A return to France on Arc weekend and a trip to the Breeders’ Cup will come under consideration for Tiger Belle following her front-running success in the Prix d’Arenberg at ParisLongchamp.
The Ado McGuinness-trained filly was a 7-1 shot stepping up to Group Three level following a narrow Listed success at Naas and was smartly away in the hands of Cristian Demuro.
Karl Burke’s Dawn Charger finished with a flourish, but Tiger Belle saw her off by a neck, with Graceful Thunder the same distance further away in third for George Boughey.
McGuinness said of the winner: “She’s a very tough filly and I’ve said all along she’s very fast, one of the fastest fillies I’ve ever had.
“She’s improving with every run, she’s a lovely filly to have and I’m delighted for the guys that own her (Shamrock Thoroughbreds).”
The County Dublin-based handler confirmed Tiger Belle could carry new colours on her next start if a suitable offer arrives as he targets a potential step up to the highest level.
“No one rang us after she won in Naas, but she is for sale and hopefully someone might buy her now. We’d love to keep her, but the lads that own her are an investment syndicate and we have to sell to survive,” McGuinness added.
“We have plenty of options for her now. She could run at the Breeders’ Cup over five or we have the option of going for the Prix de l’Abbaye if we wanted.
“She obviously handles the track. I think the key to Longchamp is the draw, but her gate speed is very fast, she kills the race halfway through and they just struggle to catch her.”
Johnny Murtagh is planning to pitch the lightly-raced Cadeau Belle into Group One company in next week’s Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.
The three-year-old looked progressive in winning her first two starts, in a Gowran maiden and a Navan Listed heat, before being upped to Group Three level for the Valiant Stakes at Ascot in July.
Sent off the 15-8 favourite that day, Cadeau Belle was keen from the off and eventually finished last of the nine runners in the mile affair.
Murtagh hopes the application of a hood can help manage her eager attitude and is favouring sending the daughter of Harry Angel for the top-level event, rather than taking up her alternate entry in the Group Two Dullingham Park Stakes.
He said: “I’m not sure what happened to her the last time, I really fancied her going to Ascot. (Jamie) Spencer said she was too keen and boiled over at the start, she has a hood on now so I think we might go for the Matron.
“I know it’s going to be a good race, but it’s the kind of race I had in mind all the time. We will probably let her take her chance there.
“She’s been working well again, the hood is on and that should help her relax.”
Ladies Church could also fly the Group One flag for the yard in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes.
The four-year-old was a Group Two winner last year but has yet to sparkle in three runs this term, with Murtagh thinking soft ground had gone against her twice while last week’s Nunthorpe had a lightning early pace.
The trainer said: “I ran her on soft ground twice this year and she didn’t really like it. I fancied her a little bit going to York last week but they went so fast she never really got on the bridle. She will go for the Flying Five.”
Mashhoor recorded a hat-trick earlier in the season, taking the notable scalp of Al Riffa in the Group Three International Stakes, but he found it tough going in the York Stakes on his latest run, coming last of five – albeit beaten just four lengths by Alflaila.
The five-year-old will now switch back up in trip for the Paddy Power Stakes.
Murtagh said: “Mashhoor is going to run in the mile-and-a-half Group Three at Leopardstown. He has a 3lb penalty and I know it will be tough, but he’s in good form and came out of the race at York really well.”
Angels Wrath and Take Heart are both in the mix for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF ‘Northfields’ Handicap over 10 furlongs, with Murtagh rating the latter as one of his best chances of victory at the two-day Irish Champions Festival.
He said: “Take Heart is a nice horse in the mile-and-a-quarter Northfields Handicap at the Curragh. I think he’s rated 92, he’s a three-year-old who might sneak in at the bottom of it. I think he’d be one of our better chances – he’s really going well at the moment.
“Angels Wrath will run in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap on the Sunday. She’s been Listed-placed and we’re trying to get a stakes win with her, it’s just tough. She’s 96 rated and I think maybe the mile-and-a-quarter handicap will suit her well.”
Kerkiyra holds an entry over the big weekend, but Murtagh has another target in mind for the four-year-old, who won the ‘Northfields’ last year.
He said: “I was going to run in the mile-and-a-quarter handicap but I might keep her for the Group Three the following week in Gowran, the Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades Stud Fillies Stakes.
“She stayed to try to get a stakes win with her. She ran well the first time but it knocked the stuffing out of her a bit and it’s taken a while, so she’s coming back and is hopefully capable of winning a Listed race.”
Shartash, winner of last year’s Railway Stakes, is another who will be looking away from the Irish showpiece event, with a Curragh trip later in September on the cards after he fluffed the start in the Phoenix Sprint recently.
Murtagh said: “Shartash messed up the last time in the stalls, I thought he might win the last day and then go to the Haydock Sprint Cup. We might keep him for the Renaissance, a Group Three.”
Lewis Hamilton will extend his record-breaking career in Formula One beyond his 40th birthday after signing a new contract with Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows confirmed ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix that Hamilton, 38, will continue to drive with them for 2024 and 2025.
It is anticipated that the new deal will earn Hamilton in the region of £50million-a-year.
The announcement ends speculation surrounding the seven-time world champion’s future on the grid with his current deal up for renewal at the end of the year.
Mercedes will stick with their all-British line-up until at least the end of 2025 with George Russell, 25, continuing to partner Hamilton.
“We dream every day of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal,” said Hamilton, who started his career back in 2007.
“Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team.
“We have never been hungrier to win. We have learnt from every success but also every setback. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again.
“I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do.”
Equality is headed to the Curragh after holding his own when finishing sixth in the Nunthorpe at York.
The five-year-old, who is trained by Charlie Hills, was a 50-1 shot on his first attempt at Group One level and was far from outranked when beaten just over three lengths.
The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes on September 10 is now the aim as the bay has proved himself to be at home alongside the top sprinters over five furlongs.
Sam Hoskins, racing manager for owners Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds, said: “We were delighted with him, he ran a great race for sixth. He was probably just on the wrong side of the draw and not near enough to the pace on the far side, but he hit the line really strong and Danny Muscutt was very complimentary about him.
“The one thing it did prove is that he was up to the Group One level, so hopefully he can take the syndicate to more Group One races going forwards.
“I don’t think there’s that much between them at that level over five furlongs at the moment.
“The plan is to go to the Flying Five at the Curragh next time and that might not be totally dissimilar to the test he faced at Sandown when he won the Coral Charge.
“A stiff five furlongs might just suit him well and if he gets a better draw there, then he should have an each-way squeak.”
Hills had a sprint winner at the meeting in Equilateral, who took the Sky Bet And Symphony Group Handicap aged eight to prove the trainer’s ability to keep seasoned sprinters sweet.
Hoskins said: “Charlie showed earlier in the with Equilateral that he can keep those sprinters going on for a while.
“Hopefully there’s lots more fun to come for us, he’ll stay with us forever and it’d be great to think that we could dream of winning a Group One one day.”
Runaway York winner Dragon Leader has another valuable sales race waiting for him after his taking victory in the Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at the Ebor meeting – his third win from three runs.
The Clive Cox-trained son of El Kabeir has the Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes at Doncaster in his sights now, a race in which he will carry a light weight as the concept of the contest is to assign runners a burden that corresponds to the median price of their respective sires’ yearlings sold at auction in 2022.
“It was thrilling, absolutely thrilling,” Hoskins said of the success.
“He’s been coming along nicely and won those two races early on, but that was amazing last week.
“There were lots of syndicate members up there and they were over the moon, it’s what we dream of.
“Our syndicate was set up in the late 1980s to try to win the Cartier Million sales race, so it’s kind of a full circle to win a big sales race – that was absolutely brilliant.
“The plan is to go for the big Weatherbys Scientific two-year-old sales race at Doncaster, because he’s by El Kabeir he’s got quite a low median price so he’s actually got bottom weight in the race which is really exciting.
“You’d hope he’d have a strong chance in a good field, then we can just see how we get on in that and decide what’s happening in the future.”
Cody Bellinger’s infield single in the eighth inning scored the go-ahead run and lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a key NL Central matchup.
The Cubs won the final two games of the series after dropping Monday’s opener to get back within three games of the Central-leading Brewers.
Chicago moved a season-high nine games over .500 and is three games behind Philadelphia, which owns the top wild card.
The Cubs sacrificed runners to second and third in the eighth, but Christopher Morel was thrown out at home on Ian Happ’s fielder’s choice for the second out.
Mike Tauchman moved to third and scored when Bellinger’s sharply hit ball up the middle glanced off the right ankle of reliever Joel Payamps and to third baseman Andruw Monasterio, whose throw to first was late.
Kyle Hendricks allowed only an unearned run and four hits over six innings while striking out six and walking two.
Adbert Alzolay hit Mark Canha with the bases loaded in the eighth to force in the tying run but worked a hitless ninth to earn the win.
Mariners close out red-hot August
J.P. Crawford delivered a two-run single in the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners rallied for a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics for their franchise-record 21st win in August.
Seattle rallied from 3-0 and 4-3 deficits to finish 21-6 in August, surpassing the previous franchise record of 20 victories in a month.
The Mariners have won 13 of 15 and will head into September tied with Houston for the AL West lead. The last time Seattle entered September with a share of first place was in 2001, the last time it won the division.
Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run homer in the third inning to forge a 3-3 tie.
The Mariners pushed across two runs in the seventh against reliever Kirby Snead.
Dominic Canzone doubled before Mike Ford singled and Dylan Moore walked to load the bases. After a strikeout, Crawford dropped a soft liner into left field to make it 5-4.
Astros complete first sweep at Fenway
Framber Valdez took a shutout into the sixth inning and the Houston Astros won their fifth straight game, 7-4 over the Boston Red Sox.
Michael Brantley had two hits and two RBIs and Alex Bregman, Jeremy Pena and Martin Maldonado each added two hits and one RBI as Houston earned its first-ever sweep at Fenway Park.
The Astros are tied with Seattle atop the AL West as they seek their sixth division title in seven years. Houston has won two World Series since 2017, added another two AL pennants and twice lost in the AL Championship Series.
Boston lost for the fifth time in six games and dropped 6 ½ games behind the final wild-card spot.
Novak Djokovic is safely into the third round, but there were a couple of big shocks on day three of the US Open.
Seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was knocked out in five sets by Dominic Stricker, a qualifier ranked 128 in the world.
Then, in the night session, fifth seed and last year’s runner-up Casper Ruud fell foul of China’s world number 67 Zhang Zhizhen.
British qualifier Lily Miyakazi’s run came to and end in the second round.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day three at Flushing Meadows.
Pic of the dayShock of the day
Chocolate-loving Dominic Stricker caused a major upset at the US Open by knocking out seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The chubby-cheeked 21-year-old qualifier from Switzerland, ranked 128 in the world, stunned two-time grand slam finalist Tsitsipas with a 7-5 6-7 (2) 6-7 (5) 7-6 (8) 6-3 victory to reach the third round.
The former French Open junior champion recently admitted his coach had told him to cut down on chocolate and cookies.
Yet it was Athens-born Tsitsipas who was left feeling sour after a four-hour slog on the Grandstand Court.
Brit watch
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.
There were victories in the doubles for Jamie Murray, with Michael Venus, Joe Salisbury alongside partner Rajeev Ram, Lloyd Glasspool with Harri Heliovaara. and British pair Julian Cash and Henry Patten.
Quote of the dayFallen seeds:
Women: Petra Kvitova (11), Victoria Azarenka (18), Beatriz Haddad Maia (19), Magda Linette (24)
Men: Casper Ruud (5), Stefanos Tsitsipas (7), Francisco Cerundolo (20), Chris Eubanks (28).
Who’s up next?
Andy Murray kicks things off on Arthur Ashe against Bulgarian ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov. Fellow Brits Dan Evans, Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper and Katie Boulter are also in action along with Jodie Burrage, who faces the match of her life against second seed Aryna Sabalenka on Louis Armstrong.
The Cincinnati Bengals got Joe Burrow back on the practice field Wednesday for the first time since the star quarterback injured his right calf early in training camp.
Burrow had been sidelined since straining his calf on a scramble during a July 27 practice. The 2022 Pro Bowl selection took part in throwing drills Wednesday without the compression sleeve on his lower right leg that he had been wearing during his recovery period.
"It was really great to have him back out there," Bengals center Ted Karras told reporters afterward. "He's the leader of this team and I'm just really happy he's back."
Burrow's return bodes well for his chances of being ready for Cincinnati's season opener against the AFC North rival Cleveland Browns on Sept. 10.
The 2020 No. 1 overall pick had his rookie campaign cut short after 10 games by a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, but has not missed a game due to injury over the last two seasons while leading the Bengals to the playoffs both years.
Burrow delivered a breakout 2021 season in which he threw for a franchise-record 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns and helped the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988. The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner set another team record with 35 touchdown passes in 2022 while compiling 4,475 passing yards and completing 68.3 per cent of his throws.
"Joe has a supreme command of the operational aspect of our offence, (so) it is ratched up a little bit," Karras said of Wednesday's practice. "Not that we're not going hard with anyone else out there, but when [number] nine's back there you can feel the difference."
Cincinnati finished 12-4 last season to capture its second straight AFC North title before again reaching the conference title game, which the Bengals lost 23-20 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Jamaica's Olympian Keanan Dols made the difficult decision to retire from competitive swimming due to a chronic knee injury. But Dols is not leaving without hope, as he is taking the lessons learnt in the pool over the years and applying them to the next chapter of her life.
At 25 years old, Dols –who was born in Savanna-la-mar before moving overseas where he grew up in Sarasota, Florida –would have loved to parade his skills at another Olympic Games for the Caribbean Island, but opted not to go against his bodies will.
As such, he swapped his swim trunks for the coaching cap, joining the staff at Villanova University, where he will assist in shaping what he hopes will be the next generation of top-class swimmers.
"Coaching has been the plan for a few years now. Initially I was planning to start coaching after Paris (Olympic Games), but I’ve dealt with some chronic knee issues over the past few years, as well as some hip issues this past season so I made the decision to retire after the college season and begin my move into coaching," Dols told SportsMax.tv from his base in the United States.
"I learnt a lot during my time as an athlete and those experiences have definitely eased the transition as I can draw on that knowledge of the sport and rely on the people who have helped me along the way. I spent some time as a volunteer assistant with the University of Kentucky and Stanford university which were invaluable experiences that aided my decision," he added.
During his career which started in 2015, Dols represented Jamaica at numerous regional and international events, where he won several medals and established a number of national records. however, the biggest highlight of his career was the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he swam the 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley (IM), respectively.
He last sported the national colours at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and subsequently transferred from Pennsylvania to University of Kentucky to finish off a career which he now reflects on with a great sense of pride.
"I’m definitely very proud of my career. There were ups and downs, but every experience was great as they came with lessons and also served as motivation along the way, so I’m very proud of everything I’ve accomplished. If I could change anything though, it would probably be taking a bit better care of my injuries as they came along," Dols noted.
Still, getting to the high point of his career was by no means easy and required unwavering self-motivation, so while reflecting on his journey, Dols also had some encouraging words.
"When working to achieve your dreams, it is important not to limit yourself. Set your goals as high as possible and even after you achieve them, you have to keep setting the bar higher, always strive to raise the standard of your previous performance," he reasoned.
That said, Dols, who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in supply chain management, is eager to serve as a great young mentor to Villanova's athletes both in and out of the pool, as his attention to detail is expected to be a great asset to the school's programme.
"I’m extremely excited to be joining the staff at Villanova. It’s a great opportunity to learn and grow as a coach and I’m excited to get to coach a great group of young athletes, who are people first and athletes second," he said.
"I’m very much looking forward to this season and I feel that I bring some high-level international experience and good perspective on elite level training to make a difference," Dols ended.
Chocolate-loving Dominic Stricker caused a major upset at the US Open by knocking out seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 21-year-old qualifier from Switzerland, ranked 128 in the world, stunned two-time grand slam finalist Tsitsipas with 7-5 6-7 (2) 6-7 (5) 7-6 (6) 6-3 victory to reach the third round.
Stricker is a former French Open junior champion who recently admitted his coach had told him to cut down on chocolate and cookies but it was Tsitsipas who was left feeling sour after a four-hour slog on the Grandstand Court.
“You know, I came out today pretty well today and felt good from the first set,” said Stricker.
“Over four hours it was a tough battle and I’m just super happy right now. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the day and recover tomorrow.
“It’s such a great day for me and such a great win. It gives me a lot of confidence. I believe a lot in me now.”
Remarkably, Stricker could have been on the plane back to Bern last week having faced a match point in the second round of qualifying.
He has now achieved his best result at a grand slam, having bettered his run to the second round at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
Tsitsipas served for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set, and the Greek said: “That hasn’t happened to me before. It’s the first time for me.
“Usually I’m much tougher mentally, and I have shown it by coming back. Even though sometimes I get broken serving for the match, let’s say, I still find ways in the tie-break or perhaps in the fifth set. Today was not the case.”
Second seed Novak Djokovic is safely through to round three after demolishing Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
The Serbian, chasing a 24th grand slam title, dropped just six games in a 6-4 6-1 6-1 victory.
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.
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.”
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.”
Jack Davison has described She’s Quality as “probably the best horse I have trained” after the filly proved well named in shedding her maiden tag at Newbury.
The daughter of Acclamation bumped into next year’s 1000 Guineas favourite Ylang Ylang when third on debut before going on to finish a two-and-a-half-length fourth in the Group Three Anglesey Stakes on her second start.
She then further advertised her potential when splitting Michael O’Callaghan’s Navassa Island and Round Tower Stakes winner Letsbefrankaboutit in a Curragh maiden, before getting off the mark with a flourish in her raiding mission to Newbury, surging the best part of four lengths clear of the opposition in the hands of James Doyle.
Davison said: “She’s a lovely filly and very exciting and I would go as far to say she is probably the best horse I have trained. It’s super to have her and she should be a better three-year-old as well, so it’s great.
“I think Newbury was the first time she got nice conditions – good, quick ground and six furlongs. We were able to get a bit of cover and she was more professional. She’s very much on an upwards curve.”
She’s Quality provided her County Meath handler with just his second victory on UK soil and is now set to have her sights raised with both the valuable Goffs Million at the Curragh on September 23 or a shot at Group One glory in Newmarket’s Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes a week later being considered for her next outing.
“She’s a better filly on better ground, so it will be a toss up between the Goffs Million and the Cheveley Park,” added Davison.
“I will have to keep a close eye on what the ground is doing and if she is going to get a stiff seven at the Curragh, it will want to be nice ground. It’s 50-50 really.
“It would be quite exciting to have a good chance in the Goffs Million and we will look forward to plenty of black-type opportunities with her next year. But if the ground was to come up soft in Ireland and nice in England, I would have no problem redirecting her to the Cheveley Park, she’s of that calibre.”
It was Thunderbear who gave Davison with his first UK winner when striking at Nottingham earlier in the season and having gone on to ply his trade at Group level in his next three outings, he is poised to make his first start in France early next month.
Although running with credit in some top-quality events over six and seven furlongs, he will now drop back to the minimum distance for ParisLongchamp’s Prix du Petit Couvert on September 10, where his handler is predicting he will thrive.
“Thunderbear is very well and he’s entered in a Group Three at Longchamp,” continued Davison.
“I look forward to dropping him back to sprint distances on soft ground. I think that will really be his game and we haven’t seen the best of him yet. He has plenty of speed.”
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