William Haggas appears to have found Aldaary an excellent opportunity to open his account for the campaign in the Dubai Duty Free Cup at Newbury on Friday.
The winner of two valuable handicaps at Ascot in two weeks a couple of years ago, the five-year-old successfully stepped up to Listed class in the Spring Trophy at Haydock last season, but that proved to be his only competitive start in 2022.
He has failed to add to his tally since returning from over 400 days on the sidelines, but was unfortunate to bump into subsequent Grade One winner Master Of The Seas in the Summer Mile at Ascot in July and was last seen finishing fourth behind Paddington in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
Dropping down in trip and distance for this seven-furlong Listed event, Aldaary sets a high standard, although one of his biggest threats could prove to be his stablemate Al Mubhir, who has winning form in soft ground and was a big eyecatcher when eighth in the Golden Mile at Goodwood last month.
Haggas said: “They both love heavy ground and it has been a while since we’ve had heavy ground and there has been a race in which they can run.
“I didn’t have either of them in at Sandown this week because I didn’t think the ground would get that bad, but I had them both in at Newbury so they’ll both have to run, which is a shame.
“Aldaary is the best horse of the two but he really loves bottomless ground, it can’t be heavy enough, so I was a little bit disappointed with him against Paddington.
“Both of them want a mile really, but hopefully they’ll run a good race. I don’t really want to run them against each other, but they have biggish targets at the end of the year so they need a run to get back into the groove.”
Streets Of Gold was placed in the Surrey Stakes at Epsom and the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot during the summer, but failed to fire in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket.
The three-year-old was subsequently gelded and his trainer Eve Johnson Houghton was encouraged by his comeback run when fifth in the Listed Hopeful Stakes last month.
She said: “I’m really happy with him and we’ll take a view on the ground. He won on soft ground last year, so we’ll think about it anyway.
“I was happy with his last run, really pleased, and I definitely think he’s come forward from that.”
Other contenders include Ralph Beckett’s course and distance winner Biggles and the consistent Popmaster from Ed Walker’s yard.
The Haynes, Hanson And Clark Novice Stakes is a race with a rich history, with equine greats such as Shergar (1980), Rainbow Quest (1983) and Nayef (2000) all featuring on the roll of honour.
Nayef, who subsequently won the Champion Stakes, Dubai Sheema Classic, Juddmonte International and Prince of Wales’s Stakes, is one of a record five previous winners of the race for trainer Marcus Tregoning, who is this year represented by Shadwell-owned newcomer Mufid.
Recalling Nayef’s debut win, Tregoning said: “We were pretty confident and in actual fact the reason we ran him in this race was because he was quite tricky in the stalls at home and I thought we might be better running in a conditions race rather than a maiden because there’d be less runners.
“He was a very good two-year-old, obviously, and went on to become a multiple Group One winner, so he was exceptionally good.”
It would be fanciful at this stage to suggest Mufid could go on to scale such lofty heights and Tregoning is just hoping for a positive performance in what will be testing conditions.
He added: “He’s by Lope De Vega, who has obviously had a very good year, and he’s out of a Sea The Stars mare, so he’s always given me the impression a mile will suit him really well.
“It’s his first run and we like him, but it’s a job to know (what to expect) when he’s running on heavy ground first time out.
“I hope he’ll run a nice race, but it’s a good race, as it always is. You’ve got horses in there with winning form on soft ground, but it will be particularly testing, I think.”
Roger Varian’s Defiance is a non-runner, but once-raced maiden winners Royal Supremacy (Andrew Balding) and Blue Lemons (Richard Hannon) take their chance, while King’s Gambit (Harry and Roger Charlton) won on his second start over the course and distance and also features.
Blair Kinghorn is relishing his elevated status as Scotland’s first-choice World Cup full-back after spending most of his international career to date trying to emerge from the shadows of greats Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg.
The 26-year-old Edinburgh back has accumulated 47 caps since his debut in 2018, largely due to his versatility in being able to operate at number 15, number 10 and even on the wing.
In trying to establish himself at full-back, Kinghorn found Hogg – Scotland’s record try-scorer – blocking his way to a starting place, while his bid to become an international stand-off always seemed unlikely for as long as the talismanic Russell was still at the top of his game.
Hogg’s retirement earlier this summer, however, opened the door for Kinghorn to set about making the 15 jersey his own.
After starting the two summer Tests against France last month, it came as little surprise when he got the nod over the less experienced full-back Ollie Smith to start the World Cup opener against South Africa.
He is expected to retain his place for Sunday’s match against Tonga in Nice as the Scots bid to bounce back from their 18-3 defeat by the Springboks.
“I feel like there’s been a different focus this pre-season, coming into the World Cup feeling like I can grab a starting jersey,” he said.
“Being able to start at 15 is something I don’t want to let go of and something I don’t take lightly.
“I’m really excited about it. Everyone always wants to be starting for their country and now that I’ve had the opportunity to start the last game, and a couple of the warm-up games to start at 15, it’s been really exciting for me.
“There’s still a lot of competition in our squad for that jersey, everyone is pushing each other, so I’ve just got to keep training well and playing well, if selected, and hopefully I can hang on to it for a while longer.”
For much of 2022, amid tension between Gregor Townsend and Russell, it looked like Kinghorn was being primed as a Scotland fly-half.
However, with Russell and the head coach having patched up their differences last November, Kinghorn’s hopes of becoming number 10 for the national team were effectively dashed.
“I think so,” he said when asked if his focus was now fully on the full-back position. “I feel comfortable back there. I’ve got the ability to cover stand-off if needed but I feel like full-back is my best suited position at the moment, and I feel like that’s where I can offer the team my strengths.”
Kinghorn knows he has big boots to fill in succeeding Hogg, one of Scotland’s greatest ever players, but he is intent on playing the position his own way.
“Obviously Hoggy was a world-class player so over the last five years since I’ve been in camp with him I’ve been picking up little bits of knowledge here and there from him, but I’m looking to put my own game into that 15 jersey,” he said.
“A lot of players play in different styles and I think me and Hoggy have contrasting styles in certain ways, but I’ll be looking to put my own stamp on the position.”
Kinghorn is enjoying his second World Cup after going to Japan in 2019 as a 22-year-old. The back was a fringe man at the last showpiece, making just two appearances and only one as a starter. He feels he has developed significantly as a player and a person since then.
“I was inexperienced and quite young when I came to my first World Cup,” said Kinghorn. “You grow and mature into these situations and you realise how hard it is to stay at the top of your game for an entire pre-season and World Cup.
“You’ve got to take your preparation and your recovery seriously. I think when you’re younger you’re a bit naive to how much work it actually takes so I feel like I’m a more mature player who has definitely dealt with a bit more life experience within rugby and I can handle situations a bit better.”
Giavellotto will head to Qipco Champions Day or be put away until next season after connections shelved the idea of having a tilt at this year’s Melbourne Cup.
A narrow winner of the Yorkshire Cup in the spring, Marco Botti’s stable star has since finished fifth in the Goodwood Cup and third in the Lonsdale Cup back at York last month.
Given Giavellotto’s preference for a sound surface, a trip to Australia appeared an attractive proposition – but with the stringent veterinary checks required to contest the Flemington showpiece seemingly a factor, he will not contest the ‘race that stops a nation’ in early November.
“He’s in good form and has come out of the race at York in fine shape, but we’re not going to Australia,” said Botti.
“There were a few niggling problems and it’s not going to happen this year unfortunately. He’s fine, but there were concerns we might get him there and he wouldn’t be able to run or whatever, so we just decided bypass it for this year.
“Hopefully next year if we still have him and everything is going well then we can think about it as the Melbourne Cup is a race the owners would love to go for, and the race and the track would suit him as he seems to go on left-handed tracks.”
With the Melbourne Cup ruled out, the only viable option left for Giavellotto this season is the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup on October 21, but the prospect of demanding conditions at Ascot is an obvious concern.
“We’ll keep an eye on the weather as he will only go to Ascot if the ground is not too soft. Good to soft is fine, but he wouldn’t want to run on anything softer than that,” Botti added.
“If he doesn’t go to Ascot we’ll just put him away for the winter.
“We haven’t discussed plans for next year with the owners yet. I wouldn’t rule out going back to Dubai World Cup night for the Gold Cup, but let’s see how he winters and how he is after a nice break.”
Heredia could get her shot a big-race glory next month with connections indicating they are likely to supplement the thriving four-year-old for the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.
The Richard Hannon-trained filly gave owners St Albans Bloodstock a day to remember when landing the Sandringham at Royal Ascot in 2022, but despite being a consistent performer, it was over a year before she notched up her next victory in the Dick Hern Stakes at Haydock last month.
It was a switch to again racing over a mile that signalled the return to winning ways on Merseyside and she quickly added to her tally with a career-best effort in the Group Three Atalanta Stakes at Sandown.
The Heredia team now appear ready to pay the £20,000 supplementary fee to roll the dice at Group One level, where rivals could include John and Thady Gosden’s Inspiral.
“We’ve all had a chat and we we’re absolutely delighted with Sandown,” said Richard Brown, racing manager for the owners.
“She is a filly on a sharp upwards curve and when fillies do that you don’t know how far they can go, so we’ll most likely supplement her for the Sun Chariot.”
Queen’s Guard will seek to take a step forward in the British EBF Stallions Harry Rosebery Stakes at Ayr.
The Michael Bell-trained filly was fourth on debut at Doncaster in July and was then a smart winner of a keenly-contested Yarmouth maiden early in August.
Both races were over six furlongs, and the daughter of Havana Grey now steps down to five to bid for black-type form in Listed company.
“We’re dropping back to five furlongs, she’s got bundles of speed in her pedigree,” said Bell.
“Although she’s the most inexperienced, the way she won at Yarmouth would fully justify the decision to run her in this.”
Queen’s Guard made her debut on soft ground and won on good the next time, with Bell expecting her to prove to be versatile in terms of surface.
He said: “I think she’ll go with cut, I think she just got very tired on debut.
“I don’t think she’ll be inconvenienced by the ground, she just took a big blow (at Doncaster), I think he’s actually quite flexible on ground conditions.”
Also set to contest the five-furlong event is Andrew Balding’s Purosangue, second behind Big Evs in the Molecomb at Goodwood and second again in the Roses Stakes at York when last seen.
Karl Burke’s Beautiful Diamond lines up having been beaten a length and a half in the Group Two Lowther on her last start, with Brian Meehan’s Group One-placed Toca Madera and Kevin Ryan’s Mon Na Slieve both set to compete.
Richard Fahey’s Bombay Bazaar and Craig Lidster’s Alfa Moonstone complete the group of seven.
A field of 13 have assembled for the Listed Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes, with Queen Me a leading fancy. Kevin Ryan also saddles Silent Words.
The Fahey-trained Marine Wave and William Haggas’ Pink Diamond both have chances, as does Ralph Beckett’s Funny Story, second by a neck in a Listed event at Pontefract.
Michael Dods runs last year’s winner Gale Force Maya and George Boughey is responsible for the internationally-campaigned Perdika.
There is a sole Irish-trained runner in Fozzy Stack’s Aussie Girl, runner-up in the Group Three Ballyogan Stakes and a filly who has been unfailingly consistent all season.
Nick Bradley has a pair of runners in Karl Burke’s Secret Angel and Grant Tuer’s Sophia’s Starlight, with David Evans’ Radio Goo Goo, Ed Walker’s Rum Cocktail and Richard Spencer’s Sweet Harmony completing the line-up.
Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park has been recalled in the only change to Ireland’s starting XV for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup showdown with reigning champions South Africa in Paris.
Gibson-Park, who sat out his side’s 59-16 win over Tonga, will resume his half-back partnership with captain Johnny Sexton at Stade de France, with Conor Murray dropping to the bench.
Hooker Dan Sheehan is in line for his first appearance since suffering a foot injury in last month’s warm-up win over England after being named among the replacements.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has stuck with a five-three split of forwards and backs on the bench for the standout fixture in Pool B, despite the Springboks opting for a bold seven-one selection.
Prop Finlay Bealham is among those in reserve after satisfying head injury assessments following his early withdrawal last weekend.
Centre Bundee Aki, the tournament’s leading try scorer with four after doubles against Romania and Tonga, will win his 50th Ireland cap, while flanker Peter O’Mahony will make his 100th Test appearance, including one for the British and Irish Lions.
The world’s top-ranked nation have the chance to secure a quarter-final spot as they go in search of a 16th consecutive win, a run which includes a 19-16 Dublin success over South Africa in November.
Hooker Ronan Kelleher and props Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong continue in an all-Leinster front row, ahead of locks Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan.
O’Mahony is again joined in the back row by number eight Caelan Doris and reigning world player of the year Josh van der Flier.
Garry Ringrose and the in-form Aki link up in midfield, with full-back Hugo Keenan in a familiar back three alongside wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe.
Sheehan, Bealham and Murray are joined on the bench by Dave Kilcoyne, Iain Henderson, Ryan Baird, Jack Crowley and Robbie Henshaw.
Rob Herring, Craig Casey and Ross Byrne drop out of the matchday 23.
Ireland team: H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster, capt), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), R Kelleher (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), J Ryan (Leinster), P O’Mahony (Munster), J Van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: D Sheehan (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), F Bealham (Connacht), I Henderson (Ulster), R Baird (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster).
Conor Benn insists proven drug cheats should be banned for life as he prepares to reignite his career.
The 26-year-old has not fought since April 2022 after failing two voluntary drugs tests, but has vehemently protested his innocence and has been cleared to fight Mexico’s Rodolfo Orozco this weekend in Orlando.
Benn, in Florida ahead of Saturday’s fight with 24-year-old super-welterweight Orozco at Caribe Royale, said: “It hasn’t changed how I feel. They can take your hair follicles, your nails, science doesn’t lie.
“They can solve murder cases from 10-15 years ago. They can definitely tell if there are any abnormalities in an individual’s body over the last six months to a year.
“So if the science comes back and it’s proven doping, ban for life. Ban for life. See you later. There’s no room for it.
“But if you are innocent, don’t let it be a trial by media or politics. That’s all this is. This is nothing to do with my innocence.”
Benn tested positive for clomifene after two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) tests in the build-up to his scheduled fight with Chris Eubank Jr last October.
He was formally charged by UK Anti-Doping in April and it was announced in July he had been cleared by an independent National Anti-Doping Panel.
But UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) appealed against the decision to lift Benn’s provisional suspension last month, which prevented the son of former two-weight world champion Nigel Benn being able to resume his boxing career in his home country.
Hearn said a clash with Chris Eubank Jr could happen in the UK in December and that he had already received offers from international venues to stage the fight.
Benn’s positive tests were conducted by VADA for the WBC, which cleared the boxer of any wrongdoing in February, pointing to an “elevated consumption of eggs” for the findings.
The Londoner, who has criticised the governing body’s handling of his case, said: “The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have done a case study on this, so how does nobody know about it?
“How come two other fighters have tested positive (for clomifene) within this year and two cyclists, all tested positive, all in trace amounts.
“People need to look into this further. How can it be strict liability when it’s in our food?
“The case study has been done and it happens to be that the scientific evidence matches up to the case study.
“They did a test and someone digested a tablet and someone was contaminated via food and it shows up completely differently in the body. It metabolises differently in the body.
“My case is clear, that it’s come from food because it shows in certain parts of the body it wasn’t digested via a tablet.”
Catalans Dragons head coach Steve McNamara is relishing the “excitement and anticipation” of one of the tightest ever finishes to a regular Betfred Super League season on Friday night.
Catalans are one of three clubs, along with Wigan and St Helens, who head into the final round locked together on 38 points in the race to land the League Leaders’ Shield.
Arguably more important is the incentive to confirm a top-two slot, which will guarantee a single home fixture in the play-offs to reach the Grand Final at Old Trafford on October 14.
McNamara, whose side head for Salford having given their hopes a mathematical boost with a 61-0 humiliation of Leeds in Perpignan last weekend, believes the scenario is exactly what the game required.
“I think the whole competition is looking on it with excitement and anticipation, and no-one is really sure where any of the teams are going to finish,” said McNamara.
“We’ve put ourselves in a great position by winning the game in a good fashion last week, but anything can happen and all the coaches involved will just be concentrating on getting their own performance right.”
First-placed Wigan are in the strongest position, heading to near-neighbours Leigh in the knowledge that a win will all but mathematically ensure them of top spot.
Likewise, Catalans are assured of at least second place if they win at Salford – barring an improbable points swing – while Saints, who are at home to Hull FC, can capitalise if they win and either of the teams above them slip up.
“This ending is what we’ve always wanted,” said Wigan head coach Matt Peet.
“Every game has mattered in the last few weeks, and it makes the competition more interesting. It’s right down to the wire, it’s great to be involved and it’s what professional sport should be about.”
Leigh’s play-off place is already secure, but they may need a win to confirm home advantage against their Challenge Cup final opponents Hull KR.
The fast-finishing Robins head to relegated Wakefield in the knowledge that if Leigh lose and they win with a 34-point swing, next week’s play-off elimination clash will take place at Craven Park rather than Leigh Sports Village.
Meanwhile Salford could still nip into sixth slot if they upset Catalans, but only if Warrington, who currently sit in the final place, lose at Huddersfield.
Saints boss Paul Wellens admits his own side are least likely to seal a top-two place, meaning they would face a home elimination play-off next week, followed by a prospective trip to the south of France in the semi-final.
“We know that out of the three we’re probably least likely to finish top,” said Wellens. “If you’re within 20 or 30 points it does maybe alter your thinking, but now the points difference is out of the question.
“We’ve just got to turn up to win the game against Hull and see what happens. Salford and Leigh are difficult places to go. All three teams at the top face a tough challenge.”
Matilda Picotte is likely to return to Newmarket for next month’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes following her impressive victory at Doncaster last week.
Kieran Cotter’s star filly won a Listed race on the Rowley Mile at the end of her juvenile campaign and returned to Headquarters to finish third in the 1000 Guineas in May.
The three-year-old notched her first win of the season when dominating her rivals in the Group Three Sceptre Stakes on Sunday – and while a possible trip to France for the Prix de la Foret was mooted by Cotter afterwards, she is set to stick to more familiar surroundings on October 13.
“The plan is to go to the Challenge Stakes in Newmarket. She’s had two runs there, winning the Bosra Sham and finishing third in the Guineas, so that’s where we’ll probably head,” Cotter confirmed.
“The race in France (Prix de la Foret) is on Sunday week and she’s had two runs in a fortnight now already, so we’ll let her recover from that.
“She was third in the Lowther in York last season when the ground was on the quick side, but in an ideal world we’d prefer a bit of ease in the ground. I’m sure at this time of year we’ll get that.”
Cotter revealed a decision on Matilda Picotte’s long-term future will be made after her next run.
He added: “It’d be nice (to keep her in training next year), (but) the plan all along was to sell at the end of the year at the mares’ sale.
“Things can change depending on how things go, but we said all along that you probably wouldn’t see the best of her until the backend of this year.
“Without a doubt I’d say her performance last Sunday was her best run to date. Interestingly, someone was saying to me the other day she actually ran the first five furlongs faster than the winner of the five-furlong Listed race afterwards (Rogue Lightning), and she’d still two furlongs to run. That kind of puts it in perspective a little.
“She’s an exciting horse to have for a small yard.”
Gregory will have the top staying races in his sights when he returns next year, with his brave St Leger run in defeat signalling the end of his three-year-old campaign.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the son of Golden Horn quickly established himself as a high-class performer by winning his first three outings and also demonstrated his thirst for a stamina test when striking in the hands of Frankie Dettori in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.
However, after a first defeat in the Great Voltigeur at York and deserted by Dettori on account of the wet week in South Yorkshire, he was unable to correct the record on unsuitable ground at Doncaster as Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous confirmed Knavesmire form on Town Moor.
The Wathnan Racing-owned colt holds an entry for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot next month, but even though Gregory plugged on for a respectable fifth once headed in the St Leger, connections will now wait until next year before testing his long-distance credentials, with his Doncaster outing the final act of his 2023 season.
“I think he’s going to be better on top of the ground and he still ran an admirable race,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser to Gregory’s owners, reflecting on his Leger run.
“He’s a big colt and by the far the biggest, most scopey horse in that field and he’s only going to get better from three to four.
“He still ran with credit, but we’ll put him away now and we’ll look at turning him into a Cup horse next year.
“I think he’s got a very high cruising speed and he can sustain that, so I think that is what way we will be looking at.”
Lando Norris has called for stronger punishments to be dished out for blocking other drivers after Max Verstappen escaped grid sanctions at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Verstappen was under three separate investigations following qualifying – one for stopping at the pit lane exit, one for impeding Logan Sargeant and another for getting in the way of Yuki Tsunoda in Q2 – but only received a 5,000 euros (£4,308) fine.
Norris believes that more responsibility should be placed on the driver to avoid such incidents.
“I think the blocking one on track should have been a penalty,” Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
“If you block someone, it is not just down to the team – I know the team got a fine – but it should be down to the driver as well.
“You have to look in your mirrors. You have nothing else to do the whole lap but look in your mirrors and it seems like a lot of people struggle to do that.
“There should be harsher penalties for blocking. So many people do it.
“It ruins your lap, ruins your qualifying. It put Yuki out in qualifying, he was P1 in Q1.
“Nobody seems to care enough. It has happened a lot this season, it has happened to me quite a few times – especially with certain teams – but it is down to the driver to look in the mirror.
“I will probably block someone this weekend now and make myself look stupid.”
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both among the cars held up by Verstappen’s wait at the pit exit and the seven-time world champion says there has to be more consistency in the decision making.
“I didn’t really see them, I was in the pit lane when everyone stopped and I couldn’t see what was happening ahead,” Hamilton said.
“We always push and work as closely as we can with the FIA to achieve consistency and there are some variations so we have to continue to work on that.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who also held up, added: “I was a bit surprised (there was not a stronger penalty), especially with the one in the pit lane as that could open some quite bad situations in the future.
“It is always an open discussion with the FIA, trying to explain what our point of view is. I am sure we will have that discussion at the briefing.”
Verstappen, who arrives in Japan with a 151-point lead in the drivers’ championship, feels that every incident has to be judged individually by the stewards.
He said: “Every single instance is different.
“The only thing I can say about Singapore is that I explained what happened when I was sitting in the car and the information that was given to me.
“That is all I can do and it is up to the stewards to make that call.”
The United States ended Europe’s dominance to win the Ryder Cup for the first time in nine years on this day in 2008.
Paul Azinger’s team claimed victory by an emphatic 16.5–11.5 score at Valhalla Golf Club, with Jim Furyk hitting the winning point on the 17th to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez.
It ended Europe’s run of winning three consecutive Ryder Cups and left team captain Nick Faldo facing plenty of scrutiny for his controversial picks on the final day in Kentucky.
The USA established a lead from the morning foursomes on Friday and concluded day one with a three-point lead following the afternoon four-ball.
An evenly contested day two saw America hold a 9-7 advantage at the end of Saturday going into the singles matches on Sunday.
Europe team captain Faldo decided to bottom-load his best players for the Sunday singles, with Padraig Harrington, the Open and USPGA champion, held back for the last match.
Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood were amongst the last groups out at Valhalla.
It backfired badly for Faldo with Anthony Kim beating Sergio Garcia in the opening singles before Kenny Perry, Boo Weekley and JB Holmes got USA on a winning streak.
It left the fate of the Ryder Cup down to Furyk, who beat Jimenez two and one to ensure America got their hands back on the trophy with McDowell, Poulter, Westwood and Harrington still out on the green.
“We are talking about fractions between these two teams. If we could get it to the last four guys – that was the risk I guess we took,” Faldo reflected.
“We gave our heart and soul. The golf was fantastic and this particular week they have done us. Everybody has given 100 per cent and that’s all you can do.”
Europe take on the United States in the Ryder Cup in Rome from September 29.
Here, the PA news agency takes a statistical look at the contest.
3 – this year’s renewal at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club is only the third time the competition has been staged in continental Europe, following 2018 in Paris and 1997 at Valderrama.
44 – it is the 44th staging of the Ryder Cup overall.
27 – wins for the United States, who dominated 18-3 against Great Britain and Ireland up to 1977 but trail 11-9 in the modern-day contest against Europe. There have been two ties, in 1969 and 1989.
14 1/2 – points required to win the trophy outright. America would retain the trophy with a 14-14 draw.
12 – American Phil Mickelson holds the record for the most Ryder Cup appearances.
28 1/2 – Europe’s Sergio Garcia has won the most points in the event’s history. He is also the only teenager to play in the contest.
6 – holes in one in Ryder Cup history, the first in 1973 by Peter Butler and the most recent in 2006 by Scott Verplank – the only American to achieve the feat – and Europe’s Paul Casey.
8 & 7 – the record margin of victory in an 18-hole match, by Americans Tom Kite over Howard Clark in 1989 and Fred Couples over Ian Woosnam in 1997. The European record is 7 & 5.
15 – Spanish duo Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal played as a Ryder Cup pairing on a record 15 occasions, winning 12 points.
6 – the USA team contains six of the world’s top 10. That includes number one Scottie Scheffler, although Europe have the next three in the rankings in Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland.
81 – Europe’s Nicolai Hojgaard is the lowest-ranked player in Rome, one place lower than Europe team-mate Ludvig Aberg. Rickie Fowler, at 25, is the lowest-ranked American.
16 – world number 16 Cameron Young is the highest-ranked player to miss out on this year’s event.
10 1/2 – points won by both captains in their respective playing careers. Europe’s Luke Donald played 15 matches across four European wins in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012 while American skipper Zach Johnson played 16 times in five appearances from 2006 to 2016.
Europe will attempt to regain the Ryder Cup from the United States at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from September 29-October 1.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five talking points ahead of the biennial contest, which the USA won by a record 19-9 margin in 2021.
Will home advantage prove crucial once more?
Seven of the last eight contests have been won by the home side, the exception being the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012 where Europe recovered from 10-4 down to pull off a remarkable victory.
Nine of the US team made a recent scouting trip to Marco Simone as they bid to secure a first win on European soil since 1993, but many of the European side have contested the Italian Open at the venue over the last three years, with Robert MacIntyre (2022) and Nicolai Hojgaard (2021) winning the title.
Can wild cards justify their picks?
Both captains opted to have six wild cards at their disposal and there was inevitably controversy as Zach Johnson selected an out-of-form Justin Thomas and Luke Donald left out Adrian Meronk, despite his Italian Open win in May.
Thomas in particular will be under scrutiny after being selected ahead of the likes of Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover and Cameron Young, although he boasts a strong record in team competitions and was fifth on his most recent PGA Tour start.
Will Ludvig Aberg live up to his billing?
Aberg has made the fastest transition ever from amateur golf to the Ryder Cup after only turning professional in June, the 23-year-old winning the final qualifying event in Switzerland and being selected by Donald hours later.
He also led the BMW PGA Championship after 54 holes but struggled to a closing 76, a result which could be a blessing in disguise if it cools the hype surrounding the supremely talented Swede.
What impact will the lack of LIV players have?
Brooks Koepka is the only member of the Saudi-funded breakaway in Rome, the five-time major winner getting a wild card after dropping out of the automatic qualifying places after the final event.
Dustin Johnson – who won all five of his matches in 2021 – and Bryson DeChambeau could arguably have strengthened the US side, but the likes of Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood have shown precious little to suggest they would have come close to qualifying for the European team.
Will Europe’s big guns fire?
Donald demanding more from star names
Europe can boast three of the world’s top four and 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is also in the top 10, but that is no guarantee of success. Fitzpatrick has lost all five of his matches to date, while Viktor Hovland halved two and lost three at Whistling Straits, where only Jon Rahm, Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton won more than a single point.
Rory McIlroy’s last two Ryder Cups have yielded three points from eight matches and Luke Donald will need more from his star names if Europe are to regain the trophy.
The Los Angeles Rams have found a taker for Cam Akers, trading the running back to the Minnesota Vikings.
The deal was completed on Wednesday, with the teams swapping draft picks in 2026.
Akers was a healthy scratch in last Sunday's 30-23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rams confirmed this week they were looking for a trade partner.
A trade to Minnesota reunites Akers with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who served as offensive coordinator for the Rams in Akers' first two NFL seasons.
The Vikings' ground game needs some help, averaging a league-low 34.5 rushing yards per game and 2.65 yards per attempt.
Alexander Mattison was given the No. 1 running back job as Minnesota opted to trade Dalvin Cook this offseason, but he's managed just 62 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Akers hasn't been any better this year, finishing with 29 rushing yards on 22 attempts in the Rams' 30-13 season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks.
He is, however, coming off a career-high 786 rushing yards last season.
Drafted in the second round in 2020, the 24-year-old Akers, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, rushed for 625 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
A preseason Achilles tendon tear wiped out nearly all of his second season, but he was able to return for the regular-season finale and rush for 172 yards in four playoff games to help the Rams capture the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles is now moving forward at running back with Kyren Williams.
The second-year back made his first career start last week and ran for 52 yards with a touchdown on 14 carries after rushing for 52 yards with two TDs in Week 1.
England are set to to accelerate their experiment of deploying Marcus Smith’s running skills at full-back in Saturday’s World Cup clash with Chile.
Smith has filled the position as a second-half replacement in the last four Tests, adding an extra playmaker to the backline and providing a dynamic counter-attacking threat.
The Harlequins fly-half is now poised to make his first start at 15 as Steve Borthwick takes the opportunity to rotate his squad against the weakest opposition of England’s group campaign.
Owen Farrell has completed his four-match suspension for a dangerous tackle and is ready to make his first appearance since the illegal challenge against Wales on August 12.
Farrell is set to be reinstated at fly-half and resume as captain when Borthwick names his team for the Lille showdown on Thursday evening.
Additional changes will see hooker Theo Dan start and lock David Ribbans and flanker Jack Willis make their World Cup debuts as part of a revamped 23 that will enable many of England’s frontline stars to be rested.
Willis has been competing for a spot in the ultra-competitive back row, but so far Courtney Lawes, Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Lewis Ludlam and Bill Vunipola have commanded all the game-time.
Those overlooked for selection for the victories against Argentina and Japan have been forced to complete gruelling extra training sessions, but Willis insists there has been no sense of grievance among those waiting for their opportunity.
“I don’t feel we’re a group that would let that happen, I honestly don’t. There’s no resentment towards the players that are playing,” Willis said.
“We want the team to be successful. We want to get as far as we can in this tournament, no matter whether you’re starting, on the bench, travelling reserve or not involved; you want the best for the team.”
Reflecting on his own position, the 26-year-old Toulouse flanker said: “We all know how competitive the back row is.
“I don’t think anyone of us would feel aggrieved because of the quality in the back row. I think we all bring different strengths and qualities. Depending on the opposition that can change.
“I’ve got to keep my head down and keep working hard, making sure I’m in the best shape physically I can be so that when that opportunity comes I can come out the blocks.”
Making his first World Cup appearance will be the latest episode of a rollercoaster 12 months for Willis, who was forced to leave Wasps when they entered administration and then join Toulouse.
He now has a Top 14 title winners medal to his name and is ready to realise a boyhood dream.
“If and when that chance comes you end up reflecting a little bit, thinking back to the little lad who was watching World Cup matches with his dad and his brother in the front lounge and trying to realise how special it is to be pulling on that shirt and running out at a World Cup.
“Steve Borthwick did say when the squad was named that it was in the low hundreds of how many people had pulled on a World Cup jersey for England.
“Sometimes you don’t think about that, how few people get the opportunity to do it and how special it is. Just be grateful of every moment and try and maximise it.”
Conor Benn will make his comeback in Orlando on Saturday in his first bout since failing two voluntary drug tests and promoter Eddie Hearn says a clash with Chris Eubank Jr could happen in December.
Benn, who has not fought since April 2022 when he knocked out Chris van Heerden, has been cleared to fight Mexico’s Rodolfo Orozco this weekend.
The 26-year-old saw his proposed bout with Eubank Jr last October fall through following two positive tests for the banned drug clomifene, which resulted in him being hit with a provisional suspension.
Benn promised to prove his innocence and, while he was formally charged by UK Anti-Doping in April, it was announced in July he had been cleared by an independent National Anti-Doping Panel.
Hearn, in Florida for Saturday’s bout against Orozco at Caribe Royale, said: “We want the Eubank fight. It’s the biggest fight in British boxing, outside AJ v Fury and right up there with it.
“We want to fight in the UK. Conor won his case. He was cleared, his suspension was lifted and I keep hearing this ‘he was not cleared’.
“If he wasn’t cleared he wouldn’t be allowed to fight on Saturday.
“The Association of Boxing Commissions would not lift their suspension of Benn until it was confirmed to them by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) that he was no longer suspended and therefore he was cleared to fight.
“So our plan, ideally, is to fight Chris Eubank Jr in the UK in December. We’ve already had offers from a number of international venues to stage that fight, but I would like to try and make that fight in the UK.”
UKAD and the BBBofC appealed against the decision to lift Benn’s provisional suspension last month, which prevented the son of former two-weight world champion Nigel Benn being able to resume his boxing career in his home country.
Benn and promotion company Matchroom have now decided to try and get his career back on track with a bout in the United States.
Mexican veteran Orozco has been drafted in as a last-minute opponent for Benn, whose fight will be the co-main event of a show also involving super-lightweights Richardson Hitchins and Jose Zepeda.
Hearn said: “We were made aware a few weeks ago or a month ago that there would be an appeal – we’ve heard nothing more, no dates for that appeal.
“We’re not sure if that will take place or when it will take place, but this man’s free to go back to work and that’s what we’ve decided to do.”
Benn said: “I am undefeated in the ring, and in spirit. A return on Saturday is a step closer to redemption.
“After that, I’m putting the 147-160 divisions on notice. You are looking at a determined man with a deep desire to beat them all.”
Even though Greenwich-born Benn (21-0, 14KOs) will fight for the first time in 17 months on Saturday, his fight to clear his name is not over yet.
Benn relinquished his BBBC licence after his bout against Eubank was scrapped and criticised the governing body’s handling of his case.
Benn’s positive tests were conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association for the WBC, which cleared the boxer of any wrongdoing in February, pointing to an “elevated consumption of eggs” for the findings.
Londoner Benn himself insisted eggs were never blamed in a 270-page report he sent the WBC, but he has repeatedly stressed his innocence, having faced a two-year ban.
Emma Raducanu has revealed she will be sidelined for the remainder of the year.
The 20-year-old Briton was forced to miss the recent US Open, as well as the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year, after undergoing operations on both wrists and one ankle at the beginning of May.
Raducanu, who fell out of the world’s top 200 this week, had hoped of an autumn comeback after she returned to the practice court last month.
But she told BBC Sport: “Next season I’ll be back. This season all the slams were finished so it was difficult to watch them go by but I was trying to stay in my lane as much as possible and keep focused on my recovery.”
Raducanu has been dogged by injuries since her 2021 US Open victory.
She has played only 10 matches this year and has failed to make it beyond the second round of any grand slam since her superb Flushing Meadows triumph.
The New York Giants have ruled out Saquon Barkley for Thursday's game against the San Francisco 49ers due to a sprained right ankle the star running back sustained Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
ESPN reported Monday that Barkley was expected to miss around three weeks after injuring his ankle in the latter stages of New York's 31-28 Week 2 win, though Giants coach Brian Daboll told reporters Tuesday the 2022 Pro Bowl selection was feeling better and the team had yet to make a determination on Barkley's status.
With Barkley unavailable, the Giants will have former 49er Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell as their top two running backs for Thursday's matchup.
Breida has spent the majority of his seven-year career as a backup, but did rush for 814 yards in 14 games with San Francisco in 2018. Brightwell's most extensive action came in the 2022 regular-season finale, in which he rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Neither has the credentials of Barkley, who finished fourth in the NFL with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 2022 to help the Giants to their first playoff appearance in six years. The 26-year-old accounted for 27.7 per cent of New York's total yards from scrimmage last season, the sixth-highest rate of any player for his respective team.
Barkley also played a major role in Sunday's win, in which the Giants overcame a 21-point third-quarter deficit. The 2018 No. 2 overall pick had both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the second half and ended the game with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries along with six receptions for 29 yards.
The two-time Pro Bowler has been slowed by ankle problems in the past, however. Barkley missed three games in 2019 with a high ankle sprain and four in 2021 with an injury to his left ankle.
The Giants will also be without starting left tackle Andrew Thomas for a second straight game due to a hamstring injury he suffered in the team's season-opening 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
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