Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from a shock 11th place after Lance Stroll crashed out at 110mph and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took pole position.

On a wild night at the Marina Bay Circuit, both Red Bull drivers were eliminated in Q2 leaving the world champions facing an enormous task to retain their unbeaten record this season.

George Russell qualified second, missing out on pole by just 0.072 seconds with Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, one place ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, half-a-second back.

Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 after he bemoaned the handling of the Red Bull machine which has carried him to a record 10 consecutive wins, but has struggled under the bulbs that light up this unique 3.07-mile high-downforce track.

Verstappen missed out on Q3 by 0.007 sec, and then took aim at his team over the radio.

“I don’t know if you saw that, but it was an absolutely shocking experience,” he said amid of flurry of expletives.

Verstappen is also facing three stewards’ investigations for separate incidents of impeding during qualifying.

His team-mate Sergio Perez, who spun, also failed to progress to Q3. He will start 13th following a miserable night for the team from Milton Keynes in the city-state.

Red Bull’s demise allowed Sainz to capture his second consecutive pole with Russell narrowly missing out.

Earlier, Stroll survived a staggering crash. The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the final left-hander before he slammed into the barrier.

The force of the high-speed impact sent Stroll’s head rocking from side-to-side. He catapulted back across the track with Norris forced to take evasive action – dodging a flying wheel and Stroll’s out-of-control machine.

“Is the driver alright?” asked Norris on the radio. “That must have been quite a big one.”

Stroll pirouetted to a standstill in the middle of the track before his race engineer Ben Michell came on the radio.

“Lance, car is safe,” said Michell. “Are you OK?” Stroll, 24, replied: “Yeah, I am OK.”

The Aston Martin driver emerged from his wrecked car unaided before being taken off to the medical centre.

Aston Martin confirmed Stroll had been given the all-clear by the on-site medical team and was allowed to return to the paddock.

Stroll’s accident brought a premature end to a frenetic conclusion to Q1 and left the marshals with a significant barrier repair job at the final corner, with fluid from his car also on the track.

The session was delayed for 34 minutes before Q2 started at 9.53pm local time.

England resume their World Cup campaign when they face Japan in their second Pool D encounter at Stade de Nice on Sunday.

Here the PA news agency examines five talking points heading into the showdown on the French Riviera.

No more cards

England have amassed more cards this year than any team ranked in the top 10, accumulating five yellows and four reds. It is a debilitating statistic and while Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield are adamant that the team do not have a discipline problem, they know they can not keep playing with 14 men – or even less. The officiating of incidents involving head contact and their subsequent disciplinary hearings during this World Cup have been plagued by inconsistency, making avoiding dangerous play more important than ever.

Sharpen the attack

England delivered a defensive masterclass to nullify clueless Argentina but there was no masking their attacking deficiencies. The most glaring moment was the butchering of a clear overlap that the same players would finish with ease for their clubs. If England are to advance deeper into the World Cup they must show they have the capacity to score tries as drop goals and penalties alone will not be sufficient to see off the big guns.

Sinckler ready to roll

A big moment looms for Kyle Sinckler, who will be making his first World Cup appearance since he was knocked out in the final against South Africa four years ago. Sinckler was in the form of his career in Japan, his scrummaging, ball handling skills and rampaging runs elevating him into the sport’s elite band of tighthead props. The 30-year-old has failed to rescale those heights since and now that he has recovered from a chest injury to take his place in the front row, he will be determined to invoke his 2019 form.

Ford’s final audition

A fudge beckons when Borthwick is confronted with one of the toughest selection decisions of his young reign. George Ford was outstanding against Argentina and is in the form of his life, but with Owen Farrell completing a four-match suspension against Japan the long-term friends are battling for the same number 10 jersey. Borthwick will reveal his thinking in the final group fixture against Samoa on October 7 when he is expected to reunite the duo in a playmaking axis that served England well in 2019, but before then Ford has one last opportunity to show why he should be entrusted to pilot the team by himself.

Tika Taka Japan

Defence coach Sinfield has compared Japan’s tactics to the ‘Tika Taka’ football played by Barcelona and England are on guard for dynamic opponents who like to move the ball and look for space over contact. They are not the force of four years ago when they lit up their home World Cup through enterprise and courage, but they have the capacity to upset the favourites if they hit their stride.

The current Davis Cup format has been branded a “disaster” and “wrong”, but players’ calls for the return of home-and-away ties look set to be rejected.

Since 2019, the historic competition has been converted to a World Cup-style event with group stages and matches on neutral soil, but low crowd numbers have attracted consistent criticism.

Stan Wawrinka posted a video on social media on Tuesday showing virtually empty stands in Manchester for Switzerland’s tie against France, a stark contrast to the 9,000-strong crowd that attended Britain’s contest with Australia the following day.

After Britain’s 2-1 victory over Switzerland on Friday, Wawrinka said: “We see the difference between today and three days ago – it’s not normal. I played some Challenger tournaments this year and there were way more people and a way better atmosphere than when we played France.

“You have to try new things, that’s for sure, but it’s been quite a clear disaster. This company, they finish a 25-year deal after five years so that means something is wrong. And the people who took this decision are still deciding for the future of Davis Cup.”

A lot of the ire has been directed towards former Barcelona and Spain footballer Gerard Pique, whose Kosmos group took over the running of the competition from the International Tennis Federation in 2018 and instigated the changes.

Kosmos promised to invest three billion US dollars into the sport over 25 years in a deal that always seemed financially questionable and it is heading for the courts after collapsing earlier this year, with both sides blaming the other.

Australian former doubles great Mark Woodforde, who is chair of the Davis Cup committee, believes the focus on Kosmos has masked the problems that existed with the old format.

He told the PA news agency: “We’re fully aware that some players will say, ‘Why don’t we go back to that home-and-away format?’ That format was not working. That’s why the change came about. The old format was killing Davis Cup.

“We had nations telling the ITF they were unhappy, it needed to change. We had our title sponsor telling us we need to make changes, we need to keep the competition alive, we need to make it fresh.

“The home-and-away format had been an integral part of the competition historically, we haven’t got rid of it, it’s still there, it’s still alive in the lower groups as well. Even without Kosmos being involved, we think the changes we’ve made are positive.

“It’s in the minority some of those voices, some of them are politically motivated, which is unnecessary. Stan created a bit of a furore with filming the stands. We’re always welcome to having feedback, it’s unfortunate he did it in such a public way.”

While the ITF insists players were consulted and their views taken into account, that is not the feeling among those doing battle on the court.

Andy Murray said: “I was on the ATP player council when the initial discussions were had about this format, not one person on the council supported it.

“We told that to (ITF president) David Haggerty and to the ITF at the time. We were told that would be taken into consideration and then literally two days later it was announced they were changing the format.

“We’re fortunate here because we get to play all of the matches in a brilliant atmosphere, great crowd. It is a shame when France and Australia, two of the biggest tennis nations, they love their Davis Cup, and they’re playing in front of what feels like an empty stadium.

“It feels wrong. I think the format will have to change if it’s going to be successful again. All the players loved the home-and-away ties, I think the fans loved the home-and-away ties as well. Hopefully there’s a way we can get it back to that.”

At the end of the current group stage on Sunday, the top two teams from each group will progress to November’s final eight event in Malaga.

That will be played entirely on neutral territory, though, with Spain already knocked out following two losses.

While organisers are open to tweaks and insist they welcome feedback from players, it does not appear there are likely to be any major changes to the format in future years.

The focus instead is likely to be on trying to improve the attendance and atmosphere at ties where there is no home team, with Woodforde suggesting organised support crews, reducing capacity at venues and working with them to better promote all the players on show.

“It’s challenging,” he said. “It really does make it look like we’re not doing a great thing for the competition, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

“In 2024 the competition will remain as is. We feel this is the format where we can see mileage with it.

“I don’t think there is a format that we are going to ever have 100 per cent thumbs up from the players and the nations. Through our cooperation with the ATP we are doing an assessment looking at the options. I think we leave the door open for tweaks.”

Sandrine relished conditions at Doncaster to run out a convincing winner of the Betfred Park Stakes.

A Royal Ascot scorer at two, Andrew Balding’s filly had been without a victory since taking the Lennox Stakes at last year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival.

However, she got the perfect tow into this hotly-contested seven-furlong event and as the front-running Audience and 5-4 favourite Spycatcher got duelling a long way from home, Oisin Murphy switched out the 11-2 winner who came cruising by the two market leaders just inside the final furlong and galloped on gamely to hold off the rallying Audience.

Sandrine has now secured Pattern-race triumphs in all three seasons she has been in training and Anna Lisa Balding, representing her husband, was thrilled to see Kirsten Rausing-owned four-year-old back to winning ways.

She said: “What a star. It is up to Kirsten (if this is her last season), but she owes us nothing. To come back and run as well as she did in the City of York Stakes and then two weeks later run like that in this ground, she has a massive heart.

“Oisin said he was keen not to go too soon and they seemed to go pretty steady early and no one wanted to go on. He got it spot-on.”

Both Paddy Power and Betfair went 12-1 for the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on October 21, but Balding was in no rush to name a next target, with the Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp on October 1 another possible option.

She added: “I think we will see how she is when she gets home as it can sometimes take quite a lot out of them on this ground. It is important with breeding prospects ahead of her to look after her.”

Lance Stroll survived a staggering 110mph crash in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Canadian driver lost control of his Aston Martin through the final left-hander at the Marina Bay Circuit before he slammed into the barrier.

The force of the high-speed impact sent Stroll’s head rocking from side-to-side. He catapulted back across the track with British driver Lando Norris forced to take evasive action – dodging a flying wheel and Stroll’s out-of-control machine.

“Is the driver alright?” asked Norris on the radio. “That must have been quite a big one.”

Stroll pirouetted to a standstill in the middle of the track before his race engineer Ben Michell came on the radio.

“Lance, car is safe,” said Michell. “Are you okay?” Stroll, 24, replied: “Yeah, I am OK.”

The Aston Martin driver emerged from his wrecked car unaided before being taken off to the medical centre.

Stroll’s accident brought a premature end to a frenetic conclusion to Q1 with drivers improving as the city-state track evolved.

AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda led the way, with Lewis Hamilton 14th of the 20 runners with the bottom five set to be eliminated.

Stroll’s impact left the marshals with a significant barrier repair job at the final corner, with fluid from his car also on the track.

The session was delayed for 34 minutes before Q2 started at 9:53pm local time.

Novak Djokovic competing in the "unique" Davis Cup so soon after winning the US Open comes as an honour for tournament director Feliciano Lopez.

Serbia's Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam triumphs after a straight-sets victory earlier in September.

At 36 years and 111 days, Djokovic became the oldest winner of the men's singles title at the US Open, as well as winning three majors in a year for the fourth time in his career.

That saw him surpass Roger Federer – who won three grand slams in a year on three occasions – but unlike the Swiss star, Djokovic has shown no signs of slowing down.

The 36-year-old was straight back into action just five days later, overcoming Alejandro Davidovich to help Serbia into the Davis Cup quarter-finals with victory over Spain.

Former Spanish tennis player and now tournament director Lopez hailed the endeavours of Djokovic for appearing in Valencia in such a short period after victory in the United States.

"As you can imagine having Novak here in Valencia this week is such an honour first of all," Lopez told Stats Perform.

"I personally appreciate a lot what he's done by coming here after winning the US Open because I know how tough it is to win a slam and then three or four days after put yourself in a position to compete again at the highest level.

"I don't think I can thank him enough that he's here ready to compete, ready to represent his country.

"I have to take my hat off and say thank you and wish him all the best for the rest of the week."

Djokovic has reiterated his commitment to helping Serbia to a second title in the men's Davis Cup, a tournament that Lopez believes is different to any other.

"I think the fact that you're representing your country is one of the things that I wanted to say [about what makes it special] because tennis is an individual sport where you normally play for yourself," he added.

"Whenever you have the chance to play for your team-mates, for your country and for a lot of people that you know, they put in a lot of efforts during that particular week to make everything happen.

"For me, it's the most special thing and unique."

Annaf’s class came to the fore as he carried top-weight to a game victory in the Betfred Portland Handicap at Doncaster.

Mick Appleby’s four-year-old has been a regular in Group-race company this season and made the podium at Royal Ascot when third in the King’s Stand Stakes.

However, the 7-1 shot was remarkably still a maiden on turf prior to making his 23rd overall career start in the hands of Rossa Ryan.

Ridden with supreme confidence by the in-form jockey, the duo picked their way through a stacked field and pulled out all the stops to prevail in a photo-finish over Julie Camacho’s Significantly.

The victory continued a fine week on Turf Moor for Oakham-based Appleby who enjoyed Flying Childers success with the Breeders’ Cup-bound Big Evs on Friday.

Annaf’s class came to the fore as he carried top-weight to a game victory in the Betfred Portland Handicap at Doncaster.

Mick Appleby’s four-year-old has been a regular in Group-race company this season and made the podium at Royal Ascot when third in the King’s Stand Stakes.

However, the 7-1 shot was remarkably still a maiden on turf prior to making his 23rd overall career start in the hands of Rossa Ryan.

Ridden with supreme confidence by the in-form jockey, the duo picked their way through a stacked field and pulled out all the stops to prevail in a photo-finish over Julie Camacho’s Significantly.

The victory continued a fine week on Turf Moor for Oakham-based Appleby who enjoyed Flying Childers success with the Breeders’ Cup-bound Big Evs on Friday.

Kyle Steyn is desperate to earn a return to the Scotland squad for next Sunday’s World Cup match against Tonga after being left devastated by his omission for the opening defeat by his birth country South Africa.

The 29-year-old wing started all five Six Nations matches earlier this year in the absence of injured talisman Darcy Graham and he went into the global showpiece in France buoyed by having scored three tries in the last two summer warm-up matches, including a double away to Les Bleus.

But with the fit-again Graham and Duhan van der Merwe handed the two starting berths on the wing and full-back Ollie Smith, centre Cam Redpath and scrum-half Ali Price the three backs chosen for bench duty, Johannesburg-born Steyn had to watch from the stand at Stade Velodrome as Scotland suffered an 18-3 defeat by the Springboks.

With the Scots having posted their lowest-scoring outing since losing the 2019 World Cup opener 27-3 to Ireland and failing to score a try for the first time in almost three years, prolific Glasgow captain Steyn is knocking on the door for a return to the fold when Gregor Townsend’s side return to action in Nice next weekend.

“I was gutted, I was absolutely gutted,” said Steyn, reflecting on being left out of the 23 for the opener in Marseille. “But I also understood that the guys who were picked ahead of me are phenomenal players who are in great form, and I think that’s the good thing about our squad at the moment, that we’ve got that level of competitiveness.

“You just have to accept you might find yourself on the wrong side of that sometimes.

“I’m desperate to be back in the squad next week. Especially with having two weeks off, there’s a real want for the squad to get back out there and put our best foot forward, and I want to be part of that, I want to be in the 23.”

The prospect of facing Tonga brings back “special” memories for Steyn.

In what was his first start for the national team in October 2021, the wing became the first player to score four tries in one match for Scotland as they defeated the Pacific Islanders 60-14 at Murrayfield.

“It was a great day out,” he recalled. “It was our first game at Murrayfield with fans back (since the pandemic) and I did well so I look back on it with good memories.

“It’s an incredibly special day to look back on. I think about how much history Scottish rugby has and to have a small piece of it like that, myself and my family are incredibly proud.

“I remember some pretty hard hits as well that day so I’m sure it will be a tough game next weekend.”

Steyn reflected on events in the Scottish camp this week after hooker Dave Cherry was forced to withdraw from the squad with concussion sustained after a fall at the team’s hotel last Monday and Stuart McInally – due to retire after the World Cup – was drafted in as his replacement having missed out on selection last month.

“We’re gutted for Dave that it’s ended like that,” said Steyn. “We wish him well. We’re happy first and foremost that he’s healthy and he’ll be OK.

“The flip side is that we’ve got Rambo (McInally), who didn’t make the squad and was retiring on 49 caps and so it’s great to have someone with that experience who is also bringing a fresh energy in.

“You can see his desire to get out there and get his 50th cap, so it’s great for the squad to have him with us.”

Last year’s 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet is raring to go ahead of her return to the track in the Japan Racing Association Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster on Sunday.

George Boughey’s daughter of Aclaim came close to a Classic double in 2022 and was only a head away from adding the French equivalent to the 1000 Guineas triumph she achieved at Newmarket two weeks prior.

However, she has only been seen once more when finishing fifth in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and after a long 457 days on the sidelines, drops back to seven furlongs for her comeback in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Boughey said: “She’s in good shape. The ground is a question mark, she ran very well in the Albany on soft ground but she hasn’t really seen it since.

“Her work has been smart at home and I’m pretty happy with her. She’s a very fresh horse going into the autumn and she’s in good shape.”

Cachet will face a strong cast of rivals, which includes proven Group-level performers.

Richard Hannon’s Magical Sunset relished testing conditions and had Charlie Appleby’s Dream Of Love back in third when winning a Group Three at Goodwood last month, while Ralph Beckett saddles both Dandy Alys and Nigiri, with the latter bringing up a hat-trick in style at York last month.

Samedi Rien was only two lengths behind Cachet’s stablemate Believing when last seen at Pontefract and brings some continental flare to the event from Spain, while Johnny Murtagh’s Clounmacon and Kieran Cotter’s Matilda Picotte both make the trip from Ireland.

The latter finished third behind Mawj and Tahiyra in this year’s 1000 Guineas and having almost got back to winning ways at Tipperary recently, her handler is looking forward to her latest trip to the UK as Oisin Murphy takes over in the saddle.

“She’s back on track and we were either going to come to Doncaster or go to the Curragh next week for the Renaissance Stakes,” said Cotter.

“This is a seven-furlong fillies’ race and we opted for this and we’re hoping for a big run from her.”

He went on: “At Tipperary it was seven furlongs and 110 yards and it was the last 50 yards that did for her really, so I think she goes there with a live chance. We’re looking forward to seeing her run, she’s fit and well and we’re keen to roll the dice.”

There are only four declared for the supporting Betfred Scarbrough Stakes where Tom Clover’s Rogue Lightning has the chance to bring up a hat-trick on his return to Pattern company.

The son of Kodiac shaped with real promise in his first couple of outings at two before losing his way, but has thrived since being gelded and dropped to the minimum distance, scoring over course and distance earlier in the summer.

“We’ve always liked the horse and we tried him quite highly as a two-year-old,” explained Clover.

“Since gelding him and dropping him back to five furlongs it seems to have really helped and he looks in good shape.”

Raasel got back to winning ways at Haydock following a promising run behind Highfield Princess at Goodwood and although Clover believes Mick Appleby’s charge rates as a real danger, he is hopeful Rogue Lightning can continue on his upwards curve.

He added: “We hope this is a nice opportunity for him, but Raasel looks in good form and has produced two really good runs recently. He could be a tough horse to beat, but touch wood Rogue Lightning seems progressive and is going the right way.

“He’s been a lovely horse for the owners so far and hopefully he can take us to some more big days.”

Karl Burke’s Beverley Bullet runner-up Silkie Wilkie and Scott Dixon’s Fine Wine complete the line-up on Town Moor.

Iberian gave a glimpse of his star potential with a taking victory in the Betfred Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

Charlie Hills’ youngster went into plenty of notebooks when making an impressive debut at Newbury, but inexperience took its toll at Goodwood when immediately thrust into Group Two company in the Vintage Stakes.

A length second to Haatem on that occasion, connections retained the faith in the exciting son of Lope De Vega, who had another Richard Hannon-trained runner in his way on Town Moor in the shape of the unbeaten Rosallion.

Tom Marquand was keen to shadow the 5-6 favourite up the Doncaster straight, but whereas Rosallion was unable to land a blow when push came to shove, Iberian demonstrated his class, and once hitting the front a furlong out he surged clear to come home two lengths ahead of runner-up Sunway.

Last year’s winner Chaldean went on to land the Dewhurst Stakes before returning at three to claim the 2000 Guineas and this year’s 3-1 scorer is likely to have similarly lofty aspirations, with both Betfair and Paddy Power going 8-1 from 16s for Newmarket’s end-of-season juvenile Group One and 20-1 for the opening Classic of 2024.

Maro Itoje insists England will do whatever it takes to win if a substance over style approach emerges as their blueprint for success at the World Cup.

George Ford kicked all 27 points in their rout of Argentina last Saturday as England responded to the third-minute dismissal of Tom Curry for a dangerous tackle by grinding the Pumas into submission.

It was a rousing riposte to a dismal warm-up campaign but having excelled in defence and shown the smarts to shape their gameplan according to events, a potent attack remains elusive.

Free running Japan are the next assignment at the Stade de Nice on Sunday and while Itoje would prefer to see England run riot, he will take a victory any way it comes.

When asked if it matters how the team win, Itoje said: “For me, it’s by any means necessary.

“Obviously, we like to score tries and we’d like to score loads of tries. But for me it’s by any means necessary as long as we get the win.

“Every game’s different and is going to present different challenges. The task is to find ways to get on the positive side of the result.

“We know Japan move the ball. We know they are a very clever team that comes up with clever plays. However, the goal and task is to enforce an English style of rugby on this game.

“We want to show our best hand and we want to defend it well. We want to impose our physicality.

“We want to get into our set piece game and when the opportunity is right our generals will fire us in attack. Yes Japan move the ball, but it is about us imposing our will on them.

“Japan run the ball more than Argentina and are very aggressive with how they play and the spirit and the energy of how they play.”

Japan are not the force that lit up the 2019 World Cup with the pandemic hitting them harder than any other international side as they were prevented from playing a Test for two years.

If, as expected, England dispatch a team who have fallen to 14th in the global rankings they will have clear sight of a place in the quarter-finals with group games against Chile and Samoa left to play.

But Jamie George accepts that if they are to progress further in the competition, they must develop more strings to their bow.

“If we’re going to win a World Cup, which is what we’re here to do, we know that we’re going to have to kick on from where we were,” George said.

“The great English teams that I watched growing up and that I have been a part of based their teams around great defence and great set piece.

“As long as we are doing that I think our attacking game flows off the back of that. We have got players who can do special things.

“You have just seen the start of us in this tournament. We hope you will see us score points in different ways.”

Little over 24 hours after his final ride in a British Classic, Frankie Dettori will be in big-race action at Bro Park as the next leg of his farewell tour takes him to Sweden.

The Italian, who is set to retire at the end of the year, is no stranger to racing in Scandinavia and looks to continue the hot streak of British-based riders in the feature Stockholm Cup International – a race won by Pat Cosgrave the last three years and by Dettori’s great friend Rab Havlin (2019) and Fran Berry (2018) before that.

Officials in Sweden are delighted to have the 52-year-old stopping off in Stockholm during his final season in the saddle and have already seen the ‘Dettori factor’ increase media interest in Bro Park’s key afternoon of racing.

“We are obviously happy that Frankie Dettori is coming over and that Sweden and Bro Park is a part of his farewell tour. It is a big thing for a small country like Sweden,” said Dennis Madsen, Head of Racing at the Swedish Racing Authority, Svensk Galopp.

“He has been here before and rode in the Stockholm Cup in 1996 on a Godolphin horse and visited the old Taby Park again about 10 years ago. So we are familiar with Frankie, but it is still a big thing and we have been delighted to be able to use him in the promotion of this raceday.

“He has already boosted the coverage in the media. Frankie is a big name in other countries and although racing is not a big sport in Sweden, he has managed to capture good media coverage over here and we are very excited for him coming.”

Dettori has secured the mount of defending Stockholm Cup International champion Hard One To Please and the four-year-old, who won the Swedish Derby in 2021, returns to Bro Park on the back of an easy victory in a Norwegian Group Three last time.

Despite happy with the condition of her charge heading into the contest, trainer Annike Bye Hansen admitted she is extremely nervous leading up to the big occasion.

She said: “I’m not really looking forward to it to be honest, I will be relieved when it is over. That is me, I get very nervous, I always get like this coming up to big racedays like this.

“I’m very happy with the horse and he looks ready to rock and roll, so it’s game on.

“The race is not a walk in the park, the French horse is good and Ayani won the Swedish Derby and we don’t know how good he is.

“We won it last year, but last year it was weaker. But saying that I think Hard One To Please has improved from last year as well.”

Dettori tasted glory when riding in Hungary earlier this month, but if he is to add another global prize to his CV then Hard One To Please will have to see off a strong cast which includes Christophe Ferland’s French challenger Big Call and British raider Outbox, who will be partnered by Hollie Doyle.

Archie Watson’s eight-year-old is a regular visitor to Bro Park and as well as going down by a nose to Hard One To Please in the Stockholm Cup International 12 months ago, also picked up the silver medal in 2021.

“He was beaten by a very good horse two years ago and was then narrowly beaten last year by a horse who runs against him again on Sunday, so the owners are looking forward to another bold show,” said Cosmo Charlton, head racing manager for owners Hambleton Racing.

“It’s an exciting trip over and we’ve had successful raids over there in the past. We’ve got some owners going out and we’re always very well looked after.

“Outbox is a horse who owes us nothing, we paid 16,000 guineas for him and he’s earnt I think over £600,000 in prize-money for us.

“He’s an old horse now but was a really good second at Newmarket earlier the season proving he retains plenty of his old ability. A reproduction of that type of form would see him go close I would have thought.”

Hambleton Racing recorded a double at Bro Park on this card in 2022 and will also be represented in the Bro Park Sprint Championship by Kevin Ryan’s Washington Heights as the operation attempts to replicate that success.