Inter Milan have signed France defender Benjamin Pavard on a permanent deal, the clubs have announced.
The 27-year-old World Cup-winner moves after four years with the German giants in which he added four Bundesliga titles and the Champions League to his medal collection.
He also won the Club World Cup, European Super Cup and German Cup during a Bayern career in which he made 163 appearances and scored 12 goals.
Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said: “We would like to thank Benjamin Pavard for four extremely successful years together.
“Not least in our historic year, he was a very important part of the team, especially as he was the match-winner in the final of the Club World Cup.
“We respect his desire for a new challenge and have therefore agreed on a move to Inter Milan. We wish him all the best and much success for his future in Serie A in Italy.”
Pavard began his professional career with Lille before joining Bayern after a three-year spell with Stuttgart.
Newly minted two-time world 100m hurdles champion Danielle Wiliams believes she is capable of challenging the world record in her event.
Williams, the 2015 world champion and the 2019 bronze medalist, shocked a stacked field at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last week, winning her second title in 12.43s, her fastest time this year. In claiming victory, she defeated Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who won silver and bronze, respectively.
Williams also defeated Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who set the world record of 12.12 at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.
At Wednesday’s press conference ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Williams was asked whether she believes she can challenge Amusan’s world record, which raised eyebrows when she stormed to victory in her semi-final heat last year.
“From the moment I started getting competitive in the hurdles, many people told me that I have the potential to break the world record. I didn't necessarily believe it at the time. I just thought, you know, you guys are just talking,” said Williams, who has run a lifetime best of 12.32, the second fastest time ever run by a Jamaican woman.
“But the more I go, the more I believe that it is in range.”
Williams, who was third at Jamaica’s national championships in July, revealed she has actually had dreams of setting the world record.
“Funny story, 12.12, the time that Tobi ran to break the record last year, I actually had a dream a few years ago that the world record was going to be 12.12 seconds. I thought it was that was going to be me who's going to break it, but it wasn't,” she said.
“And so I still believe that it is within range. You know, we're all out here, the essence of track and field is running as fast as you can, and so I believe that I can run 12.1 seconds. It's just a lot of things that need to be tweaked to get there, but I think I could get there.”
In Zurich on Thursday, Williams will once again face Camacho-Quinn and Harrison in Zurich in another stacked field that also includes 2019 world champion Nia Ali, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, Tia Jones and Alasyha Johnson.
British Virgin Islands long jumper Chantel Malone has expressed her overwhelming pride and joy for her compatriot, Kyron McMaster, who secured a historic silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
McMaster's outstanding performance, which marked the first-ever medal for his country at an outdoor global championship, was met with resounding applause from Malone, who has been closely following his journey and triumphs.
McMaster's remarkable journey to the podium, finishing second with a time of 47.34 seconds, behind Norway's Karsten Warholm, resonated deeply with Malone. She reflected on his arduous path, overcoming adversities and injuries, to achieve this monumental milestone:
“I couldn't be happier for Kyron because we have a really close relationship and I've seen some of the struggles that he's been through in terms of dealing with injury and just different shifts and transitions in this sport," said during an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV.
The victory was particularly poignant as it came after the passing of Coach Xavier ‘Dag’ Samuels in 2017, adding to the emotional significance of McMaster's achievement. Samuels, who had been McMaster’s coach ever since his days as a youth athlete, was killed in 2017 after falling from a roof during the passage of Hurricane Irma.
"For him to finally be on that podium after 2017 when Coach Dag Samuels passed, it was just amazing,” Malone remarked.
Malone's unwavering support for McMaster was evident, even during a scheduled acupuncture appointment when the finals took place.
“I was actually at an acupuncture appointment and I had needles in my leg. I was like, you need to take these out, 'cause I might end up hurting myself, you know? I was so excited," she revealed.
Tears welled up in Malone's eyes as she witnessed McMaster's dream becoming a reality, recognizing that his silver medal is just a stepping stone towards greater aspirations. "I had tears in my eyes because it was a dream realized and I know he wanted the goal, but that was only a stepping stone towards, you know, accomplishing that ultimate goal,” she said.
Malone emphasized McMaster's exceptional determination and focus, traits that set him apart as a remarkable athlete.
“He is an athlete that is so determined and focused. You don't really see that in younger athletes. I mean, he's getting up there now, but even when he was in 2017, he has always had that mindset of I'll do whatever I need to do to be the best. And that's something that I really admire about him.”
Beyond the celebrations, Malone sees McMaster's success as an inspiration for the youth in the British Virgin Islands, catalyzing a greater drive for support and investment in local athletes:
“Kids will aspire to become like us, and I think that's something that's definitely needed and appreciated in the BVI."
She expressed her hope that McMaster's medal will galvanize the government and businesses on the island to provide comprehensive backing for athletes' development.
“I hope that this medal at the World Championships helps even businesses in the BVI to want to get behind and rally behind the athletes on the journey, especially towards Paris 2024."
Drawing from her own experiences, Malone, a finalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, shared how McMaster's performance lit a fire within her, rekindling her determination to overcome her injuries and challenges. “The last two years for me have been very shaky. As you know, I've been dealing with injury and so finally coming out of that and finding my foot in again, I'm that his performance just really lit a fire under my butt," she said.
“He's an inspiration to me. Honestly, he's younger than me. But like I said, his drive, his ambition and his mindset are something that I definitely admire. And I hope that other athletes in the BVI and around the world take a page out of his book.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 30.
FootballThe PFA awards were announced.
The original teenage star beat the new kid on the block as Coco Gauff knocked 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva out of the US Open.
Gauff, who burst onto the scene when she beat Venus Williams on her way to the fourth round at Wimbledon aged 15, ousted the Russian rookie 6-3 6-2.
The sixth seed, still only 19, had to come from behind to beat Laura Siegemund in a drama-filled three-setter on Monday, but she had a far more gentle work-out this time on Arthur Ashe.
Gauff is fast becoming a live contender for the title this year having won 13 of her 14 matches since losing in the Wimbledon first round to fellow American Sofia Kenin.
She lost a first-set tie-break against Andreeva at this year’s French Open but came back to win in three.
Gauff said: “I just learned then to be aggressive, because if you give her something she is going to take advantage.
“She has a great future in front of her – I think she is going to be back on this stage many more times.”
There was another home success in New York when Taylor Townsend beat Brazilian 19th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6 (1) 7-5.
Folarin Balogun has completed a permanent move to French club Monaco from Arsenal.
The PA news agency understands the deal for the 22-year-old United States forward is worth 40million euro (£34.3m) and also includes a sell-on clause of 17.5 per cent.
Monaco confirmed Balogun had signed a five-year contract until June 2028.
Balogun joined the Gunners aged 10 and developed through the club’s academy before signing a first professional contract in February 2019 and made his senior debut in the Europa League the following year.
In January 2022, Balogun joined Sky Bet Championship side Middlesbrough on loan and he spent last season in Ligue 1 at Reims, where he scored 21 goals.
A club statement from the Gunners read: “We thank Folarin for his contribution to Arsenal, through our Academy into the first team, and wish him the best of health and happiness in his new chapter at Monaco.”
The global transfer spending record has been broken this summer, according to figures from Transfermarkt.
Clubs worldwide have spent a combined £6.56billion on 1,617 players so far, surpassing the previous high for a single window of £6.51bn set in 2019.
Here, the PA news agency breaks down the record-breaking total.
Highest spending leagues
The Premier League is comfortably the highest-spending division in 2023-24, with almost £2.1bn having been invested in 269 players.
The Saudi Pro League is second on the list with a combined total of £727million, ahead of Italy’s Serie A (£683m), Germany’s Bundesliga (£598m), France’s Ligue 1 (£597m) and Spain’s LaLiga (£342m).
The English top flight has moved further clear of rival leagues compared with 2019, with Premier League spending almost doubling in value and now accounting for 32 per cent of the global total, up from 20 per cent four years ago.
In contrast, the remaining four of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues have all spent less than they did in 2019, albeit with more than 48 hours of the window still to go.
Those declines have been offset by a huge rise in Saudi Pro League spending, from less than 1 per cent of the total in 2019 to more than 11 per cent in 2023.
The increase in Saudi Arabia’s market share has come at the expense of LaLiga clubs in particular, whose spending is worth just five per cent of the worldwide total this summer – compared with 18 per cent four years ago.
Highest spending clubs
Chelsea have spent £359m on new players this summer, the most of any club worldwide according to Transfermarkt.
The Blues are top of the spending charts for the third consecutive window under Todd Boehly’s ownership, with their total transfer outlay closing in on £1bn since last summer’s takeover.
Unlike previous windows, however, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal (£304m) are the second-highest spending club, ahead of Arsenal (£202m), PSG (£180m), Tottenham (£166m) and Manchester United (£165m).
The remaining three clubs owned by the gulf state’s Public Investment Fund – Al-Ahli (£157m), Al-Nassr (£142m) and Al-Ittihad (£65m) – also feature in the top 25 highest spenders so far this season.
Most expensive transfers
Despite the rise in Saudi Pro League spending, all three nine-figure transfers this summer have involved Premier League clubs.
Moises Caicedo, Harry Kane and Declan Rice all moved for an initial £100m, with Brighton, Tottenham and West Ham extracting club-record fees for their prized assets.
Caicedo and Rice stayed in the English top flight by moving to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, while Kane joined 11-time reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in search of silverware.
At an initial £88.5m, Jude Bellingham’s switch from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid is fourth on the list, while Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol and Al-Hilal’s Neymar are joint-fifth having joined for £77.6m from RB Leipzig and PSG respectively.
Lily Miyazaki’s US Open adventure was ended in the second round by Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
The 27-year-old came through three matches to qualify at Flushing Meadows for the first time and then picked up a maiden grand slam win against Margarita Betova in round one.
But the world number 198 found 15th seed Bencic, of Switzerland, too tough a nut to crack as she bowed out 6-3 6-3.
Miyazaki still leaves New York with the consolation prize of having virtually doubled her earnings for the year with a £98,000 pay day for winning her first-round match.
A break early in the first set and two in the second set proved her undoing, although she did break the Bencic serve late on, prompting the 26-year-old to fling her racket to the ground.
But ultimately Bencic, a former semi-finalist, was too strong for the Tokyo-born debutant and broke again to seal the victory.
Miyazaki was supported once more by fellow Brit Jodie Burrage, who faces world number two Aryna Sabalenka in her second-round match on Thursday.
Burrage, who beat Anna Blinkova in straight sets on Tuesday night, said: “It’s a massive match. Probably one of the biggest ones I would have played in my career.
“But I’ll go out there and enjoy it like I always do. I’ll take the confidence from the matches I played this week and the last few weeks and months. Like everything, it’s lessons I’ve been learning from.”
Burrage feels her run here and to the second round at Wimbledon have earned her the respect of her peers in the locker room.
“I hope so. I hope that’s the reputation I’m getting,” she added.
“A few more of the girls, I start hitting with them, then you know them a little bit more. In the locker room, as well, it really is a place where you can chat to people and get to know people a little bit more.
“I’ve been speaking to Jessie Pegula a little bit because she’s in my bit of the locker room. Mostly we’re talking about the adidas outfit, what we’re wearing. Those little things start the conversations.
“But, yeah, hopefully they are building respect for me and finding who I am out as a player – hopefully not too soon because I think that surprise is helping me at the moment.”
British number one Katie Boulter has a big chance to move into the third round as she takes on Chinese world number 114 Wang Yafan.
Kyle Sinckler was inspired to play for England by the 2003 World Cup final – despite being forced to miss Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal in order to study maths.
Sinckler was 10 years old when he watched on television as Martin Johnson’s side were held 14-14 by Australia at the end of 80 minutes, ushering in a period of extra time that was ultimately settled by Wilkinson’s boot.
But the enthralled Sinckler never got to see the greatest moment in English rugby history as his mum Donna had ordered him to study.
“Watching 2003 was a massive motivator for me. I remember when the final was on, I had a maths tutor,” the Bristol prop said.
“Obviously it went to extra time and then my mum – honestly I don’t know, she’s so ruthless that woman sometimes – she literally turned the TV off and took me to my maths tutor.
“So I had to do my maths lesson and I found out afterwards that we’d won! Honestly, it was full-time and she said ‘you’re going to your maths tutor’. I said: ‘You’re joking!’
“But she was adamant: ‘Nope. I’m paying my money. I’m working hard to pay for your maths tutor so you’re going.’
“I was like: ‘You are so evil, ridiculous!’ Don’t even start with that woman! Nuts. Nuts!
“Before that I was literally glued to the TV, it was so inspiring for me watching that. It gave me, I guess, the hope that I wanted to emulate that one day.”
England are desperately short of form for their latest attempt to claim a second world title having lost five of their last six Tests.
They open France 2023 with a tricky clash against Argentina, who sit two places higher in the global rankings in sixth.
“It’s the real deal straight away. Every Test match you play it’s tough. I’ve never had an easy Test match in my life,” said Sinckler, who is expected to overcome a chest injury in time to face the Pumas.
“It pushes you to the limit and that’s why it’s called a Test – it does test you. But if you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”
Harry Maguire has yet to play for Manchester United this season but could be part of the England squad announced on Thursday as Gareth Southgate deals with defensive headaches.
The Euro 2020 runners-up continue the road to next summer’s tournament with a qualifier against Ukraine in Poland on September 9, before playing a friendly in Scotland three days later.
There have been few surprises in recent selections and that theme is likely to continue when Southgate names his squad for the double-header at St George’s Park on Thursday.
The England boss is expected to largely stick with the tried and tested, meaning the likes of and Maguire, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson may get the nod despite questions over their international futures.
Maguire was replaced as Manchester United captain over the summer having fallen down the pecking order and has yet to play for Erik ten Hag’s side this season.
The 30-year-old’s last competitive match was June’s 7-0 win against North Macedonia and his next could also come in an England shirt due to a lack of centre-back options.
John Stones has yet to feature in the league this term due to a hip problem and Tyrone Mings, who returned to the international squad in June, has suffered a serious knee injury.
Eric Dier is fit but has not even made the bench for Tottenham this season and has been widely linked with a move before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Ben White, Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Lewis Dunk are options, while Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is expected to receive his first formal call-up.
The 20-year-old centre-back spent time with the senior set-up in June, including travelling to Malta, before going on to help England Under-21s win the European Championship.
In midfield, Southgate has decisions to make over Phillips and Henderson – two key members of his squad in recent years.
The former has struggled to make an impact at treble-winning Manchester City since joining from Leeds last summer and has yet to play a minute this term.
Southgate previously indicated a continued lack of game time could impact Phillips and Maguire, while Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia raises questions over his international role ahead of the Euros.
England’s vice-captain joined Al-Ettifaq in the summer – a move that Southgate said makes it harder to assess the 33-year-old’s level, albeit clarifying “we would be stupid” to rule him out.
There is better news regarding another of England’s most experienced players after Raheem Sterling’s return to form after a sticky first campaign at Chelsea.
The 82-cap forward has not played for England since the World Cup quarter-final defeat to France, with injury ruling him out in March and a hamstring issue lying him low in June.
That omission was described as a “mutual decision” that appears to have paid off given Sterling’s lively start to the new season, including a brace and assist in Friday’s 3-0 win over Luton.
Chelsea team-mate Reece James is set to miss September’s matches through injury, as are the Manchester United duo of Luke Shaw and Mason Mount.
Morgan Gibbs-White, a key part of England’s Under-21s Euros triumph, is pushing to get his first call-up after continuing where he left off back at Nottingham Forest.
Eberechi Eze will be looking to maintain his place having made his debut in June and Rico Henry is another reportedly in contention.
Brentford team-mate Ivan Toney remains unavailable as he serves a Football Association betting ban and Roma’s Tammy Abraham is recovering from reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Callum Wilson has not started for Newcastle this season but fellow striker Ollie Watkins – whose last cap came in March 2022 – is looking sharp at Aston Villa.
John and Thady Gosden’s Melrose Stakes winner Middle Earth will be a supplementary entry for the final British Classic of the season, the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster.
The Qatar Racing-owned Roaring Lion colt took the staying handicap in impressive style at York on the final day of the Ebor meeting.
He was also a winner on his previous outing when taking a mile-and-a-half novice event at Newmarket and was second on his two prior runs over lesser trips.
Ahead of the York win he was not a part of the Leger entry list, but the Knavesmire performance has inspired connections to pay the £50,000 needed to secure him a place in the field for the world’s oldest Classic.
The Gosden yard could therefore be well-stocked for the Classic, with Juddmonte’s Arrest, Queen’s Vase winner Gregory and Lion’s Pride – who beat Middle Earth at Kempton – all holding entries at present.
Thady Gosden said of Middle Earth: “He’s progressed well throughout the year, he’s always looked like a nice staying colt in the making.
“Of course he won the Melrose, which is an impressive handicap, in good style.
“He’s got plenty of size and scope, he’s a horse that’s taken time to mature, as many three-year-olds do.
“It’s a fortunate position to be in, to have a few horse who could take up starting positions in the St Leger.”
Mortlake will look to take the next step forward when he makes a Group-race debut in the Virgin Bet Solario Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.
The Churchill colt broke the juvenile track record at Leicester on August 13, winning a seven-furlong novice by five lengths in an impressive run under Rossa Ryan.
The performance followed a very green debut at Salisbury in July, where the Ralph Beckett-trained bay was fourth behind Tom Dascombe’s Hot Fuss, who ran with some credit in the Acomb Stakes last week.
The Leicester effort was a big step forward and a more accurate representation of the ability he had shown at home – ability that will be tested further at Sandown this weekend.
Eamonn O’Connor, founder and managing director of owners Quantum Leap Racing, said: “They turn around so quickly and second runs can be so different, so we put a line through Salisbury – it didn’t worry us as we’d seen enough at home to suggest he might be a nice horse.
“What I liked is that he ran in a straight line, he was almost a bit babyish in the last half-furlong and he was looking around a bit so I’m hoping there’s a bit more to come.
“We’ll find out, we’ve got some fairly punchy entries for him at Group Two and Group One level and Saturday will tell us whether we’ve been realistic with those. It’s a good stepping stone for a horse of his profile, it’s the ideal race for him really.”
Beckett has been in flying form recently and is well stocked with smart horses, adding gravitas to a Group entrant who trains alongside some talented stablemates.
O’Connor said: “He’s not short of a smart horse or two, Ralph, he had a treble that day (Leicester) and is absolutely on fire, but then he has been for the last couple of months so there’s no surprise there.”
Mortlake is in the very early days of his career and will be handled with patience, as is the modus operandi of his owners, who have produced several horses to lucrative sales overseas with their approach.
“We’ve got a nice syndicate, we only buy five yearlings a year and punch way above our weight for that,” O’Connor explained.
“We started in 2017 and every single year we’ve had a decent horse, my definition of decent being 90-105 rated. Our model is very obvious, we move them off to Australia or foreign climes at the end of their three-year-old year, replenish the pot and go again.
“Jeremy Brummitt buys our horses and is our de facto racing manager and he does a very good job. We had two horses in our first year, five each year after, maybe six in one year, and to be able to produce a 100-rated horse every year is tremendous – hopefully we can continue it.
“We go through that cycle every year in the hope of unearthing a serious Group horse, in which case we’d be more inclined to keep them racing in the northern hemisphere.
“We do things the right way, we buy horses with clear staying pedigrees and we’re very patient with them. You read about syndicate members wanting a quick return and therefore buying precocious types – we’re the diametric opposite of that.
“We buy horses we know we need to be patient with, we don’t normally see our horses out before August or September so he’s almost precocious for us!”
As the Honorary Consul of Jamaica in Uruguay, Jorge Andres Elissalde felt it only fitting that he made the trip down to the Caribbean Island to not only enjoy the sun, fun and excitement, but also to play his part in assisting Sandals Foundation to give back to its community.
Elissalde was among the over 70 individuals that made the trek from various countries to strut their stuff in the Sandals Latin American Travel Agents Golf Tournament, which is used a driver for participants to experience and, later sell Jamaica as the destination of choice for sports and tourism.
As fate would have it, Elissalde's team which included Jorge Barbut, Jose Cabrera and Leonardo Curutchague, finished tops at the four-man scramble format, two-day event with a final score of 60 over nine holes. They scored 33 on the first and 27 on the final day of the competition.
They won ahead of the Brazilian team of Breno Luz, Ricardo Dantas, Denilson Milan, and Raphael Abreu, which scored 28 on the first day and 37 on the final day to finish five-strokes behind on 65 at the Sandals Golf and Country Club.
"I am very proud to be the Honorary Consul of Jamaica and I am happy that we had the chance to come here and not only participate in the Sandals tournament, but also to see what the foundation is doing because we know they do a lot of good for the people here, especially in the Ocho Rios region. So, it's always a pleasure to play our part and we also won which is double the excitement," Elissalde told SportsMax.tv.
Besides the friendly competition between others from Mexico, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, among others, Elissalde reiterated the serious side of the golf tournament, as the side shows raised US $316 for the Sandals Foundation which might seem a small figure but will go a far way in helping those in need.
Mauricio Fuerte (Closet to the Pin Men), Antonio Perez Verdia Rubio (Longest Drive Men), and Taryn Stanton (Longest Drive Women), won those side events.
Beyond that, the travel agents also brought with them books and other school supplies to be distributed in the community.
"Jamaica is a destination that not many Uruguayans know, it is a beautiful country with beautiful people and so doing this (tournament) is one way of basically opening the doors so those Uruguayans can experience Jamaica through us and then they will be more eager to come and visit," Elissalde reasoned.
"So what Sandals is doing is very good, it's a mix of sports and tourism and, more importantly, the fact that they use these golf tournaments to raise funds for the foundation is incredible and giving back is always something that many people gravitate towards. So again, we are very happy to play our part," he added.
During his visit, Elissalde also paid a courtesy call on Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meanwhile, Jake Coldiron, national manager of golf sales, expressed delight with the outcome of the tournament which is one of three travel-advisers’ event staged annually by the resort to promote the island as a golfing destination, while giving the resort chain’s sales reps personal experiences of its properties and Jamaica’s varied attractions.
The positive spinoff from the event has propelled Sandals to stage a World Travel Advisors Golf Tournament set for Emerald Bay, Bahamas, next year. Elissalde and his team are expected to be a part of that, along with those from the United States and Canada tournaments to come in September and October respectively.
"My job is to help the travel advisors grow their business through golf and this year we actually had quite a few travel advisors that had never been to Jamaica, so the ultimate goal for them is to go back to their home country and sell Jamaica, sell Sandals and Beaches Resorts, and bring their clients down here," Coldiron said.
“The Sandals Foundation in general is also a very important part of Sandals Resorts and what is nice about it is that we as a company take it very seriously as far as ensuring that we give back not just in Jamaica but the entire Caribbean. We are a Caribbean-based company, and the ultimate goal is to take care of the Caribbean,” he noted.
Connections are excited to see what Vandeek can achieve next, as his rapid rise through the ranks is likely to see him line up in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes in September.
Trained by Simon and Ed Crisford, the son of Havana Grey only made his debut in late July, but since that successful bow at Nottingham, he has gone on to scoop the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood before providing his Gainsborough Thoroughbreds training operation a first Group One success when plundering the Prix Morny.
That top-level success in Deauville was also just the second Group One triumph for his Bahrain-based owners KHK Racing Ltd after Eldar Eldarov’s St Leger success last season.
Now their latest high-class performer is on course to try to add further riches to his glowing CV and is pencilled in to appear at Newmarket on September 30, where possible opponents could include Aidan O’Brien’s Prix Morny third River Tiber.
“The horse showed to everybody that he is very much on the upgrade. His rise has been pretty quick really and within the space of five or six weeks he has gone from winning a maiden at Nottingham to winning a Group One at Deauville,” said Chris Wall, racing manager for the owners.
“He’s improved and improved and improved with each run and he’s well entered up, but at the moment the plan is to go for the Middle Park.”
Vandeek also holds an entry in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes, again at Newmarket, on October 14 and the way the progressive colt saw out the six-furlong trip on both the Sussex Downs and Normandy coast would suggest seven furlongs would be well in reach.
Wall admits the timing of that typically red-hot event does bring the race into calculations, but for now the focus appears to be on having Vandeek in peak condition for another crack at six-furlong success in the Middle Park.
He added: “There’s two weeks between the two this year and he has shown he can take his races back-to-back fairly quickly. That is what he has done so far this summer and doesn’t hold any horrors for him.
“But we’ll go one race at a time and I would have thought the most likely spot is the Middle Park and then after that we’ll see what we want to do.”
KHK Racing also have Knight in training with the Crisfords and last year’s Horris Hill winner took a step in the right direction when second to Angel Bleu in the Group Two Celebration Mile.
It was Mehmas gelding’s best performance since his unbeaten two-year-old campaign and although future plans are still to be confirmed, a trip to ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend is one possible option.
Wall said: “He’s a horse who is getting back on track. Things hadn’t gone his way in the early part of the season and he was getting very upset and stressed about all sorts of things, so we had him gelded and that seems to have done the trick.
“His comeback run in the Thoroughbred Stakes was satisfactory, it was a solid enough run for a horse that hadn’t run much this year. But he took a big step forward and ran a much better race in the Celebration Mile and it is good to see him getting back to that.
“I think a bit of cut in the ground always helps him, his best form has come with that.
“I’m not sure what Simon and Ed have planned for him yet, but I would have thought something like the Prix Daniel Wildenstein over at the Arc meeting might be a suitable spot for him.
“He’s going to be kept in training as a fun horse to run in all of those sort of races and I think he will fit into that category nicely.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
