Ed Crisford has no fears about Vandeek running on faster ground in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
The Havana Grey colt, a 625,000 guineas breeze-up buy, already boasts an impressive CV, but all three of his victories have been claimed when there was plenty of cut underfoot.
After opening his account at a rain-hit Nottingham, a smooth success in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood was secured on soft going.
The official description was then ‘very soft’ when Vandeek edged out highly-rated French juvenile Ramatuelle at elite level in the Prix Morny at Deauville.
However, Crisford, who trains Vandeek alongside his father Simon, believes switching to a sounder surface this weekend for another Group One assignment will not be an issue.
“He’s in great order,” said the Newmarket handler. “He comes into this on the back of a Prix Morny win and has to have a good chance if repeating that form.
“It’s a good field, as you’d expect for a race of this stature, but I’d say he goes in there with a favourite’s chance.
“It will be the first time he’s encountered ground this fast but he’s a nice-moving colt by Havana Grey, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber reopposes Vandeek after finishing back in third at Deauville, when returning from a two-month absence following his Coventry Stakes win at Royal Ascot.
Stable jockey Ryan Moore told Betfair: “He had a well-publicised setback before the Morny last time, so we were very happy with his third to Vandeek there, beaten just over two lengths.
“He wasn’t at peak fitness and I thought he shaped very well in the circumstances. I would expect him to get a lot closer to the winner here, and I’d say we had a very fair shot at winning this Group One. He’s in good shape.”
Elite Status had landed a Group Three event at Deauville at the end of July but could only manage a distant seventh of nine in the Morny.
Jasour ran too freely early on before fading back to eighth, but had previously shown a nice turn of foot to score by two lengths from Lake Forest in the July Stakes at Newmarket.
After then letting odds-on backers down at HQ, the William Haggas-trained Lake Forest returned to winning ways when beating Johannes Brahms in the Gimcrack at York and appeared to have a bit more in hand than the one-length margin suggested.
His jockey Tom Marquand said: “When I got off him in the July Stakes, I thought it was inexperience that caught us out that day. He went to Newmarket afterwards and things didn’t go right for him in that novice and he got beat.
“I wasn’t on board him in the novice race at Newmarket, but we learnt a bit from that experience and that put us a bit closer to completely working out what he wants.
“He is a really cool little horse that is not flash at home, but I like him as a character, as he is a bit under the radar.”
Task Force heads into this contest with two wins from two outings, having followed up a Salisbury maiden success by staying on strongly to score in Listed company at Ripon.
Ralph Beckett’s colt is certainly bred for the job, being by Frankel out of English and French 1,000 Guineas winner Special Duty.
Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, commented: “He’s a horse who ultimately probably wants a little bit further, but Ralph made a good point in that his mother never raced beyond six furlongs at two and she went on to win two Guineas.
“There’s definitely a bit of speed there and he’s maybe still a little bit immature, so maybe another start at six will do him good before he steps up in trip next year.”
Beckett also saddles the battle-hardened Starlust, who made it three wins from seven outings when getting up close home to beat Seven Questions in the Group Three Sirenia Stakes at Kempton recently.
Coventry Stakes fourth Givemethebeatboys travels over from Ireland again after subsequently finishing third behind Bucanero Fuerte in the Phoenix Stakes for Jessica Harrington.
Sketch was tailed off behind Vandeek in the Richmond but was second favourite that day following a wide-margin front-running success at Newbury on debut.
Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw accepts he may have to remain patient for opportunities at his third Rugby World Cup due to the “flying” form of positional rivals Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose.
The experienced 30-year-old has been a Test regular for a decade but his game time in France has so far been restricted to two cameos.
Leinster player Henshaw, who has 67 international caps, admits the peripheral role feels unfamiliar and is fighting to regain a starting spot.
He believes strength in depth is vital to his country’s aspirations in the tournament and praised the “outstanding” displays of Aki, who has already registered four tries, and Ringrose.
“He’s been brilliant, his body’s in great shape,” Henshaw said of the in-form Aki.
“He’s flying fit and he’s had a great pre-season, as has Garry. The lads are flying it, their performances have been consistent and rock solid and Bundee’s been flying in terms of getting tries on the board.
“He’s been letting us know that he’s near the top of the try scorers list, which we’ve been having a laugh about.
“They’ve been outstanding and for me it’s just whenever I get a chance to come in to make sure I put my best foot forward.”
View this post on InstagramHenshaw was a late withdrawal from Ireland’s bench for the opening win against Romania as a precaution.
He then bolstered his side as a replacement in the subsequent success over Tonga before twice coming on against South Africa, initially in the first half while Ringrose underwent a head injury assessment.
“You start the week with the mindset of being as competitive as you can and making sure when we know the team that they’re prepared the best they can be,” Henshaw said of team selection.
“That’s definitely a role of the guys who are not in that starting 15, making sure we prepare the lads.
“But then on the flip side, whenever you get your chance, it’s being ready.
“Coming off the bench definitely isn’t something I’ve been used to for a while but it’s about making sure you give it your all when you get on and you positively impact the game.”
Ireland have been relatively injury free during the current campaign.
Head coach Andy Farrell is in the unusual position of having his three leading midfield options available, in addition to Stuart McCloskey and versatile backs Keith Earls and Jimmy O’Brien.
Two-time British and Irish Lion Henshaw acknowledges that has not often been the case in recent times.
“It’s a good point, there’s always in the past – Six Nations, Novembers – been one of us in or out due to injury or whatever,” he said.
View this post on Instagram“Hopefully we can keep us all fit.
“But the quality we have, we’ve great strength in depth in those positions, even the likes of Earlsy being able to come in at 13 and Jimmy.
“The depth we have here is key for playing in a World Cup because anything can happen.”
Ireland lead Pool B thanks to their 100 per cent record but are still sweating on a quarter-final place ahead of next weekend’s crunch Paris showdown with rivals Scotland.
“Every time we play Scotland we know they’re going to come for us,” said Henshaw.
“Now we can see what it means to them and what they want to chase and what we want to chase in terms of getting those four wins.
“They’re going to come and have a go like they always do through (fly-half) Finn Russell and getting the ball to the width.
“They’ll have a plan and we’ll need to make sure we’re rock solid and we attack it.”
Charlie Hills’ Ancient Rome will bid for more success overseas in the Qatar Prix Dollar on the first day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at ParisLongchamp.
The War Front colt is familiar with the French turf having previously been trained by Andre Fabre before changing hands and stables earlier this season.
His first run in the silks of Fitri Hay was a one-length victory at 33-1 in the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood in August, after which he returned to the country of his birth to contest the one-mile Mint Millions Stakes at Kentucky and prevail by half a length.
The latter run was a Grade Three event and his return to Paris is therefore a step up in level, but Hills expects him to relish the extended trip of a mile and two furlongs in the Group Two contest.
“I think the trip is going to suit him really well,” he said.
“He seemed to travel over to America really well and enjoyed it and he’s been great since he’s been back.
“He’s obviously got to step up to another level, I think, but he could well be up to it.”
There is further British interest in the race in William Knight’s Checkandchallenge and Paul and Oliver Cole’s Grand Prix de Deauville winner Jack Darcy.
Elsewhere on the card is the Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein, a one-mile Group Two that has attracted 10 runners, including Richard Hannon’s Witch Hunter.
The four-year-old has progressed from handicaps to this level in the space of a season, most recently winning the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury by a length.
“I’ve been delighted with him and he’s shown massive improvement all year,” Hannon said.
“I think he’s gone from being rated 80-odd to 115 and it was a very good performance last time at Newbury.
“The owners are very keen to take on a race out there and he is capable of showing up anywhere and running a massive race.
“In fact, the better the race, the better he seems to run. He’s been beaten in handicaps and Listed races, but he’s now won a Royal Ascot handicap and a Group Two.
“He’s been a great horse to have about. He’s a very talented horse.”
Also involved is Brian Meehan’s Isaac Shelby, winner of the Greenham on his seasonal debut and then consistently placed in Group races throughout the season – including a second-placed run over course and distance in the French Guineas.
“I’m really happy with him and he’s travelled over great,” commented Meehan.
“His best run of the year was probably over the distance and on that track. It will only be his sixth run of the year and we’re in good shape.
“I think he has run some superb races, he’s been really consistent and has never let us down.
“Possibly York didn’t suit him (fourth in the City of York), some horses don’t like it there. It’s a bit like Newmarket when he ran in the Dewhurst, some horses just don’t like those places.
“This is a nice place to come with him and he’s really well.”
The Group One Qatar Prix de Royallieu takes top billing, a staying event for fillies run over a mile and six furlongs.
Aidan O’Brien’s Library will step up in trip, a Galileo filly with experience at the grade as she was third in the Irish Oaks in July.
O’Brien said: “We’ll run Library in the fillies’ race on Saturday, she was a filly who was third in the Oaks so we’re hoping she’ll run well.
“This is stepping up in trip again for her, we think that’ll suit her and the better the ground, the better it’ll suit her.”
Library will cross paths with Shamida, an Aga Khan-owned filly who was a half-length winner of the Curragh’s Irish St Leger Trial when last seen, prior to which she took the Group Three Stanerra Stakes at Leopardstown over the same one-mile six-furlong distance.
Trained by Dermot Weld, she will encounter the same trip in France and will be ridden as usual by Chris Hayes.
There is extensive British representation in the race, with William Haggas’ Sea Silk Road, the Coles’ Sumo Sam, John and Thady Gosden’s Mimikyu and Karl Burke’s Poptronic set to run.
Matt Fitzpatrick finally had a reason to enjoy the Ryder Cup as Europe aimed to build on their record-breaking start in Rome.
Captain Luke Donald’s decision to start with foursomes for the first time since 1993, the last US victory on European soil, paid handsome dividends as his side swept an opening session for the first time in the contest’s history.
Roared on by a partisan crowd, the home side never trailed at any point in all four matches and their opponents won just 10 holes all morning to fall 4-0 behind.
Fitzpatrick had failed to win a point in five matches across his previous two Ryder Cups, but both had been on away soil and none had been in his preferred fourball format.
That was rectified when he was sent out in the afternoon’s final match with Rory McIlroy and the 2022 US Open champion immediately made up for lost time.
Fitzpatrick birdied the second, third and fourth and then drove the green on the short fifth to set up an eagle which took the European pair four up on Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele.
Jon Rahm and Nicolai Hojgaard held a narrow lead over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in match two, with the other two matches all square.
Rahm had earlier partnered Tyrrell Hatton to a 4&3 win over Scheffler and Sam Burns, with Viktor Hovland and rookie Ludvig Aberg despatching Open champion Brian Harman and Max Homa by the same score.
Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka maintained the momentum with a 2&1 win over Rickie Fowler and Morikawa before McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood completed the rout by inflicting a first foursomes defeat on Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.
Rahm and Hatton had acquired the nickname of “Team Angry” due to their fiery nature, but they could afford to be all smiles as they gelled superbly to get Europe off to the ideal start.
Rahm holed from 27 feet for birdie on the third and short range on the fifth, before hitting the pin with his tee shot on the par-three seventh to leave Hatton with a tap-in birdie.
The European pair looked set to lose the 10th until Rahm chipped in for an unlikely par and the Masters champion then drove the green on the short 11th and found the putting surface in two on the par-five 12th.
That led to a conceded eagle and the out-of-sorts American pair were soon put of their misery on the 15th.
“Extremely satisfying,” Rahm said. “I had a good feeling about Tyrrell all along. It was good to come out here and see him perform the way he did.
“It was an incredible foursome match and we played as confident as two people could play.”
Lowry admitted he was “losing my mind” standing on the first tee as he watched Hovland chip in for birdie up ahead on the green, but the former Open champion regained his composure in time to help rookie Straka earn a debut point.
“It’s huge,” Lowry said. “Obviously it’s early days but I wanted to give Sepp his moment in the Ryder Cup to hole the winning putt (on 17). We are off to a great start this morning. We need to keep the foot down.
“I would have liked to close out the match earlier because we had good chances, but it was nice to put a point on the board for Europe.”
A miserable morning for Zach Johnson’s side was epitomised in the bottom match, where Schauffele and Cantlay – who had boasted a 5-0 record in foursomes – won the 14th to halve their deficit and looked almost certain to get back to all square on the next following a wayward McIlroy drive.
However, Cantlay charged his birdie putt four feet past, Fleetwood holed from 20 feet to scramble a par and Schauffele then missed his par attempt.
The American duo did win the 16th with a birdie but McIlroy hit a superb tee shot to within three feet on the 17th and Schauffele, knowing he had to make his birdie attempt from 20 feet to have any chance, inexplicably left it short.
Fleetwood was left with the simple task of tapping in to complete a 2&1 victory and round off a barely-believable opening session for the European team.
“It’s been an unbelievable session,” McIlroy said. “We switched the format this year to go foursomes first because statistically that’s our better session.
“And all week all we’ve been talking about is getting off to fast starts. Playing three-hole matches in practise, three holes, go again, three holes, go again, something that Luke’s drilled into us.
“We were ready to go from the first tee shot as obviously as you can see in how everyone played.”
Javan Sebastian admitted to being “a bit overwhelmed” about the prospect of making his first start for Scotland at a World Cup after bouncing back from a “dark” spell working as a butcher when he feared his professional rugby career was over.
After failing to earn a contract in 2016, the Wales-born prop had to drop into the semi-pro ranks and got a job as a butcher in Carmarthen to make ends meet.
At that point, resigned to the likelihood that it was not to be for him at the top end of the game, Sebastian could never have envisaged he go on to represent Scotland – the nation of his father’s birth – at a World Cup in France.
“I was a bit overwhelmed when Gregor told me I was going to be starting tight-head,” said Sebastian, reflecting on the fact that – after six appearances for Scotland as a substitute – he will make his first start in Saturday’s World Cup Pool B match against Romania in Lille.
“I was quite surprised to even be selected in the World Cup squad. It’s a massive achievement to be selected in any squad, so to get a starting place is pretty surreal.”
After struggling to break through at Scarlets and then having an unfulfilling loan stint at Glasgow, Sebastian dropped out of the professional game aged 22 to become a butcher while playing part-time for Carmarthen Quins.
“That was a dark time,” he recalled, speaking from the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille on the eve of his World Cup bow. “It was after I left Glasgow, having been there for a year. I went back home (to Wales) to have my first-born.
“I took a year out of rugby and didn’t really end up having a job so I applied to be a butcher and play semi-pro.
“I worked in the butcher’s for about two months. I couldn’t hack it any longer than that. It was dark, not a nice place.
“I thought my professional rugby career was pretty much over, so I took a year out to reflect and get back to normal life.
“It made me open my eyes to what I could potentially do. Being a butcher or any other normal job is quite tough. I’m not saying that being a rugby player isn’t tough, but the real world is scary.
“I discovered normal life wasn’t for me, so I thought I would try to play rugby again.”
Sebastian was cajoled in that regard by his coaches at Carmarthen who felt he was too good to be playing at such a lowly level and helped him earn a second chance with Scarlets in 2017. He became a prominent figure at the Parc y Scarlets until joining Edinburgh this summer on a two-year deal.
“Playing semi-pro in Wales was pretty dark,” he said. “You go to places like Neath, Cross Keys away, when it’s raining and it’s seven o’clock at night and the pitches are deep in mud. It’s not a nice place to play.
“The coaches at the time were Craig Evans and Richard Kelly. They really pushed me on to try and go for more than what I was doing at that time. Richard was also a coach at Scarlets, so he really pushed me to get back in.”
Sebastian – effectively Scotland’s third-choice tighthead – feels his move to Edinburgh can help him progress further.
“It’s just another step on the journey where I want to project on to the next level,” he said.
“Edinburgh have a strong pack, so trying to play some expansive rugby within that pack will benefit me.”
Scotland srum coach Pieter de Villiers was full of praise for the way Sebastian has forced his way into contention for his first international start in a match Scotland must win with a bonus point to keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-final.
“It is a well-deserved start,” he said. “He’s had a great preparation period and is very well respected within the group.
“In terms of the set-piece, I think he’s one of the best scrummaging tightheads out there. You can ask any front-row player, they’ll always back Javan to pack down in a scrum.
“Playing at Edinburgh next season, it’ll be good for him to develop alongside his international team-mates. It’ll be good to have him closer to home and to see him grow.”
Vinicius Junior will start his first game since August as Real Madrid attempt to dethrone early LaLiga leaders Girona on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Brazil international was used as a second-half substitute in Wednesday evening’s 2-0 home win over Las Palmas on his return from a hamstring injury, but manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he will return to the starting line-up at the weekend.
Ancelotti told a press conference: “He’s fine and he’s going to play from the beginning. Then we’ll see how many minutes he can last – maybe 90, but it depends on what I ask him to do.
“I see him very well, fully recovered, and he’s going to contribute to us. We’re not going to change the system, but modify some details to be more successful and solid.”
Vinicius has not started a game since the 1-0 win at Celta Vigo on August 25, and sat out four fixtures – including last Sunday’s 3-1 derby defeat at Atletico Madrid – as a result of his injury.
His return comes as defender David Alaba prepares to sit out at the Estadi Montilivi with a muscle problem suffered in midweek.
The fixture brings together the sides currently lying in first and second places in the fledgling table with the hosts having won their last six after an opening-day draw at Real Sociedad.
Ancelotti said: “We have to play a complete game in the sense that the team has to have balance: defend well and with the ball show the quality we have to do damage.
“We are alert because of how well Girona are playing at the moment. Last time we went there, it wasn’t a good night, and the same thing won’t happen tomorrow.
“Girona is playing very well, but we have a good chance of winning the game.”
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Last season’s visit to Girona in April ended in a 4-2 defeat in which Valentin Castellanos scored all four goals for the home side.
Ancelotti said: “We are doing well and we are playing an important game against the leader. We will try to do our best and arrive with a good dynamic.
“The team is a little tired, but excited. We’re going to do it well.”
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel says Saturday’s opponents RB Leipzig are a “dangerous” proposition for his team.
Leipzig have won their last two encounters with Bayern, including the season-opening DFL-Supercup last month.
Tuchel’s men have recovered well to lead the Bundesliga with 13 points from their opening five matches, with England striker Harry Kane’s seven goals spurring them on.
Leipzig sit a point and three places further back, but the trip to Saxony will arguably present the toughest challenge yet to Bayern in this season’s Bundesliga campaign.
“They’re dangerous as a collective, very unified as a team,” Tuchel said of Leipzig at his pre-match press conference.
“Leipzig are very clear in their processes, we fully recognise their qualities.
“We’ve lost our last two games against them, which hurt. We’ve been on a good run since the Supercup defeat, and now it’s about backing that up.
“The mood is good, the mentality is right. The time has come to turn the tables, but it will certainly be difficult.
“We’ve been very focused and confident in the last few games. Now it’s another step up. Leipzig have a very strong squad.
“They’ve managed changes well. They’ve beaten us recently, which we don’t like.
“It’s about coming up with a response and continuing from where we’ve left off recently. We know it’s a difficult task, but we’re confident enough to say we’re going to Leipzig to win.”
Bayern are set to be able to call on former Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, along with fellow defender Kim Min-Jae and attacker Thomas Muller after they trained with no adverse effects this week following injuries.
Forward Serge Gnabry is set to miss out with an arm injury, while Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt suffered a knee injury in the 7-0 victory over Bochum last weekend and is also expected to be out.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer returned to partial training for the first time this week since his leg fracture in a skiing accident last winter, but is still some way off making a return to playing.
Tuchel added on Neuer: “It’s very good news. Manu did a partial integration. It wasn’t an intense session and he did parts of it. We mustn’t get carried away. It’s another step.
“Once he’s fully in training things can progress quickly, but he’s still some way off that.”
Amadou Haidara has trained following a muscle injury to be available for Leipzig, but Timo Werner will miss out due to a back problem.
Willi Orban and Dani Olmo are absent due to injuries suffered on international duty, while El Chadaille Bitshiabu is still sidelined by a medial ligament tear.
Manchester United have announced Lisandro Martinez will be sidelined for an “extended period” after aggravating the foot injury he suffered towards the end of last season.
The Argentina defender sustained a fractured metatarsal in April’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla, keeping him out for around two months.
Martinez is now looking at a similar timescale after United confirmed he had suffered a setback.
The club said: “Lisandro Martinez will be out of action for an extended period due to an aggravation of the foot injury he suffered in April.
“The Argentinian defender experienced the setback in our Premier League game against Arsenal earlier this month.
“Martinez bravely continued playing for the following two games against Brighton and Bayern Munich.
“But it has now been determined that he needs a period on the sidelines for recovery and rehabilitation. Assessment is ongoing to decide next steps.”
United have a number of injury issues to deal with and have confirmed Sergio Reguilon will be among those absent against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The club said: “Sergio Reguilon will also be absent from this Saturday’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace with a minor injury.”
Scotland play their third match of the World Cup against Pool B minnows Romania in Lille on Saturday night.
Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the key talking points ahead of a must-win fixture for Gregor Townsend’s side.
Scots need big win ahead of Ireland
Nothing less than a comprehensive victory will do for Scotland as they bid to stay on course for qualification for the quarter-finals ahead of what is shaping up to be a critical showdown with Ireland in Paris next Saturday. The Scots need to win with four tries this weekend to get the bonus point they require, which is something they should do with little trouble given that they touched down seven times against Tonga last weekend, while Ireland and South Africa put 82 and 76 points respectively on the Romanians. In addition to getting the bonus point, a swashbuckling attacking performance and a heavy scoreline would be desirable to ensure a degree of buoyancy is maintained ahead of the Ireland match.
Big guns preserved
Head coach Gregor Townsend clearly has a big eye on next weekend given his team selection, with 13 changes to the XV that started last Sunday’s win over Tonga. Darcy Graham and Grant Gilchrist – who captains the side in the absence of the injured Jamie Ritchie – are the only two players in the line-up who started the opening game against South Africa, when arguably the first-choice XV was sent out. Big-hitters like Finn Russell, Duhan van der Merwe, Sione Tuipulotu, Zander Fagerson and Jack Dempsey have been left out of the 23, while regular starters Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones and Rory Darge will provide a reassuring presence on the bench.
Opportunities for fringe men
The starting quartet of Hamish Watson, Luke Crosbie, Javan Sebastian and Ben Healy are getting their first action of this World Cup after being idle for the first two games, while six others – Ali Price, Cam Redpath, Ollie Smith, Jamie Bhatti, Ewan Ashman and Sam Skinner – have been handed their first start of the tournament. With Scotland boasting a relatively established starting XV these days, this is an opportunity for several players on the periphery of the squad to showcase their abilities and try to push themselves further up the pecking order, possibly even playing their way into contention for the Ireland game.
The Vern Cotter factor
A familiar face will be attempting to put a spanner in the works for Scotland this weekend. Vern Cotter, the head coach who led the Scots to within a whisker of the World Cup semi-finals in 2015, is working as a consultant for the Romanian team at the current tournament. The 61-year-old New Zealander is sure to have plenty of insight on the Scots, having had three years in charge before being succeeded by Townsend in 2017. “I have been overseeing their preparation since this year’s Rugby Europe Championship and I will be involved as an advisor for the RWC, hoping the Oaks will evolve, play some good games and exceed everyone’s expectations,” said Cotter last month.
Scotland get first taste of northern France
After spending the past month sizzling in the heat of the south of France at their base in Nice and in Marseille – where they played their opener against South Africa – the Scots have encountered grey skies and a much cooler temperature since flying to the other end of France for this weekend’s match in Lille. The players have relished the change of scenery and a reprieve from the heat that ensures they will kick off on Saturday night in conditions far more like what they are accustomed to at home in Scotland.
Cachet will take her chance in the Qatar Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
Last year’s 1000 Guineas heroine was returning from 457 days on the sidelines when fourth in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.
The Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned filly did have the option of waiting for next weekend’s Sun Chariot Stakes, but the promise of favourable ground conditions means George Boughey’s charge will be in the Bois de Boulogne this weekend.
“We’ve decided we’re going to run Cachet on Sunday in the Foret,” said Highclere’s Harry Herbert.
“George is delighted with her since her comeback run at Doncaster and she worked well on the Rowley Mile earlier in the week.
“The key to her is getting good or fast ground, so hopefully she’ll get that in Paris this weekend and if she does we hope she’ll be competitive.
“This could be her last run for Highclere before she is sold at the mares’ sale in December.”
Cachet will take her chance in the Qatar Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
Last year’s 1000 Guineas heroine was returning from 457 days on the sidelines when fourth in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.
The Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned filly did have the option of waiting for next weekend’s Sun Chariot Stakes, but the promise of favourable ground conditions means George Boughey’s charge will be in the Bois de Boulogne this weekend.
“We’ve decided we’re going to run Cachet on Sunday in the Foret,” said Highclere’s Harry Herbert.
“George is delighted with her since her comeback run at Doncaster and she worked well on the Rowley Mile earlier in the week.
“The key to her is getting good or fast ground, so hopefully she’ll get that in Paris this weekend and if she does we hope she’ll be competitive.
“This could be her last run for Highclere before she is sold at the mares’ sale in December.”
West Ham defender Hawa Cissoko has reflected on the racist abuse she suffered last year and called for social media companies to offer more security online.
Cissoko received a torrent of racism after she was sent off following an altercation with Aston Villa’s Sarah Mayling during a 2-1 defeat in the Women’s Super League on October 15.
It was subsequently reported to the police, but Cissoko believes racist people will “find every opportunity” to be so.
“Yes I was surprised to be honest,” Cissoko admitted of the racism she faced.
“It’s not that I thought the men were lying or that it wasn’t happening to them, but it never happened in women’s football or maybe if it did then the women were quiet. I didn’t expect it would happen to me, especially when the people that did it don’t even watch our games.
“If it was from people who follow the league I would understand a little bit more, but when it was from not even French or English people I was like, ‘you should focus on your own business’.
“I realised, okay some people are just racist and they just find every opportunity to be racist and say whatever they want.
“When I understood this, it was easier to deal with because at the beginning you take things personally, you think they don’t like you when they see you every week, they hate me, but when I realised it was outside of WSL fans, I thought, ‘I don’t care’.
“I know that some people, they send messages because they know that nothing is going to happen even if you tell them you’re going to the police. They know nothing will happen. We need more security and more. I don’t know how they can do it.”
The Government did last week sign off an Online Safety Bill, which is designed to make the internet in Britain safer.
However, Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham received racist abuse earlier this month to further highlight the fight to rid the sport of discrimination still has a long way to go.
Cissoko conceded the best way she found to deal with the racism was to turn off her phone.
She added: “Yeah it’s hard (to receive abuse), but it depends on who you have around you. If you have nice team-mates and your manager supports you and shows you love, respect and the support you need, then it is easier. Obviously I have my family as well.
“On social media I just ignore people because it is not real. Those people, they can say a lot of things on social media but if they met me they would never say this because they would see I am actually a human with a heart and feelings.
“If I turn off my phone, they don’t exist. The most important thing is the relationships I have with my team-mates, my coach and my family.”
Paris-born Cissoko will begin her fourth season with West Ham this weekend and remains eager to change the perception around her.
The France international was sent off twice in the 2021-22 campaign before her notable red card last October.
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“I think some people have made a picture around me as a player that I am aggressive and stuff like that, but if you look, I think I do less fouls than any other defender,” Cissoko pointed out.
“I’m really quite chill and calm. When I go to the referees, I try to be respectful, I speak with a low voice all the time. I have had the same with male and female refs.
“Once I was tackled and I felt like it was a foul and he didn’t and I said, ‘hey, ref, this is a foul!’ And he said, ‘no, just calm down’. This is not the moment to say, ‘calm down’ just ignore me and I will calm down!
“I think it’s just the misunderstanding between players and referees. I think we just need to speak to them. I will understand them more if I speak to and they will understand more.
“I am going to tell you a secret. As players, everyone wants to be a journalist or a coach, but I think after my career I would like to become a referee.
“Maybe I need to start learning with the under 15’s and go to their game and referee, maybe it will change my mind. No top level player in the men’s or women’s game has become a referee. Maybe I can be the first one.”
Maro Itoje has emerged from a difficult period of his career confident that he can reach new levels of performance as England progress deeper into the World Cup.
Itoje revealed during this year’s Six Nations that he had been suffering from an underlying health issue – the details of which are undisclosed – that had impacted his conditioning.
It explained the below-par displays being delivered by one of England’s world-class operators as, although he held his own on the field, he was not the dominant force that had taken the game by storm.
But having benefited from the fitness work completed during squad’s World Cup training camp, there was evidence in his starts against Argentina and Japan that the 28-year-old second row is on the rise once more.
“I don’t think one is ever fully happy, no-one is every fully content with anything, but it’s definitely better being able to express myself physically,” Itoje said.
“During that period where it was a little bit more difficult to do that, it was a little bit more challenging.
“I had issues going on in the background which affected my ability to exercise and perform.
“And once we were able to get all those things aligned, I was able to naturally have a response from the training that I was doing.
“Having a beneficial response from the rigorous activity has allowed me to perform and play better.
“There’s no top player across any sport – whether that’s rugby, football, basketball, whatever – who has a plain sailing career, or a career that goes exactly how they wanted it.
“You can speak of any of the greats and they will probably say ‘I wish I didn’t do that’, or ‘I wish I’d done that differently’.
“I guess that whole period for me was my version of that, where I had something structurally wrong and I didn’t know it was structurally wrong until I was quite deep into it.
“To be able to persevere through that period and finally get a fix for that was great. But I personally still feel there’s a lot more to go and a lot more that I can contribute in a positive manner for this team and in this tournament.”
England have reached the quarter-finals as Pool D winners with a match to spare after Japan toppled Samoa on Thursday night.
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It continues encouraging progress through the World Cup that began with victory over Argentina despite all but three minutes of the match being played with 14 men because of Tom Curry’s red card.
Itoje excelled amid England’s act of defiance against their closest group rivals, who were routed 27-10 in Marseille, but the two-time Lions tourist insists there is more to come.
“It’s funny because people after the game thought I’d played well. I thought I played alright, I don’t think I played as well as what people were telling me,” he said.
“And that’s probably because I know where I can be if I’m properly firing on all cylinders.
“The games have been a step in the right direction for me but I’m not satisfied with that, I think there’s another level for me to get to.
“So hopefully Samoa and by God’s grace the rest of the tournament will be an opportunity for me to express that.”
Europe’s bid to regain the Ryder Cup got off to a dream start as they stormed into a 4-0 lead over a shellshocked United States in Rome.
Captain Luke Donald’s decision to start with foursomes for the first time since 1993, the last US victory on European soil, paid handsome dividends as his side swept an opening session for the first time in the contest’s history.
Roared on by a partisan crowd, the home side never trailed at any point in all four matches and their opponents won just 10 holes all morning.
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