Dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero Flooring Porter is set to return to Cheltenham to make his chasing debut on Saturday week.
Gavin Cromwell’s stable star made every yard of the running to clinch the three-mile hurdling title in 2021 and repeated when successfully defending his crown 12 months later.
However, having finished only fourth when bidding for the hat-trick in March, Cromwell feels the time has come to switch Flooring Porter to the larger obstacles and he is poised to do so in the Cotswolds.
“He’s back on the go and is hopefully going to make his debut over fences next week in Cheltenham,” the trainer told Racing TV.
“He’s jumping well, it’s more of a case of having to go left-handed with him and there’s not very many opportunities for him.
“He jumps really well and he loves it, so we’ll give it a go and see. He can always go back (over hurdles) anyway.”
Marcus Smith was ruled out of England’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa because of concussion, head coach Steve Borthwick has confirmed.
Smith has been replaced at full-back by Freddie Steward after he took a series of blows in the last-eight victory over Fiji that resulted in him finishing the match with a bandaged head and fat lip.
A tackle by wing Vinaya Habosi forced him to undergo an HIA which he passed, but he failed the subsequent return to play protocols and has been stood down for Saturday’s Stade de France showdown.
England have made two further changes to their starting XV with prop Joe Marler and lock George Martin coming in for Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum respectively.
“Marcus was unavailable for selection due to the return to play protocols. He was ruled out earlier in the week,” Borthwick said.
“He took a knock in the game and passed the first parts of the HIA process, which meant he finished the game.
“Then there are subsequent parts of the HIA process and one part of that he did not pass. And then it was confirmed to me he was unavailable for selection.
“He is perfectly fine in terms of symptoms – he doesn’t feel anything. We’d expect him to be available for selection after this weekend. It’s right to reiterate that player welfare is critical and vital to us.”
Whether a fit Smith would have been retained at 15 is unknown, but it appears unlikely given the precision and variety of South Africa’s kicking game.
Smith offers a cutting edge in attack but Steward is one of the game’s most accomplished full-backs – ultra-dependable under the high ball, strong in defence and a key component of England’s kick-chase.
Captain Owen Farrell is aware of the aerial onslaught coming in Paris but is backing Steward to thrive.
“The thing about Freddie is everybody knows how good he is in the air, everybody knows what a fantastic player he is in general,” Farrell said.
“But it’s the want to do it, the want to be in those battles, the want to go and get the ball back for his team, the want to defuse what’s coming our way. He is one of the best in the world at it.
“The kicking game has been a massive weapon for South Africa for years and years now. They’ve progressed it and they go on with a lot of contestable kicks.
“We’ve done our work and we’ve come up with our plan to negate what we can from them but also looking to be able to attack ourselves.”
The adjustments to the tight five see Marler’s scrummaging prowess get him the nod ahead of Genge, with Borthwick noting that South Africa have the “best scrum in the world”.
Martin will bring physicality to the second row while Genge and Chessum will take their place in England’s answer to the ‘Bomb Squad’ – the heavyweight forward reinforcements that the Springboks summon from the bench.
South Africa this week rejected the suggestion that in their quarter-final victory over France they used HIAs to rotate forwards Mbongeni Mbonambi, Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Duane Vermeulen, enabling them to take a rest.
Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has a reputation for taking an innovative approach to the laws and testing their boundaries, but Borthwick has faith in the officials to spot any mischief.
“We have got a match officials team that’s world class, led by Ben O’Keeffe,” Borthwick said.
“I am sure everybody around the pitch as well will have every bit of process in place. There is no issues there from our perspective.”
Head coach Ian Foster has warned New Zealand the past counts for nothing as they head into their World Cup semi-final against Argentina as overwhelming favourites.
The three-time champions have lost just two of 36 matches against Los Pumas and are widely expected to prevail again in Friday’s crunch clash at the Stade de France in Paris.
“There are two teams in the semi-final – anyone can win,” said the All Blacks boss. “That’s the first mindset both teams have.
“We are massively respectful of Argentina. We know that they have had a great tournament.
“We don’t live in the past in terms of results. Rugby World Cup tournaments are really about the present. It’s about the best team on the night.
“If you go into a World Cup semi-final with any expectation that the past is going to happen again, you have got problems.”
Foster has made two changes to his side following the hard-fought 28-24 quarter-final win over Ireland, with Samuel Whitelock coming into the second row and Mark Telea starting on the left wing.
Foster said: “We’ve been really impressed with Argentina. We’re playing a team that we know scrap and fight for every little bit of possession. We are going to have to be at our best.”
Argentina overcame a 10-point deficit to beat Wales last weekend and reach the semi-finals for a third time.
Coach Michael Cheika has recalled Gonzalo Bertranou at scrum-half in his one change to the line-up.
“The history is not in our favour, but it is up to us to change that,” said Cheika, who oversaw a famous win over the All Blacks in Christchurch last year.
“We have a chance to on Friday and we will be ready. When we arrive on the field we will do what we do best.”
Kyprios is all set for a clash of the staying Titans in the Long Distance Cup on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Kyprios was the dominant force in the staying division last season, winning the Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup and the Irish St Leger before a 20-length romp in the Prix du Cadran.
He was beaten by Eldar Eldarov on his return from 11 months on the sidelines when defending his Irish Leger crown last month, but O’Brien expects him to strip much fitter for the run – which he will need to do against Alan King’s Trueshan, who has returned to his best of late and is seeking a remarkable fourth win in this race.
Assessing the comeback run of Kyprios, O’Brien said: “We were delighted with him, he was just barely ready to run at the Curragh and we think he’s made progress since then. He seems in very good form and we’re looking forward to seeing him out again.
“I couldn’t believe he made it back to any race really – I couldn’t believe the day he went out of the parade ring at the Curragh he was actually there.
“If everything goes well he would be a great horse to bring back for Ascot (Gold Cup) next year.”
High-profile stablemate Paddington bids to put the seal on a magnificent campaign in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
The Siyouni colt lit up the first half of the season, winning each of his first six races of 2023 including the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh, the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
He met with defeat for the first time this year when third behind Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International at York in August, but having since enjoyed a well-earned mid-season break, O’Brien is hopeful he can show his true colours on Champions Day.
“He’s obviously had an incredibly busy season and turned up in every big race he possibly could have. He’s an incredible horse really, so it was great for us to be able to give him the time and he really appreciated it, we think,” O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing.
“He loves racing and loves work. He’s an unusual horse in that when you build up his work, he starts putting on weight, that’s just the way he is. He loves hard work and he thrives on it.
“He was very impressive in all his races, he’s a good strong traveller and quickens very well and handles all types of ground. We’re looking forward to seeing him out again.”
Paddington was given the option of sticking to a mile and a quarter in the Qipco Champion Stakes, but O’Brien feels he is better suited to the shorter trip of the QEII.
He added: “He goes like a real miler, even though he’s won over a mile and a quarter. I think it was always going to be the QEII for him.”
Unless Paddington is considered for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup in California next month, Saturday could well be his swansong.
“I couldn’t see him staying in training as a four-year-old. He’s a very valuable horse and a very wanted horse at stud, I’d imagine,” O’Brien said.
Jackie Oh is a major contender for the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes after being touched off by Blue Rose Cen in the Prix de l’Opera three weeks ago, but her stablemate Point Lonsdale appears to have his work cut out in a red-hot renewal of the Qipco Champion Stakes.
O’Brien added: “We always thought Jackie Oh would stay further and she loves an ease in the ground – it was probably a little bit too quick for her the last day.
“She’d been working very well and progressing every week as the year went on and her last run was probably by far her best run.
“Point Lonsdale ran well in Leopardstown (in the Irish Champion Stakes), he was only beaten just under four lengths, so it was a good run.
“He’s in good form, obviously it’s a very competitive race. We’re hoping that he runs well.”
Frankie Dettori’s long-time friend and former agent Ray Cochrane rates Golden Horn’s 2015 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victory as one of the Italian’s finest moments in the saddle.
Dettori will bring the curtain down on his European career at Ascot on Saturday, with the rider having last week officially abandoned his plan to retire from the saddle in favour of a move to America in the new year following a series high-profile international engagements before the end of 2023.
While Champions Day does not put a full stop on his riding career, Dettori’s final afternoon at Ascot promises to be an emotional affair with many of the jockey’s career highlights having taken place at the Berkshire venue.
He memorably went through the seven-race card at the track in September 1996, while his Royal Ascot victories are too numerous to mention, with Courage Mon Ami’s Gold Cup triumph back in June raising the roof.
However, Cochrane, who was Dettori’s agent for 20 years, felt the rider’s renewed association with trainer John Gosden in 2015 provided the most sparkling of moments as he really kicked off what was to be a glorious autumn of his career.
Cochrane told Betdaq: “We had an unbelievable time, with the big winners he rode, but the one that sticks out is Golden Horn.
“He rang me when I was skiing in Switzerland and said, ‘William Buick has gone to Godolphin’. Immediately I said, ‘Have you rung John Gosden?’, and he said, ‘No’, but I could hear him laughing and then he said, ‘I didn’t need to ring him, he rang me’. I remember saying, ‘Get in there!’. At the time, when Frankie had no job, this was like someone putting a big arm around him.
“He started riding well for John and he rang me one spring morning, and said, ‘Ray, we’ve got one’, but he couldn’t remember his name! I kept asking what his name was and a week later he told me it was a horse called Golden Horn.
“Of course, he went on to win the Derby in his first season back with John, but the race that really sticks out is the Arc de Triomphe.
“He was drawn way out on the outside, which for most riders would be a bad draw. I rang him about it, and he said ‘It’s not too bad – this horse is a big lump and can miss the start, so if he was drawn down on the inside I’ll be shuffled back and my race would be over. At least on the outside, I can slot in wherever I want to. That’s the plan’.
“He told me that he was going to keep wide and go straight up the track for seven furlongs, and when he got to the top of the hill he would shift across and move in behind the pacemaker.
“That’s exactly what he did and it was beautiful to watch. He came into the straight on the bridle, gave him a kick and the rest is history.”
The pair first crossed paths when both were working for trainer Luca Cumani in Newmarket and Cochrane became Dettori’s agent in the aftermath of a tragic plane crash in 2000.
Dettori’s life was saved by Cochrane following an accident in which pilot Patrick Mackey died after their plane caught fire just after take-off on a journey from Newmarket to Goodwood.
Cochrane managed to pull Dettori from the wreckage of the aircraft, receiving the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in 2002 as a result of his actions, but he was forced to retire from racing five months after the incident due to back problems following a series of falls.
He well remembers the day of Dettori’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ though, with Fujiyama Crest’s all-the-way win off top weight in the closing two-mile handicap an experience he is unlikely to forget.
“He’d won the first six races, and by this time he wasn’t walking, he was floating out for his final ride. I followed him out to the paddock and the crowd were all over him,” recalled Cochrane.
“He was drawn on my outside at the two-mile start, and he jumped out and let this horse rip down the outside. We were going flat out down the back at Ascot, we went by the mile-and-a-half start and I heard this roar. There’s a road by the side of the track down the back and I thought it sounded like a tank coming up the side of the road.
“As we were coming out of Swinley Bottom, Frankie was about four lengths clear, and this roar just got louder and I thought, ‘That’s the crowd roaring him on’.
“As we turned into the straight, the noise was unbelievable. It’s the only time in my career that I’ve ever heard the crowd roaring from a mile and a half out. He went on to win of course. It was an unbelievable day and a race I’ll never forget.”
Cochrane also said he has no doubt Dettori will be seen in Britain next year.
“Don’t be thinking that he won’t be back here, he’ll be back at the drop of a hat to ride in all the big races, because that’s what he does. Don’t be expecting this is the last year we’ll see him – I’m sure we can’t get rid of him that quick!
“I’d imagine he’ll be here for the Guineas, the Oaks, the Derby, Royal Ascot, the King George and every other big race he can get a good ride in. I would imagine that John Gosden will call on him regularly, as more than likely will Ralph Beckett if they need a top-class jockey. I imagine he’ll be the first port of call.”
Rogue Millennium will return to the scene of her finest hour on Saturday when she makes her final outing for Tom Clover and owners The Rogues Gallery in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
The four-year-old has been a star performer for her trainer and ownership syndicate over the past two seasons having been purchased for the relatively inexpensive fee of 35,000 guineas in the autumn of 2021.
A consistent performer throughout her time in training with Clover, not only did she take connections to the Oaks after securing the handler’s first Listed success in Lingfield’s Oaks Trial, she also notched up a first Group winner for the trainer when prevailing in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the year.
That victory paved the way for Rogue Millennium to contest Group One events in her last three outings and with top-level black type secured when second to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Tahiyra in the Matron Stakes, connections head to British Champions Day for a shot to nothing at the QEII before Rogue Millennium likely heads to the sales ring in December.
“She will most likely head to the Sceptre sale (held during the Tattersalls December Mares Sale) and it will very likely be her last run for ourselves and The Rogues Gallery,” said Clover.
“She was our first Listed winner, our first Group winner and our first Royal Ascot winner and she has a lot of black type now and has run some fantastic races across Europe. She has just taken us on some memorable journeys.
“For the Rogues and all the different members, it has just been a terrific journey and it has been fantastic to give syndicate owners such big days and go and compete in all these big races against the top connections.
“Win, lose or draw, she has been terrific servant for us but it would be lovely if she could shape up well. It would be a shame to bow out after a disappointing run at Longchamp last time.”
That below-par performance in Paris came when racing over 10 furlongs in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.
However, she now returns to the course and distance over which she thrived when successful at the Royal meeting, with the Kremlin House handler taking plenty of encouragement from her effort against Tahiyra at Leopardstown in September.
Clover added: “She has worked very well at home, but it can be very hard to tell if fillies are over the top or not at this time of year. In terms of her home work, she seems really well and she looks well.
“We sort of felt she is a course-and-distance winner and she handled very soft ground at Longchamp (earlier in the season) and I think if having an extra 100 yards or a furlong, you could argue she was closing down Tahiyra in the Matron.
“If she could reproduce that run it would put her in with a shout of being near, which would be incredible for her owners.”
Excitement is building among connections ahead of Sense Of Duty’s crack at the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Trained by William Haggas, the daughter of Showcasing racked up four victories on the spin before a setback kept her out of action for over 450 days.
Having looked a sprinter to follow prior to her absence, there was plenty of anticipation ahead of her belated return at Newbury last month.
Although only third when racing over a somewhat inadequate five furlongs on that occasion, the Sense Of Duty team were pleased to get a tune-up into the four-year-old ahead of her Champions Day target where opposition includes defending champion Kinross and Julie Camacho’s dual Group One scorer Shaquille.
“It’s a massive day on Saturday and we’re all very excited,” said Richard Brown, racing manager for owner St Albans Bloodstock.
“Andrew (Stone of St Albans) has most of his family and extended family going and we’re hugely looking forward to it.
“I thought she ran very well at Newbury over the minimum distance which would not have been to her liking, but William was very keen to get a run into her with this being the big aim.
“It looks like it is going to be very soft ground which I don’t think will stop her, I think she will like it and we’re excited but we’re also realistic. It will be a big ask.”
Sara Misir delivered a solid showing to claim a P1 and P2 finishes in the Modified Production 4 Class at the Dover Raceway in St. Ann on Heroes' Monday, October 16.
Misir started strong with the second-fastest lap in qualifying in the biggest meet of the year and the last on the JRDC 2023 calendar.
In the opening race, she claimed a fine victory, overtaking the Modified Production 2 class champion, Nicholas "Tazz" Barnes, who was the fastest in qualifying. Misir recorded the quickest lap of the day by any driver, 1.25.84 seconds, on her second lap.
Torrential rain played a factor in her second race, where Misir registered a DNF as her windscreen fogged up causing her to lose track visibility.
However, she recovered to do well in Race Three. Starting at the back, Misir worked her way through the field into second place behind Jody Gibson, who won the race in a four-wheel-drive Evolution.
"We did well in securing that second place given that we have a rear-wheel drive car, which does not perform as well in rainy conditions," explained Sara’s father and coach Rugie.
For Sara, this was the perfect end to her season.
"After dominating the MP2 class in 2022 and ending on maximum points, I took on the bigger challenge of the MP4 class for 2023. It has been a rough local season where we had engine issues at a few of the earlier meets, but as they say, the race is not always for the fastest, but who prevails to the end, so I'm happy to end with a victory in the MP4 class. The bonus, of course, is recording the fastest lap of the day; I couldn't ask for more from my car, my supporters and my team," she said.
On October 6, Misir competed in the GT Cup final in the United Kingdom, finishing seventh in class at Snetterton alongside teammate Alana Carter. She's making preparations for the Caribbean Clash of Champions in Guyana on November 4.
Captain Siya Kolisi says the daily struggles endured by millions of South Africans is fuelling the Springboks’ quest to retain the Rugby World Cup ahead of a semi-final meeting with England.
Jacques Nienaber’s side are red-hot favourites to progress from a rematch of the 2019 final to set up a winner-takes-all showdown with either New Zealand or Argentina.
Flanker Kolisi, his country’s first black captain, overcame childhood poverty to lift the Webb Ellis Cup four years ago in Japan.
The 32-year-old referenced homelessness and unemployment during an impassioned answer to a question about motivation and believes failing to give 100 per cent would be “cheating” his compatriots.
“I don’t think that will ever change, who we play for, who we represent,” he said.
“When you start playing for others and start doing things for other people it’s not easy to give up, it’s much harder.
“When you think of how many people would give anything to be where we are and the majority of the people in our country are unemployed, some don’t have homes.
“For me, giving up and not giving everything would be cheating not just myself and the team but the rest of the people at home.
“The harder we play, the more we do well, the more we are able to open opportunities for others so that also drives us.
“I believe we are a purpose-driven team, we’re not a trophy-driven team; of course the trophies help you to get more people with you.
“Sometimes you can look at the struggles of what you’re going through and feel sorry for yourself. But we use that pain and those struggles and we carry them with us to drive us through the battles. It helps us to keep on going when it’s tough.”
Three-time champions South Africa defeated hosts France 29-28 in a thrilling quarter-final to keep their title defence on track.
Kolisi will lead out an unchanged team for Saturday’s match against Steve Borthwick’s side at Stade de France in Paris.
“I wish you could see all the supporters back at home,” he continued.
“This is all what people talk about, most of the time, with everything else happening.
“Kids at schools are sending clips of them singing because they know some of us like singing.
“People at work on Fridays wear their green jerseys and the beautiful thing to see is the people who can’t afford the jerseys, they wear anything that’s green, anything that represents the Springboks.
“We see that and that will continuously be our motivation and we know what the team has meant in the past – not just in sport, for our country in general.
“It’s more purposeful when you don’t do something for yourself, only when you are aiding other people that you don’t even know or never even met.”
Underdogs England came into the tournament unfancied but are the competition’s only unbeaten team.
Kolisi insists Borthwick’s men will not be underestimated, despite many pundits and rugby fans feeling a final between the Springboks and the All Blacks is a formality.
“Obviously we don’t see it that way because we know how good England is in the seven previous World Cups that they’ve played,” he said.
“It would be silly to be thinking like that and we’ve never been like that.
“We’ve seen in the World Cup, teams not even in the top 10 beating teams in the top 10 so it would be silly to think like that. We’re not in that mind.
“We know exactly what we’re going to bring and the motivation we have.”
South Africa team: D Willemse; K-L Arendse, J Kriel, D De Allende, C Kolbe; M Libbok, C Reinach; S Kitshoff, B Mbonambi, F Malherbe, E Etzebeth, F Mostert, S Kolisi (capt), P-S Du Toit, D Vermeulen.
Replacements: D Fourie, O Nche, V Koch, RG Snyman, K Smith, F De Klerk, H Pollard, W Le Roux.
Freddie Steward returns at full-back in one of three changes made by England for Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa at Stade de France.
Steward was dropped for the first time in his 29-cap Test career for the last-eight victory over Fiji, losing the number 15 jersey to the more attack-minded Marcus Smith.
But Smith finished the Marseille showdown with a fat lip and bandaged head following his defensive heroics – becoming an injury doubt – and has now been left out of the 23 altogether.
Steward provides high-ball expertise, positional savvy and solid defence and is the safer option in the position given the strength of South Africa’s kicking game.
The remaining two changes are seen in the front five where Joe Marler starts ahead of Ellis Genge and George Martin comes in for Ollie Chessum – both unexpected adjustments.
England field eight survivors from the starting XV that was overrun 32-12 by South Africa in the 2019 World Cup final, the same number picked by the Springboks who named their team earlier on Thursday morning.
Mostahdaf, Paddington and Kinross are among the big names declared for what promises to be an enthralling afternoon for Qipco Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained Mostahdaf leads nine contenders for the Qipco Champion Stakes, in which the five-year-old will be bidding for a third consecutive Group One win having landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes over the 10-furlong course and distance back in June before adding the Juddmonte International at York to his tally.
However, connections have expressed concerns about the likelihood of testing ground in Berkshire and he could yet bypass the race.
The Champion Stakes field also features last year’s winner winner Bay Bridge and third-placed My Prospero while French raider Horizon Dore is the favourite after winning each of his last four starts.
Frankie Dettori teams up with King Of Steel on what is set to be his final afternoon of European action before embarking on international engagements and an eventual move to America.
He now rides 2000 Guineas victor Chaldean for Andrew Balding in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes after Inspiral was taken out, in what promises to be another intriguing one-mile clash.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Paddington beat him nearly four lengths in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and he seeks a fifth Group One win after his unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Mostahdaf at York.
Tahiyra adds further spice, with Dermot Weld’s filly having won the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Coronation and Matron Stakes on her last three starts.
Nashwa runs over a mile instead of tackling the Champion Stakes, with Big Rock and Facteur Cheval both leading contenders for the French.
The Dettori-ridden Kinross faces 14 in defence of his British Champions Sprint title, although Commonwealth and July Cup hero Shaquille is a notable absentee in the six-furlong contest.
The Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes has 14 contenders, with Free Wind another likely favourite for Dettori, who also rides Trawlerman in the opening Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup.
The two-mile affair is the only Group Two on the card but it has drawn a quality line-up with Trueshan bidding for a fourth win in the race for Alan King, although he will have to contend with last year’s Gold Cup winner Kyprios and Lonsdale Cup scorer Coltrane in a field of eight.
Commonwealth Cup and July Cup hero Shaquille was not declared for Saturday’s Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot as connections are not completely satisfied with his well being.
Julie Camacho’s three-year-old has been one of the stars of the season, winning his first four starts of the campaign including his top-level victories at Royal Ascot and Newmarket during the summer.
He blotted his copybook in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last month – but following a pleasing racecourse gallop at York last week, hopes were high he could show his true colours on Qipco Champions Day.
However, Shaquille will not be making the trip to Berkshire.
Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “He wasn’t just tracking through as normal behind with his movement.
“It looks minimal, but given the ground conditions, which are obviously going to be pretty testing, we’re just not prepared to take any chances with him. It’s as simple as that really.”
With options running out, Brown confirmed Shaquille will “probably not” run again this year, while no final decision has been made on the colt’s longer-term future.
Connections of Inspiral will consider a trip to the Breeders’ Cup for their star filly after deciding against running in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Sun Chariot at Newmarket two weeks ago, her fifth victory at Group One level following previous triumphs in the Fillies’ Mile, the Coronation Stakes and back-to-back wins in the Prix Jacques le Marois.
Owner-breeders Cheveley Park Stud were keen on another tilt at the QEII after failing to fire in the race 12 months ago – but with conditions in Berkshire sure to be testing, Inspiral will sidestep Qipco Champions Day and a decision on both her short and long-term future will be made soon.
“We’ve obviously been monitoring the weather and the rain that’s fallen. I know John Gosden walked the track yesterday (Wednesday), there’s been a subsequent 12 millimetres and it looks like there’s more to come,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson.
“As we know when she ran on soft ground in the Sussex at Goodwood in the summer, Frankie looked after her as it wasn’t the sort of performance she was enjoying.
“The decision now is whether the Breeders’ Cup (Filly & Mare Turf) is an option. John is going to speak to Mrs Thompson about it and then we’ll know more, but it’s very much up to her to decide whether she wants the filly to go to America.
“They’re liaising between them and there’s decisions to be made on whether she runs again this year and whether she’s kept in training next year.
“She’s a wonderful filly, Mrs Thompson is the owner of the horse and will make the decision.”
England take on Australia on Friday in their first-ever meeting of the WXV, a new tournament that promises to “revolutionise the women’s international rugby landscape”.
Organisers hope it will act as a “springboard” for the 2025 World Cup, which will be hosted in six venues across England, helping to ensure the expanded 16-team tournament is the most competitive yet.
Here, the PA news agency breaks down how the WXV works.
What is the competition format?
The WXV consists of 18 teams divided into three individual competitions: WXV 1, WXV 2 and WXV 3. The top division, WXV 1, includes the top three Women’s Six Nations finishers and the top three from the cross-regional tournament which includes USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
England, who won their 19th and fifth consecutive Six Nations title in 2023, are in the top tier alongside Australia, Wales, Canada, New Zealand and France.
Scotland, whose tournament started on Friday, play alongside Italy, Japan, South Africa, Samoa and USA in the second-tier WXV 2, while Ireland are in the WXV 3 with Colombia, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kenya and Spain.
The six teams in each competition are further broken down into two three-team pools and only take on teams in the other pool – a “cross-pool format” – to determine rankings at the end of the tournament. Should teams finish level on points, there are a series of tie-breakers beginning with the result of any matches played between the tied teams.
Is there relegation between the levels?
For at least the inaugural season there will be no relegation from WXV 1, but the bottom WXV 2 side will drop to WXV 3, which will see its top side promoted.
Whoever finishes bottom in WXV 3 will face a play-off with the next-highest side in the World Rugby rankings, with the winner booking a place in WXV 3 the subsequent season.
How does this affect World Cup qualification?
While England are already assured of 2025 qualification as both tournament hosts and as 2021 World Cup semi-finalists, the 2024 edition of WXV will serve as a final chance for teams who have not managed to qualify by any other regional means, with a minimum of the top-five ranked sides at the end of that tournament also assuring themselves a place.
Because the Red Roses were 2021 World Cup runners-up, there should be six places up for grabs come the end of the 2024 WXV.
Where are the matches taking place?
One innovation of the WXV is that each tier participates in a standalone tournament in a single location over the course of three weeks. The inaugural WXV will be hosted across New Zealand, with Cape Town welcoming the WXV 2 and Dubai the WXV 3.
There are some obvious advantages to this format. As women’s rugby aims to narrow the gap between its historically dominant nations – some of whom in recent years have turned fully-professional – and those who are still catching up, guaranteeing at least three Tests per year against competition performing at a similar level is a welcome prospect.
So, too, will be the decision to host each competition in a single location, allowing teams to maximise their long-distance travel rather than flying across the world to meet just a single opponent.
The “event”-like nature of the tournaments and rotating hosts should also allow organisers to capitalise on regional excitement and enthusiasm and, ideally, bring more women’s rugby fans into the fold.
Will it be aired?
ITV will air all three England and Wales matches on ITVX, with S4C also showing the Wales games.
Victor Wembanyama overcame a slow start to score 15 points in 21 minutes as the San Antonio Spurs posted a 117-103 preseason victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
The No. 1 draft pick missed all five of his shots from the field in the first half but made 7 of 8 from the free throw line. He hit 3 of 5 shots in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers, and finished with six rebounds and two blocks.
Devin Vassell scored 25 points with five 3s and Zach Collins had 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists for San Antonio.
Houston’s Amen Thompson, the fourth overall pick in June’s draft, was limited to five points in 21 minutes.
Curry's late 3 lifts Warriors
Stephen Curry drained a long 3-pointer – his eighth of the game - with 5.5 seconds remaining to cap the Golden State Warriors’ 116-115 comeback win over the Sacramento Kings.
Curry scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors erased an 18-point deficit.
Jonathan Kuminga had 18 points and Andrew Wiggins added 16 for Golden State, now 4-0 in the preseason.
De’Aaron led the Kings with 25 points and Keegan Murray had 24.
Poole scores 41 in Wizards' win
In New York, Jordan Poole poured in 41 points with six 3-pointers in the Washington Wizards’ 131-106 rout of the New York Knicks.
Poole, entering his first season with Washington after four with Golden State, hit 10 of 19 shots and sank 15 of 16 free throws – in three quarters – as the Wizards improved to 3-0 in the preseason.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado each had two-run singles and the Houston Astros roughed up Max Scherzer in an 8-5 victory on Wednesday to cut their deficit in the AL Championship Series to 2-1.
Jose Altuve homered and Maurico Dubon added three hits for Houston, which rebounded on the road after losing the first two games at home.
The defending World Series champion Astros will try to even the best-of-seven series in Game 4 on Thursday.
Josh Jung hit a pair of two-run homers, but Texas suffered its first postseason loss in eight games.
Scherzer, making his first start in more than a month, lasted only four innings after allowing five runs and five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Cristian Javier was far more effective, yielding two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
He extended his postseason scoreless streak to 20 1/3 innings before it ended in the fifth on Jung’s first home run.
Hector Neris surrendered Jung’s second home run before Bryan Abreu gave up a run in the eighth on Adolis Garcia’s RBI single.
Ryan Pressly pitched the ninth and got Jung to hit into a game-ending double play for his third save this postseason.
The Las Vegas Aces have won back-to-back WNBA titles by beating New York Liberty in four games.
The Aces, the first team to defend the crown since 2002, took the fourth game in New York 70-69 to seal a 3-1 series victory.
With the sides level at 64-64, Jackie Young and Aja Wilson put the Aces six points up with one minute 26 seconds left on the clock.
New York cut that to a single point, but were unable to land the winning basket on the buzzer.
Wilson, who finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds, was named the MVP of the Finals series.
Only the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002 and Houston Comets, who took the title from 1997-2000, have previously managed back-to-back championships.
Nicole Aiken-Pinnock, head coach of Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls concedes that without some the team’s best players, campaigning in next month’s Fast5 World Series Netball Tournament in New Zealand next month will be challenge.
However, she believes the coaching staff will get the available players ready for what are expected to be stern tests against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malawi and England in New Zealand.
Jamaica recently named its team for the tournament set for November 11-12 and notably absent were the experienced Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson, key defensive stalwarts for reigning Suncorp Super Netball champions Adelaide Thunderbirds. Also missing is Jhaniele Fowler, arguably the best shooter in the world, who represents the 2022 Super League champions West Coast Fever.
However, the team that will be led by New South Wales Swifts’ star shooter Romelda Aiken-George will include Adean Thomas, Gezelle Allison, Theresa Beckford, stand out U21 player Amanda Pinkney, Kimone Shaw, Crystal Plummer, Abigale Sutherland and former England U21 Rhea Dixon, the Loughborough Lightning attacking player, who recently became eligible to represent Jamaica.
Aiken-Pinnock revealed that the players have been undergoing rigorous training in preparation for the campaign.
"Fast 5 is tough,” she explained. “I have been to so many Fast 5s as a player and it’s really challenging. You’re playing five teams over two days. Even though it is a shortened version of the game, it still requires a lot more thinking. You truly have to understand what is it that you're about. You have to be ready at all times. So there is a lot that is required of you. There's no trying to feel sorry for yourself. So we're trying our best with the resources, with everything that we possibly have with the players.”
Providing some insight into how tough the sessions have been, Aiken-Pinnock drew reference to a shooter Gezelle Allison, who is returning to the national set up since giving birth to her first child mere months ago.
“Saturday morning we had a training session and literally we pushed them. We really, really pushed them a lot,” Aiken Pinnock revealed.
“I remember Gezelle, she was down on her knees and she was like “Coach” because it was really tough. They found this session to be one that was really, really tough for them. And I just had to remind them that this is exactly how you're going to be feeling when you get there. So they we have to bring them through the regime of what will be.”
Turning her attention to the absence of the defensive stars Sterling and Wilson, Aiken-Pinnock explained that after a busy schedule that included the Netball World Cup and the Suncorp Super Netball League, the players requested the time off.
"The senior girls, after the world championship they really needed the time off the rest and recover and we know how well all of them play Down Under and so they're also have to get their recovery in and going back down to their job. So we have to take all of that into consideration,” the coach explained.
"They have requested the time off from the association there's nothing we can do about that. And so for me, I try not to spend too much time thinking about that situation that because we can't fix that. So we just have to ensure that we pay close attention to the ladies who we are going to be working with and trying to get the best out of them so that they can perform and represent Jamaica.”
What this means is that the defensive players in the squad have big shoes to fill but the coach expressed confidence that they will deliver.
"So we definitely don't have any of our experienced defenders who would have gone to World Championship or any of the players who are playing Down Under. In terms of the defensive line up, definitely it's a challenge but we have to have faith in the ladies that we have and so while the time frame for preparation is also very short we are putting in as much work as we can,” she said.
“We have Kimone Shaw, she was at the World Championship in the squad of 15 as a reserve and she too went to the CAC Games. There's Teresa Beckford and Abigail Linton. So we just have to work on the confidence of these ladies and just getting them to be a bit more aware, getting them to be hungrier, getting their netball marks up and ready for what is to come.”
Linton will be playing in her first Fast 5 team but was a member of the Sunshine Girls gold-medal winning team at the CAC Games earlier this year.
Aiken-Pinnock shared her thoughts on what Dixon will bring to the Sunshine Girls line-up. The former England 21 qualifies to represent Jamaica through her grandmother with the move sanctioned by World Netball.
Aiken-Pinnock said she brings significant skills to the set up and has been working hard to achieve the required fitness standards.
"She put her hand up about expressing an interest in representing Jamaica. She has gone through interviews and that sort of thing. We have met with her, we have discussed with her. She's actually in training too at the moment. She has been in training for a little while too,” the former player turned coach revealed.
"It's an opportunity that I'm sure she's grateful for and she and she's very much excited about it. We just have to give her that platform for her to showcase her skills and wanting to represent Jamaica."
Aiken-Pinnock revealed that the Loughborough Lightning player, who is likely to be a starter, has been spent the past few weeks in the United Kingdom preparing for the competition.
“She's been training for a little while, weeks, because one of the things that we have done with her is that there's a test, a fitness test that she basically has to do on a weekly basis, just like our girls. She recorded herself doing the tests. She's in commission mode, not at the elite level in England, but I know that she's representing her university at the moment.
" She did pretty well on the fitness tests. So it's just about maintaining that consistency until she gets here to be with us, which is in a couple of days’ time. She has some experience with regards to high level competition and I'm sure that she's going to bring that same energy and effort to the Jamaica squad.”
Ollie Chessum insists that while Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa leaves no margin for error, it is also “scary” how much England can improve.
Only England still possess an unbeaten record amongst the teams in the last four after they came through a tense encounter with dangerous Fiji to set-up a rematch of the 2019 final.
They face one of the great Springbok sides who are aiming to clinch successive world titles – an achievement only New Zealand have managed in the past – but Chessum believes the best is yet to come from Steve Borthwick’s men.
“It’s as simple as if you don’t turn up you haven’t got a shot – not against these big teams, teams in the semi-finals,” Chessum said.
“If you’re anything less than 100 per cent they’re going to walk all over you. For me I just know I’ve got a job to do and if I don’t do it I’m letting the team down.
“We know what is coming. There is an awareness of their ability, the threats that they pose.
“They play against top-class teams, they play against top players that will target them week-in, week-out and yet they are still able to do what they do. It’s our job to stop that.
“We are improving week-by-week as a group. We were in a strange place in the warm-up games in August.
“But we are starting to figure ourselves out and find our identity. We know what we bring as a team.
“The set-piece is a big part of England’s game and has been for years. And then working for each other.
“Steve has a thing of never stopping and that’s something we’re trying to do.
“We are growing as a team and I think that is a scary thing for any team. We are not the complete article yet but we are winning games.
“It’s been a real growing process and it’s not finished, but we feel like we’re more than capable of doing the job.”
Playing for a nation scarred by a history of racial division, the Springboks are driven by a powerful sense of purpose as revealed by their captain Siya Kolisi, who stated before the 2019 World Cup that “we represent something much bigger than we can imagine”.
England’s ‘why’ may be less profound, but for Chessum it is every bit as motivational heading into a match which South Africa are strong favourites to win.
“We’re doing it for ourselves. We owe it to each other. It has been a long campaign – June 12 was when the group started training. That’s a long time to be together,” Chessum said.
“We’ve seen what we’ve had to go through to get here, the hard work behind the scenes, the things that everyone does for us.
“We’re doing it for ourselves as a group, our families back home and we’re doing it for the country. We’re representing England and we take massive pride in doing that.
“The big motivating, rev-up factor for me is that I’m playing for England, I’m playing for my country at a World Cup, and we’re facing South Africa.
“Every time you’re playing for your country it shouldn’t be that hard to rev yourself up. You’ve got to rise to the challenge.”
Borthwick names his starting XV and bench at lunchtime on Thursday, with the duel between Marcus Smith and Freddie Steward at full-back the biggest talking point.
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