Zhilei Zhang delivered a destinating third-round knock-out to win his WBO interim heavyweight title rematch against Joe Joyce at Wembley Arena.

Joyce had been mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight belt before he lost for the first time in the pro ranks to Zhang in April. The contest was stopped in the sixth round, with Joyce’s right eye badly swollen.

Southpaw Zhang had told the Englishman he was back to end his career and could well have proved true to his words with another chastening defeat for the ‘Juggernaut’, who now faces questions over where he goes from here.

Zhang used his moment of glory to call out Tyson Fury.

He said in his ring-side interview: “To the audience, I want to ask you a question: Do you want to see me shut Tyson Fury up?”

On his performance, he added: “I am happy. Like I said before the fight, it is going to end sooner than the first fight and I did it. Joe, hell of a fighter, respect to him. I like him and respect him, everybody please care for him.”

It was a cagey opening to the rematch, with both men content to find their range without trying to commit too much.

Zhang, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist, was first to land a telling blow in the second round, rocking Joyce with a big left hand before catching the Englishman again with another hook which sent him onto the ropes before the bell.

It remained one-way traffic in the third, Zhang also working the body as Joyce failed to find any response.

Zhang worked Joyce with the left before he delivered the knock-out blow with a powerful right hook which sent Joyce to the canvas – and could well end his hopes in the heavyweight division.

On the undercard, Ilford boxer Anthony Yarde stopped Portugal’s Jorge Silva in the second round to make an impressive return in his first fight since defeat by unified light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.

Dubliner Pierce O’Leary retained the WBC international super-lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Manchester’s Kane Gardner.

Heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma, 18, produced a blistering first-round knock-out of Amine Boucetta for his fifth straight professional win.

Ireland propelled themselves to the cusp of the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a gripping 13-8 win over reigning champions South Africa on a raucous evening in Paris.

Mack Hansen’s try and five points from Johnny Sexton helped settle a thrilling clash between international rugby’s top two teams at a sold-out Stade de France.

Replacement fly-half Jack Crowley added a late penalty as Ireland stretched their winning run to 16 matches to take control of Pool B.

Andy Farrell’s men also retained top spot in the global rankings ahead of the defeated Springboks, who now have work to do against Tonga next week to avoid early elimination.

Cheslin Kolbe’s second-half try and a Manie Libbok penalty kept Jacques Nienaber’s side in contention before they ultimately fell short in a nail-biting finale.

Pre-match talk was dominated by South Africa’s bold call to name an imposing seven-one split of forwards and backs on their bench – a decision head coach Nienaber called a “calculated risk”.

Ireland impressively defused the so-called ‘Bomb Squad’ to bring the knock-out rounds within touching distance.

Both sides arrived in the French capital with back-to-back wins on the board.

An estimated 30,000 Irish fans were expected among a capacity crowd for one of the most eagerly-anticipated group-stage matches in World Cup history.

That approximate figure seemed on the low side amid deafening noise in Saint-Denis further fuelled by a frenetic start of big hits and end-to-end action.

Ireland initially began on the front foot but, following a bold decision to kick for the corner, failed to capitalise on a couple of promising line-outs before falling behind to a Libbok penalty.

The set-piece struggles persisted and only some dogged defensive work, including Bundee Aki’s crucial tackle on Jesse Kriel, stifled the Springboks.

Farrell’s men continued to show plenty of attacking enterprise and were rewarded in the 33rd minute when sustained pressure led to Hansen capping a sensational team move by crossing on the right.

Captain Sexton calmly slotted the extras to ensure the Six Nations champions ended a breathless opening period of ferocious physicality 7-3 ahead.

Ireland have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent times, including a 19-16 Dublin success in November, but South Africa – tournament winners in 1995, 2007 and 2019 – hold a vastly superior World Cup record.

The unrelenting pace resumed following the interval and, amid further line-out issues, Ireland’s deficit was almost cut to a single point when Faf de Klerk’s penalty from halfway struck a post.

Yet South Africa seized on the loose ball from that missed kick and penned back their opponents before Kolbe touched down on the left to put his side 8-7 in front.

Fly-half Libbok was off target with the conversion and Ireland snatched back the lead going into the final 20 minutes thanks to a Sexton penalty.

South Africa turned to their stacked bench, including introducing Jean Kleyn, who represented Ireland at the last World Cup, in a bid to make the difference.

Irish indiscipline was in danger of proving expensive, with those in green relieved to see Libbok and then De Klerk squander further penalties.

The Springboks enjoyed the better territory and possession in the second period.

But Ireland, helped over the line by three points from Crowley, doggedly hung on to make a major statement moving towards their Pool B finale against Scotland in a fortnight’s time, while leaving the title holders with plenty to ponder.

Rafael Nadal is unlikely to match Novak Djokovic's haul of 24 grand slam titles, but the Spaniard is capable of capping his remarkable career with one last Roland Garros triumph next year. 

That is the opinion of Feliciano Lopez, who hopes to see Nadal overcome his injury woes to enjoy a triumphant send-off in 2024.

Nadal's total of 22 grand slam titles is only bettered by Djokovic among male players, with the Serbian matching Margaret Court's overall record by winning the US Open.

Djokovic has won three of four grand slams in 2023, with injuries leading Nadal to miss the last three majors after he was eliminated from the Australian Open by Mackenzie McDonald in January.

Nadal confirmed earlier this year that 2024 would "probably" be his last year on the tour, and former world number nine Lopez is desperate to see his compatriot go out on a high.

Asked if Nadal could add to his 14 French Open titles – a single-slam record – next year, Lopez told Stats Perform: "With Rafa, you never know, because he has shown on other occasions that he was able to come back stronger, even when he had significant injuries. 

"It will depend a lot on how he feels physically, that will be key. I wouldn't be surprised to see him competing at a good level next year and I would love for him to say goodbye by winning Roland Garros. 

"It would be a dream for me and many people to see him lift that cup once again.

"It is very difficult for me to talk about Rafa, because he has changed the way we see sport in Spain. Before Rafa we had great athletes, but none transcended sport the way he has.

"Rafa's figure in Spanish sport and in the lives of Spanish people… there will be none like him. 

"There have been many joys that he has given us. He has given us examples in many situations outside of sports. There will be a before and after [Nadal] in Spanish sport."

While Nadal now looks highly unlikely to match the evergreen Djokovic for total grand slam titles, Lopez does not believe that will concern the 37-year-old.

"The issue of numbers and who is bigger than who fuels the media a lot," Lopez added. "At this moment in Rafa's life, I don't think he is thinking about that.

"With the numbers, we can see who won the most things, but that is not the question. I want him to return so he can compete again for one last year at the highest level. 

"Hopefully he wins one or two more grand slams, but right now, his goal is to recover and be physically competitive. 

"That is what Rafa needs and wants, because if he is not feeling well enough to compete, it will be very difficult for him to be able to play many tournaments next year." 

Henry Arundell was praised by captain Owen Farrell for delivering a complete performance after the England wing starred in a 71-0 rout of Chile that offers clear sight of the World Cup quarter-finals.

Arundell crossed five times at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to equal the record for the number of tries scored in a match by an Englishman and was duly recognised with the man of the match award.

While the 20-year-old wing starred on his World Cup debut through his clinical finishing, it was the unseen, unglamorous work that caught Farrell’s eye.

“Everybody knows what talent Henry’s got. He’s shown it before this game,” Farrell said.

“He’s shown it for London Irish and he showed it when he got his first touch in international rugby against Australia last year.

“A big thing that Henry showed against Chile was that he got after everything in between. He didn’t just finish tries. He got balls back in the air, he chased hard and worked hard for the team.

“Ultimately, he got his rewards off the back of that. He does what he does unbelievably well.”

England amassed 11 tries against the weakest team in Pool D as their attacking game exploded into life, inspired by Marcus Smith’s lively contribution in his first start at full-back.

Smith scored two tries, including a superb solo effort, and provided a cutting edge to suggest he could be a long-term option in the position.

“Marcus played really well. The decisions he made, he looked dangerous constantly, as he normally does,” Farrell said.

“All I can say is I enjoyed it and I thought he played really well. George Ford added when he came on as well.”

Smith’s performance was acclaimed by head coach Steve Borthwick, who brought on Ford for the last half hour as England closed out the game with three fly-halves on the field.

Once the 24-year-old Smith had recovered from butchering two early chances, he dazzled Chile with his speed, footwork and creativity.

“Marcus did a lot of very good things. Playing at 15, there is a different amount of space there compared to playing at 10,” Borthwick said.

“The way Marcus took those opportunities, found the space and linked with Henry in particular was a positive. It shows there is a lot of hard work from everybody on the training field.

“There was a lot of exciting talent on the pitch. This squad is packed full of talent and packed full of options. The starting configuration did a really good job after working through a challenging spell.

“To be able to change that during the game and have Owen, George and Marcus on the pitch brought another dimension and certainly gives options for the future.”

Chile captain Martin Sigren admitted his World Cup newcomers are a work in progress.

“It’s a tough lesson. Four years ago we were getting the same result against Canada and the USA,” Sigren said.

“We were losing games against Brazil. Four years later look at us – we’re here, so I have to hold on to that.

“We will keep on working. Maybe four years later the results will be different.”

Captain Suzann Pettersen was almost lost for words after Europe maintained a brilliant fightback to head into the final day of the 18th Solheim Cup needing six points to retain the trophy.

After losing the opening foursomes 4-0 on Friday, Pettersen’s side rallied to win eight of the 12 points available to level the scores at 8-8 and keep alive their hopes of an unprecedented third straight win in the biennial contest.

“I’m out of words, but we have to remember we’re not there (yet),” Pettersen told Sky Sports.

“There’s still 12 points up for grabs tomorrow but we made quite a comeback, now we’re tied and now we just put it into fifth gear and we keep going.”

Both sides won two of the Saturday morning foursomes before the home side took the fourballs session 3-1 for the second day running, home favourite Carlota Ciganda delighting the large crowds with her third win from three matches.

Ciganda partnered Swedish rookie Linn Grant to a 2&1 victory over Danielle Kang and two-time major winner Lilia Vu, the European pair covering the front nine in eight under par with Grant being an incredible six under on her own ball.

Leona Maguire and Charley Hull had earlier combined to beat Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing 4&3, while Madelene Sagstrom and Emily Pedersen defeated Rose Zhang and Andrea Lee 2&1.

The only win for the United States came courtesy of Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin, who defeated Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall – who had sat out the first three sessions – on the 18th.

Maguire, who will be one of three European players to contest all five sessions, said: “One more day to give it our best shot and I think that’s the great thing about this team, there’s so much fight. We’ve never given up.

“I said to Suzann I needed someone with energy for this afternoon and Charley has lots of it. We had a lot of fun, lots of chats, lots of good times with the caddies, and so it was just a really enjoyable walk out there.”

Hull, who has played just twice as she nurses a neck injury, added: “I sprained my neck earlier in the week, sort of a facet sprain, and still hurts a little bit, but it’s gotten a lot better.

“But playing with Leona today was great fun. She’s always in the game and she played unbelievable.”

Grant and fellow Swede Maja Stark had earlier secured a vital win in the foursomes to keep their side just two points adrift of the United States after the third session.

Ciganda had led from the front as she partnered Pedersen to victory over Vu and Jennifer Kupcho, but defeats for Maguire and Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier gave the visitors a 7-4 lead until Grant and Stark closed out their match with Kang and Lee in brilliant fashion.

Stark holed from 25 feet for birdie on the 17th to move one up and, with their opponents in close on the par-five 18th, Grant holed from 10 feet for birdie to seal the win.

Grant told Sky Sports: “It’s amazing. The last two holes gives us so much momentum. We’re on such a high right now, it feels great.”

The close friends had lost the opening foursomes on Friday and were split up for the afternoon fourballs, but repaid the faith of Europe captain Pettersen on Saturday.

“It’s so much fun, especially getting that confidence from Suzann putting us together,” Stark said. “Two rookies has got to be a little hard for her to put out in the first group yesterday.

“I think there were a lot of nerves involved on the first few holes yesterday and getting to play with her (Grant) again is just amazing and I knew that we could do it. It was just about letting loose and just doing it.”

Nordqvist and Maguire had been two up after eight holes against Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang, but bogeyed the ninth, 10th and 11th to fall behind.

A birdie on the 15th got the European pair back on level terms, only for them to bogey the 17th as Nordqvist appeared to choose the wrong club and fired her tee shot into a bunker at the back of the green.

Hall and Boutier, who had surrendered their unbeaten record on day one, never recovered from losing the first two holes to Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz and were unsurprisingly left out of the afternoon fourballs.

Henry Arundell plundered five tries as England overcame a frantic start to dismantle World Cup newcomers Chile with a 71-0 victory that continues their march towards the quarter-finals.

Steve Borthwick’s team were rewarded for discarding their unpopular kicking game in favour of all-out attack and although the strategy resulted in some frenzied early play, upon settling they amassed 11 tries.

Arundell marked his World Cup debut by equalling the England record of five tries scored in a game as he ran riot in perfect conditions at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Two-try Marcus Smith shared star billing after providing an extra dimension with the ball in hand from full-back – albeit against a side positioned 22 in the global rankings.

Apart from brief flourishes Chile were totally outclassed, yet there were still enough fireworks in Smith’s first start at 15 to suggest he is a genuine option in the position for the final group game against Samoa and possibly beyond.

Owen Farrell returned from suspension to lead England for the first time at this World Cup and his 16-point haul leaves him just two short of eclipsing Jonny Wilkinson’s national record of 1,179.

England had kicked more than other team across the opening two rounds of the tournament but their intent to run against the group’s weakest opponents was evident from the start.

Smith settled quickly through some early touches but his play lacked accuracy and once the initial assault subsided, Chile showed their flair for counter attack that on one occasion swept them into the 22.

Max Malins’ high error count was proving costly but England built pressure once more and in the 21st minute they were over when Farrell’s long pass gave Arundell an easy run in.

Theo Dan finished a line-out drive and then supplied Arundell with the easiest of tries after Danny Care’s quickly taken free-kick caught Chile unaware.

After the over-exuberance displayed in the opening quarter, England were showing greater accuracy as the ball was swept left to right, aided by quick ruck speed and a desire to make things happen.

Smith launched an attack that ended in a try for Bevan Rodd and then the Harlequins fly-half claimed a solo touchdown by collecting his own grubber and outrunning Chile’s defence.

Chile were unable to secure any kind of foothold in the game with their scrum especially vulnerable and early in the second half they leaked a second line-out maul try, with Dan touching down.

Arundell completed his hat-trick after Elliot Daly’s smart kick bounced kindly for him and Smith’s comfort at full-back was clear when he caught a tricky kick with aplomb.

Having claimed three easy finishes, Arundell showed his class for his fourth which he engineered with a run down the right touchline and chip ahead.

A moment of magic from Smith teed up the Racing 92 wing’s fifth and when Smith broke from deep from inside his own half Chile must have been sick of the sight of him.

The move ended with Smith crossing and England touched down for the final time through Jack Willis.

Rory McIlroy believes Europe’s preparations for the Ryder Cup could give them an edge over a “well rested” American side.

All 12 members of Luke Donald’s team made the cut in the BMW PGA Championship last week and seven finished in the top 10, with Tyrrell Hatton second, Jon Rahm fourth, Viktor Hovland fifth and Tommy Fleetwood sixth.

McIlroy, who only made the weekend thanks to a birdie on the 18th in round two, carded closing scores of 67 and 65 to climb into a tie for seventh, with 54-hole leader Ludvig Aberg and Sepp Straka part of a tie for 10th.

In stark contrast, only three Americans will have played competitively since the end of August when they tee it up in Rome a month later, with Justin Thomas and Max Homa playing the Fortinet Championship and LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka in action in Chicago.

“The Americans will certainly be well rested,” McIlroy said.

“I don’t think there’s any substitute for being sharp and playing tournaments. The only thing is it’s match play and not stroke play so it’s a little bit different, but I don’t think us playing a little bit more over these last few weeks is going to hurt us at all.

“If anything I would say it’s certainly better for me. I wouldn’t have liked to go into the Ryder Cup with my last start being the Tour Championship but that’s personal preference. I like to play my way into the big events.”

McIlroy felt Donald would have viewed the Wentworth leaderboard as “awesome” and was full of praise for the former world number one’s captaincy since succeeding Henrik Stenson after he was sacked for joining LIV Golf.

“I think he’s been fantastic,” the four-time major winner added. “He took the job in very weird circumstances I guess but he’s taken it in his stride and he’s been fantastic with me.

“I’m sure he’s had a lot more interaction with some of the rookies and the new guys that are on the team. I feel at this point I can take care of myself a little bit.

“If you speak to everyone we’ve all been really pleased with the job him and all of his team have done so far; the vice-captains are a big part of it and Ryder Cup Europe with all the backroom staff and everyone involved. It’s been great so far.”

McIlroy is the most experienced player on the European team and will be making his seventh Ryder Cup appearance in Rome, but Donald has made it clear where the Northern Irishman’s priorities will lie.

“Yeah, he doesn’t expect me to stand up there and make big speeches or say a lot of things,” said McIlroy, who was reduced to tears by winning just one point from four matches in the record defeat at Whistling Straits.

“But if I can lead by example and be the first one to the team room if there is a meeting, first one on the bus on the way to the course; anything like that where I’m still doing all the things that you should do and not getting complacent, that’s the way I would like to lead.

“And, as Luke said, lead with my clubs and making birdies and getting blue on the board.”

Liam Williams has hailed the work ethic behind Wales’ transformation from Six Nations also-rans to potential Rugby World Cup quarter-finalists.

It is barely six months since Wales floundered on northern hemisphere rugby’s biggest stage.

Their solitary win – a 29-17 victory over Italy in Rome – spared them the indignity of propping up the table.

The Six Nations campaign also unfolded against a backdrop of major financial and contractual uncertainty in Welsh professional rugby, factors which almost led to a player strike as Wales prepared for a Six Nations appointment with England.

Warren Gatland had returned for a second spell as head coach, but there was little opportunity for him to make an impact amid such off-field chaos.

The World Cup build-up, though, began in late May as Gatland enjoyed 16 weeks of unbroken preparation – highlighted by punishing training camps in Switzerland and Turkey – leading into Wales’ World Cup opener against Fiji.

And Wales will arrive at at the OL Stadium in Lyon on Sunday knowing that victory over Pool C rivals Australia would confirm a last-eight spot one game inside the distance.

“We’ve worked hard as a group, everyone,” said Wales full-back Williams, who wins his 87th cap this weekend.

“The pre-World Cup camps were hell, to be honest, but the boys have just been digging in. We are all on the right page.

“If you had said six months ago that we would have played two pool matches and been at the top of the group with 10 points we would have bitten your hand off. We have just got to go and back that up on the weekend.”

Central to the revival has been Gatland’s ability to get the best out of his players, something that he achieved repeatedly during an 11-year reign sprinkled with Six Nations titles, Grand Slams and World Cup semi-finals.

Williams added: “He doesn’t really change. He has a laugh and joke sometimes, and when it comes down to work, then you just work.

“That is what we have done for the last six months, and every other time I have worked under Warren. It doesn’t change too much.

“Many years ago, he knew how to press the right button for me to get a reaction, to get me back playing well.

“Being one of the older heads now, he doesn’t need to press any more buttons. I think he does with a couple of the younger boys, and he knows what ones to press to get the best out of them.

“He just used to blank me! It used to really get on my nerves.

“If I played well, I would be walking past him with a big smile on my face, and he would just walk past me, kind of thing.

“It would really get me annoyed, then I would train in the week, work incredibly hard and play well again, and he would say, ‘I knew you would play well this week’. Little things like that, I guess.”

Wales’ impressive fitness levels came to the fore during a pulsating 32-26 victory over Fiji, and they now face an Australian side on the brink of elimination if they lose.

“The ball was in play was for 38 minutes (against Fiji) which is I think the highest of this Rugby World Cup so far,” Williams said.

“It was a pretty crazy game, and we were glad to come away with the points in the end.

“The ball wasn’t in play as much in the Australia-Fiji game (Australia lost 22-15) – I think it was 11 minutes down compared to our game.

“They (Australia) have just lost to Fiji, so they are going to be going for blood, but we are taking it like any other game in the pool. We are going to try to win.”

One Look fairly bolted up in the Goffs Million at the Curragh on debut to ensure Paddy Twomey had a day he will never forgot.

Just over an hour after Deepone won the Group Two Beresford Stakes in fine style, One Look landed some hefty bets at 5-1 in the seven-furlong contest, worth €610,000 to the winner.

A filly by Gleneagles, she was smuggled into the race by Billy Lee before sprinting clear.

With just over a furlong to run Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom and Frankie Dettori had fought their way to the front and it seemed as if the pair were going to enjoy another big race success together.

However as soon as Lee released the handbrake on One Look she put the race to bed in a matter of strides, winning by six lengths.

“She’s a nice filly and she’s been a nice filly all year. I thought I would have run her earlier but it’s just the way it worked out and she was just ready to run this week,” said Twomey.

“I think she’s a nice filly and I gave her an (Irish) Guineas entry on Wednesday.

“I thought she was ready to start and good enough to be competitive. The plan was to track Frankie and see how we got on.”

When asked if the winner could run again this year he added: “I wouldn’t think so. That was a big performance to do that on debut. Maybe she’ll say yes but I doubt it.

“We have nice two-year-olds. I’m delighted as the owners (Connolly Racing Syndicate) sent me two horses this year for the first time and both have won first time out now. Juxtaposition won the first mile maiden at Leopardstown.”

Ger Lyons’ Pipsy (11-4) had beaten all bar the classy King Cuan on her debut and made no mistake in the Bermingham Cameras Photo Finish Irish EBF Maiden under Colin Keane.

“It was lovely and it was no more than you’d expect after seeing King Cuan, the first day in Cork and definitely the last day in Naas. He impressed me both times,” said Lyons.

“This filly has always been a filly we like and definitely a maiden winner. I said if she handles the ground she wins and if she doesn’t we’ll go to Dundalk – no problems.

“Colin was adamant she’d handle the ground and that she’ll handle Dundalk so we’ll go for the stakes race up there, the (Group 3) Mercury Stakes, and then we’ll put her away.

“It was her first day away at Cork, Paddy (Twomey’s) are always tuned to the minute and there was no third. I said ‘we’ve walked into one’.

“I felt a bit sorry for her then as she did everything right on her own that day.

“I said we’d see the truth of the race in Naas and I don’t think you could be any more impressed with the winner as he was beat, found a gear and took off again. I though then ‘he’s alright and we definitely walked into one’.

“We knew we had natural improvement and she’d win a good maiden but I was just worried about the ground.”

Adrian Keatley’s Wobwobwob was a winner worth waiting for as he landed a huge gamble to take the Virgin Bet Ayr Silver Cup.

The five-year-old delayed the race whilst being re-shod at the start and then left the stalls the 9-2 favourite after clearly inspiring confidence in connections and punters alike.

Hollie Doyle was aboard and ensured their faith was repaid as she stuck to her guns down the middle of the track and threw down a challenge with a furlong remaining.

At the half-furlong marker the duo still had to pass Michael Dods’ Tinto but did so with a handful of strides remaining to seal a half-length victory.

“It was a muddling old race, everyone was swapping and changing pitches,” Doyle told ITV Racing.

“He didn’t jump as sharp as I’d like, he’s usually a front runner but obviously he couldn’t go the pace today but he’s just outstayed them. He’s knuckled down and was tough.

“It’s a different way of racing for him and a different style, it was good to see him stepping back down in trip. He’s just outstayed them on this slow ground.

“As you can see, he’s a bit of a legend and his owners love him to bits!”

Keatley added of the victory: “It’s a good race to win, the Gold Cup is on my bucket list so it’s nice to get that one today.

“We were on the right side of the track and we’d something to aim at, that was the big thing.”

Revich got up in the shadow of the post to win the Virgin Bet Handicap two years after winning it previously and having finished third in it 12 months ago.

Doyle was on board for Richard Spencer and owners Middleham Park Racing and said: “I didn’t really plan to be that far back but I couldn’t have gone much quicker, the pace was quite genuine and he dug deep when it’s mattered.

“He clearly thrives here and he loves this type of ground, it’s quite tiring.”

Deepone ensured a new name will go on the Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes trophy as he provided Paddy Twomey with his first win in the Curragh contest.

Aidan O’Brien has won the Group Two a remarkable 21 times and fielded three runners on this occasion, all last time out winners and he had hired the services of Frankie Dettori for Navy Seal.

Colin Keane took the ride on Grosvenor Square while Gavin Ryan was on Chief Little Rock and with Joseph O’Brien running dual winner Stromberg, Twomey’s Study Of Man colt was almost fighting a lone battle against the O’Briens given the only other runner, Andy Oliver’s Ozark Daze, went off at 150-1.

With that possibly on his mind Billy Lee was ultra-positive on Deepone (3-1), who after winning his first two starts had finished second in a Listed race and fourth behind Diego Velazquez in a Group Two.

With two furlongs to run he had kicked almost five lengths clear and while the gap dwindled close to home, he still had a length and three-quarters to spare over Chief Little Rock who just edged out Grosvenor Square for second with Navy Seal and Dettori only fourth.

“He’s a nice horse, he’s been a work in progress and we’ve been educating him,” said Twomey.

“I felt he had come out of the last race in great form. I said to Billy that I was going to run him again and he kind of looked at me but I said I felt he was in good form.

“He’s a strong traveller and he finds plenty, I think he’s a mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse next year.

“Hopefully for Vimal (Khosla, owner) he’s a Derby horse for next year and that’ll be it for this year now.

“I’ve been dropping him in on turning tracks and there was plenty of traffic. I said to Billy ‘no nonsense today, get out there and let’s go and see if they are good enough’.

“He put them to the sword and I think he’s a good horse.”

Paddy Power cut him to 20-1 from 33s for next year’s 2000 Guineas.

Julie Camacho’s Significantly overcame a troubled passage to take a big pot in the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Handicap.

The gelding was rolling the dice again after just missing out on the Portland Handicap at the St Leger meeting exactly a week ago.

The race was a return to six furlongs and at several points it seemed that luck had deserted him once again as his progress was abruptly stopped by other horses in the 24-runner handicap.

He was brought almost to a halt as another horse crossed his path in the final furlong, but showed great tenacity under Joe Fanning to renew his attack and lunge at the line to win by a neck from Ramazan and justify 8-1 favouritism.