George Ford has been working with Jonny Wilkinson to turn the drop-goal into a weapon at the World Cup.
Ford landed three as England opened the tournament with a 27-10 rout of Argentina in Marseille last Saturday and is ready to continue using them if the opportunity arises.
To assist with the tactic, the Sale fly-half has been perfecting his technique with Wilkinson, who famously landed the drop-goal that enabled England to lift the World Cup in 2003.
“Jonny’s big thing is don’t worry about the posts,” said Ford, who continues in the number 10 jersey for Sunday’s showdown with Japan in Nice.
“Obviously you need to know where they are, but the only thing you can control is what you do in terms of how you place the ball and what you do with your body.
“Jonny said you can have the ugliest drop in the world but if you get your body right and the ball is in the slot, and you get the momentum of your body towards the target, you can do it.
“How many drop goals do you see that flap over? A lot of kickers say if you speak to kids growing up they are constantly looking at the posts as if they are going move to make the ball go over.
“The drop-goal has probably been underused. You watch Jonny’s era in 2003 and 2007 and the influence drop-goals had on the game then was enormous.
“Maybe the game has tipped the balance the other side of the spectrum where everyone thinks you need to score tries every two minutes, but you need a variety of ways of scoring.
“We had spoken quite a bit about them in pre-season and how big they can be, especially at World Cups. They can be really effective and hopefully we can show that again.”
In training, Ford competes with fellow playmakers Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith to see how many drop-goals they can kick – under the watchful eye of rugby league great Kevin Sinfield, who is now England’s defence coach.
“It is interesting speaking to Kev because in rugby league you might not see as many drop-goals because it is only worth one point,” Ford said.
“But he said as soon as play-off games came around, how much they practised went through the roof because they knew they would need a couple in a semi or a final, so we are doing this thing at the minute where we kick until we miss.
“Obviously if you don’t kick many before you miss you might go again, but there is a fair bit of competition and pressure between myself, Owen and Marcus when we are doing it.
“We are bringing lads over to come and put pressure on us, because we are not daft, you are not in armchair. You need to make it as realistic as possible.”
Wales boss Warren Gatland declared it a case of “job done” by beating Portugal 28-8 at Stade de Nice and taking another step toward the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
It was not pretty at times, and Wales only claimed the bonus-point try they coveted when number eight Taulupe Faletau scored in the dying seconds, but Gatland’s team now have 10 points from 10 in Pool C.
“If someone said you would have 10 points from the first two games, we would have been pretty happy with that,” Wales head coach Gatland said.
“Look, there were aspects of today where we probably tried to play a little too much rugby early on and didn’t play a bit more territory and be a bit more direct.
“But some of those players haven’t had a lot of rugby. I just said to them in the changing room, ‘job done’. We’ve got the five points.
“They had thrown everything at us in those first 20 minutes. They probably didn’t have the same opportunities in the second half in terms of putting us under that sort of pressure.
“When we ran hard and won those collision, that is when we looked dangerous. Probably at times we were a little bit lateral.
“It’s good we have given everyone in the squad an opportunity and some rugby. We have a little bit more time in terms of preparation before Australia and we can start looking forward to that game.”
Gatland confirmed flanker Tommy Reffell was suffering from a tight calf muscle that saw him pulled out of the starting line-up just minutes before kick-off, with Jac Morgan called up.
“Tommy said his calf was a bit tight,” Gatland added.
“I think he was still quite keen to take the field, but if he pulled that calf, that would have been his World Cup over.
“To put Jac in as a straight replacement with very limited preparation, I thought he was good.”
Gatland’s much-changed side struggled throughout for control and fluency in the contest, the highlight of which was Portugal’s attacking flair.
Wing Louis Rees-Zammit, captain Dewi Lake, Morgan and Faletau scored tries, while Leigh Halfpenny kicked three conversions and Sam Costelow landed one, yet a vast improvement will be required against Australia in Lyon next weekend.
Portugal gave as good as they got for large parts of the game and they undoubtedly deserved more than flanker Nicolas Martins’ try and a Samuel Marques penalty.
Their exciting back division stretched Wales’ defence in all directions, although wing Vincent Pinto blotted the copybook when he was red-carded late in the game following a bunker review after his boot caught Josh Adams in the face.
Asked if he was surprised by Portugal’s physicality, Lake said: “No, I don’t think we were surprised as we had done our homework on the team that we were facing.
“We understood what they were going to bring to the table from a physicality standpoint. Gats spoke in the week about them being a mini-Fiji in terms of an off-load game.
“They’ve got players who want to snipe and want to run. In terms of physicality, we won that battle over 80 minutes.”
Portugal lost 102-11 when they last played Wales in 1994, although captain Tomas Appleton struggled to mask his disappointment at the latest outcome.
“We really wanted to win this game. We really worked hard for that,” Appleton said.
“We lost many areas of the game, we didn’t have a solid scrum, we made mistakes in the backs and when we are playing at this level we get penalised and we suffer with those mistakes.
“We couldn’t quite show the rugby that we have, the good level of fast rugby we can play, and at the end of the day we are frustrated.
“We are not here to just be a presence, we are here to compete and win. When you are playing at this level you have to be cool-headed, and I think a lot of times we made bad decisions.”
Great Britain will have to beat France in Sunday’s Davis Cup clash if they are to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition.
Australia’s 3-0 success against Switzerland on Sunday sent them through to the final eight week in Malaga in November, and the winner of the final group clash at Manchester’s AO Arena will join them.
Britain have performed excellently so far, beating Australia and Switzerland 2-1, but the nature of the other results means only another win will be enough.
Captain Leon Smith has used all four of his singles players across the two ties so far and now faces a tricky decision about who to field on Sunday.
Jack Draper and Dan Evans both claimed strong wins against Australia while Andy Murray ground out an epic win against young Swiss Leandro Riedi before Cameron Norrie was beaten by Stan Wawrinka.
“Everyone’s played now,” said Smith. “We’ve got a full deck of cards to play with on Sunday. Ultimately we’ll go with what we think’s the best option for Sunday but everyone’s available, everybody’s ready to go.
“You’re not always going to get the decisions right, and there’s not a right answer most of the time. You can look at match-ups as much as you want but there’s other equations in there.
“Genuinely this time round it feels like everyone’s in it together in the right way, everyone’s been totally accepting of any decisions that I’ve made. There’s not been any ill feeling towards it at all.
“There’s always going to be disappointment because these guys are great players, they all want to play.”
Draper and Evans, who will also play in the doubles rubber with Neal Skupski, are perhaps the front runners, although Murray famously has a great record against both French players and left-handers and has won all three of his previous meetings with number two Adrian Mannarino.
A crowd of more than 13,000, a record for a single day of Davis Cup action in the UK, is expected.
Ludvig Aberg’s meteoric rise shows no signs of slowing down after the Ryder Cup rookie cruised into a two-shot lead in the BMW PGA Championship.
Playing just his 10th event since turning professional, Aberg carded a third round of 66 at Wentworth to reach 16 under par in pursuit of back-to-back victories on the DP World Tour.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood delighted the large crowds with a 67 to share second place on 14 under with Scotland’s Connor Syme, who covered the back nine in 31 in a superb 65.
Masters champion Jon Rahm, who was two over par for the tournament after 21 holes, is four shots off the pace following a 66 which included vital birdies on the 17th and 18th.
Aberg, whose victory in the European Masters earlier this month earned him a Ryder Cup wild card from Europe captain Luke Donald hours later, admitted winning the BMW PGA Championship was “very, very high” on his bucket list.
“It is one of the biggest events on the DP World Tour, it’s been like that for a long time,” the 23-year-old said.
“I’ve got memories of Alex (Noren) winning here when he hit an unbelievable shot into 18. It’s really cool to see myself up there, I have to pinch myself in the arm every now and then but it’s quite cool.
“I think expectations just changed after Switzerland in terms of knowing I can do it. Even though I’ve won in college quite a bit it is different, whether you like it or not, to win on the pro stage and it was pretty cool to do that.
“I could tell myself that I could do it and was good enough and hopefully I’ll be able to do that tomorrow too.”
Fleetwood is also targeting a significant victory in front of a home crowd which roared him on every step of the way, the 32-year-old kickstarting his recovery from a slow start with an eagle on the fourth courtesy of a lesson from Rory McIlroy.
“I had a lesson out of the rough from Rory on Monday when the Ryder Cup team were in Rome,” Fleetwood said.
“I always struggle to get steep on it and I am always chopping out of the rough so he just helped me with a couple of things on how better to do it really.
“It worked a couple of times today. The one with an eight iron on number four was good, it came out perfect and it is a new shot in my locker.”
Fleetwood has endured several near-misses this season, including losing a play-off in the Canadian Open when Nick Taylor holed from 70 feet for a winning eagle, but would love to taste victory in front of a “biased” home crowd.
“This event means a lot to pretty much all of us on the Tour and I have not had much joy here to be honest,” Fleetwood added.
“But the crowds this week have been amazing, very biased in my direction which is great, and this event is one that everyone would love to tick off in their career.”
Syme will play alongside Fleetwood and Aberg in the final group on Sunday and will have plenty of family support after revealing his father Stuart, who is also his coach, had missed a wedding to remain at Wentworth this weekend.
“He made the decision when I was making a few birdies yesterday (Friday) afternoon,” Syme said.
“It’s my mum’s best friend’s daughter’s wedding. They spoke and my mum was happy to go on her own. My mum said that if my dad could help me even a little bit by staying down, that would be fine with her.
“I actually didn’t make that decision, by the way, so I don’t feel any pressure at all! I was expecting him to be heading home when I came off the course on Friday, but there he was.”
Shohei Ohtani won't play again in the 2023 MLB season.
This also means he may have played in his final game for the Los Angeles Angels.
The Angels placed the two-way superstar on the injured list Saturday with an oblique strain and said he'll miss the rest of the season.
Ohtani missed his 11th straight game Friday, and while he was at Angel Stadium before his team's game against the Detroit Tigers, his locker had been mostly emptied after the Angels' 11-2 loss.
Almost all of his personal items were removed and a bag that was fully packed sat on the floor in front of his stall.
The cleaned-out locker could signal that Ohtani's time with the Angels is over as the three-time All-Star will be the most coveted free agent in MLB this offseason.
Ohtani hasn't publicly made any comment about his future, but there is speculation he will sign with a new team after never reaching the playoffs during his first six MLB seasons with the Angels.
Ohtani had been shut down from pitching for the rest of this season because of a tear in his right elbow ligament, and his agent Nez Balelo had said he'll need surgery at some point.
He last served as a designated hitter September 3 after straining his obliques in batting practice, but the Angels had remained hopeful he could still return before the end of the season to hit.
Despite being slowed by injuries, Ohtani is still among the favourites to capture his second American League MVP award in three years.
As a pitcher, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings in 23 starts. At the plate, Ohtani still leads the AL with 44 homers while his 1.066 OPS ranks second in the majors behind the Texas Rangers' Corey Seager (1.069) - Ohtani's main competition for the AL MVP.
Wales took another step towards the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, but they were given a fierce examination by minnows Portugal before winning 28-8 at Stade de Nice.
Warren Gatland’s much-changed team struggled throughout for control and fluency in the Pool C contest, the highlight of which was Portugal’s attacking flair.
Wales started with only three survivors from the side that defeated Fiji last weekend, and their latest performance was a world away from what they delivered in Bordeaux six days ago.
Wing Louis Rees-Zammit, captain Dewi Lake, flanker Jac Morgan and number eight Taulupe Faletau scored tries, while Leigh Halfpenny kicked three conversions and Sam Costelow landed one, yet a vast improvement will be required against Australia in Lyon next weekend.
Portugal gave as good as they got for large parts of the game, and they undoubtedly deserved more than flanker Nicolas Martin’s try and a Samuel Marques penalty, with Wales not collecting a bonus point until the dying seconds.
Their exciting back division stretched Wales’ defence in all directions, although wing Vincent Pinto blotted the copybook when he was red-carded late in the game following a bunker review after his boot caught Josh Adams in the face.
Wales suffered an injury blow shortly before kick-off when flanker Tommy Reffell withdrew from the starting line-up and was replaced by Morgan.
Portugal, playing their first World Cup game for 16 years, were captained by centre Tomas Appleton and under the coaching direction of former France international wing Patrice Lagisquet.
Marques missed a golden chance to put his team in front when he sent a short-range penalty wide, and Wales went ahead through a ninth-minute try that saw an impressive finish from Rees-Zammit, who then performed a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration.
Halfpenny converted, but Portugal showed plenty of adventure in attack and Faletau pulled off a try-saving tackle that preserved Wales’ 7-0 lead after 17 minutes.
It was an impressive effort by the underdogs as their eagerness to move possession wide and at pace tested Wales’ defence.
Wales made errors when they got within sight of Portugal’s line, and an element of frustration was underlined when Johnny Williams received a yellow card following a technical infringement.
It was an outstanding first-half display by Portugal, who were beaten 102-11 on their only previous meeting with Wales in a World Cup qualifier 29 years ago.
Wales just could not get going, compounding their situation through poor work in the contact area, and Marques kicked a penalty three minutes before the break.
Williams then had a try disallowed after he failed to ground the ball, only for Lake to power over from close range, with Halfpenny’s conversion making it 14-3 at the interval.
Wales began the second period by losing two attacking lineouts in quick succession inside Portugal’s 22 and Gatland soon turned to his replacements’ bench, sending on Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Tomas Francis and Adam Beard.
Back-row forward Taine Basham soon followed them into the action and Wales claimed a third try after 56 minutes when Morgan crossed from close range and Halfpenny added the extras.
Portugal deservedly claimed a try midway through the second half when clever lineout work produced a try for Martins. Marques’ touchline conversion attempt hit a post and it was a warning sign to Wales that their opponents had no intention of going quietly.
The closing stages were all about whether or not Wales could secure a bonus point, and they thought they had it when scrum-half Gareth Davies crossed, only to see it disallowed for midfield obstruction.
That summed up Wales’ day, but, after Pinto was dismissed, Faletau scored in the game’s final play and Costelow converted.
It was perhaps not quite the result racing wanted in the Betfred St Leger, but the sight of the King and Queen cheering Desert Hero into a valiant third place added to a real sense of occasion at Doncaster.
Although disappointed not to send out a first royal Classic winner in 46 years, after the late Queen’s Dunfermline won the Leger in 1977, trainer William Haggas was well aware of the significance of the King and Queen attending the final Classic of the season – on an afternoon which was also the scene of Frankie Dettori’s final ride in such a race.
There had been suggestions the King might not share his mother’s love and enthusiasm for racing. But that has proven to be well wide of the mark, and the joy clearly evident in Desert Hero’s win at Royal Ascot in June has reignited the nation’s interest in the royal colours.
Having opened a farming and rural skills centre in Dumfries in the morning, the King raced to South Yorkshire in time to watch his Sea The Stars colt, and while the Tom Marquand-ridden Desert Hero found the combination of soft ground and an extended mile and three-quarters possibly stretching him – as well as the brilliance of the winner, Continuous – Haggas felt the day was a big one for Doncaster, and racing as a whole.
“It’s been a brilliant day and brilliant the King and the Queen have come, the crowd have embraced them, they seemed to have enjoyed it and they’ve been very enthusiastic,” said Haggas.
“I haven’t really had time to think about today this week as we’ve been so busy at home, but this horse is doing really well, he gets a bit sweaty but that is him. Physically he is thriving, he’s a very nice horse and a good effort for a first foal from the mare (Desert Breeze, bred by the late Queen).
“It’s been fantastic, the King has been embraced by the crowd, they both have, they’ve been very excited all week and OK he didn’t win but he ran with great credit and I’m sure they are very proud of him. It’s an all-round good day.”
As for the future, a trip to the Melbourne Cup has not yet been ruled out.
“I thought he ran a great race, he was just a little bit on it early and he really wants a mile and a half and a faster gallop. He’s going to be a very, very nice horse,” Haggas went on.
“I don’t know about the Melbourne Cup, that’s not my decision and it still needs to be discussed, hopefully we’ll make a decision quickly, well we have to because he’ll need to go into quarantine.
“He’s had a race there and he’s given his all, so I’m very proud of him. I’m thrilled his owners were here to see him.
“Tom didn’t blame the trip, I don’t think, he blamed the pace early which was a bit gentle for him but sensible in the conditions. He’ll be better with a faster pace and then he can take his time.
“He ran a good race and he beat Chesspiece a fair way this time, it’s probably a career-best so I can’t complain.
“As for next year a lot will depend on whether he goes for the Melbourne Cup, but he looks to me like a Hardwicke/King George horse.
“The Melbourne Cup is still on the table, but we said we wouldn’t discuss it until after this race because we’ve just been discussing this.”
The eloquent Marquand has not put a foot wrong all week, agreeing to dozens of media requests along the way, and he suggested with a stronger pace he may have finished a good deal closer than the three and a quarter lengths he was beaten.
Marquand said: “He was never quite in his comfort zone, they were always just going half a stride slower than I wanted.
“He’s run great and ran to the line, but it does leave the question whether this trip is him or not, he finds it easier to cruise at a mile and a half.
“It was super having the King and Queen here today to enjoy it. It’s been an enormous day for racing, it’s fantastic. Unfortunately he didn’t win, but he’s run super and lost nothing in defeat.”
Lance Stroll has been given the all-clear to race in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, despite his staggering 110mph qualifying crash.
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 all right?” asked a concerned 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 vehicle unaided before being taken off in a medical car.
But there is some doubt if Stroll, the son of the team’s fashion billionaire father Lawrence Stroll, will be able to take part in the race given the significant damage sustained by his machine.
A statement from Aston Martin read: “Lance was taken to the medical centre for a precautionary assessment. He was cleared by the on-site medical team and returned to the team at track.
“Aston Martin pay tribute to the ongoing work of the FIA and the safety measures of current Formula One cars.”
Stroll’s accident brought a premature end to Q1. A 34-minute delay followed as the mangled tyre barrier was repaired.
Stroll was 20th and last at the time of his crash. Fernando Alonso qualified seventh in the other Aston Martin.
“I’m frustrated as we have a big job – in the garage and on the race track – ahead of us,” said Stroll.
“I was struggling for grip throughout the qualifying session. When I saw my lap wasn’t improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try and make up that extra time and that’s when it went wrong. Let’s see what we can salvage tomorrow in the race.”
Max Verstappen said he can forget about extending his record winning streak after qualifying only 11th for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
On a wild night under the 1600 bulbs that light up the Marina Bay Circuit, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also walked away from a staggering 110mph shunt, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz pipped the Mercedes of George Russell to land his second pole position in as many races. Charles Leclerc will start third ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
But it was the demise of Red Bull – the unbeaten tour de force of this most one-sided of seasons – that left those here in shock and awe. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez also failed to reach Q3. He will line up in 13th for Sunday’s 62-lap race.
Verstappen warned earlier this week that the Red Bull machinery which has carried him to a record 10 consecutive victories would not be suited to this unique 3.07-mile high-downforce circuit.
Yet, nobody could have foreseen him being sent for an early bath along with Perez in the other car. Verstappen was straight on the radio to express his dismay.
“I don’t know if you saw that, but that was just f***** shocking,” he said. “Absolutely shocking experience.”
Verstappen’s Red Bull team, without a defeat in the 14 rounds so far, now face an improbable task of making history by becoming Formula One’s first ‘Invincibles’.
“You can forget about that (a victory),” said Verstappen. “I don’t want it to sound too dramatic but it has been a tough weekend, and it is a long, long time since it has been like this in qualifying.”
Verstappen last started this far back in Saudi Arabia when a driveshaft failure consigned him to 15th at the second round in March. He finished runner-up to Perez.
But the streets of Singapore, unlike those in Jeddah, are strenuous to overtake on. Indeed, eight of the last 13 races here have been won from pole.
“You cannot pass here,” added Verstappen. “You need to be one and a half, to two or three seconds faster than the car in front which we are not. It will be a very tough and long afternoon.
“On other tracks you can start last and win, but not in Singapore. I want to win, but when it is not possible you have to accept that.
“I knew there would be a day that I wouldn’t win. I had a really good run up until now.
“And I would always take a season where we are winning as much as we have, and have one really bad weekend, over the other way round when you are not fighting for the championship. I am confident the car will be fast again in Suzuka next weekend.”
Red Bull’s sudden malaise cleared the way for Sainz to capture another pole, a fortnight after he secured top spot in qualifying in Monza.
However, Russell ran the Spaniard close, finishing just 0.072 seconds back, and the Englishman believes he has a strong chance of landing Mercedes’ first win of the campaign and the second of his career.
The Silver Arrows have also followed a unqiue strategy this weekend that leaves Russell with an extra set of medium tyres which could provide him with the tactical edge over Sainz.
“George has a really good shot at winning and I really hope he does,” said team-mate Hamilton, who qualified half-a-second back on disappointing evening for the seven-time world champion.
“I hope he gets a good start and gets ahead of the Ferraris. That would be amazing for him and for the team.
“For me, I will see what I can do. If I get further up then great. I changed the car last night and I don’t know what is going on with it. It is the hardest car I have ever driven to get right.”
There was no fairytale final Classic for Frankie Dettori as the retiring weighing-room legend had to settle for second aboard Arrest in the Betfred St Leger.
It was long thought Dettori would ride his Royal Ascot winner Gregory for his final crack at one of racing’s elite prizes, but the Italian made a last-minute switch to his John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Arrest ahead of declarations on Thursday on account of the soft going at Doncaster.
The 52-year-old had begun his farewell season with 2000 Guineas victory aboard Chaldean and in perfect symmetry he was again donning the Juddmonte silks in which he has enjoyed so many big-race triumphs throughout his career as he went in search of a seventh and final Leger trophy.
Like when partnering Arrest in his final Derby earlier in the season, the money came for Dettori’s mount, and he was sent off the 11-4 favourite as the stalls opened for the Doncaster showpiece.
And Dettori’s calculated risk briefly appeared clinical judgement as Arrest surged past a tiring Gregory approaching the final furlong.
However, already edging ahead of them was Ryan Moore aboard Continuous and Dettori was powerless in the closing stages as Aidan O’Brien’s improving colt galloped clear to run out a clinical winner of the world’s oldest Classic.
Dettori said: “I was actually getting excited between the three and the two and I thought I was going to win when I went by Gregory and then I looked over and saw Ryan and though ‘ah, I’m not going to’.
“I think that was a really good Leger, you could almost compare it to the Capri, Stradivarius, Coronet year (2017). I think the top three are pretty good.
“I said to John ‘train him as a good mile-and-a-half horse next year’ but then I realised it’s not my problem anymore”
He went on: “I wanted to curse at Ryan, but he’s such a good mate of mine I couldn’t. I congratulated him and he was on the best horse on the day.
“I had a super run and then I saw I Ryan going better than me and I knew getting second would be good.
“He was a bit gassy, but that’s the way he is. He could be a force to be reckoned with next year over a mile and a half.
“It’s been a good journey, it wasn’t to be but I came close and I loved it.”
As at the Ebor meeting Dettori – who enjoyed a chat with the King, in attendance to watch his Desert Hero finish a gallant third, following the race – laughed off the idea he could be tempted to postpone retirement. “It’s got to be (a) big (offer)! Big!” he said.
Arrest’s training team concurred with Dettori’s thoughts that Arrest could be a real player in some top contests next term.
They were also satisfied with the brave effort of Gregory, who after being up with the pace throughout plugged on when tired in unsuitable ground to finish a not-disgraced fifth.
Thady Gosden said: “They’ve both run very good races, they’ve just been beaten by a very good horse there.
“Arrest has run a super race to be second. Gregory ran a nice race but the ground just wasn’t in his favour, he’s a horse with a lovely action and it would have been a bit deep for him.
“I think they are both quite versatile regarding trip. If you look at Gregory he’s still got some maturing to do, he’s a big horse and could be a Cup horse next year.
“We’ll have to see with Arrest, he’s stayed a mile-six-and-a-half there which isn’t far off a Cup trip so we’ve lots to look forward to.”
Tom Scudamore will don familiar colours in the ever-popular Vickers.Bet Leger Legends Classified Stakes at Doncaster on Sunday.
The one-mile event sees retired riders attempt to recreate past glories to raise money for the Injured Jockeys Fund and the National Horseracing College in nearby Rossington, and Scudamore, who called time on his riding career in February, will ride Ben Brookhouse’s appropriately named I Still Have Faith.
Scudamore carried the Brookhouse family silks to Cheltenham Festival glory when Western Warhorse snatched the 2014 Arkle and although his mount this weekend is not at the same level, he does head into this race with leading claims.
“He’s the highest-rated horse in this race, so I’m quite pleased to get on him,” said Scudamore.
“I’ve had a lot of success in the Brookhouse colours over the years, so it’s quite fitting to have my last go in those colours.
“Obviously we’ve got the yard in Hereford now with young horses, so I’ve been keeping myself busy in that respect and all is good. I might not be quite at peak fitness, but we’re not far off – I haven’t let myself go too badly!”
He went on: “It’s a fantastic cause. Jack Berry is somebody we all admire so much after what he’s done and what he’s achieved over the years and it’s very fitting that he’s once again got the turn out he’s got.
“We’re all competitive people, you don’t ride as many winners as everyone has ridden to not be competitive. I’m sure there’ll be smiles to begin with but we’ll all be deadly serious once it gets going!”
Robbie Power got the perfect send-off at the Punchestown Festival in 2022, but is confident he has done enough in the interim to retain his fitness ahead of getting the leg-up on Mick Appleby’s Lion’s Dream.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it. I was supposed to take part last year but unfortunately I couldn’t.
“This will be my first time riding on a racecourse since I got off Teahupoo in Punchestown in April of last year, but I’ve been busy riding work for Henry (de Bromhead) and keeping myself fit.
“It will be a fun day and it’s for a great cause. I haven’t lost the winning mentality so hopefully I get a good ride and we’ll do our best to be competitive.
“I think everyone will have the same mentality, they’ll be wanting to win, so I’m sure there’ll be no quarter given.”
Davy Russell initially hung up his boots in December last year, but after already making one retirement U-turn this year, will make a second comeback – albeit for one race – aboard David O’Meara’s Culcor.
The 44-year-old answered an SOS from Gordon Elliott when returning to deputise for the injured Jack Kennedy and having thought he had exited the weighing room for good following his ride on Galvin in the Grand National, was quickly persuaded to take part in this fund-raising event by fellow jumps stalwart Andrew Thornton.
Russell said: “It should be good craic anyway. I’ve been riding out a bit Gordon and I’ve a few horses and ponies at home as well, so I’ll be fit enough. The weight is a bit of an issue all right, but we’ll manage that – hopefully my boots will fit me!
“It’s a good cause to support. Andrew Thornton got hold of me in Aintree and didn’t give me much chance to think about it!”
At the other end of the scale, it was 1999 when Jamie Osborne retired from race riding and he now brings to an end a 24-year hiatus from the saddle.
Osborne will partner his own Cliffs Of Capri and although soft ground may be against his mount, he credits the race with providing him with some focus, with the fear of failure driving his pre-race fitness regime.
He said: “I have to confess, getting ready for it has probably done me the world of good. I’ve actually tried quite hard riding and going to the gym for the last six weeks. I don’t like admitting it, but I do feel better for it.
“As ever, I’m absolutely useless unless I have a goal, but I don’t know, I will probably go back to being a slob afterwards.
“There has to be some fear attached to it for motivation and the fear has always been making an absolute idiot of myself.
“Cliffs Of Capri has never been as good on soft ground as he has been on good ground, but hopefully he copes with it and it may dry out a bit before the race. If it’s tacky it will probably not be in his favour.”
Other notable names taking part include Richard Johnson (Dandy Maestro), Mattie Batchelor (Mykonos St John) and former champion jockeys on the Flat, Paul Hanagan (Biplane) and Seb Sanders (Always Fearless).
Continuous added to Aidan O’Brien’s Classic haul with a clinical triumph in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster.
On a day when a first royal Classic winner since 1977 was a real possibility, it was racing royalty that came to the fore as O’Brien won the showpiece event for the seventh time with the 3-1 second-favourite striking in the hands of Ryan Moore.
The Ballydoyle runner had marked himself out as a prime contender for the final Classic of the season with victory in the Great Voltigeur at York and franked that form in supreme style on Town Moor.
https://x.com/itvracing/status/1703057710944534752?s=20
With stablemate Denmark setting the pace from Gregory, Moore was at pains to bide his time aboard Continuous alongside Desert Hero towards the rear of midfield.
But on turning for home Continuous showed his class up the long, stamina-stamina Doncaster straight, working his way to the front two furlongs from home and surging clear to register a two-and-three-quarter-length success over 11-4 favourite Arrest, who was ridden by Frankie Dettori in his final Classic.
Desert Hero ran with huge credit in third for the King and Queen, who were on course to watch the William Haggas-trained colt.
Hosts Lebanon secured a 4-0 victory over the travelling Jamaicans in Davis Cup World Group II play on Friday and Saturday.
Play at the Automobile and Touring Club of Lebanon in Jounieh got underway of Friday with Benjamin Hassan taking on Jamaica’s Rowland “Randy” Phillips in singles.
Hassan, Lebanon’s highest ranked ATP singles player at 209, took a tight first set 7-5 before completing a straight-sets win with a 6-3 score-line in the second set.
It was then time for Jamaica’s highest ranked player, Blaise Bicknell, to see if he could level proceedings with a win over Hady Habib.
The pair played out a tight first set, eventually needing a tiebreak at 6-6 with Habib taking it 7 points to five over the Jamaican world number 430.
The second set was far less competitive, with Habib taking it 6-1 to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
On Saturday, Phillips and Bicknell were first up in doubles taking on Habib and Hassan.
The Lebanese took the first set 6-2 before the Jamaicans rallied to take the second 6-3. Lebanon’s pair then held their nerve to take the decider 6-3 and take a 3-0 lead in the tie.
The fourth match saw Mustapha El Natour secure a dominant 6-3, 6-1 win over Jamaica’s Daniel Azar.
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."
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