Graceful Thunder gave owners Amo Racing their eighth juvenile winner from 19 runners when showing plenty of determination to land the Chasemore Farm British EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes at Sandown.

Trained by George Boughey, the daughter of Havana Grey knew her job on debut, breaking well under Kevin Stott in the five-furlong contest.

Though a little keen early from a wide draw, she settled and travelled well as Miss Show Off set the pace on the far rail.

Having hit the front inside the final furlong, the 7-2 shot was immediately challenged by Flora Of Bermuda, yet knuckled down well to score by a neck from long-time leader Miss Show Off, with Say Hello staying on in eyecatching fashion to snatch third, just a head further back.

Royal Ascot now beckons, as Boughey explained.

“She had only done two or three bits of work since she joined us, but she has pleased us with what she has done. It was not a huge surprise that she won, but we had not asked her any serious questions at home,” he said.

“Drawn where she was looked an inconvenience, but she jumped well from the gate and she showed a super attitude which is something Havana Grey seems to be putting into them.

“We could have gone for an easy option up north and won by four lengths, but these horses need to learn if they are going to go to the Royal meeting and she will have learnt more winning like that today.

“She looks to have plenty of pace and looks a five-furlong filly. We will take it one step at a time, but I’d say we will be looking at the Queen Mary with her and I don’t think there is any point seeing her again before that.”

Cinnodin (3-1) came from last to first under David Egan to take the Athlone Handicap.

Winner of two low-grade all-weather handicaps at Southwell and Wolverhampton, he was foiled by half a length in his hat-trick bid at Wetherby last time, but bounced back to winning ways in style for trainer Richard Hughes.

The 11-8 favourite Roost left his race at the start, when his head was caught over the adjacent stall and when finally extracted by Hector Crouch, his rivals had already gone almost a furlong ahead.

Steven Seagull set the pace before being passed by Enochdhu with two furlongs to race, but Cinnodin lengthened well and swept by to score going away by two and a half lengths.

Hughes said: “I don’t normally like going a mile and three-quarters with a three-year-old this early on, but he would get two miles tomorrow as he is an out-and-out stayer.

“He is pretty one-paced, but I think he will get quicker as he gets stronger. He was getting a stone off the top two, but at the same time I love the way he devoured the hill.”

Graceful Thunder gave owners Amo Racing their eighth juvenile winner from 19 runners when showing plenty of determination to land the Chasemore Farm British EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes at Sandown.

Trained by George Boughey, the daughter of Havana Grey knew her job on debut, breaking well under Kevin Stott in the five-furlong contest.

Though a little keen early from a wide draw, she settled and travelled well as Miss Show Off set the pace on the far rail.

Having hit the front inside the final furlong, the 7-2 shot was immediately challenged by Flora Of Bermuda, yet knuckled down well to score by a neck from long-time leader Miss Show Off, with Say Hello staying on in eyecatching fashion to snatch third, just a head further back.

Royal Ascot now beckons, as Boughey explained.

“She had only done two or three bits of work since she joined us, but she has pleased us with what she has done. It was not a huge surprise that she won, but we had not asked her any serious questions at home,” he said.

“Drawn where she was looked an inconvenience, but she jumped well from the gate and she showed a super attitude which is something Havana Grey seems to be putting into them.

“We could have gone for an easy option up north and won by four lengths, but these horses need to learn if they are going to go to the Royal meeting and she will have learnt more winning like that today.

“She looks to have plenty of pace and looks a five-furlong filly. We will take it one step at a time, but I’d say we will be looking at the Queen Mary with her and I don’t think there is any point seeing her again before that.”

Cinnodin (3-1) came from last to first under David Egan to take the Athlone Handicap.

Winner of two low-grade all-weather handicaps at Southwell and Wolverhampton, he was foiled by half a length in his hat-trick bid at Wetherby last time, but bounced back to winning ways in style for trainer Richard Hughes.

The 11-8 favourite Roost left his race at the start, when his head was caught over the adjacent stall and when finally extracted by Hector Crouch, his rivals had already gone almost a furlong ahead.

Steven Seagull set the pace before being passed by Enochdhu with two furlongs to race, but Cinnodin lengthened well and swept by to score going away by two and a half lengths.

Hughes said: “I don’t normally like going a mile and three-quarters with a three-year-old this early on, but he would get two miles tomorrow as he is an out-and-out stayer.

“He is pretty one-paced, but I think he will get quicker as he gets stronger. He was getting a stone off the top two, but at the same time I love the way he devoured the hill.”

Steven MacLean is confident he has enough big characters to help lead St Johnstone to cinch Premiership safety.

The Perth side are ninth in the table, just three points clear of Ross County who occupy the relegation play-off place.

Defeat away to 10th-placed Kilmarnock this weekend could see Saints slip to second bottom, but interim manager MacLean is buoyed by the make-up of his squad as he bids to push them over the line to safety.

“I look at my dressing-room and I see Liam Gordon, Andy Considine, Cammy MacPherson, Ryan McGowan, Graham Carey and Stevie May, good experienced pros who know what it’s about,” he said.

“They know when the chips are down and they’ll roll their sleeves up. They’ll run the dressing-room. I know I’ve got players in there who are going to come out fighting and that’s what we need.

“We’ve got other players as well but those ones I’ve just mentioned know what it’s all about, so I’m confident about going to Kilmarnock. We want to get this done as soon as possible so we’ll be going to win the game.”

Saints have won just one of their last nine matches, but MacLean – who has overseen three games since the sacking of Callum Davidson last month – is maintaining a positive mindset.

“You say it like that (one win in nine), I’ll say it’s one defeat in three so morale’s fine,” he said. “The dressing-room’s good, I’m good, we’re positive.

“We’re positive people and we’re going to Kilmarnock to get three points. We’re in the driving seat. We’re ahead of Ross County, Kilmarnock and Dundee United so it’s about what we do.

“We can control our performance and then hopefully results will follow.”

Real Madrid shrugged off a delay at the airport to arrive at the Etihad Stadium in relaxed mood ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester City.

The European champions had to wait for more than half an hour in the arrivals hall at Manchester Airport on Tuesday after their team bus was unable to collect them on time.

Yet Carlo Ancelotti’s squad were soon transported to the stadium where they trained ahead of Wednesday’s clash, which will begin on a knife edge after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Bernabeu last week.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti said at his pre-match press conference: “I am very calm, full of hope, full of faith.

“Tomorrow – game day – that’s when the worries come in and you think things through, whether (Erling) Haaland will score or (Kevin) De Bruyne will hurt you.

“But I try to put it out of my mind. It is all about managing thoughts.

“We are very happy to be here, we are feeling good. It is a usual event for us to be in a semi-final.

“It’s 11 years out of 13 in the semi-finals. That’s not easy. We enjoy it while we can.”

City may have the home advantage but, as 14-time European champions and the current holders, Real certainly have experience of delivering in such encounters.

Ancelotti, who has won the competition twice as Real boss and twice with AC Milan, said: “It’s special for Real Madrid because of the history we have in the tournament.

“In the 1950s it became important for the fans and players. It’s everything you work for. It’s something special to try to win European trophies, especially the European Cup.

“It’s been important for them throughout their history. It is a club that has a special power to stay alive.”

Ancelotti has a full squad available with Eduardo Camavinga having overcome a knock and Eder Militao back from suspension.

The first leg was evenly matched with City dominating possession for large spells but Real repeatedly threatening on the counter-attack.

Ancelotti said: “I don’t think it will be so different.

“There may be some adjustment from both sides. There are things we can improve but I think they think that too.

“These are the best two teams in Europe and I’m predicting an exciting game like the first leg.”

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric is relishing the encounter.

The Croatia international said: “We have good feelings and are eager to get going. I can’t wait.

“These games are like finals. It is massive. You have to enjoy every minute.”

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 May 16.

Pablo Zabaleta reminisced.

Real Madrid were heading to Manchester to face his old team.

Liverpool were still celebrating their win over Leicester.

The Reds were also looking back.

Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa introduced the world to a special fan.

Manchester United announced they were heading to Scotland.

Tottenham have been finalising their summer plans too.

Inter Milan were getting ready for a huge Champions League derby.

It’s all starting to come back to Serena.

KP protested his innocence.

Did Kohli pass the test?

Geraint Thomas kept dry.

Katharine Merry cleared the garden.

Nicola Adams reflected on a fun night out.

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 May 16.

Pablo Zabaleta reminisced.

Real Madrid were heading to Manchester to face his old team.

Liverpool were still celebrating their win over Leicester.

The Reds were also looking back.

Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa introduced the world to a special fan.

Manchester United announced they were heading to Scotland.

Tottenham have been finalising their summer plans too.

Inter Milan were getting ready for a huge Champions League derby.

It’s all starting to come back to Serena.

KP protested his innocence.

Did Kohli pass the test?

Geraint Thomas kept dry.

Katharine Merry cleared the garden.

Nicola Adams reflected on a fun night out.

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 May 16.

Pablo Zabaleta reminisced.

Real Madrid were heading to Manchester to face his old team.

Liverpool were still celebrating their win over Leicester.

The Reds were also looking back.

Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa introduced the world to a special fan.

Manchester United announced they were heading to Scotland.

Tottenham have been finalising their summer plans too.

Inter Milan were getting ready for a huge Champions League derby.

It’s all starting to come back to Serena.

KP protested his innocence.

Did Kohli pass the test?

Geraint Thomas kept dry.

Katharine Merry cleared the garden.

Nicola Adams reflected on a fun night out.

Denmark’s Magnus Cort won a three-man sprint finish to win stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia in Viareggio and complete a career grand slam.

The 30-year-old EF Education–EasyPost rider edged out Canada’s Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech) and Italy’s Alessandro De Marchi (Team Jayco-AlUla) to triumph in adverse weather conditions.

Cort has added his latest Grand Tour stage win to the six he has won at the Vuelta Espana and two at the Tour de France.

He is the second Dane at the 2023 Giro d’Italia to achieve a stage win in each Grand Tour after Mads Pedersen.

Cort said: “I’m extremely happy to complete my trilogy, winning a stage of the Giro d’Italia after the Tour de France and La Vuelta.

“But it’s been one of the hardest days I’ve spent on the bike. Firstly I had to get back to the front.

“Then my radio wasn’t working because of the rain so I was never sure where the chasing peloton was. But we kept pushing hard. It was worth it. It’s hard to believe that it happened though.”

The trio had been part of a four-man breakaway, which also included Italy’s Davide Bais, 60 kilometres into the 196km-stage which started in Scandiano.

After Bais fell away, the breakaway group extended their lead over the peloton to four minutes, 30 seconds with 106km to go and although that closed to just 46 seconds with 10km remaining, they held on to their advantage entering the closing stages.

Race leader Geraint Thomas, who finished over 11 minutes behind Cort, retained his two-second advantage over Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) in the general classification, with fellow Briton and Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Tao Geoghegan Hart five seconds behind in third.

Thomas took the leader’s pink jersey on Sunday after previous leader Remco Evenepoel withdrew from the race after testing positive for Covid-19.

It was Thomas’ first day in the jersey after Monday’s rest day, and he said: “It was nice but obviously not ideal conditions to be leading the Giro.

“It was a solid day with lots of attacking. It was pretty cold on top of the hill and crazy in the descent. I’m happy with getting through this stage alright. In this race anything can happen, especially with the weather.”

Belgian Evenepoel had reclaimed the pink jersey hours earlier after edging out Thomas by a second in the stage-nine time trial.

Such were the adverse weather conditions before the stage-10 start, race organisers discussed with riders whether the route would be shortened.

Freezing temperatures at the top of the main climb, the Passo delle Radici, plus high winds and rain gave cause for concern, but the stage went ahead as planned.

Russia’s Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe), who started the day in overall sixth place, struggled in the early stages on Tuesday and became the ninth rider to pull out after testing positive for Covid.

Doc Rivers became the latest coaching casualty after his team underachieved in the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers fired Rivers on Tuesday, two days after the team's Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics, which saw them blow a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Overseeing a talented roster led by 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid, Rivers had coached the 76ers for three seasons and only the Phoenix Suns (160) and Milwaukee Bucks (155) racked up more regular-season wins than Philadelphia (154) over that time.

Each of those Sixers' seasons, however, ended with an exit in the conference semis.

Sunday's ouster was the second time Philadelphia was eliminated with a Game 7 loss, in addition to 2021, when the top-seeded 76ers lost to the Atlanta Hawks.

Rivers is 6-10 all-time in Game 7s. No other NBA coach has more than five such defeats.

In Sunday's 112-88 loss, Philadelphia was outscored 57-36 in the second half and managed just 10 third-quarter points to tie an NBA playoff record for fewest points in a quarter in the shot clock era.

This came after the Sixers were outscored 24-13 in the fourth quarter of a 95-86 home loss in Game 6.

Rivers joins Mike Budenholzer, the 2019 coach of the year and 2021 title-winner with the Bucks, and Monty Williams, the 2022 coach of the year with the Suns, to be fired in the last two weeks after their teams were knocked out of the playoffs.

Rivers won the NBA title as coach of the Celtics in 2008, and was named coach of the year with the Orlando Magic in 2000.

He also coached the Los Angeles Clippers and has amassed a 1,097-763 (.590) record in the regular season over his 24 seasons as a coach.

Despite his regular-season success, he has not coached a team past the conference semifinals since 2012.

Nick Kyrgios is expected to be fit for the grass-court season as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

The 28-year-old is yet to play a match this season, having pulled out of the Australian Open on the verge of the tournament with a cyst in his left knee that required an operation.

The hope at that point was he could be fit to return in Indian Wells at the start of March but, more than two months on, Kyrgios is still working his way back.

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A post shared by Nick Kyrgios (@k1ngkyrg1os)

A vocal hater of clay, he had planned to play the French Open for the first time since 2017, citing his girlfriend’s wish to go to Paris, but he will not be ready in time.

The PA news agency understands Kyrgios is, though, on course to be fit for his favourite part of the season, the grass-court swing, and could make his return at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart beginning on June 12.

Last year Kyrgios had the best season of his career, establishing himself as a grand slam contender and reaching his first singles final at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.

The Australian also reached the quarter-finals of the US Open before pulling out of his most recent tournament in Tokyo last October with knee pain.

Bournemouth have completed the permanent signing of on-loan Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore.

The Ivory Coast international initially joined on a six-month deal from the Serie A side on the last day of the January transfer window, with a five-year deal to be triggered if certain conditions were met.

The 23-year-old has played only three times in the Premier League as Gary O’Neil’s side have secured survival, with injury having kept him out of contention for the last month.

He has signed a deal to keep him at the Vitality Stadium until 2028, having played 140 times in Italy’s top flight for Sassuolo and Empoli.

Traore told the club website: “Everyone has been really welcoming with me. Everything is good here and I’m just happy to be here.

“I’ve had a couple of injuries so I’m looking forward to next season, but right now I’m working hard and hope to come back before the end and help the team.”

Chief executive Neill Blake added: “We’ve been really impressed by Hamed since his arrival in January, and we’re delighted to have him with us for the long term.

“He’s shown he’s already capable of performing well at the top level, and we’re excited to see him develop even further.

“The permanent signing of Hamed is another mark of our ambition for the coming years, building on this season’s success to compete once again in the Premier League.”

Bournemouth’s place in the top flight for next season was confirmed at the weekend despite their 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson is relishing a blockbuster finale to the season as his team bid to secure a European place.

The Easter Road side finish their campaign with back-to-back home games against the cinch Premiership’s top two of Rangers and Celtic followed by an Edinburgh derby away to Hearts on the final day.

The stakes are high for Johnson’s team, who are currently fifth in the table, a point behind the Jambos and three ahead of St Mirren.

A fifth-placed finish will be enough to earn a crack at Europe next term as long as Celtic beat Championship side Inverness in the Scottish Cup final next month, while fourth will guarantee a place in continental competition regardless.

“We’re very excited, it’s a great three games,” Johnson told Sky Sports. “We’ve got Rangers at home on the Sunday, Celtic at home on the Wednesday and Hearts away on the Saturday, so it doesn’t get bigger than that for us.

“We’re in good form, the boys are playing well and feeling confident, so we have to maximise the points on offer, but they’re tough games.”

Hibs are buoyed by a four-game unbeaten run ahead of their visit from Rangers this Sunday and Johnson is heartened by the way his team performed in their goalless draw away to Aberdeen last weekend.

“We were outstanding on Saturday,” he said. “Aberdeen are on a great run but the boys absolutely implemented the game plan to perfection apart from that elusive goal.

“We hit the woodwork four times, missed a penalty and dominated between the boxes. It was really good from us but we need to maintain that standard and performance level.

“We were disappointed we couldn’t take the three as that would put us in with a shout of fighting for third but we will keep fighting. It’s important for us we continue to improve because it’s a relatively new project.”

Jon Rahm hopes he can “ride the wave” of his brilliant form this season to more major success.

Rahm has won four times in 11 events in 2023, the most recent seeing him replace Scottie Scheffler as world number one after succeeding the American as Masters champion at Augusta National.

The former US Open champion is now halfway to completing a career grand slam and, with the majors coming thick and fast since the US PGA Championship moved from August to May in 2019, Rahm admits he is relishing the prospect of adding to his tally at Oak Hill this week.

“I’m confident. I feel good,” Rahm said. “It’s been a great year. It’s been an amazing year. I’m just hoping to keep adding more to it. It’s been a lot of fun, and hopefully I can keep riding that wave.

“There’s always little things we all want to improve, but I think at the end of the day it’s all what’s going on between the ears on the golf course more than technique at this point of the season.

“It doesn’t happen often that a player wins more than one major in a year, so it would be amazing to be able to join my name to that list. Latest to do it that I can remember was Brooks (Koepka), was it 2018?

“Before that Jordan (Spieth) in 2015. It just doesn’t happen often so I would love to.”

Spieth needs to win the US PGA to complete a career grand slam, although he is doubtful this week with a wrist injury, while Rory McIlroy’s latest attempt to become the sixth player to have won all four majors ended with a dispiriting missed cut in the Masters.

Asked about his own prospects of joining golf’s most exclusive club, Rahm said: “Obviously if I were to win this week or the Open Championship it really becomes a true reality, but winning two majors is not easy, and picking which ones you win is a little ludicrous to think about.

“I think obviously winning the grand slam would absolutely be amazing, but I think, without sounding too conceited or arrogant, I’d rather focus on the number of majors you win than having the grand slam per se.

“Obviously it would be amazing, but the more you put yourself in the position to be able to win majors, the more likely you might be to get it done.

“But it’s a very small number of players to do it, last one being Tiger (Woods). It’s obviously not an easy thing to accomplish.”