France thrashed 10-man Gibraltar 14-0 in Nice for a record international win to close in on a top seed for Euro 2024.

Les Bleus had already qualified as winners of Group B, and showed no signs of letting up against Gibraltar – who scored an early own goal before defender Ethan Santos was shown a red card for a late tackle on 17-year-old debutant Warren Zaire-Emery.

Following the red card for Santos, who had put the ball in his own net after just three minutes, France were relentless, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick, Kingsley Coman netting twice and substitute Olivier Giroud hitting a late brace.

Paris St Germain midfielder Zaire-Emery had set a new record as France’s youngest post-war debutant, aged 17 and 255 days.

France were soon on the offensive and raced into a 2-0 lead, both own goals, inside the first five minutes.

Jonathan Clauss got clear down the right and cut the ball back across the six-yard box where Santos stabbed it into his own net.

Before Gibraltar could regroup, they fell further behind.

As goalkeeper Dayle Coleing saved Antoine Griezmann’s shot, the rebound looked to have gone in off Aymen Mouelhi with Marcus Thuram close behind him. The Inter Milan forward was later credited with the goal.

France, aiming to seal their place as one of the five top seeds in Germany next summer, continued to press, with Mbappe firing over.

Zaire-Emery then clipped home a cross from Coman at the near post to become France’s second youngest international scorer after Maurice Gastiger in 1914.

The teenager took a blow to his ankle from Santos when tucking the ball home. English referee John Brooks was advised by VAR to take a review of the over-the-top challenge on the pitchside monitor, which resulted in a red card for the Gibraltar defender.

France were taking no risks with Zaire-Emery, who was swiftly substituted in the 20th minute and replaced by Youssouf Fofana.

On the half-hour mark, a VAR review saw France given a penalty for handball by Lee Casciaro. Mbappe knocked the spot-kick in off the post to make it 4-0.

It was relentless stuff from the hosts, who scored three more within as many minutes through Clauss’ powerful strike, then Coman knocked a loose ball in before Fofana drove a low shot under bewildered Gibraltar keeper Coleing.

Gibraltar made it to half-time without further damage and then held out through the hour mark despite soaking up plenty of pressure from France, who sensed the chance of a record win.

Adrien Rabiot shot home a loose ball in the 63rd minute, with Coman then getting his second for number nine.

Gibraltar’s heaviest loss was confirmed when substitute Ousmane Dembele added a 10th goal for France, who soon secured a record win when Mbappe knocked in an 11th from close range with 15 minutes left.

Olivier Giroud stepped off the bench to drill a low shot into the far corner – but after a lengthy VAR review and check of the monitor by the referee, the goal was ruled out for offside.

France, though, soon had a 12th when Mbappe clipped in a wonderful chip over a backpedalling Coleing from 30 yards to complete his hat-trick.

Giroud drilled the ball in after a chest down from Griezmann, which this time did count. The AC Milan forward swiftly rifled home another in stoppage time as France eclipsed Germany’s record European Championship qualifying win over San Marino in September 2006.

Wout Weghorst fired the Netherlands into the Euro 2024 finals as the Republic of Ireland’s dismal campaign ended with a whimper.

Burnley’s on-loan Hoffenheim frontman, whose winner in Dublin in September left Ireland with a mountain to climb, repeated the dose in Amsterdam to secure a 1-0 victory which was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested.

As a result, the Dutch secured second place in Group B behind France, who put 14 without reply past Gibraltar.

Stephen Kenny’s men, who have now won only six of the 29 competitive games they have played under his charge, barely laid a glove on a far superior side under the closed roof at the Johan Cruyff Arena on a night when they had hoped to bloody the nose of one of Europe’s traditional big guns.

Their feint hopes of securing a play-off berth via the Nations League were formally dashed on Thursday night by Slovakia’s 4-2 victory over Iceland with automatic qualification having slipped from their grasp long before.

Alvaro Morata admits he would swap any future goals for European glory with Spain.

The striker is happy to go the rest of the season without scoring if Spain win next year’s tournament.

They host Georgia in their final qualifier on Sunday, two points clear of Scotland at the top of Group A having already reached the tournament.

Morata scored a hat-trick when Spain routed Georgia 7-1 in September and the Atletico Madrid striker has 16 goals in 19 games for club and country this season.

But the former Chelsea hitman is prepared to have a drought if it meant success in Germany next year.

He told a press conference: “Hopefully I can score as many goals as possible, but if I have to go from here to the end of the season without scoring and win the European Championship, I’ll sign it right now.

“I have played many games in a row as a starter and that makes me confident.

“I feel good in my team, I feel good here and I am happy. There is a great work environment and that makes things easier.”

Spain beat Cyprus 3-1 on Thursday with Morata an unused substitute as Lamine Yamal scored his second goal for Spain.

The Barcelona youngster became his country’s youngest player and scorer in the demolition of Georgia two months ago.

“He’s 16 years old and he looks like he’s 27,” said Morata.

“I also think it’s something to congratulate all the people and coaches he’s had because the truth is that he’s a super-mature boy and already a reality for the Spanish national team and Barcelona.”

Victory would seal top spot with Scotland hosting Norway and boss Luis de la Fuente insisted they would not let the country down.

“We know that we cannot fail and disappoint the people who trust us, but in that responsibility we feel comfortable,” he said.

“The players always stand up and understand what it means to represent Spain.”

Nottingham Panthers players returned to the ice on Saturday evening for the Adam Johnson Memorial Game at the Motorpoint Arena, where further tributes were paid to their former team-mate.

American Johnson, 29, died in hospital on October 28 after being hit in the neck by an opposition player’s skate during the Panthers’ away Challenge Cup match against Sheffield Steelers.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and been bailed to a date in the new year as inquiries continue.

The Panthers, who had not played since Johnson’s death, were joined by Manchester Storm for the exhibition game, which was hoped could help bring the team and fans together as they look to move forwards.

Fans have continued to lay tributes outside the Motorpoint Arena for Johnson, who also had a spell with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL and joined the Panthers ahead of the 2023–24 season.

Players were cheered onto the ice for the warm-up, with both teams wearing special game jerseys, which were set to be raffled afterwards.

All profits will be donated to the ‘Love for Hibbing & Hockey Memorial Fund’, which was established to support charitable causes in Johnson’s hometown area of Hibbing, Minnesota in the United States.

The sell-out crowd chanted Johnson’s name as the players took to the ice before making their way to the centre.

As the lights in the arena faded, Johnson’s picture was displayed on the main scoreboard above the rink, alongside the words ‘forever our 47’ in honour of his shirt number, which will be retired in his memory.

During the pre-game ceremony, there was applause from the crowd while the players tapped their sticks on the ice.

When the action got under way, Michael Korol opened the scoring for Manchester in the first quarter but the Panthers swiftly got back on level terms as Ollie Betteridge slotted in a rebound only 15 seconds later.

An inquest into Johnson’s death was opened and adjourned on November 3.

However, Sheffield’s senior coroner, Tanyka Rawden, has already called on the sport’s governing bodies to take action.

The English Ice Hockey Association has said neck guards will become mandatory from 2024 but the Elite League, in which the Panthers compete, is not under its control.

The Elite Ice Hockey League said it will not make the use of neck guards mandatory, but will “strongly encourage” players and officials to wear them.

Saracens absorbed the loss of three England stars to put Harlequins to the sword in a 38-10 Gallagher Premiership victory at The Stoop.

Ben Earl and Elliot Daly were lost to respective knee and hamstring injuries during the warm-up and just seconds into the game Alex Lozowski was forced off after twisting awkwardly when chasing down Marcus Smith.

The champions took the disruption in their stride, however, as they amassed six tries in a London derby that lacked the spite seen in recent years, with Harlequins far too submissive against the league’s best side.

Both teams’ World Cup players were on parade and it was Maro Itoje who stood out among them, the lock catching the eye with a couple of big runs but also proving a handful at close quarters.

Marcus Smith and Alex Dombrandt did little to impress England head coach Steve Borthwick, who was watching from the stands, but the fault for a meek Harlequins performance was hardly theirs alone.

Saracens’ pack was typically menacing from start to finish and they supplied the opening try as part of a frantic opening with the excellent Juan Martin Gonzalez driving over from short range.

The champions frequently shuttled the ball across the field and with some success, forcing Quins to scramble out wide.

When the home ruck defence had gone missing near the centre of the pitch, Saracens reacted in a flash with Andy Christie stampeding into space only for the supporting Ivan van Zyl to cut an awkward supporting line.

Quins were breached too easily again on the half-hour mark when a counter attack launched by Alex Goode was given legs by Itoje and a phase later Olly Hartley had barged over.

A line-out drive finished by Jamie George provided Saracens’ next try as the hosts continued to be overpowered up front and as they trudged off for half-time 19-3 behind, there was no obvious way back.

Their outlook continued to deteriorate as Christie added a maul try soon after the interval, registering the bonus point, but only once Itoje had staged a marauding run.

Smith was trying his best to inspire a revival, on one occasion using his footwork to weave into space, and it took a try-saving tackle from Alex Lewington to stop Quins from scoring.

Pressure was building on the Saracens line but they weathered the storm, advanced downfield and used a mixture of forward power and polished back play to cross through Tom Parton.

Lewington and Andre Esterhuizen exchanged tries and Saracens could have plundered one more late on but Tom Willis spilt the ball forward over the line following fine approach work by Gonzalez.

Stale Solbakken admits it was a “big blow” to lose Erling Haaland for Sunday’s dead-rubber Euro 2024 qualifier against Scotland at Hampden – but the Norway manager is confident the Manchester City striker’s injury is not a serious one.

The free-scoring forward withdrew from the squad on Saturday morning after damaging his ankle in the second-half of Thursday’s 2-0 friendly win over Faroe Islands.

“It’s a big blow for any team but we have played without him before, sometimes with success, sometimes without,” said Solbakken, speaking at Hampden on Saturday evening.

“We started the qualification when he was not ready for the first two games, but after that he has played every single game so it was unfortunate for us that he got the small knock on Thursday.

“It’s the movement in his foot that is the problem but it’s not a serious injury. Had it been a final, I don’t know (if he would have been fit to play).

“All parties agree it is probably a little too early (for him to play) but it is not a career-threatening injury.”

When asked why Haaland – a talisman for club and country – was risked in such a low-key match, Solbakken said: “It was his choice. He wanted to play 45 minutes to keep the momentum in a week where we were maybe not training as much. It was his decision.

“There were three players who have played many games and we had conversations with all three of them and Erling’s much preferred choice was to play 45 minutes.”

Many anticipated Sunday’s match being a qualification decider but Scotland’s 2-1 win in Oslo in June, when they scored two goals in the closing minutes to overturn Haaland’s penalty, has proved pivotal.

The Scots are already assured of a place in the finals in Germany and are six points ahead of third-placed Norway, who have only a slim chance of landing a play-off if results elsewhere go their way.

“It was probably the sorest defeat you will ever feel,” said Solbakken, recalling Scotland’s late turnaround in the summer. “I still wake up at night thinking about those last five minutes but that is life.

“If you look back now, those five minutes were very, very damaging. Otherwise the game tomorrow would have been a final. That speaks volumes.

“But we must congratulate Scotland on a great campaign. They have done really, really well, not only in this campaign but also in the years before that.

“They’ve played at a very high level and have also been good at bringing the margins on their side in tight games, which is very important in national football when there are so few games.”

Unless they manage to salvage a Euro 2024 place via a play-off, Norway’s run without major tournament football will extend to 26 years. The Scots ended a 23-year wait when they qualified for the Euros in 2021 and Solbakken feels his nation can draw inspiration from Steve Clarke’s resurgent side.

“Of course we can,” he said. “I think we are quite even. We always play very tight games against each other but they have been better than us with the small margins lately. We need to see if we can find that way too.”

Rob Page accepts that Wales’ Euro 2024 destiny might lie in the play-offs following their damaging draw with Armenia.

Wales needed a Nair Tiknizyan own goal on the stroke of half-time to give them a 1-1 draw in Yerevan, when Armenia were the most dangerous side for large parts of a low-quality contest.

Croatia are now favourites to take the second automatic qualifying spot behind Turkey, who travel to Cardiff for Wales’ last group fixture on Tuesday safe in the knowledge they will be playing in the finals in Germany next summer.

Having dropped points to remove automatic qualification from their own hands, manager Page said: “There’s a disappointed group in there, but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and finish on a high on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately it’s now out of our control. With a win, we’d all have been buzzing and looking forward to the game on Tuesday, and a win would have seen us qualify.

“It’s not materialised as we’d like, but that’s life and we have to get on with it.

“It’s about building momentum and, if it’s a play-off in March, it’s a play-off in March.

“If results go for us, we’ve still got an opportunity to qualify (automatically).

“We can only control what we can do, get the players in the right frame of mind, mentally and physically ready for Tuesday.”

Wales were beaten 4-2 by Armenia – ranked 95 in the world and 67 places below them – at the Cardiff City Stadium in June, and Page’s side were shaken again within five minutes of the Yerevan return.

Lucas Zelarayan, who scored twice in Cardiff, worked space on the edge of the area after Wales failed to clear a corner and slotted the ball into the corner of Danny Ward’s net.

Page said: “We got off to the worst possible start, we knew they were going to come out the traps fast. I’m disappointed with that.

“I thought we grew in the first half and scored at the perfect time.

“But the break came at a bad time for us because I thought we were growing in momentum.

“We got into some OK positions. Whether it was the final pass or the final ball, that final detail wasn’t quite right for whatever reason.

“We threw everything at it and both teams were going for the win.

“You could see by the changes we made. We took a wing back-off and put a winger on to try and get as many forward players on the pitch as we could.”

Wales had beaten World Cup semi-finalists Croatia last month to put them in control of the race for a top-two place.

But on a poor pitch that neither team were able to master, Wales did not remotely come close hitting the heights of that performance.

Reflecting on the contrasting two displays, Page said: “It’s not to say there were a lot of players who had off-days, but you do have that in transitions, you have inconsistencies.

“I’m not going to fault the players for their effort. Their effort, to a man, was commendable. They gave everything, like they always do.

“The pitch was heavy, like nothing we’ve seen back home, but it was the same for both sides.

“We’ll get them recovered, have a recovery session on Sunday and go through with the medical team who we’ve got available for Tuesday.

“We need to finish the campaign on a high. It’s important to have some momentum if there is a play-off in March.”

Boss Neil Critchley hailed a patient Jake Beesley as the striker scored twice to help Blackpool to a comprehensive 4-0 League One win at home to Shrewsbury.

Beesley scored once in each half, either side of a Kyle Joseph strike that sealed all three points after Jordan Rhodes opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

It was the striker’s first league goals of the season following on from a double in midweek against Morecambe in the EFL Trophy.

The result halts a three-game winless run in the league for the Seasiders and moves them to within goal difference of the play-offs.

“I’m made up for Jake,” said Critchley. “Four goals in a week is a great way to make your mark. He’s seen players come in before him but kept his professionalism.

“It’s been a good day for us. Scoring four goals and keeping a clean sheet is important as well because we’ve not had one for a while.

“You can become loose and complement, so the message at half-time was to keep doing the basics well.

“We played some good football and it was a comfortable win in the end. Scoring first slightly early in the game makes it easier for you.

“We thought we would go for it at home. We thought Shrewsbury would come with a gameplan to be defensive and stop us from controlling the game, so we went with an attacking team.

“The result gets us back on track and gives us a lift. We needed that in the league.”

While victory leaves Blackpool looking up, Shrewsbury manager Matt Taylor rued his side’s performance that sees their patchy league form continue.

Shrews came into the game off the back of 3-2 victories in both the league and EFL Trophy but Taylor admitted his side were well off the pace at Bloomfield Road to condemn them to a 10th league defeat of the season.

“It’s an unacceptable result,” he said. “The goals that we’ve give away without having the time to go back over them aren’t anywhere near good enough.

“We’ve got to be better away from home, accept full responsibility on behalf of the football club for the results. They’re not good enough.

“Our fans have spent money to come and watch us today and for us to go away and put in a performance like that is nowhere near acceptable.

“You can accept being beaten by a team who have had to work hard for their goals, but that hasn’t been the case tonight so (it’s) extremely disappointing.

“It’s a difficult place to come, but what you can’t do is come here and make it difficult for the opposition and that’s what we’ve done today. It’s not good enough.”

Tiger Woods is set for a return to the PGA Tour by playing in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Woods underwent ankle surgery in April after withdrawing from The Masters, and has not played competitively since.

The 47-year-old is host of the invitational event at Albany, which begins on November 30.

The TGR Live X account confirmed that Woods will take the 20th and final playing place in the event, being joined by exemptions Justin Rose and Lucas Glover.

Other players set to take part include Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland.

James McAtee’s brace inspired dominant England Under-21s to a routine 3-0 win in Serbia.

The Manchester City midfielder, on loan at Sheffield United, scored his first goals for the Young Lions.

Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott added a third early in the second half as England saw out their Euro 2025 qualifier on Saturday with minimum fuss, shrugging off last month’s rare defeat to Ukraine.

Lee Carsley’s side remain second, three points behind leaders Ukraine in Group F after their 4-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday.

England thumped Serbia 9-1 at the City Ground last month and were dominant from the start in Backa Topola.

It took just five minutes for the Young Lions to open the scoring when McAtee collected the ball on the edge of the area and his strike deflected off Mihajlo Ilic to loop over Veljko Ilic in goal.

Four minutes later Liam Delap came close to doubling the lead when he glanced Noni Madueke’s cross just wide.

But it was 2-0 after 19 minutes when McAtee received Hayden Hackney’s pass 20 yards out and drilled in, although Ilic should have done better.

England dominated the rest of the half without adding to their advantage but took just nine minutes of the second half to make it 3-0.

Elliott scored twice in the rout in Nottingham and got in on the act when he drilled into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

Striker Jay Stansfield, making his debut after a late call this week, hit the woodwork after a neat turn and strike with 13 minutes left and also went close late on.

Stansfield, on loan at Birmingham from Fulham, was denied a debut goal with three minutes remaining when he latched onto Madueke’s pass but saw his shot blocked.

Manager Steve Evans wants Stevenage to continue gatecrashing the upper regions of League One after their 1-0 victory over Lincoln lifted them up to fourth in the table.

It is 12 years since the Boro reached the play-offs in what was their first season in the third tier and few would have had them down to threaten a repeat after winning promotion back in May.

They continue to defy expectations, however, as Jamie Reid’s 14th goal of the campaign earned a third league win in a row and handed Michael Skubala a losing start as Lincoln head coach.

Evans said: “We are that little bad apple in the barrel that no-one wants to be in that top group.

“There is only the town of Stevenage and everyone in it – myself, the board, the players, everyone that’s connected with the football club – that wants us in that top group because we’re fighting for something that people thought two years ago would be in the National League.

“We just have to keep working hard, keep principled, keep humble and then take it forward to a real tough game to face Lee Johnson at Fleetwood.

“This is a really good Lincoln side, I think everyone in football was surprised they decided to change manager, but Michael has come in and his team gave us a few problems in the first half.”

It was in the second half that Stevenage took control, with Lincoln goalkeeper Lukas Jensen saving bravely from Reid before Kane Hemmings struck the inside of the post.

The breakthrough came in the 68th minute when a scramble in the six-yard box following Jake Forster-Caskey’s corner led to Reid bundling in.

It could have been more comfortable for the hosts, with Forster-Caskey striking a free-kick just over and Jensen making a good save to deny Reid a second, but there was no doubt they were deserved winners.

Skubala admitted the Imps were ultimately outmuscled, saying: “We need to get stronger, there’s no doubt about that, and it takes time to get physically stronger.

“It’s not something where you can just flick a button, so we’ve got a lot of work to do with the lads off the pitch to get physical.

“They’re strong, it’s just sometimes where you’ve got to do the scrappy stuff away from home against Stevenage that we probably got outfought in those battles.

“I think you saw the work we’ve done [during the week] in the first half and I was quite pleased.

“We won a lot of second balls, which we knew we were going to have to do here, and we had a couple of moments where we probably should have done better in the final third.”

Tom Bellamy cut a delighted figure as he steered Broadway Boy to an emphatic success at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Second to Flooring Porter over course and distance last month, he was sent off the 9-4 joint favourite for the Listed From The Horse’s Mouth Podcast Novices’ Chase and was given a bold ride by his pilot, which paid dividend as he scorched 20 lengths clear of stablemate Weveallbeencaught climbing the hill.

The five-year-old was introduced into the Brown Advisory betting at 20-1 with Coral and trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies could now test the waters in Graded company, having thrilled connections with his brilliant display.

He said: “I thought he was very impressive and he beat our other horse a long way – and he is pretty good, so happy days.

“Funnily enough, he didn’t school very well when he started but he soon warmed up to it.

“It was a good run (behind Flooring Porter) and he’s improved for it. I think we will stay over three at the minute, he seems to have plenty of speed but let’s see.

“There’s no point rushing into anything at the moment and we will see how he comes out of it, but there is always the three-mile race at Kempton (Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on Boxing Day) and that is a possibility, we will see.”

Paul Gilligan could have a Stayers’ Hurdle candidate on his hands having watched his son Jack boot home Buddy One in the Paddy Power Games Handicap Hurdle.

Third to Iroko in the Martin Pipe at the Festival in March, the improving six-year-old thrived at Galway last month and obliged favourite backers on his first try at three miles.

“To watch your son come up the hill on a horse you train, it’s heaven,” said Gilligan.

“This is a special place, a field of dreams, it can be heaven or it can be hell. It can be anything and when you go home after horses run bad, it’s a nightmare, but the dream has come true there now.

“He was really unlucky in the Martin Pipe, but he was straight as a gun-barrel there when he jumped the last. This is magic and it’s just a pity my wife isn’t here today, she’s at home keeping the yard going but this is heaven.

“Today is just so special, my son riding him and another leading him up. There’s a lot of us here and there will be a lot of people happy in Galway today.”

Handicaps are now off the table for the 9-4 winner, who could take in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse next, but who ultimately will be back at Prestbury Park in March for a crack at the Festival’s day-three feature.

“I didn’t think he would be beaten today – his Galway run was really good and after winning this race off top-weight, he is out of handicaps now. Possibly, depending on how he comes out of the race, he could go to the Hatton’s Grace. We will have to meet Willie and Gordon there, but why not.

“I thought after Galway he might go to the Pertemps but there is no point going Pertemps. It’s quite possible he will come back here for the Stayers’ Hurdle.”

Another with Graded ambitions is Springwell Bay (85-40 favourite), who justified Jonjo O’Neill’s long-held belief he was a smart operator with a taking victory in the Paddy Power Intermediate Handicap Hurdle.

The six-year-old may now head to the Relkeel Hurdle back at Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day, with O’Neill dreaming he could replicate the exploits of owner Gay Smith’s Blackjack Ketchum at some stage in the future.

He said: “I hope he will be (a Pattern horse) and he needed to do that today to be that type of horse. You would have to be thinking of it (Relkeel Hurdle) and those are the races you have to be looking at.

“I liked what I saw, but I didn’t come here with lots of confidence. We’ve been very lucky (for the owner) and let’s hope he is another Blackjack Ketchum.

“If he’s as good as him, he’ll do. We’ll let the horse do the talking. We’re happy today, that was a nice starting point and we have a nice horse to go to war with.”

There was a win for Gavin Cromwell’s Hascoeur Clermont (12-1) in the Wienerberger Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase, while in the same race there was a 20-day ban handed out to Billy Coonan for his ride aboard Tony Martin’s Read To Return.

Although backed into favouritism, the young rider was adjudged to have failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to obtain the best possible placing, having been 15 lengths down at the last before staying on into fifth.

There was further joy for Ireland when Willie Mullins’ Baby Kate (7-2) took the concluding Karndean Designflooring Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race.

The four-year-old, who is a daughter of Augusta Kate, was bred by former footballer Kevin Doyle and with Listed honours secured, could go in search of further black type in the new year.

“We were lucky to lease her off Kevin Doyle and the lads (owners, Gorm Agus Ban Syndicate) are a group of local lads and they are living the dream,” said Patrick Mullins.

“She didn’t win impressively at Ballinrobe but I thought the penny only dropped late with her. We wanted black type and it was either come here or Navan and we thought the ground might be slightly nicer here.

“She’s one of the smallest horses in the yard, she’s tiny, but she’s strong and she has ability.

“For Kevin, who owns her and leased her to us, it’s fantastic to get black type for him with that pedigree and we’ll look at all the black type bumpers in the spring now. We’ll probably go to the Dublin Racing Festival first, then see where we go after that.”

What’s Up Darling edged out his Gordon Elliott-trained stablemate Dee Capo in a stirring finish to the Bar One Racing For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan.

On another winner-laden day for the stable, it was the Sam Ewing-ridden six-year-old, who took a big step forward from his hurdling debut at Limerick, who came out on top.

Jack Kennedy was on the hat-trick-seeking Dee Capo, but went down by a neck having shown the odd wayward tendency.

Elliott said of the 15-8 winner: “He’s a quick horse. He probably got racing a bit early but he won, so it’s great.

“The other horse (Dee Capo) ran a serious race, Jack said he tried to hang off the track on the far side. He probably gave away a lot of lengths.

“Jack said he thought he was going to pull him up but when he straightened out, he sprinted again. I had the one-two, so I won’t complain.”

When asked if the winner could go for the Royal Bond, the trainer added: “To be honest, it might come a bit quick.”

Kennedy was on Elliott’s Stellar Story (4-7 favourite) in the Kilberry Pub & Kitchen Maiden Hurdle, who added to his two bumper wins.

“He’s a nice horse. Jack said he’d come on from it too, as he had a bit of a blow,” said Elliott.

“I was a bit worried in the back straight when the other horse was going with us but he said he’d come on plenty from it and we’re delighted.

“He was bought to be a big staying chaser.”

Fortunedefortunata (100-30 favourite) was another for Elliott and Kennedy in the Hotel Park St. Johann In Tirol Austria Handicap Hurdle.

“They (owners, Breakaway’s Syndicate) are all lads that I went to school with, so it’s great,” said Elliott.

“We didn’t give a fortune (£16,000) for him and today was the plan, thankfully it worked out for him.

“He loves really heavy ground. He probably wouldn’t take a lot of running quickly.”

Eddie and Patrick Harty’s Harvard Guy (7-1) won the Lisadell Equine Hospital Handicap Hurdle in the JP McManus colours.

“It was nice. I thought he might have a squeak based on his run at Fairyhouse,” said Eddie Harty.

“He was all out to do it and we’ll have to look for something similar. I’m delighted to be back on the scoresheet for JP.

“I think it’s Patrick’s first time on the board for JP since being on the licence, so it’s important for him as well.”

Elliott was narrowly denied a four-timer when My Trump Card got going too late in the concluding bumper and narrowly failed to reel in Gavin Cromwell’s Springt De La Mare (5-2), with Apple’s Of Bresil not far away in third.

The first three all look to have big futures.