the final 800m on Sunday night in Budapest.

It would represent a remarkable comeback from Johnson-Thompson after a ruptured Achilles in 2020 and a calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics which forced her to quit after day one.

A leap of 6.54m in the long jump on Sunday morning put her into the lead, 19 points ahead of the United States’ Anna Hall.

She launched a personal best of 46.14m in the javelin which extended her lead as Hall dropped to third.

The Netherlands’ Anouk Vetter, last year’s silver medallist, is Johnson-Thompson’s nearest challenger, with defending champion Nafi Thiam having pulled out before the championships with an Achilles problem.

Johnson-Thompson has run two minutes 12.40 seconds in the 800m this year while Vetter’s personal best is five seconds slower. Hall has run two minutes 02.97secs this year but is reportedly carrying an injury.

Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita opened their 100m challenge with minimum fuss in Hungary.

Neita, in heat one, ran 11.03secs while Asher-Smith followed her in heat two to clock 11.04s.

Defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 11.01s with the USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson qualifying fastest in 10.92s.

Britain’s Matt Hudson-Smith, who won bronze last year, reached the 400m semi-finals after coming second in his heat behind 2016 Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk.

He said: “I just wanted the qualifier and to get through to the semis as comfortably as possible so I have got the job done. There is so much left in the tank but I know I am going to have to fight.

“I’ve got both my legs back. Everyone keeps talking about Steve (Gardiner) and Wayde but I’m not here for participation, I’m here to get a medal. I’ve got both my legs back and I’m here to win.”

Victoria Ohuruogu and Ama Pipi also reached the women’s 400m semi final.

Ohuruogu said: “I’m looking for a medal – I’ve got to aim big. Last year was about the final and people might say I was unrealistic but I was a bit gutted with that so I have clear aims this year, a medal being what I am aiming for.”

Richard Hannon’s Rosallion will bid to enhance his growing reputation in the Betfred Champagne Stakes at Doncaster next month.

Owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, the son of Blue Point has made the perfect start to his career, beating a subsequent scorer with a degree of ease at Newbury on debut before stepping up to Listed level with aplomb to land the Pat Eddery Stakes in impressive style at Ascot.

He was a commanding four-length scorer in the hands of Sean Levey and will now tackle Group Two company on Town Moor on September 16, for a contest the Everleigh handler has won on three occasions, most recently with the top-class Chindit in 2020.

A general 16-1 for next year’s 2000 Guineas, Hannon also has half an eye on a run in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (October 14) later in the year, but is confident he not will be seen at his absolute peak until returning as a three-year-old next term.

He said: “He’s absolutely fine and he’s going to go to the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and then hopefully on to the Dewhurst, he’s in great form.

“Funny enough it is the same route as Chindit took, although the Dewhurst didn’t work for him. He went to a Donny maiden race, to the Ascot race and then to win the Champagne Stakes. It is very similar to his route.

“He looked a very good horse at Ascot and we always thought he was. He is a very exciting horse and one that is not a two-year-old and one for next year.”

Jac Morgan looks set to be named as Wales captain for the Rugby World Cup.

The 23-year-old Ospreys flanker led Wales in two of their three warm-up Tests, and undoubtedly occupies pole position.

The waiting game for Wales’ World Cup hopefuls will end just after midday on Monday when Warren Gatland’s 33-man squad is unveiled.

If, as expected, Morgan lands the job, he would follow previous Wales skippers like Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones and Gareth Thomas in captaining his country on the sport’s biggest stage.

Memories would also be evoked of Warburton being appointed as a 22-year-old for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, when Gatland masterminded a run to the semi-finals.

A total of 15 players in the current training squad will not make Gatland’s final cut, but he confirmed that fly-half Gareth Anscombe and number eight Taulupe Faletau would be in contention despite not featuring during the August preparation games due to injuries.

“I think they are in contention because of their experience,” Gatland said.

“If they were a young player it would be very, very difficult to select them, but given their vast amount of experience they will definitely be part of those discussions.”

Reflecting on the build-up period, which has also included intensive training camps in Switzerland and Turkey, Gatland added: “I think the big thing is we wanted to give everyone an opportunity and we wanted to find out about players.

“There is no doubt we are going to pick up injuries during the World Cup as well, and every team will do that.

“Players that have had some game-time, that have been a part of the squad for the last number of weeks, will hopefully come in a little bit better prepared.”

A number of World Cup first-timers can be expected – possibly around half the squad – with players such as fly-half Sam Costelow, centre Mason Grady, prop Corey Domachowski and lock Dafydd Jenkins all seemingly well on course.

And for centre George North, a fourth World Cup beckons, which would put him in an illustrious group alongside the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Brian O’Driscoll.

Centres and back-row appeared the main areas of debate for Gatland and his fellow coaches when they entered final selection meetings after an inexperienced Wales line-up lost 52-16 to world champions South Africa in Cardiff.

Scrum-half Kieran Hardy, meanwhile, is poised to be included in the squad after a difficult week or so for him and his family.

Hardy’s three-month-old daughter Noa was admitted to hospital, where she had precautionary treatment after being diagnosed with a viral infection, but she is now recovering well.

He withdrew from Wales’ warm-up game against England at Twickenham as a result, before returning to action in the Springboks clash.

“Family always comes first, and to be fair to ‘Gats’ and the whole management last week, they were fantastic. They told me I needed to be there, and within half an hour I was gone and on the way home,” Hardy said.

“They have been excellent, and my family and Ellie’s (Hardy’s wife) family have been excellent as well, just to ensure that I come here and do the job.

“I think Ellie actually said to me to try and play for the girls as much as I could, just because of everything that has happened.

“In fairness, it all changed pretty quickly and she is a lot better now, so hopefully I can move forward now.”

Saeed bin Suroor’s 1000 Guineas winner Mawj could still make her comeback in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on October 7.

But the Godolphin trainer also has the option of a race at Keeneland on the same weekend, the Grade One First Lady, as he plots a way back for his Classic heroine who will end up at the Breeders’ Cup in November.

Bin Suroor confirmed, too, that the daughter of Exceed And Excel will remain in training as a four-year-old.

She has not been seen since her tremendous effort in the Guineas, beating Tahiyra, having been a late absentee from Royal Ascot due to an infection.

“She’s doing well. I’ve given her an entry in the Sun Chariot or the same week there’s a race for her at Keeneland,” said Bin Suroor.

“Those are what we are looking at for her, those two races. We’ll see which one closer to the time. The Sun Chariot is obviously closer (to home).

“The Breeders’ Cup is our big aim for this year, she’s not a big filly so a track like Keeneland will be perfect.

“She’ll stay in training next year, which is good news.”

Jude Bellingham has made a flying start to his Real Madrid career but that comes as no surprise to Gus Poyet due to the midfielder's mentality.

Carlo Ancelotti's side saw off competition from Liverpool and a host of other European clubs to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2023-24 season.

The England international has soon settled into life in Spain, scoring three goals in his first two LaLiga games after Saturday's brace against Almeria.

Poyet, like many other coaches and former players, pinpointed Bellingham's mentality and told Stats Perform the former Birmingham City man was always going to go to the top.

Poyet said: "I knew Bellingham because I had an interview with Birmingham four or five years ago, before he went to Dortmund, and I watched the team obviously.

"I watched him play and I was thinking 'wow' at the potential he had at 17 or 18 years old.

"So you see the player, but then you need to meet the person, the personality, the passion, how can he handle the pressure, what he likes and what he doesn't. And I think that is what people are seeing now at Real Madrid. 

"We knew that he had the quality, we knew that he made a big impact at Borussia Dortmund, especially when you saw him at Dortmund sometimes being the captain. You think that he must be special because of this.

"The quality, everyone can see, but I think the most important quality of Bellingham is his mentality.

"He is very strong, he believes in himself, he knows what he wants. He made decisions early in his life, leaving England his comfort zone to go to Germany at that age and now, boom, he is at Real Madrid."

Bellingham, aged 20 years and 51 days, is the second-youngest player to score in his opening two LaLiga games – only behind Markel Susaeta in 2007 (who was 19 years and 275 days old).

Poyet does not foresee Bellingham slowing down any time soon either, as Madrid eye a fruitful period with one of the world's most exciting talents in their ranks.

"I think he's going to be at Real Madrid for a long, long time," Poyet added. "He is going to be very good for the club and for himself."

The 20-year-old also had an assist against Almeria. He is just the third player to be involved in four goals in his first two LaLiga outings in the 21st century, along with Wesley Sneijder (2007) and Mounir El Hamdaoui (2013).

Andy Farrell expects World Cup referees to be “red-hot” on foul play and says Ireland are striving to be rugby’s most disciplined team in the wake of another England red card.

Ireland benefited from the dismissal of England number eight Billy Vunipola on Saturday evening to retain their spot at the top of the global rankings by easing to a 29-10 Dublin success.

Vunipola’s second-half sending-off, for a high tackle on Andrew Porter, came a week on from team-mate Owen Farrell’s headline-grabbing red card against Wales.

England also had players sent off in their previous two fixtures with Ireland, with Charlie Ewels departing prematurely at Twickenham last year and Freddie Steward ordered off at the Aviva Stadium during the Six Nations in March, albeit that second decision was later overturned.

Ireland head coach Farrell feels there are “cards everywhere” at the moment and is determined to ensure disciplinary issues do not damage the World Cup ambitions of his Six Nations champions.

“It’s a red card that somebody will have a look at and make the right decision,” he said of the Vunipola incident. “It is what it is.

“We’re seeing more and more of that. It just highlights for us massively that it isn’t just the tackle height, it’s discipline in general.

“There are cards everywhere at the minute, isn’t there?

“And there’s a realisation as well that at the start of a competition, certainly in World Cups, referees are always going to be red-hot on stuff.

“So making sure that we’re the most disciplined side is something that we’re chasing down.”

Farrell welcomed back the bulk of his star names for their first international action since clinching Grand Slam glory against England five months ago.

Tries from Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose in a disjointed first half paved the way for victory before James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Test centurion Keith Earls added further scores following Vunipola’s 53rd-minute exit.

However, Dan Sheehan’s first-half departure due to a foot issue left Ireland with some cause for concern, particularly with fellow Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher currently sidelined.

Farrell, who brought on Rob Herring in place of Sheehan, concedes the situation may become a worry but believes there is plenty of talent in reserve.

“Possibly, possibly,” he said. “Ronan’s going to be fine. The extent of Dan we don’t know.

“We’ve had Diarmuid Barron in camp as well, Tom Stewart’s been going great guns, so we’ll be fine.”

Stand-in captain Courtney Lawes insists England will “relentlessly” strive for improvement and “won’t give up” following another major jolt in their bumpy road towards the World Cup.

Head coach Steve Borthwick is sweating on the availability of two key players ahead of the tournament in France after Billy Vunipola’s red card in Dublin compounded Owen Farrell’s disciplinary saga.

England struggled to convince with 15 men at the Aviva Stadium before Vunipola’s 53rd-minute dismissal for ploughing into the head of Andrew Porter helped the world’s top-ranked team cruise to a 29-10 success.

Yet flanker Lawes, who skippered his country as Farrell watched on from the stands, believes there were “a lot of positives” to take from a meek display.

“It’s obviously very disappointing,” he said. “The thing is if we just get certain things right in that game, it’s very different, it’s a very different game – and they are all things that we can control.

“But we have to be able to control them. There are obviously a lot of positives, which is great.

“If we tidy up a couple of areas, we’ll be a much different team and we’ve proved we can hang with the best as long as we get them right. But it doesn’t make it any less disappointing that we didn’t get it right.

“We won’t give up. We will relentlessly pursue the betterment of our team and that’s all we can do.”

England rarely offered a try-scoring threat on Saturday evening and were 12-3 behind at the break following scores from Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose.

Matters took a turn for the worse shortly after the restart when Vunipola’s shoulder-led tackle was upgraded from a yellow card to a red on review.

Tries from James Lowe and Mack Hansen stretched Ireland’s lead before Keith Earls added to the misery on the occasion of his 100th cap after Kyle Sinckler crossed for a consolation.

England should discover the fates of Saracens pair Vunipola and Farrell before hosting Fiji at Twickenham next weekend, with their World Cup campaign set to begin against Argentina on September 9.

Borthwick was unsure how much the uncertainty surrounding Farrell, who is awaiting the outcome of World Rugby’s appeal of the decision to overturn his red card against Wales, impacted England’s performance against Ireland.

But he accepts his team need greater cutting edge as they seek to turn winning into “a habit”.

“It’s always difficult to accurately evaluate that because it’s an unknown but it certainly hasn’t helped our preparation this week and we’re going to have to deal with it again this forthcoming week,” he said, referring to Farrell’s situation.

“We’re going to have to ensure we minimise any disruption and distraction of it to get the performance we want.

“We play against Fiji back at Twickenham next week and we want to make sure we get a win, we want to make sure we get an improved performance because winning is a habit and we want to make sure we start building that habit.

“The area we’ve seen we need to see more improvement is that conversion of opportunities in the final third.

“Do we want to see more progress? Absolutely. And that’s what we’ll be focusing our attention on over this coming week and beyond as we build into that first game of the World Cup.”