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.
Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight title against Colby Covington in the UFC 296 main event on December 16 in Las Vegas.
The 32-year-old Kingston-born Edwards has not lost in his last 12 fights, and he is 21-3 with one no-contest lifetime. He most recently defeated ex-champ Kamaru Usman by majority decision in March to defend his belt. Edwards first won the belt with a come-from-behind knockout over Usman at UFC 278 in August last year.
The 35-year-old Covington is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March. Covington, who is 17-3 lifetime, has previously fought for the UFC welterweight belt twice, losing to Usman on both occasions.
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.
The Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef trophy will return to Kingsclere courtesy of Juddmonte’s Array and Oisin Murphy.
The Group Two is named in homage to the 1971 Derby winner, who was trained by Ian Balding to an astonishing run of top flight successes.
Balding’s son Andrew took over the reins at the family’s Kingsclere base in 2003 and despite countless other successes, the race named after the yard’s hero has never gone the way of the younger Balding.
That was until Array took his chance as the 7-4 favourite, and in a messy race he found a clear passage to hold off the chasing pack and seal the victory by half a length from Mister Sketch.
Balding said: “Obviously this race is important to our family.
“We try to find one for it but Dad trained our last winner, Firebreak, while I’ve had two seconds and a third before this.
“I can’t see why this won’t be a horse with a big future and Oisin thinks it would be worth trying him over further. It’s not impossible he will get a mile.
“He was very tough today and has a great mind on him.
“The Middle Park is too soon and if he was supplemented into the Dewhurst it would need a unanimous decision.”
Prime Art strode to an impressive triumph in the Virgin Bet Best Odds Daily Firth Of Clyde at Ayr.
The Johnny Murtagh-trained filly was not among the more fancied runners in the six-furlong Group Three – the only Group race run at Ayr all season – and started at 10-1 having been a 25-1 chance earlier in the day.
She travelled in mid-division under Ben Curtis and readily knuckled down when asked to, slotting through a gap between runners and kicking on to cross the line a length and three-quarters ahead.
The win follows a Naas maiden success last time out, breaking her maiden at the third time of asking.
“The race worked out perfect, she relaxed early doors and then she came on it (the bridle) past the three (furlong marker),” Curtis told ITV Racing.
“She travelled into it lovely and I just waited for the gap, when it came she quickened up very well and she hit the line strong – she couldn’t have done any more.
“Her form is rock solid and she showed a great attitude to win at Naas the last day, I think there’s definitely more to come.
“The way she pricked her ears there you’d think there was more under the bonnet.”
Betfair have introduced the filly into the 1000 Guineas market at 40-1 as a result of the win.
Not So Sleepy, without a win since dead-heating with Epatante in the 2021 Fighting Fifth Hurdle, made all the running to win the Dubai Duty Free Autumn Cup Handicap at Newbury.
Hughie Morrison’s stable stalwart is now 11 years of age and was last seen finishing fifth in the Champion Hurdle behind Constitution Hill.
Back on the Flat, he was carrying top weight in the valuable contest off a mark of 98 having been rated as high as 107 back in 2015 after winning the Dee Stakes at Chester.
Oisin Murphy adopted front-running tactics, just as another stayer from Morrison’s stable, Quickthorn, carries out to such great effect.
Ralph Beckett’s Salt Bay laid down a serious challenge inside the final furlong but Not So Sleepy was not to be denied and won by two lengths at 15-2.
“The plan was to have a nice prep for the Cesarewitch and then go for the Fighting Fifth but now he’s picked up a penalty,” said Morrison.
“We can always take on Constitution Hill again as a pacemaker or even go chasing!
“He came back at the beginning of July and has been cantering away. He just goes to the bottom of the woodchip and comes back again.
“All his work is done on his own but he did have a gallop on the all-weather when I took him with another horse to Lambourn the other day.”
Beckett’s Balance Play (3-1 joint-favourite) had disappointed on his hat-trick bid when favourite for a valuable race at the Ebor meeting but got back on the winning trail in straightforward fashion in the Dubai Duty Free Handicap for Hector Crouch.
Beckett said: “He’s a tough beggar who puts it all in but York was a disaster – I thought with his tiny feet he would handle fast ground but he never got into any kind of rhythm.
“He’s really got the hang of racing now but that fast ground at York threw him off.
“Today it all went to plan and he’s perfect for the November Handicap while he’s also in the Horses in Training Sale.”
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.
Josh Adams says the chance to clinch a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place on Sunday has been a motivational force behind Wales’ preparations to face Australia.
Wales will guarantee a last-eight place if they topple the Wallabies in Lyon.
And they would do it with a game to spare, with their final Pool C fixture against Georgia a fortnight away.
Bonus-point victories over Fiji and Portugal have given Wales a maximum return of 10 points, and they will face an Australian side reeling from losing to Fiji six days ago.
That 22-15 defeat has left Eddie Jones’ team on the brink of elimination, facing a serious prospect of making a pool-stage exit for the first time in World Cup history.
“It is in our hands now, which is a nice feeling,” Wales wing Adams said. “It is all depending on us and how we perform.
“We are quite aware of the carrot at the end, if you like, and it has motivated us a lot this week, if I am honest.
“It is the best week we’ve had in my opinion. We are pretty highly motivated for this game, as will Australia be of course. It’s a massive game for them as well.
“The past couple of games against Australia have been very tight. Sunday will be no different. Improving on our first two performances will be really important for us.
“Once we had put the Portugal game to bed, all the focus turned to Australia. I have felt the energy build as the week has gone on, which has been a good thing.
“We’ve talked about different aspects of the game, what it means for us as a squad going forward. Sunday will be a great contest, with both teams going after each other.”
Wales have never failed to reach the World Cup quarter-finals with Warren Gatland in charge, having got there in 2011, 2015 and 2019.
And their current status is a far cry from results in last season’s Six Nations, when Wales finished fifth after losing four of their five games.
Four months of intense preparation, though, has moulded a fiercely-competitive squad that has every chance of going deep in the tournament.
Adams added: “We have shown aspects of that brotherhood, how much we are willing to work hard for each other.
“We have had three months of it prior to coming here, and that work we have done has put us in good stead.
“We understand what we expect from each other. I expect the best of everybody else, and they should not expect anything less from me.
“As a squad we make a promise to each other before we play that no matter what happens out there we will constantly keep fighting for everything, every ball in the air, every ball on the floor, as a squad we will continually scrap for everything.
“We want to be a difficult team to beat and break down, and we have shown passages of that. We can get better and push it further.
“That is our aim, to impose ourselves defensively in a more aggressive way, but we need to be disciplined.
“Some of our discipline has been poor, and we have addressed it across the squad. I have no doubt everybody will scrap for 80, 90 or 100 minutes on Sunday.”
Sione Tuipulotu insisted he will cast aside any emotional attachment to Tonga as he bids to help Scotland get their World Cup campaign off the ground in Nice on Sunday.
The Australia-born centre’s father Fohe is Tongan and the 26-year-old admits he has a “lot of love” for a nation that represents part of his heritage.
However, Tuipulotu is hell-bent on ensuring the Scots put the Pacific islanders to the sword as they look to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals.
“It’s probably a tricky one,” he smiled when asked on Saturday about how he feels going up against his dad’s country. “No matter how much you try not to think about it, it’s always kind of there in the back of your mind.
“But I’m fully focused on getting the victory for Scotland tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be emotional during the anthems and stuff.
“Of course, I’ve got a lot of love for Tonga, and that side of my heritage. But tomorrow I’m fully focused on doing my best to get a win for Scotland, and get our World Cup back on the road.”
Fohe will be watching on television from Australia as his son bids to get the better of his home country at the biggest tournament in rugby.
“My dad’s with my little brother at home, he can’t leave him by himself,” said Tuipulotu. “Mum’s over here. But my Dad will wake up and watch it, so I’ll wait for his message after the game.
“I know he’s got both (Scotland and Tonga) jerseys in the house. I’ll have to ask my little brother which one he’s got on (on Sunday). I’m sure he’ll be going for (supporting) us though.”
Tuipulotu was overwhelmed with emotion when he spoke a fortnight ago about his mother Angelina travelling from Australia to watch him play for Scotland for the first time against South Africa in Marseille.
He explained on the eve of the Tonga game how she helped lift his spirits after the 18-3 defeat by the Boks.
“It was actually quite good because my mum doesn’t know anything about rugby so she thought we all played really well,” he laughed.
“I kind of knew we didn’t but when I saw her after the game and she said ‘Oh, you guys all played so well’, it was refreshing and picked me up for that 20 minutes but then I was back to ground zero when we got on the bus.
“It was nice to see my mum after that. That’s the best thing about mums, they pick you up when you are feeling down.
“To be honest, I was really disappointed after the South Africa game. It took me a couple of days, probably took me a week to get over.
“But we’re over that now. We’ve done our reviews and we’re fully focused now on getting back into Tonga. It’s the perfect game for us to try and enforce our game on to them.”
The Scots must win all three of their remaining matches if they are to have a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase, but Tuipulotu is adamant there is no additional pressure on the players as a result of having no margin for error.
“I think all the games just kind of pose their own bits of pressure,” he said. “It’s a World Cup, every game poses that bit of pressure.
“There are no easy games in the World Cup, so this game’s the same for us as it was for South Africa.
“We’ve prepared the same as we did for South Africa and we’re all hoping we can put out a better performance.”
Tuipulotu has forged a formidable centre pairing with club-mate Huw Jones for both Scotland and Glasgow. Their partnership will be broken up this weekend, however, as Jones drops to the bench and Gloucester’s Chris Harris takes over the number 13 jersey.
“I’ve played a lot of rugby with Chris,” said Tuipulotu. “In the early days when I was getting my first couple of caps for Scotland I was playing under his wing, and I’ve learned a lot from Chris both sides of the ball, but particularly defensively.
“When I first came to Scotland, I was a bit of a rogue defender but I learned a lot from Chris.
“He’s always put his arm around me and helped me, and I feel very comfortable with him alongside me. We’re going to out there and have a great performance together.”
Karl Burke’s Royal Rhyme could be destined for greater things after a tough win in the Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Doonside Cup Stakes at Ayr.
While the colt sent off the 6-5 favourite under Clifford Lee, it was Amy Murphy’s Pride Of America who stalked off to take a significant lead early on.
A long way from home it soon became apparent that none of the other runners were close enough to lay down a challenge and the front two had it between them for the last three furlongs.
Only Burke’s could reel the front runner in, drawing level with him a furlong from home and eventually applying himself to the task to prevail by a length and a quarter.
“I was very confident I was going to get him (Pride Of America),” Lee told ITV Racing.
“What I didn’t want to do was leave it too late, so three (furlongs) down I just started giving him a squeeze and tried to keep tabs.
“From then on I knew I was going to get him.”
Royal Rhyme was previously a runaway winner of the valuable Kincsem Handicap at Goodwood and Lee rates this performance as similarly impressive.
A step up in grade now under consideration as the bay holds an entry for the Qipco Champion Stakes and has been cut from 33-1 to 16-1 with Betfair and Paddy Power for that contest.
“It was good, I’d say it was on par” said Lee.
“The ground wasn’t as soft as it was at Goodwood but it was a great performance by him.”
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