Art Power claimed a fourth win from as many visits to the Curragh with a dominant display in the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes.
Tim Easterby’s rapid grey won the Group Three Renaissance Stakes in both 2021 and 2022 and made it a hat-trick at the home of Irish Flat racing in the Group Two Greenlands Stakes in May.
Four from four in Ireland overall having also won the Lacken Stakes at Naas three years ago, Tim Easterby’s six-year-old was the 6-5 favourite for his latest assignment, turning out just seven days after finishing fourth in the July Cup at Newmarket.
Any concerns about the quick turnaround were soon quashed as Art Power travelled with zest on the front end throughout before powering four and a quarter lengths clear once asked to extend by David Allan.
Go Athletico narrowly beat Moss Tucker to the runner-up spot.
“He’s been awesome and he loves coming to Ireland for some reason, nobody knows why but he seems to come to life here,” Allan said of the winner.
“Bringing him back to five we thought might be an issue, but I’ve always been confident five is going to be okay for him, especially if the ground is soft.
“It went right up his street today and it all worked out perfect. I was confident enough but a little unsure about coming back to five furlongs.
“The way he was powering up that hill I thought ‘they can’t go that fast to catch me’, especially in that ground – he was powering away.”
On the possibility of coming back to the Curragh later in the year, the jockey added: “I’d imagine he’ll have to won’t he, any race we can find we’ll run him in!
“You don’t have to do anything fancy on him, you can just bounce out and let him run his race.
“He’s ran well in some Group Ones in England but he’s just not got to it yet. I think if he gets proper soft ground it might just happen one day.”
Jockey Connor Beasley insists “the world is his oyster” after dual Stewards’ Cup hero Commanche Falls gained his first Group-race success when coming with a powerful late run to take the bet365 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.
An ultra-consistent handicapper for Michael Dods, he has progressed through the ranks and earned an 11th victory on his 32nd start, the 4-1 favourite following up his Listed race success at the Curragh on his previous run.
Beasley had to be patient aboard the six-year-old, with the requisite gap not coming until deep inside the final furlong.
Once he saw it, the Lethal Force gelding skipped into it and swept past Diligent Harry (18-1) and Cold Case (7-1) to get the better of them by a respective head and a neck.
On the rain-softened ground, Beasley admitted he was a little concerned and said: “Obviously from the three to the two (furlong pole), I just felt I was getting a little bit stuck in it, really.
“Normally he is a horse that does race behind the bridle, but you can normally keep your momentum going, but today I just felt like I wasn’t getting any sort of momentum.
“There wasn’t much room from where I was and I just had to switch him and make him think again.”
He went on: “Once I did that, he really put his neck down and he did it nicely in the end.
“I’m not sure where he goes from here. He finished third in a Group Two behind some good mares and fillies, but the world is his oyster if you ask me.
“He is obviously improving and he is getting better and stronger as he gets older.”
Though he had to be switched between horses to get his nose in front when it mattered in the six-furlong Group Three contest, Beasley said he always felt “confident” he would get there and paid tribute to owners Dough Graham, Ian Davison and Alan Drysdale.
He added: “He is a big horse and so he had plenty of momentum when I asked him.
“He is a massive horse for me in my career and the team and these owners have been very supportive of my career, so I can’t thank them enough.
“Michael is doing well with these sprinters. He seems to be getting better with age and he is progressing all the time.”
Two-time world champion Noah Lyles has told “modest” Zharnel Hughes another British record will be his after they do battle in the men’s 200 metres in Sunday’s Diamond League meet in London.
Hughes has enjoyed a memorable last month, beating Linford Christie’s long-standing British record when he claimed victory in the 100m at the New York Grand Prix with a time of 9.83 seconds on June 24.
Two weeks later and Hughes was crowned British 100m champion for the first time in eight years when he won in torrential rain in Manchester.
Sunday will see Hughes back in action and John Regis’ British 200m record of 19.94sec – set at the World Championships in 1993 alongside Christie’s previous best 100m effort – is firmly in his sights, according to his biggest rival at the London Stadium this weekend.
When pressed on trying to beat the British 200m record, Hughes told a press conference: “Tomorrow it is about executing my race, it is not going out there to break the British record.
“If it comes, it comes. It is something that is on the (vision) board. If tomorrow it comes, then I am happy for it.”
But American Lyles interjected with a question to the assembled media about what the British 200m record was.
When told it was 19.94, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Lyles responded: “Oh, we can get that. Why you being so modest man?
“Forget the wind – you just ran in the rain, in a hurricane. We can get that.”
The supremely confident Lyles will be the man to beat at next month’s World Championships in Budapest and he made clear his intention to leave Hungary with gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, but Hughes is full of belief after an impressive 2023 season.
Hughes said: “Obviously Noah’s in the field and many other guys are there as well. I give respect to who is there, but I am focusing on myself and looking forward to a good race.
“It was something (100m British record) that has always been on the board for me. For me this season it was something that I put on my vision board that I wanted to take down.
“I wasn’t going into the race thinking of breaking the British record, I just wanted to go out there and run fast. When the time came, obviously I was super elated but I was hoping that the wind was legal because there are many times when you run fast that you check the wind and it’s over the limit.
“When I saw the time and then I saw the wind was legal, I was ecstatic and happy because I set this on the board and it was something I accomplished.
“(Being world champion) is definitely within reach. I just have to remain focused and go out there and execute my races, try not to get too overcomplicated with people having expectation because sometimes you can get caught up with that, but my head is in the right place right now.
“For me it is going out there and executing it.”
Sunday’s Diamond League meet will see home favourite Dina Asher-Smith go head to head with Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson in the women’s 100m while Olympic men’s high jump gold medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim and Katie Nageotte-Moon, Olympic and world champion in pole vault, will also grace the scene of the London Games in 2012.
Five para events will take place in the capital with Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft, fresh from winning two gold medals at last week’s Para Athletics World Championships, set to compete in the 800m wheelchair event on Sunday.
Organisers have announced more than 50,000 tickets have been sold and Cockroft, who suffered two cardiac arrests after birth which resulted in her needing to use a wheelchair, is excited about the potential attendance in store.
She said: “80,000 at London 2012, that is still my biggest ever crowd.
“I think if all 50,000 turn out tomorrow, that will be my second biggest crowd ever, which is kind of terrifying actually!
“I got back from World Championships like three days ago so this was supposed to be a bit of fun, but now it is getting a bit serious.”
A trip to York could be next on the agenda for Kairyu after she kept her unbeaten record intact in the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh.
A clear-cut winner on her racecourse debut at Naas last month, Michael O’Callaghan’s filly was a 4-1 shot for this six-and-a-half-furlong Group Three under Colin Keane.
Pearls And Rubies, the 10-11 favourite after being beaten a head by Snellen in the Chesham at Royal Ascot last month, was under pressure some way from home – and while she responded to Ryan Moore’s urgings to get into second place, Kairyu had a length and a quarter in hand at the line.
O’Callaghan said: “She looks very smart. Colin said she doesn’t want that ground, it was plenty soft, and she was just good and tough.
“He said she has a savage turn of foot where she can go and put a race to bed. He said the gaps sort of appeared a little bit before he wanted them.
“She’s a lovely filly. I was thinking about going to the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket last week but I just wasn’t 100 per cent happy with her work so we just waited another week.
“Colin thinks she’ll be better on better ground and she’ll probably go for something like the Lowther (at York) now.
“She’s still a little bit high behind and she’s going to grow plenty so she could potentially be a very nice filly.”
PA SPORT BIRTHDAYS
Graham Gooch (cricket) – former England and Essex captain, born 1953.
Andy Townsend (soccer) – former Chelsea, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland midfielder, now a pundit, born 1963.
Maurice Greene (athletics) – American sprinter who won 100 metres and 4x100m relay gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, born 1974.
Gail Emms (badminton) – 2004 Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist, born 1977.
Stuart Elliott (soccer) – former Hull and Northern Ireland winger, born 1978.
David Strettle (rugby union) – former Saracens and England winger, born 1983.
Aaron Peirsol (swimming) – American five-times Olympic gold medal-winner, born 1983.
Danny Ings (soccer) – West Ham striker, born 1992.
Sophie Unwin (paralympics) – Cyclist who won two medals for Great Britain at the 2020 Paralympics, bronze in the Women’s B 3000m individual pursuit and silver, along with pilot Jenny Holl, in the Women’s road race tandem B, born 1994.
Deandre Ayton (basketball) – Phoenix Suns centre, taken at number one in the 2018 NBA draft, born 1998.
ON THIS DAY IN SPORT
1949: Brian Close became England’s youngest Test cricketer when he made his debut against New Zealand at Old Trafford aged 18 years and 149 days. He played the last of his 22 Tests at the age of 46, some 27 years later.
2000: Tiger Woods won the Open Championship at St Andrews by eight shots. The American, who a few months earlier had won the US Open by the biggest margin in major championship history, became only the fifth player to wrap up a career grand slam of major titles after his triumph at the home of golf.
2006: Woods won the Open at Hoylake, just 11 weeks after the death of his father.
2007: Freddie Ljungberg’s nine-year Arsenal career came to an end as the Sweden midfielder joined West Ham in a £3million move.
2010: France’s entire 23-man World Cup squad were suspended for the friendly game against Norway on August 11 after the controversy in South Africa which saw them stage a sit-in on the team bus.
2012: Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy was named as Great Britain’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony of London 2012. Hoy went on to win two gold medals at the Games, giving him six in total to make him at the time Britain’s most successful Olympian.
2014: The Commonwealth Games opened in Glasgow after a ceremony at Celtic Park that included performances by acts such as John Barrowman and Rod Stewart.
2016: David Moyes was appointed Sunderland manager on a four-year deal, replacing new England boss Sam Allardyce.
2017: Jordan Spieth claimed victory in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
2017: England beat India by nine runs in the final of the Women’s Cricket World Cup at Lord’s.
2017: Chris Froome won the Tour de France for the fourth time.
2021: Tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic flame as the Tokyo Games were opened with an understated opening ceremony held behind closed doors.
PA SPORT SELECTED TV LISTINGS
Today (Sunday, July 23)
FOOTBALL: Women’s World Cup, Sweden v South Africa – BBC Two England 0545; Netherlands v Portugal – BBC One 0815; France v Jamaica – ITV 1030.
CRICKET: Fourth Ashes Test, England v Australia – Sky Sports Cricket 1015, Sky Sports Main Event 1100; Second Test, West Indies v India – TNT Sports 1 1430.
GOLF: The Open – Sky Sports Golf 1100, Sky Sports Main Event 1830; PGA Tour, The Barracuda Championship – Sky Sports Golf 2200.
MOTOR RACING: Formula One, Hungarian Grand Prix – Sky Sports F1 1355; World Rally Championship, Estonia – TNT Sports 1 0600.
CYCLING: Tour de France, stage 21 – Eurosport 1 1500, ITV4 1630; Tour de France Femmes – Eurosport 1 1100.
DARTS: World Matchplay, Blackpool – Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event 2000; Women’s World Matchplay, Blackpool – Sky Sports Action 1300.
RUGBY LEAGUE: Challenge Cup, Hull KR v Wigan – BBC Two 1630.
EQUESTRIAN: Global Champions Tour, Riesenbeck – Eurosport 2 1800.
ATHLETICS: Diamond League London – BBC One 1315.
MOTOR CYCLING: British Superbikes, Brands Hatch – Eurosport 2 1300.
Tomorrow (Monday, July 24)
FOOTBALL: Women’s World Cup, Italy v Argentina – ITV 0630; Germany v Morocco – ITV 0905; Brazil v Panama – ITV 1135.
CRICKET: West Indies v India – TNT Sports 1 1430.
CYCLING: Tour de France Femmes – Eurosport 1 1400.
PA SPORT QUIZ
1. Who scored the opening goal of the FIFA Women’s World Cup?
2. Liverpool signed Fabinho from which club?
3. Who beat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the French Open final in 2019?
4. Britain’s Holly Bradshaw is a leading name in which athletics discipline?
5. Who won the 2022 Open Championship?
6. Celtic winger Sead Haksabanovic plays for which international side?
7. In which town were cycling twins Adam and Simon Yates born?
8. England bowler Chris Woakes plays for which county team?
9. Where and when did Novak Djokovic win his first grand slam title?
10. How many gold medals did Great Britain win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – 22, 24 or 26?
ANSWERS: 1. Hannah Wilkinson; 2. Monaco; 3. Ashleigh Barty; 4. Pole vault; 5. Cameron Smith; 6. Montenegro; 7. Bury; 8. Warwickshire; 9. Australian Open 2008; 10. 22.
England have a window of opportunity to push for a win in the fourth Ashes Test, with play starting at 2:45pm on the penultimate day at Emirates Old Trafford after rain wiped out the morning session.
A dismal forecast in the north-west this weekend led to fears England would not have enough time to claim the six wickets they need for a series-levelling victory to set up a Kia Oval decider next week.
Overnight showers continued into Saturday morning which shelved a scheduled 11am start time but the rain slowed to a trickle then stopped, allowing the ground staff to begin mopping up just before 1pm.
There were considerable puddles on the outfield but a comprehensive clean-up operation convinced the umpires at a 2pm pitch inspection that play could get under way 45 minutes later.
England have seized total control of this Test, with Australia needing 162 just to make the hosts bat again, after closing on 113 for four thanks to Mark Wood’s three-wicket burst on Friday evening.
More rain is predicted to fall later on Saturday afternoon which could scupper plans for 59 overs to be bowled, with play able to go on until 7:30pm.
William Haggas felt Al Aasy lacked a little fitness after a lacklustre seasonal bow at Newmarket – yet he need not have worried as the six-year-old bounced back to take the bet365-sponsored Steventon Stakes at Newbury.
A market drifter, the 100-30 chance clearly had one of his going days, locking on to the bridle early in the 10-furlong contest for Jim Crowley and travelling kindly throughout.
Phantom Flight made the early running and had all bar Al Aasy at it with two furlongs to race, although he was soon easily passed by the Shadwell-owned winner, who went on to score by a length and a half.
He will now head to Haydock for the 10-furlong Group Three Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes, according to Haggas, who said: “He was good today and they badgered me to run over a mile and a quarter and I wouldn’t do it, but I finally succumbed and that clearly, now aged six, appears to be his trip.
“It is probably that they go a little bit faster and they help him to relax and he did it well, did it comfortably – but he should have done on the ratings.
“He will go for the Rose of Lancaster at Haydock on August 12.
“It has been a battle with him, both mentally and physically. Everything. Mentally he is not straightforward. He has had a couple of injuries, but he’s coming. He doesn’t look right in his skin still, but he’s coming.”
Sketch will take a step up in class after making an impressive winning debut under Tom Marquand in division one of the bet365 EBF Novice Stakes.
The Showcasing colt cost 100,000 guineas as a yearling and impressed when winning by five lengths for co-trainers Martyn and Freddie Meade, having made virtually all the running.
Marquand said: “To be fair, they said he had been going nicely beforehand and they have proven in the past they can get their two-year-olds ready.
“What surprised me was how quickly he got going and put the race to bed. For his first time, he was extremely professional and did everything right, and killed the race pretty quickly.
Freddie Meade said connections could look at Goodwood next for the 15-2 winner.
“We will push him up in class,” he said. “The Richmond is the obvious choice, but whether that comes a bit quick I don’t know. We will look at stakes races and see what suits. We were tempting fate to put him in a couple of races in France which closed this week before he’d run, but it is possible we’ll look there as well.”
The impeccably-bred Henry Longfellow earned Classic quotes following a striking debut in the Juddmonte Irish EBF Maiden at the Curragh.
A son of Dubawi out of seven-time Group One-winning mare Minding, the latter trained like Henry Longfellow by Aidan O’Brien, he went off the 5-4 favourite in the hands of Ryan Moore and travelled powerfully throughout.
Mythology, a creditable fifth in the Group Two Railway Stakes, did his best to get on terms, but Henry Longfollow was well on top as he passed the post with a length and three-quarters in hand.
Betfair make the winner a 25-1 shot for both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby next season.
“I’m delighted with him. He’s a Dubawi out of Minding and he looks like a lovely horse,” said O’Brien.
“She handled that ground and he does bend his knee a bit but he quickens. You’d have to be very happy with him.
“Ryan said it was very easy and he said he didn’t touch him with the stick, he was very happy with him.
“He had been working well, he just came on the scene lately. For the last three weeks, week after week he was working well. He’s an exciting type of horse.”
Tiffany Cameron believed the foundation for her to achieve continued success in a longstanding career, hinged on her making another Fifa Women’s World Cup appearance, backed by a new signing.
So, the fact the Canada-born player was overcome with emotions when news came that she made Jamaica’s final squad to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, followed by a new deal with top flight Spanish club Real Betis, is understandable, as everything fell in place as she had hoped.
For the Reggae Girl striker, turned defender, both accomplishments are a testament of her hard work and unwavering determination to ensure she remains prominent on the international and club scene in a career spanning over 10 years.
“When the (World Cup) roster was released, I had a big smile on my face and I did shed a little tear because it has been quite the journey for me. This is my third World Cup, second with Jamaica and I had one with Canada at the youth level, so it is definitely something to really be proud of,” said Cameron, who was also a part of Jamaica’s historic team at the 2019 global showpiece in France.
Cameron’s sense of satisfaction, particularly where the Reggae Girlz are concerned, comes from the fact that it initially seemed like she would have missed out on the final 23, based on the approach Lorne Donaldson and his assistants took.
In fact, versatility was always expected to be a characteristic held in high regard by the coaching staff in making their selections and Cameron, recognizing that much, paraded her immense potential by assuming a role as a right full back.
It is that show of versatility that propelled her above others.
Prior to the Cup of Nations tournament, the 31-year-old did not get many minutes, until she accepted the fact that she would not make the squad as an attacker.
Despite logging over 14 goals and more than 10 assists in over 15 games for her previous club FC Gyor in the Hungarian top-flight league, Cameron, who could be considered an important leader in the Reggae Girlz group, embraced change and made the right full back position her comfort zone.
"I’m glad I defeated the odds. It just proves what I’m willing to do to represent Jamaica. I’ll play anywhere needed. Yes, I love to score goals and play forward, but it’s not all about that,” Cameron declared.
“I think I have really worked hard this year and I have proven that I am a versatile player wherever the national team needs me, I am able to play, and I think that is super important going into the World Cup that we have players that are okay with possibly playing in different positions that is being asked of them,” she added.
That said, Cameron, whose career has taken her to club in various parts of Europe and elsewhere around the world, expressed intentions to continue working extremely hard at improving her craft, as she looks forward to playing a key role in Real Betis’s charge when the Liga F gets under way.
“I’m really looking forward to my new adventure with Real Betis. I love the Spanish football culture as it is predominantly possession based. It’s similar to the style of football in Germany, where I’ve played for two and a half seasons in the top division, so this style of football won’t be foreign to me,” Cameron shared.
She continued: “I enjoy combinational play and possession-based football. I think my best qualities are my speed, my fitness, my versatility, my movement off the ball and my ability to combine with the players around me and create goal scoring opportunities for myself and others.
“I believe that no matter a player’s age they can always improve in all aspects of the game. This will be a good challenge for me and like I’ve proven with Jamaica, I respond well when I’m challenged and is expected to prove why I belong in an environment. I’ve worked hard for everything that I’ve achieved thus far and I’m truly grateful that my efforts have been acknowledged.”
But for now, Cameron’s attention is fully focused on the Reggae Girlz objective which to get out of Group F at the World Cup. They are scheduled to open against fifth-ranked France on Sunday, before engaging Panama on July 29 and Brazil on August 2.
“I think its super important the team bonding off the field, I think we utilized our time well in the respective camps and we are ready and raring to go. The shout outs from Sean Paul, DJ Khalid and others, will also certainly help to fuel us,” the multi-talented player, who also dabbles in music, ended.
Rickie Fowler gave hope to the pack attempting to hunt down halfway leader Brian Harman on day three of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Fowler, who made the cut with nothing to spare on three over par, overcame miserable conditions in the early part of his round to card a bogey-free 67 and improve to one under par.
That score was soon matched by fellow American Patrick Cantlay, with Olympic champion Xander Schauffele also four under for the day after 12 holes as the players exploited a welcome calm, dry spell at Hoylake.
A stunning second round of 65 had given Harman a halfway total of 10 under par and made him the ninth player in the last 40 years to hold a 36-hole lead of five strokes or more in a major, with each of the previous eight going on to win.
Scottie Scheffler was the most recent to do so in last year’s Masters, while Louis Oosthuizen was the last to achieve the feat in the Open; the South African led by five at St Andrews in 2010 and won by seven.
However, nearest challenger Tommy Fleetwood was in no mood to give up the chase in front of his adoring fans, having recently produced rounds of 64 and 67 to force a play-off in the Canadian Open and winning the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge from four behind at halfway.
“I’ve put in chases before in the past,” Fleetwood said after a battling second round of 71.
“At the end of the day, if somebody said you’re going out in the last group on Saturday, I don’t care what the situation was or what anybody had shot, I’d have probably taken it.
“I can’t have asked for any more from anybody with all the support they’re giving me out here and everybody is talking about it.”
Harman and Fleetwood were due out in the final group at 3.30pm.
Georgia Stanway’s retaken first-half penalty was enough to earn England a nervy 1-0 victory over World Cup debutants Haiti in their Group D opener at Brisbane Stadium.
This was not the decisive victory most had predicted for the European champions and world’s number-four side against a team 49 places below them in the FIFA rankings.
Haiti came close to levelling more than once, including a late second-half chance denied at the last by Mary Earps’ outstretched foot.
While the Lionesses ultimately walked away with all three points, it was an underwhelming performance that will leave boss Sarina Wiegman with plenty of questions ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Denmark.
England fans were out in full force ahead of kick-off in the Queensland capital, where ‘Football’s Coming Home’ could be heard from a riverside rally and ex-Arsenal forward Ian Wright posed in a Lotte Wubben-Moy shirt beneath Story Bridge.
For so much of the build-up of this tournament, the conversation around the Lionesses centred on their ongoing dispute with the Football Association over bonus payments and other commercial issues.
On a clear Thursday night, England wanted their football to do the talking, yet it was Haiti who enjoyed the first spell of attack, winning an early corner before Chloe Kelly, the hero in last summer’s Euro 2022 final, tested Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus with a curled effort.
One of the biggest dilemmas for Wiegman ahead of this tournament was who she would entrust as her number nine and – for this opener at least – it was Alessia Russo who led the England attack and rolled an early effort at Theus.
England fans, who by the noise inside the stadium comprised the majority of those in attendance, felt their hearts leap to their throats when Roselord Borgella broke free and was one-on-one with Earps but rolled her effort past the far post.
The Lionesses thought they had won a least a penalty when Dayana Pierre-Louis clattered into Kelly on the byline and appeared to clip her knee with a stud, but the Haitian midfielder got away with just a yellow card after it was determined – following a lengthy VAR check – that Russo had committed a foul in the build-up.
Soon after that decision, however, Batcheba Louis was punished for a handball and Stanway stepped up to the spot.
Theus sparked a jubilant Haitian celebration when she saved Stanway’s first effort, but VAR again intervened and Venezuelan referee Emikar Calderas ruled the keeper had encroached and the penalty was retaken.
Stanway did not make the same mistake twice as she fired low into the left corner for what felt like an uneasy lead at the end of a stop-start first half.
Melchie Dumornay, the 19-year-old midfielder bound for Lyon after this tournament, forced Earps into a leaping save shortly after the restart before Russo was twice denied in quick succession.
Chelsea’s Lauren James made her World Cup debut after replacing Hemp, just ahead of another nervy moment for England when Dumornay found Haiti skipper Nerilia Mondesir in plenty of space before Jess Carter recovered the ball.
James tried to get something started by delivering a cross to Russo, who came close but saw her attempt tipped over the crossbar, before Bright skied an effort and Theus picked crosses from Alex Greenwood and James out of the air.
On came Rachel Daly for Russo in the 76th minute as Haiti pushed for an equaliser, which nearly came via Roseline Eloissaint but for the outstretched foot of Earps to deny the substitute from 18 yards out.
Carter’s well-timed challenge broke up another Haiti run into the Lionesses’ final third, with Earps able to punch away the resulting corner.
The chances came for the Lionesses to double their advantage but never the finishing touch as England finished with the result, but probably not the performance, they wanted.
Lewis Hamilton raised the prospect of springing a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing fastest in final practice.
The seven-time world champion ended the concluding one-hour running before qualifying at the Hungaroring 0.250 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Verstappen, who has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and six in succession, complained about the handling of his Red Bull.
“There is no f****** grip,” said the frustrated two-time world champion over the radio.
Sergio Perez took third spot in the other Red Bull, 0.263 sec adrift of Hamilton, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren driver Lando Norris fourth and fifth respectively. Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished sixth three tenths back.
Hamilton only finished 16th on Friday, describing his machine as “at its worst”. But the 38-year-old, who has won more times at the Hungaroring than anybody else and captured his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago, led the way on Saturday to suggest he might be a contender heading into the remainder of the weekend.
Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo, back on the grid as a replacement for Nyck De Vries, clocked the 18th quickest time. His new AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was 20th and last.
Qualifying for Sunday’s 70-lap race starts at 4pm local time (3pm BST).
Jockey Chris Hayes is optimistic Tarawa can open her account for the season in the Romanised Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
Impressive when winning her final juvenile start at Leopardstown, the daughter of Shamardal has so far failed to add to her tally as a three-year-old, but has been keeping good company.
Dermot Weld’s filly was second to Zarinsk in a Group Three on her reappearance before placing fourth behind top-class stablemate Tahiyra in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
She was last seen going down by half a length to Bold Discovery in the Listed Celebration Stakes and Hayes is expecting another bold showing in this weekend’s seven-furlong Group Two.
“It was a good run in the Irish Guineas and we bumped into a tough colt on ground that was probably a shade too quick for us on (Irish) Derby weekend,” he said.
“She is fresh and well and she’s handled the cut in the ground, so I’d be very hopeful of a good run.”
Joseph O’Brien is mob-handed in the seven-furlong Group Two, with course and distance winner Honey Girl and the high-class Jumbly joined by stablemates Snapraeterea and Montesilvano.
The Ger Lyons-trained Power Under Me bids for successive Pattern race wins at the track after landing the Amethyst Stakes in May, while Ado McGuinness hopes to saddle Ballycorus Stakes runner-up Real Appeal, but will keep an eye on ground conditions.
McGuinness said: “We’ll be praying there isn’t too much rain as we’re a little concerned over ground. We’ve declared him, but if it got bottomless we mightn’t run.
“It’s a solid race and he would have his chance if he gets his conditions, so we’ll just have to see how much rain arrives.”
Cosmic Vega, meanwhile, represents the training team of Mick Halford and Tracey Collins after a short head victory in the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas in May.
“It’s a step up in class, but conditions look like being in his favour and the trip is ideal for him,” said Halford.
“We’re hoping for a good run and if we’re in the first three we’d be delighted, it would be a great boost for the owner-breeders.
“The more rain the better for him.”
England’s push for victory on the penultimate day of the fourth Ashes Test was delayed by the forecast rain at Emirates Old Trafford.
There are growing fears the inclement weather in the north-west this weekend may not relent to give England a window to claim the six wickets they need for a series-levelling victory.
England have seized total control of this Test, with Australia needing 162 just to make the hosts bat again, after closing on 113 for four thanks to Mark Wood’s three-wicket burst on Friday evening.
However, overnight rain continued into Saturday morning and shelving a scheduled 11am start time, with England tweeting: “We’re going to be heavily delayed.”
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