Inspiral will skip a trip to the Irish Champions Festival in favour of seeking further Group One riches in Newmarket’s Sun Chariot Stakes later this autumn.
John and Thady Gosden’s daughter of Frankel bounced back to her very best at Deauville last month, providing her owners Cheveley Park Stud with a thrilling afternoon on the Normandy coast as Inspiral secured back-to-back victories in the Prix Jacques le Marois.
That victory secured her a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile later in the season, but before any Stateside ambitions enter the equation, the four-year-old has duties closer to home to attend to and she will head to the Rowley Mile on October 7 in search of a fifth top-level victory.
“We all enjoyed a real high that day (at Deauville) and Mrs Thompson was thrilled. Richard (Thompson) obviously represented her and what a fantastic day he had and they all enjoyed it, as did I,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud.
“She’s in good form and we are probably favouring Newmarket and the Sun Chariot is a possible race for her. I think that is favoured.”
The Sun Chariot would provide a four-week lead into the Breeders’ Cup if connections did elect to travel to Santa Anita in early November and it appears a season-ending swansong in California could well be on the cards.
“I think so and I suppose it really depends on what she is going to do next year,” continued Richardson when asked about the chances of Inspiral cashing in her ‘win and you’re in’ ticket to America.
“If she is going to retire, I can see her going to America and retiring, but if she was to stay in training then I don’t know, and maybe she will make the Breeders’ Cup, but it would depend on what Mrs Thompson would like to do.”
Cheveley Park’s Sacred could also have the Breeders’ Cup on her radar, but will have to prove her well being before that is seriously considered having failed to sparkle in the City Of York Stakes most recently.
Trained by William Haggas, the Royal Ascot runner-up has now failed to find the scoresheet in three visits to the Knavesmire and could head to the more favourable territory of Newbury for her next outing, where she could bid to get back on track in the Dubai Duty Free Cup Stakes the five-year-old claimed last season.
“We now know she just does not want to perform at York. She was in great form going in there but she was never happy,” added Richardson.
“Tom (Marquand) came back and said she went down unhappy, was unsettled in the stalls and just took a hold and was never prepared to put her best foot forward.
“We’ve got various options and the Breeders’ Cup is a thought. At the moment it is at the back of our minds when we were hoping it would be at the forefront.
“We might go back for the Listed race at Newbury which she won last year. That could be another opportunity for her.”
One of the most eagerly-awaited tournaments in Rugby World Cup history will unfold in France during September and October.
It takes place across nine host cities – Paris, Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nantes and Lille – with more than 2.5 million tickets sold.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the competition.
A wide-open tournament?
Only four countries – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England – have won the World Cup during its nine previous stagings. The All Blacks and Springboks are once again expected to feature prominently, but Ireland and France can be confidently added to that mix. Six Nations champions Ireland, under the coaching direction of Andy Farrell, surged to top spot in rugby union’s world rankings, while Les Bleus’ thrilling playing style and power game are an irresistible combination. A lop-sided draw – it was carried out in December 2020 – has all the heavy-hitters in its top half, which could assist teams like the Wallabies and Wales merely adding to the intrigue.
England up against it
It is 20 years since England conquered the rugby world – a success built from an imposing platform provided by players like Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Robinson and Richard Hill. Two more finals followed in 2007 and 2019 – England lost both – and they will arrive in France following a difficult build-up. New head coach Steve Borthwick, appointed earlier this year, oversaw an underwhelming Six Nations campaign, while key players Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola are suspended for opening World Cup pool action after being sent off during warm-up games. There is little to suggest that England will be title contenders.
Discipline in the spotlight
The widespread hope is that France 2023 will be remembered above anything else for the quality of rugby on show – but it is not guaranteed. High tackles, red cards, yellow cards and disciplinary hearings are an inevitability, while spectators are becoming accustomed with the foul play review bunker, where a second television match official can decide – on referral from the referee – if a yellow card should become red. Coaches will want consistency, too, on punishments handed out by disciplinary chiefs – England captain Farrell’s recent case highlighting that need – and all matters being efficiently and promptly dealt with.
Warren Gatland back for more
Gatland could not have imagined a year ago that he would be back as Wales head coach and preparing for a fourth World Cup. His original 11-year stint in the job ended after the last tournament in Japan, but the Welsh Rugby Union turned to him following Wayne Pivac’s departure after a miserable 2022 when Wales lost nine Tests, including demoralising home defeats against Italy and Georgia. Gatland’s World Cup record with Wales is impressive – two semi-final appearances and one quarter-final – while he relishes an underdog status that regularly accompanies his players. A 33-1 shot, Wales might not be expected to feature at the tournament’s business-end, but Gatland will have other ideas.
Magnifique! France to triumph
Since the first World Cup in 1987, France have won 11 Five and Six Nations titles, including five Grand Slams, yet the biggest prize of all has eluded them. World Cup finalists 36 years ago, then again in 1999 and 2011, they finished as runner-up each time. But if Les Bleus can cope with host nation expectation and pressure, something they failed to do when France last staged the tournament in 2007, then this could be their time. They have the players – Antoine Dupont, Gregory Alldritt, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou and Charles Ollivon, to name just five – and coaching team to thrive. If France beat New Zealand in game one, then their momentum could prove unstoppable.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell insists there is “no point turning up” to the Rugby World Cup in France without ambitions of claiming the ultimate prize.
Farrell has already helped his side scale new heights, having masterminded last summer’s unprecedented tour success in New Zealand.
Ireland rose to the top of the world rankings on the back of that historic triumph and have remained there ever since thanks in part to an autumn win over world champions South Africa and a Six Nations grand slam.
Yet they have never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage of the sport’s premier competition and, despite prolonged impressive form and an eye-catching brand of rugby, face a tough task to snap that statistic.
Ireland must negotiate arguably the tournament’s trickiest group – containing the Springboks and Scotland – and will then likely need to defeat either hosts France or the All Blacks in Paris in order to secure a maiden last-four berth.
Farrell regularly champions a no-excuses mentality and has urged his players to have unwavering belief as they bid to lift the Webb Ellis Cup at Stade de France on October 28.
Asked if Ireland are targeting the trophy, he replied: “Why wouldn’t we?
“There’s an attitude within the group that we chase every day to make sure we’re better as a team, better as individuals.
“But what we’ve done in the past adds to a little bit of belief, how we are pushing to get better.
“We’ll be judged in the coming weeks but the confidence that we hope to have going into a World Cup has to be rock solid.
“There’s no point turning up for a World Cup if we don’t believe we can win it.”
Ireland have beaten each of their major rivals since Farrell succeeded Joe Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
They launch their campaign against rank outsiders Romania in Bordeaux on September 9 before taking on Tonga in Nantes a week later.
Paris showdowns with South Africa and Scotland will then provide far sterner tests as Pool B reaches its climax.
Ireland travel to the tournament on a 13-match winning streak, with away defeats to New Zealand and France the only blemishes during a remarkable run of 25 victories from 27 Tests stretching back to February 2021.
Farrell, who was assistant to Schmidt between 2016 and 2019, is striving for perfection and has an unrelenting desire for improvement.
“We have to keep evolving as a team,” said the 48-year-old Englishman. “I’m not saying we’re tinkering with things all the time but we have to keep evolving.
“And I know that this is a broken record but it’s the truth: no part of our game is anywhere near good enough.
“It’s not and nor will it be really, ever. We’re all striving for perfection, we’re all striving to reach our potential.
“It’s being able to roll with the punches and be at your best with whatever a Test match throws at you. Every single area of our game isn’t where it could be, isn’t where it needs to be.”
Given their form and their flair, Gregor Townsend’s swashbuckling Scotland side are heading to the Rugby World Cup in France with no fear and bags of belief.
The confidence within the squad is just as well because – due to the draw being made some three years ago – they have had the misfortune of being placed in a formidable pool along with two of the world’s established heavyweights in Ireland and South Africa.
Ordinarily, such a scenario would leave Scotland supporters resigned to a group-stage exit. Yet this team, ranked fifth in the world, has delivered enough under Townsend, particularly over the past year, to suggest it is ready to peak in France and find a way into the knockout phase.
That will almost certainly require a victory over one of the two powerhouses in the group, but three exhilarating showdowns with hosts France – a home win and two narrow away defeats – this calendar year allied to the fact they led New Zealand by nine points with less than 20 minutes to play last November have helped imbue the Scots with a belief that they can match any team on the planet.
Ireland and South Africa have proven particularly tough nuts for Townsend’s team to crack, but there is a growing feeling that the burgeoning Scots are now equipped to take the scalps of at least one of these big-hitters and give themselves a chance of going deep into the tournament.
“We have to look at it beyond the group stages,” experienced lock Grant Gilchrist told the PA news agency. “If you want to do well at a Rugby World Cup you’re going to have to play the best teams in the world.
“We have two of the best in the world in our group and we have to see that as a positive that we get to go out and really test ourselves against the best teams and prove we can beat them.
“We believe that if we get the best version of ourselves on the pitch at any given time we can beat these big teams.
“We’re going to have to produce the goods in the group stage if we want to progress but if you want to do really well in the tournament, you need to beat big teams.”
Gilchrist is going to his third-consecutive World Cup. In both 2015 and 2019 the Scots went into the tournament with high hopes before suffering quarter-final and group-stage exits respectively.
Gilchrist feels there is genuine evidence this time to support the belief that Scotland really are equipped to consistently deal with the world’s top teams – as well as the smaller ones like pool rivals Tonga and Romania – amid the intensity of a World Cup.
“We’ve shown we can compete with all the top nations but we probably haven’t put together that complete performance yet,” he said.
“That’s where we sit in a really good position because we’ve got real evidence to support our belief that we can beat anyone but we also have an understanding of what it takes and how hard it is to produce on the big stage in the big games.
“If we can do that in France, it’s going to be a great World Cup for this group.”
Gilchrist is one of 14 members of the current squad who were also involved four years ago as Townsend’s team suffered an ignominious group-stage exit in Japan following defeats to Ireland and the host nation.
“It was a long time ago and we’ve come a long way since then but I know the guys who felt the way we did after Japan – I know I will – will be driven to make sure we don’t feel like that again this time,” said Gilchrist.
As well as being fuelled by a desire to right the wrongs of 2019, Scotland, who finished third in the Six Nations this year, are also buoyed by a scintillating back-line that is the envy of most teams on the planet.
Duhan Van Der Merwe, Darcy Graham, Finn Russell, Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu are just some of the rampant backs who can cause panic in even the most-robust defences and whose presence adds to the notion that Scotland are now better placed to deliver than in previous World Cup campaigns.
“It’s hard to compare because I was part of all three squads (2015, 2019 and 2023) and I felt in both 2015 and 2019, we had a squad that was capable of doing well but we just didn’t quite achieve in both,” said Gilchrist.
“In 2015, we were very close. It’s hard to compare one team against the other because I was part of them all and I know how much we believed we were going to do well in Japan.
“But if we’re talking about this squad, we’re in a really good place. We’ve got a bit of work to do but if we can make sure we perform for 80 minutes, we can do something at this World Cup.
“That’s the belief within the group. We know the challenges we face but that excites us and I think we’re in a position to go and face them head on.”
Wales know they are in safe hands when Warren Gatland leads them to his fourth Rugby World Cup as head coach.
But it could prove to be the New Zealander’s biggest challenge of all after a difficult 12 months on and off the pitch.
Since Wales claimed a first victory over the Springboks in South Africa last year, they have won just three out of 13 Tests.
Wayne Pivac left his role as head coach following an autumn campaign when Wales lost at home to Georgia, before Gatland returned for a second stint in the top job.
There was also a significant backdrop of major financial issues and contractual uncertainty throughout the Welsh professional game, so much so that a threatened players’ strike dominated the build-up to Wales’ Guinness Six Nations clash with England in February.
A miserable fifth-placed finish in the tournament followed, but since naming an expanded training squad more than three months ago, Gatland has had time and space to gradually piece things back together through punishing camps in Switzerland and Turkey, plus through three World Cup warm-up games.
Underpinned by a World Cup record with Wales of two semi-final appearances and one quarter-final, Gatland knows the ropes and he is unquestionably relishing the task that lies ahead.
“I think if I look back on the Six Nations and all the things that were going on, I probably needed to let things unfold a bit and not be as direct or demanding as I might have normally been,” he said.
“The fact that things have settled down and a lot of new players have come in, the way that we’ve been so much more accountable for how we do things and demanding standards, that has been brilliant.
“As a group, we are in a good place. I promise you now, we will surprise some people.
“It is one step at a time. It’s about getting out of your pool first, and then see where you are. You don’t look too far ahead.
“I think every team is focusing on that – get out of your pool and take it one step at a time.”
Fiji are first up for Wales in Bordeaux, followed by Portugal, Australia and Georgia. Portugal are the only team not in Wales’ World Cup group of four years ago.
Gatland added: “We are pretty clear how we want to play against Fiji. We know how dangerous they are.
“They will have had five warm-up games before the World Cup, so they are going to be rugby-fit. We are all well aware of how important that first game is.
“If you can win that game you get some momentum, and then you can get some confidence, and hopefully you have a chance to win the group.”
Sixteen members of Gatland’s 33-strong World Cup squad, including co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, have never previously never set foot on rugby union’s biggest global stage.
But there are also four cap centurions in George North, who heads to a fourth World Cup, Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Taulupe Faletau, plus another six with more than 50 caps.
“It was trying to get the balance right with the experience,” Gatland said. “Some of the discussion was around what experienced players we felt we needed to take with some of the youngsters who have come into the squad.
“The beauty of this World Cup is that we do get some more breathing space with the time between games.
“The first game and the second games are a short turnaround, and then we’ve got an eight-day turnaround to Australia and then 13 days to the Georgia game.
“In the past it has been a challenge when you have had a four-day turnaround. It is a little bit more of a luxury in terms of that, so hopefully it gives us an opportunity to keep players fit and to freshen some players up between games.”
The Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on September 8.
Here, PA looks at some of the numbers behind the tournament’s history.
10 – This is the 10th staging of the World Cup.
4 – The number of different winners (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England).
3 – The record for most wins, shared by New Zealand and reigning champions South Africa.
3 – Hosts France have reached three previous finals, losing to New Zealand in 1987 and 2011 and Australia in 1999.
142-0 – Record World Cup win, by Australia over Namibia in 2003. Their 22 tries were also a record.
277 – Former England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, who kicked the winning drop goal in the 2003 final, is the tournament’s record points scorer.
15 – Former wingers Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) and Bryan Habana (South Africa) share the try-scoring record.
22 – England’s Jason Leonard and New Zealand’s double World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw have made the most appearances at the tournament.
51 – Number of points in the highest-scoring World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia in 2015.
2 – The number of finals that were decided by extra-time (1995 and 2003).
20 – The number of countries that will take part in the 2023 World Cup.
1 – Chile will be making their World Cup debut.
16 – Years since Portugal’s only previous appearance.
48 – The number of games at the 2023 World Cup.
49 – The number of days the tournament will last for.
9 – The number of different stadiums that will host games in France.
1 – Ireland’s Joy Neville, named as a television match official, will be the first woman to officiate matches at a men’s World Cup.
England enter the World Cup at their lowest ebb yet because of the most lopsided draw in the tournament’s history they still have hope of reaching the quarter-finals.
A disastrous build-up has seen the on-field decline evident since Japan 2019 accelerate, the influential Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola banned for dangerous tackles and injuries sweep through a squad of which so little is now expected.
Of the original 33 players selected for France, Anthony Watson and Jack van Poortvliet have withdrawn with calf and ankle injuries, while doubts hover over other front line stars such as Tom Curry, Kyle Sinckler and Elliot Daly.
The final indignity was inflicted through a 30-22 loss to Fiji – England’s first ever defeat to a current tier-two nation – as part of a run that has produced a solitary victory in six Tests.
The sinking ship that Steve Borthwick inherited in December has now been run aground and after just nine matches in charge concerns are being raised over his management team.
While fans respond to the malaise with a mixture of apathy and fury, England’s under pressure head coach takes comfort from knowing that some of the problems are a hangover from the Eddie Jones era – and that statistically they have already had their share of misfortune on some fronts.
“Understanding there are going to be certain times when there are setbacks is part of the sport at this level. We understand this has not been a clear process of a four-year cycle to get to this point,” Borthwick said.
“I have no doubt there are going to be more injuries – for every team. We have gone through our time of having bangs and bruises, we have gone through our time of having a couple of disciplinary processes.
“Every team is going to go through it, and if I could choose my time to go through it, it would probably be now rather than when we’re out in France.
“In terms of performances there have been aspects that have developed. If we go back to not that long ago we were talking about a team that didn’t rank high in the world rankings in any particular aspect of the game.”
For all the despair of recent weeks, the rugby gods have smiled on England by placing them in the World Cup’s easiest group alongside Argentina, Japan, Chile and Samoa.
The Pumas stormed Twickenham in the autumn and are favourites to clinch a seismic opener in Marseille on September 9, but even allowing for their current situation Borthwick’s men should successfully negotiate their remaining Pool D rivals.
Japan are not the daredevil force of four years ago, Chile are ranked 22 in the world and Samoa are dangerous but are hindered by the same kind of historic shortcomings that once held Fiji back.
If they reach the quarter-finals – and it would be the darkest of days at Twickenham if they failed to – then they would face Wales, Australia or Fiji, each of whom would be formidable opponents for this English vintage but are also beatable.
And so, despite entering the World Cup in their joint lowest rankings position of eighth, one of the least potent sides to have left these shores could creep into the semi-finals.
The 2007 tournament which England started abysmally only to reach the final will be invoked to add to the glimmer of hope provided by the draw, but whatever transpires fans should buckle up for a bumpy ride.
There is a neat statistical symmetry that suggests the 2023 Rugby World Cup might be won by Ireland or France.
Since the sport’s world rankings were launched 20 years ago, all five subsequent world champions were either ranked first or fourth close to the tournament kicking off.
Ireland and France occupied those positions during recent weeks, and neither nation has previously been crowned world champions, with no new name being engraved on the trophy since England in 2003.
It is, of course, way more complicated than that to confidently suggest a winner but such a scenario underlines what many believe is a wide-open tournament.
In the World Cup’s 36-year history, only four countries – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England – have triumphed.
Six Nations champions Ireland and France can be added to the mix this time around, though, as genuine contenders, although a World Cup draw carried out in December 2020 has generated a serious imbalance with tournament heavyweights South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland and France all in its top half.
While those teams are on a quarter-final collision course in Paris, the best of the rest would point to Australia, Argentina, England and Wales.
There is real potential for the World Cup final to be a one-sided affair, which is not being critical of any participant, but more questioning why such an important draw is conducted so long before the competition.
France and New Zealand are in the same pool, while Ireland, South Africa and a dangerous Scotland team have been grouped together. Elsewhere, Pool C sees Australia, Wales and Fiji in direct competition, with England, Argentina and Japan the main Pool D protagonists.
France meet the All Blacks, who are reeling from their all-time record defeat of 35-7 in a warm-up fixture against South Africa, in a mouthwatering tournament opener.
The 40-match pool phase will be played out across nine host cities – Paris, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille, Saint-Etienne and Nantes – with £2.5million tickets sold.
It can only be hoped that France 2023 will be remembered for the rugby on show, with inevitable disciplinary matters not overshadowing it.
High tackles, foul play, red cards, yellow cards and disciplinary hearings will be part of it all. Coaches will want consistency, too, on punishments handed out by disciplinary chiefs – England captain Owen Farrell’s recent case highlighting that need – and all matters being efficiently and promptly dealt with.
If rugby is to be the winner, then it will require a host of superstar names to lead the way.
And that prospect is one to savour, given the presence of players such as France captain Antoine Dupont, South African backs Cheslin Kolbe and Canan Moodie, New Zealand full-back Beauden Barrett, Ireland’s current world player of the year Josh van der Flier, genial Fiji centre Semi Radradra and exciting Italian star Ange Capuozo.
The ingredients are all there for a genuine showcase of rugby at its finest, with some thunderous games in store and potentially memories to last a lifetime.
If France can cope with the enormous host nation pressure that will accompany them, then a magnificent first World Cup triumph for Dupont’s team would be one to savour.
There is a small queue forming behind them, though, potentially led by a South African squad that appears primed to successfully defend the world crown.
Sense Of Duty has the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes high on her list of priorities at the end of the season, with William Haggas’ filly described as “50-50” to make her eagerly-awaited return at Haydock next weekend.
The daughter of Showcasing is unbeaten in four starts since suffering her sole defeat on debut and was climbing the sprinting ranks rapidly before injury curtailed her progress shortly after impressing in Newcastle’s Chipchase Stakes last season.
Off the track for over a year, the four-year-old is back in fast work with the hope of getting a first taste of Group One action in the Betfair Sprint Cup Stakes on September 9.
However, it appears Sense Of Duty will need to be giving all the right signals to make the trip to Merseyside, with connections prepared to remain patient with the talented speedster.
“She’s obviously had some issues and at the moment she is in fast work and is in good shape,” said Richard Brown, racing manager for owners St Albans Bloodstock.
“I would say it is a toss of a coin if she makes Haydock, but if she doesn’t then we’re not worried.
“It’s one of them where if she’s screaming ‘run me’ then we’ll run her and if she’s not we won’t and it will be William who makes that call.”
Despite holding the big-race entry for Haydock, it is British Champions Day at Ascot on October 21 that forms the centrepiece of Sense Of Duty’s return to action.
Brown added: “The main aim would be Ascot and if she didn’t make Haydock then we would have a look and hopefully run her in a Listed race or a Group Three with Ascot after that being the main aim.
“If she goes to Haydock it will be because she’s ready and shouting she’s wanting to run. William will make that call and I would say it’s 50-50.
“Rightly we think she is a very good filly and we’re just taking our time with bringing her back and hopefully she will repay us at some point.”
Former coach Eddie Jones has pointed the finger at the Rugby Football Union for England’s current crisis.
England’s troubled World Cup preparations hit a new low when they lost to Fiji last weekend, which was the fifth defeat in their last six matches.
They have subsequently slipped to their lowest ranking in 20 years and expectations of a promising campaign in France over the next two months are low.
It is a rapid decline from the last World Cup in 2019, where Jones took them to the final. And he believes while current coach Steve Borthwick is coming under pressure, the governing body is responsible for failing to produce the next generation of talent.
“It’s a difficult situation, like you’ve got an ageing team,” Jones, who left his position with the RFU in 2022 and will lead his home country Australia into the tournament, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.
“Anyone who knows anything about sport can see that and then you’ve got new players coming in. Some of them have come through and done really well, like a Freddy Stewart, others are still finding their feet, like a Marcus Smith.
“You look at the results of England over the last five years but they’re not producing quality players.
“And so everyone looks at the head coach and let’s blame the head coach. But the onus on producing quality players is the RFU and that hasn’t happened.
“You’ve got to look at why you’re not bringing talent through, then you’ve got to look at why your talent development systems are not doing that.
“(It’s) because the system’s not right. What needs to change? Where’s the gap? And that’s the responsibility of the RFU and it’s not for me to give them answers.”
If England make it through to the quarter-final, Jones’ Australia could be the opponents.
But the 63-year-old does not fear a reunion.
“I’m only worried about them if we play them in the quarter-final mode,” he said. “They’re a team that I coached for seven years, so I look back at them with affection. I like the players. I’d like to see them do well, but obviously not do well against us.
“I wouldn’t feel any affection for England at that time. I can tell you.”
Asked if he was sad about his departure nine months ago, he replied: “No, not at all. I’ve had a fantastic run. Seven years for an Australian coaching England.
“It’ll never be done again. Maybe there’ll never be a non-English man coaching England again.
“And at the end of the day there’s nothing to argue about, nothing to be disappointed about. Move on, get on with your next job and you look back at your previous team with affection, which I still do with England.”
Max Verstappen has hit back at criticism of his dominance and set the target of remaining unbeaten for the final nine races of the season.
The all-conquering Dutchman will become the first driver in history to win 10 consecutive races if he takes the chequered flag at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen has been in imperious form this year, winning 11 of the 13 rounds staged as he closes in on a hat-trick of World Championships.
With a lead of 183 points heading into this weekend’s race in Monza there is a chance he could even close out the title with six rounds still remaining at the Japanese Grand Prix on September 24.
However, Verstappen’s emphatic streak has led to suggestions that the sport has become boring.
But responding to the accusations in an interview with the PA news agency, Verstappen, 25, said: “They cannot appreciate dominance or just people executing their jobs.
“It is nothing really new in Formula One, and I cannot do much with those kind of comments. Does it bother me? No. It would probably be worse if they were talking about other stuff. I am enjoying what I am doing and I hope I can do it for a while.
“I don’t want it to stop. We have another good opportunity this weekend. I believe I can win every single race.”
Verstappen’s victory on his home track in Zandvoort – which drew him level with Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine straight wins – was among the very best of the 46 of his career so far.
At one stage, he was lapping four seconds faster than Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull, and two seconds quicker than anybody else.
His virtuoso display in the inclement conditions prompted double world champion Fernando Alonso to say Verstappen’s achievements are being underestimated.
“It is not about getting the recognition because I know how hard it is to do,” said Verstappen.
“If it was very easy, more drivers would have won nine in a row, and more teams would have done it, and that is not the case.
“It hasn’t been straightforward either. In Zandvoort especially, a lot of things could have gone wrong, and in the end we still handled that really well.
“I never thought I would get to nine. I remember watching Seb do it, and I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, that is extremely difficult’, and now I am here and it is amazing.”
Verstappen will share the grid with long-time rival Lewis Hamilton for at least another two seasons after the British driver signed a new £50million-a-year deal to remain with Mercedes.
The contract extension will take Hamilton beyond his 40th birthday, and provides the possibility of a championship rematch with Verstappen if Mercedes can somehow close the gap to Red Bull.
Hamilton, who was denied an eighth world title after race director Michael Masi failed to follow the correct rules in Abu Dhabi in 2021, alluded to “unfinished business” after signing his latest deal.
Twenty months on from F1’s most contentious race, does Verstappen – who, on new tyres, had to pass Hamilton on the final lap to take the title – feel his maiden championship triumph was tainted?
“It was not like it was given to me,” he said. “I still had to do it.
“People always have short memories and they can forget a lot of stuff very quickly.
“It was a great year, and we had a lot of great battles with two teams going at it and that was amazing for Formula One.
“But you will always have a winner, and you will always have a loser. That is how this sport works, and I was also ready to lose.
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“It was a 50-50 chance and it fell my way. But in the future I could be in a situation where it doesn’t fall my way and that is how life goes.
“I don’t really care a lot about other people’s opinions. I only care about people that are very close to me so whatever people say or write, I am like ‘whatever’.
“I grew up my whole life wanting to be a Formula One driver and I will do everything it takes to try and be successful at it.
“I make my choices and my decisions and that is why I am very relaxed about these things. I go home, I switch off from Formula One, and I am happy with my career. And when I come back to the race weekends I do my thing, and that is it.”
Andy Murray bowed out of the US Open, but it was still a successful day for British tennis.
Jack Draper, Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans all kept the flag flying into the third round, although Jodie Burrage came up short against second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Lloyd Harris in straight sets and he will face Evans next.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day four at Flushing Meadows.
Pic of the dayShot of the day
No contest.
Brit watch
Murray was desperately disappointed with how he played as he went down in straight sets to a familiar rival, Grigor Dimitrov. It was a 12th meeting of the pair and the Bulgarian 19th seed picked up his fourth win.
Norrie was a straight-sets winner against Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei and Evans came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in four.
Propably most impressive was Draper, who dispatched 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-2 6-4 7-5.
Lucky escape
Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her win over Wang Yafan.
The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.
Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.
Boulter went on to complete a 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory and will play American Peyton Stearns in round three.
Stat of the dayNo boos
The USTA put an announcement on the big screen explaining there would be no handshake between Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova due to ‘global events’. It had the desired effect as there was no booing of either player, unlike at Wimbledon when Victoria Azarenka got it in the neck.
Fallen seeds:
Hubert Hurkacz (17)
Who’s up next?
Novak Djokovic continues his bid for a record-equalling 24th grand slam title against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek faces her good friend, Slovakian qualifier Kaja Juvan.
Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a grand slam to become the first player in major league history with 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a season and the Atlanta Braves held on to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 in a matchup of baseball’s two top teams on Thursday.
Acuna connected off Lance Lynn as part of Atlanta’s six-run second inning for his 30th home run and third career grand slam.
Rickey Henderson was the closest to being the first 30-60 player before Acuna. He had 28 homers and 87 steals in 1986 and 28 home runs and 65 steals in 1990.
Spencer Strider became the first pitcher to reach 16 wins this season, allowing four runs and four hits in six innings with two walks and nine strikeouts.
Joe Jimenez surrendered two solo home runs in the seventh, one to Michael Busch and Mookie Betts’ second of the game.
Max Muncy took A.J. Minter deep to lead off the eighth to make it 8-7 but Pierce Johnson got the final out of the eighth.
Raisel Iglesias put two runners on in the ninth before getting Muncy to fly out and striking out Kike Hernandez for his 27th save.
Michael Harris also homered for the major league-best Braves, who have won four straight and eight of nine.
They finished August with a 21-8 record, tying the Atlanta-era record for wins in a month set by the 1999 team that went 21-7.
Betts, among the leading candidates for NL MVP along with Acuna, hit a three-run homer off Strider in the fifth to cut the Dodgers’ deficit to 7-4.
Betts finished August with 11 home runs and has 38 on the season, extending his career high.
Yastrzemski leads Giants past listless Padres
Mike Yastrzemski homered and drove in two runs as the San Francisco Giants rolled to a 7-2 victory over the sloppy San Diego Padres.
Yastrzemski had an RBI single during San Francisco’s six-run third inning, with five of those runs unearned due to two errors by first baseman Matthew Batten.
Yastrzemski homered in the fifth to extend the lead to 7-0.
Jakob Junis pitched four hitless innings and three relievers combined on a seven-hitter.
The Giants moved one game ahead of idle Arizona in the race for the NL’s third wild-card spot.
Andy Murray bowed out of the US Open, but it was still a successful day for British tennis.
Jack Draper, Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans all kept the flag flying into the third round, although Jodie Burrage came up short against second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Lloyd Harris in straight sets and he will face Evans next.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day four at Flushing Meadows.
Pic of the dayShot of the day
No contest.
Brit watch
Murray was desperately disappointed with how he played as he went down in straight sets to a familiar rival, Grigor Dimitrov. It was a 12th meeting of the pair and the Bulgarian 19th seed picked up his fourth win.
Norrie was a straight-sets winner against Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei and Evans came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in four.
Propably most impressive was Draper, who dispatched 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-2 6-4 7-5.
Lucky escape
Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her win over Wang Yafan.
The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.
Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.
Boulter went on to complete a 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory and will play American Peyton Stearns in round three.
Stat of the dayNo boos
The USTA put an announcement on the big screen explaining there would be no handshake between Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova due to ‘global events’. It had the desired effect as there was no booing of either player, unlike at Wimbledon when Victoria Azarenka got it in the neck.
Fallen seeds:
Hubert Hurkacz (17)
Who’s up next?
Novak Djokovic continues his bid for a record-equalling 24th grand slam title against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek faces her good friend, Slovakian qualifier Kaja Juvan.
Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper kept the British flag flying heading into round three at the US Open.
Andy Murray may have been sent packing, but there were sparkling wins for the other three British men at Flushing Meadows.
British number one Cameron Norrie fired 15 aces on his way to a 7-5 6-4 6-4 victory over qualifier Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei.
“Honestly, he should have won the first set but I was able to take the momentum into the second set,” said the 28-year-old.
“I was really happy with how I played the big points and I’m happy to be through.”
Norrie will face world number 61 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in round three.
Evans, the British number two, came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6 6-1 6-3 6-3.
It is the sixth time the 33-year-old has reached the third round at Flushing Meadows, although he will have his work cut out to go any further, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz his next opponent.
Probably most impressive was Draper, who last year was ranked as high as 38 in the world but has endured a torrid 12 months with injuries and had to miss Wimbledon with a shoulder tear.
Now outside the top 100, Draper felt the shoulder again in a warm-up event in the US and feared the worst.
But the issue has cleared up and Draper is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows after beating 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2 6-4 7-5 in the second round.
“I felt something in my arm again that I hadn’t had in a while, and, you know, came here with the intention of ‘we’ll take it day by day’,” he said.
“I had a scan and I had a very small bit of edema in my arm, which is basically a tear.
“I was looking with my coach and physio thinking, you know, just another bit of time off. We were almost in tears. What more can we do?”
He continued: “There was a strong chance I couldn’t play this week. But we got the scans done and sent it back home and they said it’s not the same injury, so it’s not that serious.
“I’m kind of looking after it each day. It was a bit sore after my last match but when the adrenaline kicks in and obviously playing the US Open, I just put it out of my mind and go out and try my best to play the tennis I want to.”
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the third round at the US Open with another straight-sets win.
This time the victim was Lloyd Harris, who used to train with Alcaraz when the world number one was 15 at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy.
The South African gave Alcaraz a test in the third set but the seemingly unstoppable force still registered a 6-3 6-1 7-6 (4) win.
“I think I played a great match from the beginning until the last ball, but if I have to take something from the match I want to keep the level of the second set,” said Alcaraz, 20.
“I had to stay focused, stay strong mentally. It was pretty good for me and to win in straight sets is really important in the first rounds.”
There was a routine win for sixth seed Jannik Sinner, who beat fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-2 6-4.
American ninth seed Taylor Fritz also won in straight sets, coasting past Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru 6-1 6-2 6-2.
Alexander Zverev, seeded 12, won the all-German clash against Daniel Altmaier in four sets and will meet Grigor Dimitrov, the 19th seed who knocked out former champion Andy Murray.
Big-serving American John Isner called time on his career, fittingly enough, in a fifth-set tie-break as he lost his final match to compatriot Michael Mmoh.
Katie Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her US Open second-round win over Wang Yafan.
The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.
Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.
View this post on Instagram“Firstly, the safety of everyone is the most important thing for me,” she said. “It was completely unintentional, and luckily it wasn’t anywhere close to anyone.“But for a second I was feeling pretty bad, if I’m honest.
“Of course there’s a lot of ifs. At the end of the day I’ve got to play with the facts. It didn’t (hit someone). It would be my worst nightmare, it really would. Completely unintentional, as well.
“Yeah, it was an unfortunate situation, but we moved through, and we managed to get a win.”
The 27-year-old went on to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time after a gutsy 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory over China’s Wang.
As well as the ball incident, in a tight first set Boulter retrieved an early break, and had three set points on the Wang serve.
But she was unable to convert any of them and Wang promptly broke to wrap up the set.
However Boulter, from Leicester, cleared her head impressively and dominated the second set to level the match.
Having broken again for 5-4 in the decider she suffered a horrible wobble, throwing in two double faults in the first three points.
But once again Boulter recovered her composure and wrapped up a fine win when Wang hit the net.
“I thought it was an absolute battle,” she added. “I worked really, really hard. I had a lot of chances in the first set. I didn’t quite get over the line.
“I think there were a few nerves, I’m not entirely sure why, but there were a few nerves in the first.
“After we finished that set I relaxed a bit and started to be a little bit more aggressive and it really paid off.”
There was disappointment, although not a major surprise, for Britain’s other remaining woman, Jodie Burrage.
The 24-year-old equipped herself well against second seed and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka but bowed out 6-3 6-2 inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“Obviously not the result I was looking for, but I had a pretty tough opponent,” said Burrage. “I thought she played really well today. She served really well, especially in the big moments.
“But I’m happy with how I played in a way and happy with how I was on the court.
“It’s a big occasion and you’re playing a big player like that. And I’m happy with the way I went about it. I didn’t feel out of place out there at all.”
Andy Murray admits he may have to accept his days of competing in the latter stages of grand slams could well be over.
The 36-year-old former world number one bowed out of the US Open after a dispiriting second-round defeat to his old rival Grigor Dimitrov.
In the 12th meeting between two veterans of the sport, and seven years after their last one, 19th seed Dimitrov registered only his fourth win over the Scot.
Murray wilted inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the court upon which he won his first grand slam title in 2012, as he slipped to a 6-3 6-4 6-1 defeat.
“I mean, it’s obviously disappointing to not play how you would like, you know?” said Murray, who has not made it past the third round of a major event since 2017.
“But maybe I need to accept that, these events, I had the deep runs and everything that I felt like I’m capable of, they might not be there, as well.
“So, you know, I’m aware what I’m doing, it’s unbelievably challenging to play at the highest level as I am now. And some days it’s harder than others.
“But yeah, today is obviously a really disappointing defeat and probably the manner of it as well. I mean, I fought hard enough, but just didn’t play well enough.
“You know, ultimately these are the events that you want to play your best tennis in and create more great moments, and I didn’t do that this year.”
A ding-dong of a first set, including two brutal 15-minute games, was poised at 3-3 with almost an hour played and the match was shaping up to be another Murray marathon.
Murray had lost eight points in a row to slip behind but hit back after an astonishing get from a man with a metal hip, retrieving a net cord by deftly angling the ball away from Dimitrov.
He continued his run past the net post and into Dimitrov’s side of the court, where the Bulgarian clapped his opponent before both tapped rackets.
That was where the niceties ended, though, and Murray’s hopes quickly went south.
He came up with an absolute stinker of a service game, two double-faults and two unforced errors gifting Dimitrov the set and the momentum.
Murray was broken again at the start of the second and his shoulders slumped even further when his solitary chance to break back drifted wide.
The constant chuntering to his team was getting less and less cordial and, at 4-1 down in the third, he gestured to them that the match was over as a contest.
The two-time Wimbledon champion was proved to be right two games later as another attempt to challenge at a grand slam fell well short.
Racing League regulars were again to the fore at Newcastle, as defending champions Wales & The West maintained their lead in this year’s competition – despite Ireland fighting back with an important double on the night.
Jamie Osborne and his daughter Saffie have dominated the multi-team event so far and returning to the scene of last year’s phenomenal final-night treble they joined up with another Racing League veteran as Rod Millman’s Billy Mill obliged for the second year in the row.
The five-year-old was sent off at 28-1 when scoring over course and distance last season, but was much shorter at 15-2 this time as he continued his Gosforth Park love affair in the William Hill-sponsored seven-furlong handicap.
“We didn’t have any rated in the 80s last year so he’s in a slightly lower grade of race than he won last year so was a very obvious pick and his last run was great,” Osborne – whose squad sit on the 568-pont mark – told Sky Sports Racing.
“Rod and James Millman have been absolute stars for my team and the competition. Everything they have put up for me has run well. They’ve obviously had the nursery winners and now they’ve had this winner. The competition has been great for their yard and also great for our Wales & The West team.”
Ireland have fared much better in the Racing League this season and they moved up to second in the table on 496 points thanks to a fine evening at Gosforth Park.
Kevin Blake’s team successfully played their joker in the six-furlong sprint as Johnny Levins’ Nordic Passage (8-1) earned deserved compensation having been narrowly denied at Chepstow earlier in the competition.
They then claimed the night’s most valuable contest when David O’Meara’s Alligator Alley (9-2) built on some consistent form in the hands of rising star Dylan Browne McMonagle, who also notched a double in the north east.
“It didn’t really go the way it was supposed to go as normally he is an extreme hold up horse,” said Blake.
“He obviously jumped off really well there and sat very handy and Dylan ended up further forward than he probably imagined he would be.
“He had so much confidence to wait, and wait and wait a little bit more.
“The horse is really well and ran huge last week. He’s a class horse and I know the horse well as Joseph O’Brien used to train him. He has loads of ability just not the easiest.
“David has done a fantastic job with him and I’m delighted he’s had a winner. I upset him earlier in the week for not running one he was keen to run so I’m delighted he has come here and won a big one.
“I was really hopeful that tonight would go well and look I’m greedy and it could always go better, but we’ll take how it went.”
Sir Mark Prescott’s Glenister (10-1) got the East region’s evening off to a brilliant start when taking the mile-and-a-half opener, while Simon Pearce’s Storm Catcher (9-2 joint-favourite) may have teed up a tilt at the Cambridgeshire when scoring over 10 furlongs and providing Frankie Dettori’s team with a second victory of night four.
London & The South saddled just the one runner in the one-mile handicap, but Daniel and Claire Kubler’s Helm Rock (5-1) delivered a decisive blow to earn a vital 25 points, while Yorkshire also secured maximum points when Buttercross Flyer registered a 14-1 shock in the night’s sole two-year-old event.
It was a first Racing League runner for Craig Lidster and he was thrilled to provide his home region with a vital victory in their battle with Scotland for the wooden spoon.
He said: “She’s a lovely big filly with a massive stride on her. Last time we ran her at Newmarket and the ground was far too quick for her. We know she wants a galloping track and will probably get a mile.
“Jimmy (Sullivan, jockey) has given her a brilliant ride so credit to the horse and credit to Jimmy. He used that big stride and that’s her big advantage – you might see her back here over hurdles next year!”
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