The next Rugby League World Cup will take place in the southern hemisphere in 2026, the sport’s international governing body has announced.
The tournament had been due to take place in France in 2025 but the prospective hosts pulled out in May citing a failure to achieve financial guarantees.
In addition, the IRL announced a resumption of the Ashes series with England’s men’s and women’s teams travelling to Australia in 2025, and return visits from New Zealand and Australia in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
The International Rugby League (IRL) said a precise decision on the hosting rights for the next World Cup will be announced later this year.
The revised tournament will feature a reduced field of 10 men’s teams, as well as eight-team women’s and wheelchair World Cups respectively.
IRL chairman Troy Grant said the organisation has received two separate bids to host the new tournament, presumed to be from Australia and New Zealand, which will be backed by government guarantees.
Grant said: “We will have an expedited bid process and the host will be identified before the year’s end, once the board has completed its due diligence of those bids.”
Lizzie Armitstead and Geraint Thomas won gold in their respective road races on the final day of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, on this day in 2014.
Armitstead – now Lizzie Deignan – led an England one-two ahead of retiring team-mate Emma Pooley in an exciting women’s race.
Pooley, in her last race before switching to endurance triathlons, played a brilliant selfless role in the 98-kilometres event – seven laps of a 14km undulating course – and finished with silver as 25-year-old Armitstead triumphed.
“I just feel like I deserve it,” said the Otley rider, who claimed silver behind Australia’s Rochelle Gilmore in Delhi four years ago and secured Britain’s first medal of London 2012 – with Olympic silver – behind Marianne Vos of Holland.
“I’ve trained so hard. I’m always on the podium, I don’t win that many races.
“It’s just a confidence thing. Once you’ve got a big title, you can call yourself a champion finally.”
England finished top of the medal table with 174, 58 of them gold.
Thomas won gold for Wales in the men’s discipline, triumphing in torrential rain in a race which became about survival and brute strength.
The 28-year-old from Cardiff, fresh from finishing the Tour de France a week earlier, twice suffered front-wheel punctures, including in the last six kilometres as his rivals neared.
But Thomas soloed to victory by one minute 21 seconds as Jack Bauer of New Zealand beat England’s Scott Thwaites to silver, the Yorkshireman having to settle for bronze.
“Riding the Tour before, it just adds to how good it feels to come away with two medals. I really didn’t expect it,” said Thomas, who also took bronze in the road time-trial.
“I was coming purely out of national pride and wanting to ride for Wales. I never really expected to medal, if I’m honest.
“To come away with a win and a bronze is more than I could’ve dreamt of.”
Gerrit Cole outpitched Shane McClanahan in matchup of All-Star aces, and Giancarlo Stanton drove in four runs as the New York Yankees avoided a sweep with a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Cole allowed a two-run homer to Wander Franco in the first inning but settled down to allow those two runs and four hits over seven innings. He struck out eight, walked two and improved to 6-0 after a Yankees loss this season.
New York sent eight batters to the plate and scored five times off McClanahan in the third inning as the left-hander was denied his 12th win.
Harrison Bader led off with a double and Anthony Volpe followed with his 14th home run. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Gleyber Torres singled before Stanton launched his 15th homer to right-centre for a 5-2 lead.
Stanton added a run-scoring single in the seventh and the Yankees won for just the eighth time in 22 games since July 4.
Tampa Bay had a three-game winning streak snapped but remained 1 ½ games behind AL East-leading Baltimore.
Happ homers twice in another big offensive showing for Cubs
Ian Happ went deep twice and and Jeimer Candelario was 4 for 4 in the Chicago Cubs’ 16-6 rout of the Cincinnati Reds.
Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki homered as Chicago beat up on the Reds for the second straight night. The Cubs won 20-9 on Tuesday and the 36 runs are their most in any two-game span since 1897.
Joey Votto hit two home runs for the first-place Reds, who matched a season high with four errors.
Braves hit 3 more homers in win
Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Matt Olson homered off Lucas Giolito and the Atlanta Braves rolled to a 12-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Acuna belted a three-run shot off Giolito in the third inning, then Riley and Olson went back to back in the fourth to cap a six-run outburst that ended the day for the Angels’ starter.
Giolito matched his career high with nine runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings in his second start with the Angels since he was acquired from the White Sox.
Atlanta has a major league-leading 206 home runs and is on pace for 315m, which would best the major league record of 307 set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins.
Andy Murray was triumphant in his first match since last month’s Wimbledon second-round exit and in the process exercised some demons in Washington.
Murray lost in the last-64 at the All England Club to Stefanos Tsitispas on July 6 but was back on court four weeks later to step up his US Open preparations and defeated Brandon Nakashima in straight-sets.
World number 44 Murray was in action at a familiar stomping ground and was able to clinch a first victory at the Citi Open since his tearful appearance there in 2018.
Five years ago after victory against Marius Copil, a tearful Murray hobbled off court and had to withdraw from a scheduled quarter-final showing with Alex de Minaur due to exhaustion.
Murray’s troublesome hip injury plagued him in Washington in 2018 and he would subsequently have hip resurfacing surgery that would rescue his career months later.
The two-time Wimbledon champion lost in the first round of the Citi Open to Mikael Ymer last year, but was able to finally return to winning ways at the tournament with a 7-6 (5) 6-4 victory over Nakashima in the last-32.
Fellow Briton Dan Evans joined his compatriot in tasting victory in Washington.
Evans fought back from a set down to beat Gregoire Barrere to book his place in the next round.
The 33-year-old won a narrow contest 2-6 6-0 6-3 to end a run of three defeats after first round losses at Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and Atlanta during the past two months.
Liam Broady was unable to replicate Murray and Broady’s success after he was defeated 6-4 6-2 by Tallon Griekspoor.
Corey Seager's sprained right thumb healed even faster than the Texas Rangers had anticipated.
The Rangers activated Seager from the 10-day injured list Wednesday ahead of their game against the Chicago White Sox.
Just earlier in the day, Rangers general manager Chris Young told reporters that the All-Star shortstop had a chance to come off the IL later this week.
Turns out, it was just a few hours later he would be back in the Rangers' lineup.
Seager was placed on the IL on July 22, a day after he jammed his hand on an awkward head-first slide to beat out a double in the eighth inning of the Rangers' 11-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
X-rays after the game were negative, and an MRI revealed no structural damage.
The Rangers went 3-6 with Seager on the IL, and entered play Wednesday, one-half game ahead of the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.
This ended up being Seager's second trip to the IL this season after he missed 31 games from mid-April to mid-May with a left hamstring strain.
Seager is hitting .350, which would be good enough to lead the American League in batting, but he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify because of his earlier trip to the IL.
Prior to exiting the July 21 game, Seager hit his 15th homer of the season and team-leading 29th double - tied for third most in the AL.
Seager, who was selected to his fourth All-Star game earlier this year, is in the second season of a $325million, 10-year deal with the Rangers.
The Toronto Blue Jays placed star shortstop Bo Bichette on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, two days after the American League's current batting leader injured his right knee against the Baltimore Orioles.
Bichette underwent tests Tuesday that revealed no structural damage and the 2023 All-Star has been diagnosed with patellar tendinitis.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters Wednesday that the team does not anticipate a lengthy absence for Bichette, who's batting .321 this season and ranks second in the major leagues with 144 hits. Schneider said it's too early to tell, however, whether the 25-year-old can return when first eligible on Aug. 11.
“The quicker we can get Bo back the better, obviously,” Schneider told MLB.com. "But we’ve got to see how he goes with each day, with each treatment, with each activity.”
Bichette exited Monday's 4-2 loss to Baltimore in the third inning after his right knee buckled as he rounded first base after reaching on a single. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but was noticeably limping and grimacing.
The injury prompted the Blue Jays to acquire veteran infielder Paul DeJong from the St. Louis Cardinals at Tuesday's trade deadline. DeJong will make his Toronto debut in Wednesday's series finale against the Orioles.
DeJong has produced 13 home runs and 32 RBIs along with a .233 average in 81 games this season. The seven-year veteran was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 2019 and finished that season with career highs of 30 homers and 78 RBIs.
Ash Tree Meadow put up a brilliant performance from the front to lift the Tote Galway Plate.
Fourth in the Ballybrit feature 12 months ago, Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old was given a superb ride by Danny Gilligan, who had the company of the loose Andy Dufresne to deal with at times after he departed at the very first fence.
Willie Mullins’ Authorized Art looked a big threat under Danny Mullins after jumping the last, but Gilligan kept his cool and his mount was quickly on top again before being kept up to his work on the way to recording a two-and-a-half-length success at 13-2.
Another Elliott runner, Hollow Games, took third, with Joseph O’Brien’s A Wave Of The Sea in fourth. Last year’s winner Hewick showed up well for a long way before his big weight began to tell approaching the business end of the contest.
Danny Care has unfinished business with the World Cup but refuses to hold back during England’s warm-up games even if it means repeating one of his career’s most crushing disappointments.
Care was considered first choice scrum-half heading into the 2011 tournament only to sustain a serious foot injury against Wales in Cardiff during the build-up, preventing him from playing any part.
The Harlequins half-back had already paid for his parents to travel to New Zealand in anticipation of his involvement and while they watched England reach the quarter-finals, he remained at home on crutches.
Four years later, he had slipped down the pecking order and was confined to a single match against Uruguay, and when 2019 arrived he was among the victims of Eddie Jones’ leftfield approach to scrum-half selection.
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France this autumn offers a final chance for the 36-year-old to realise his World Cup dream, but first England must revisit the setting for his misfortune of 2011 when they face Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
“I’m desperate to try and play more World Cup games, try and win some more games for England,” Care said.
“It will be a dream come true to get on that plane and hopefully I’ve done enough to get on the plane.
“I got named in the squad in 2011, played a warm-up game and ended up missing the tournament. Touch wood that doesn’t happen again, but it is rugby, it happens.
“One thing you can’t do going onto a rugby field is think about staying fit and no one will be doing that.
“It is the nature of the beast – you’re not playing tiddlywinks. It’s a tough old sport and you can get injured at any point, in any training session.
“It’s the way it is, there is a bit of luck involved sometimes. You try and not think about it, just crack on and put your head 100 per cent into everything and then hope for the best.
“Everyone will be flying in to win Test matches. We are going to try to win games and the best way to be prepared for France is to go and win some Test matches.”
Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls confirmed their spot in the semi-finals of the Vitality Netball World following another impressive performance in bettering Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago 89-26 in their second Pool G game in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday.
Romelda Aiken-George led the way on this occasion with 37 goals from 42 attempts, getting support from Shanice Beckford, who chipped in with 20 goals from 24 attempts early on.
Captain Jhaniele Fowler, who was only introduced for the third quarter of the match, added 17 goals from 19 attempts, while Rebekah Robinson had 15 goals from 17 attempts in the blowout win.
Afeisha Noel expectedly led Trinidad and Tobago with 20 goals from 22 attempts.
After celebrating the Reggae Girlz historic feat of progressing to the knockout stages of the Fifa Women’s World Cup at the expense of Brazil in Australia, the Sunshine Girls entered their contest brimming with confidence and that was on display from the opening whistle.
With another strong start, both in attack and defence, the number four-ranked Jamaicans, forced a number of early turnovers and at one point, opened an 8-1 lead in the early exchanges.
Their fast and fluent transitions, coupled with that defensive pressure proved too much for the number 11-ranked Calypso Girls, who struggled to maintain composure, resulting in the Sunshine Girls taking a 20-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same, as Trinidad and Tobago again struggled for rhythm. In fact, so high was the Jamaican tempo and flair that they scored 12 unanswered goals with the Calypso Girls only scoring one, in the first 10 minutes of the quarter.
They eventually found three more late on, but by then, the Jamaicans had raced to a 34-point gap, to enter the half-time break 44-10 up.
Fowler entered the contest at the start of the third quarter and kept the scoring momentum going, so even though Trinidad and Tobago enjoyed their best scoring period with nine goals at that point, they found themselves 69-19 down and with too much to do heading into the final stanza.
As such, Sunshine Girls Head coach Connie Francis, used the opportunity to feel out a few other combinations, throwing rising sensation Crystal Plummer at centre and Adean Thomas back at wing attack to feed Aiken-George and Robinson, who scored at free will to complete the rout.
The Jamaicans, who last won one of their three bronze medals at the tournament in 2007, are aiming to not only break that drought, but to do so by winning the coveted gold medal and, by all indications, they are on course to do so.
Sunshine Girls assistant coach Shawn Murdock, believes the performance was a glimpse of how lethal the team can be when fresh and focused, as the brace for reigning champions and number two-ranked New Zealand in their Pool G top of the table clash on Thursday.
“We were so happy for the rest day to have the ladies rest and go again and the performance was proof of that recovery. We were actually using this game to prepare for the game against New Zealand tomorrow, so we wanted to get the ladies tuned in, limit turnovers and penalties to get ourselves ready for the game tomorrow,” Murdock said.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s captain Shaquanda Greene-Noel rued the lack of concentration from her team in another loss.
They are scheduled to take on Wales on Thursday.
“I don’t think we executed our game plan, I thought we had moments of brilliance, but indiscipline worked against us. It was a pleasure to come up against a Caribbean team, but we need to be better. We won some balls in defence which is good, so it is just to create more opportunities and put some shots up,” Greene-Noel said.
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 2.
FootballGianluigi Buffon retired.
Rob McElhenney continued to help Paul Mullin’s recovery.
Ian Wright and Usain Bolt enjoyed the success of the Reggae Girlz.
The shy and retiring Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Kammy had work to do.
South Africa reached the last 16 at Italy’s expense.
England were still celebrating.
TennisEmma Raducanu was back out there.
CricketKevin Pietersen found a zebra crossing.
GolfLuke Donald welcomed Jose Maria Olazabal to his Ryder Cup team.
Rugby UnionJason Robinson completed an early-morning gym session.
BoxingBig news in the boxing world.
SnookerJudd Trump took in the sights in China.
Andrew Balding’s The Goat routed the opposition in the curtain-raising Coral Handicap to spark a double on day two of Goodwood for the Kingsclere handler.
Despite being placed in three of his four previous races, the Cracksman colt was a 25-1 chance stepping up to a mile and a half in the hands of Jason Watson and clearly relished the testing conditions.
Amleto, the 5-2 favourite, did his best to bridge the gap inside the final furlong but The Goat was away and gone and passed the post with 12 lengths in hand.
Balding said: “The Goat stands for the ‘greatest of all time’ – the greatest in this race, anyway!
“He loved the ground and he’s a horse who’s just had a tough spring and took a couple of runs to hit his form at home.
“He was very good – I thought he might be in a bit of trouble, but I’m very happy with the way he pulled clear. He’ll love the autumn ground and there might be something for him.”
Balding completed his brace when Flora Of Bermuda (5-1) made a mockery of her poor draw to land the British EBF 40th Anniversary Alice Keppel Fillies’ Conditions Stakes under Oisin Murphy in similarly emphatic style.
Having tracked across towards the stands rail early, the Andrew Balding-trained daughter of Dark Angel powered home in the five-furlong contest and had the race won at the furlong pole.
Having been unlucky when runner-up in the Hilary Needler at Beverley and again when first of the far-side group when drawn on the wrong side in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, she gained just compensation, surging clear of Juniper Berries to score by four lengths, with a further three lengths back to Indispensable.
Balding said: “We think a lot of this filly, and it was a bit of a bump on the ground, but we felt we’d learn something if it didn’t work, but she took to it and she’s pretty tough.
“In a way, the draw was a plus because we didn’t get involved in any barging to hold our position. She has a lot of talent, enjoyed the ground and would have no problems getting six (furlongs). He couldn’t pull her up, by the looks of it.
“As long as she stays in one piece, black type won’t be a problem for her. She’s in the Lowther and that was always the plan.”
Proven mudlark There’s The Door (6-1), dropping back in trip, outstayed her rivals in the 10-furlong British European Breeders Fund EBF Fillies’ Handicap.
In a race where David Egan was unshipped by Decoration coming out of the stalls, the David Evans-trained three-year-old tracked Chips And Rice and took it up from the dogged La Isla Mujeres inside the final furlong, having enough to hold the staying-on Persist by half a length.
Winning rider Richard Kingscote said: “She loves this ground so we were delighted when the rain came for her.
“I felt last time at Ascot just stretched her a little bit, but a mile and a quarter on heavy ground is spot on for her.
“She has a good attitude and we had a lovely smooth run.”
Murphy completed his own double when Rhoscolyn (2-1 favourite) defeated Wobwobwob by a lengths as the pair drew clear of the remainder in the concluding seven-furlong World Pool Handicap.
The David O’Meara-trained five-year-old had been steadily dropping down the weights and the heavy ground played to his strengths, with Murphy’s mount grinding down the gutsy Wobwobwob to gain a fifth career victory.
In driving rain on the South Downs, the casual television viewer could have been forgiven for thinking the footage had been taken from a November National Hunt meeting and not the linen suit and Panama convention that is usually the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
Though the weather denied racegoers the summer garden party they may have hoped for, the quality of the racing and the promise of seeing a true superstar in action was compensation enough for the sodden shoes and obliterated umbrellas.
The horse in question was Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington, a three-year-old son of Siyouni whose swiftly accelerating run of form brought him to the Qatar Sussex Stakes less than a month after his superb Coral-Eclipse victory.
Only four horses opted to take him on and even the relentless rain and deteriorating ground could not dissuade punters from sending him off as the 4-9 favourite under Ryan Moore.
Those that did back him experienced just the briefest moment of worry when an outsider, Jerome Reynier’s Facteur Cheval, loomed up in the final furlong, splashing happily through the rain-soaked terrain.
Paddington was not for passing, however, and his class snatched him away from any danger as he pulled clear to cross the line a comfortable length and a half ahead of his French rival.
The heaviest rain of the day fell when he returned to the paddock, but the weather did not prevent a warm reception as the horse strode back in looking as damp and imposing as a winning hurdler on a wet day at Cheltenham.
In his coat colour he bears little resemblance to Giant’s Causeway. But his Goodwood victory saw Paddington match his extraordinary treble of the St James’s Palace, Coral-Eclipse and Sussex Stakes.
His next step he is likely to mirror the ‘Iron Horse’, too, as the Juddmonte International at York beckons, a race Giant’s Causeway won by a head in 2000.
O’Brien – who was all smiles when posing for pictures with the ‘real’ Paddington Bear after the race – said: “We love these big days and I’m delighted that the lads are happy to run on them. York is a massive festival as well. We’ll definitely look at it and consider it very seriously.
“We’ll have to see how he comes out (of the race). But he’s very special, we think. We weren’t expecting the ground to be as tough as it was today, but knowing the horse he could take it with a smile on his face.”
Australia for the Cox Plate has also been mentioned, alongside the Breeders’ Cup, the latter meeting being the scene of an unforgettably agonising defeat for Giant’s Causeway in the final run of his career, going down by a neck to Tiznow in the Classic at Churchill Downs.
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is even a tantalising possibility, which would mean stepping up to a mile and a half for a race that can be run in gruelling autumn conditions, as it was last year when Alpinista prevailed on very deep ground.
“The Breeders’ Cup is an option and Tom (Magnier, of Coolmore) mentioned something about Australia,” said O’Brien.
“We made an Arc entry because there doesn’t seem to be any end to his stamina. He could go anywhere or do anything. He’s had a busy season. You run in any one top-level race and you know it, but he’s doing them one after another.
“I thought he wanted good ground or better because he’s quick, but he has handled the soft ground and he’s won on heavy before – but when a horse can quicken like that you’d think he’d want good ground.”
Moore, who is not often overly effusive in his praise, hinted that Paddington could be one of the most talented horses he has partnered in a career that has seen him ride many champions.
“It’s a hard thing to say, but he gives you the feel that he might be as good a horse as I’ve ridden,” he said.
“He’s exceptional. And he’s handled everything that we’ve put in front of him, whether it’s a mile, 10 (furlongs), good ground, soft.
“He’s a straightforward horse who thrives on his racing. Someone asked me yesterday if he’d go on this ground and I said he’d go on snow.”
Shane Lowry feels he might be “owed” a little good luck in the FedEx Cup play-offs as he battles to qualify for the post-season for a fifth straight year.
The former Open champion is ranked 76th in the standings and needs to climb inside the top 70 at the Wyndham Championship after the field for next week’s first play-off event was reduced from 125.
The top 50 after the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis will then advance to the BMW Championship, with only the top 30 making it to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
“It’s funny, I feel like I’ve been in situations like this quite a bit over the last number of years,” Lowry said in a pre-tournament press conference at Sedgefield Country Club.
“I missed out on the Tour Championship by one spot last year, by two shots in 2019. I remember playing here one year, I’d been told I needed a top 10 to get to the play-offs, I finished seventh and I missed out by one point.
“So I feel like the play-offs nearly owes me one at this stage, so that’s what I’m trying to tell myself this year.
“I feel like I’ve been playing some pretty good golf most of the year. I’m coming off the back of a pretty bad week at The Open, which I was very disappointed with, but I had a nice holiday with my family last week to kind of regroup and hopefully get going again this week.”
Lowry has recorded just one top 10 on the PGA Tour this season and, although three of his eight top 20s came in the majors, the top-heavy points structure has not done him any favours.
“I think there’s been a lot of good, not much great (golf), which on the PGA Tour doesn’t cut it,” the world number 30 said.
“I think I’ve had a lot of top-20 finishes, but you need those great weeks, you need those top fives to move up the FedEx Cup points list.
“It’s been an interesting year for me. The way the schedule is with the designated events I feel like I’ve played some places that I wouldn’t normally play and I’ve had to miss tournaments that I normally like to play.
“But I’m here now and I want to play well and I want to get into next week and I want to make a run in the play-offs.
“Memphis is a course that I like playing and I’ve played all right in the past, so if I can get there, I know I can make a run there. I certainly don’t want to be sitting at home on my couch watching the play-offs.
“It’s a lot of motivation for me this week to play good golf and hopefully get my rewards at the end of it. I still feel like I can make the Tour Championship.”
Jerome Reynier will target Qipco British Champions Day with Facteur Cheval after finishing best of the rest behind Paddington in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
The French raider had been kept fresh since finishing a close-up third behind the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat in the Prix d’Ispahan at the end of May.
Given a patient ride by Maxime Guyon, the 11-1 chance moved into contention with a couple of furlongs to run and briefly looked like giving red-hot favourite Paddington a real run for his money.
In the end Aidan O’Brien’s superstar colt found more to extend his unbeaten record this season to six, but Reynier was understandably thrilled with his four-year-old’s performance in defeat.
He said: “It’s like a victory today. We really thought he was going to beat Paddington, but he had the stands rail and we were in the middle of the track and he was stuck in the middle of traffic.
“He ran a great race, he was third in a Group One the other day and second today in a very nice Group One and I hope the next time we will be able to win at that level.
“With five runners it was best to wait at the back for a late challenge. We were the fourth favourite out of five runners, so we thought if he can just beat one or two home, we would be happy, but we never thought he was going to be able to run that way.
“He keeps improving mentally and physically, so probably the best is yet to come.”
Reynier has gone close on Champions Day before, with Skalleti filling the runner-up spot behind Addeybb in the Champion Stakes three years ago.
Facteur Cheval is also be Ascot bound, with the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes a logical target.
“Fingers crossed he will be coming back in good shape and we can aim for the Queen Elizabeth at the end of the year with him,” the trainer added.
Roger Varian was pleased with the performance of third home Charyn, who was placed again behind Paddington having run well behind him in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes.
“He ran well and he prefers better ground. He travelled into it well,” said the Newmarket handler.
“He ran very well at Royal Ascot to be third in the St James’s Palace, nearly second, and he ran very well in the Irish Guineas (finished fourth), so he’s knocking on the door at this top level.
“He doesn’t like this ground really, he wants better ground.”
The disappointment of the race was John and Thady Gosden’s three-time Group One winner Inspiral.
Frankie Dettori made an early move in the straight in an effort to beat Paddington to the stands rail, but his mount soon came under pressure and weakened to finish last of five.
Dettori said: “We tried, but it was very obvious that she doesn’t cope with this kind of ground.
“If the ground dries up and she comes out of this race, we can back her up in the race she won in France last year (Prix Jacques le Marois).
“It was obvious what was going to happen – Paddington got a lead and everything his own way, so I grabbed the fence as I had to make a race of it.”
Katie Taylor has an immediate chance to avenge the first defeat of her professional career as she takes on Chantelle Cameron again on November 25 in Dublin.
Cameron retained her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight titles in May with an against-all-odds majority decision win in Taylor’s Irish homecoming at the 3Arena, which will also stage the rematch.
While Cameron expressed a wish to move down to 135lbs and challenge Taylor’s status as undisputed world lightweight champion, the return bout will once more be at 140lbs for the Northampton fighter’s belts.
Taylor’s loss shattered her perfect record in the paid ranks after 22 consecutive wins and the unbeaten Cameron, who moved to 18-0 by beating her rival, is ready to show it was no one-off.
Cameron said: “To go over to Ireland for her homecoming with my belts on the line and beat her was a brilliant experience, but beating her on November 25 will surpass that as I know what to expect now.
“I’ve boxed at that high level with a huge amount of pressure on me and the crowd against me. I’m going in there with more aggression and energy. I’m confident of getting the job done in better fashion.
“In the gym we’re correcting mistakes that I’ve made. Going back to Ireland to beat Katie Taylor twice in a row will show that it wasn’t just a lucky night for me and an off night for Katie.
“I think I’m all wrong for Katie. I’m too big, I’m too strong and my will to win is too strong. I’m going to be there all night long. Katie picked the wrong fighter to fight.”
Taylor had been undefeated since Rio 2016, when she was still in the amateurs but, despite turning 37 last month, retirement is a long way from the Bray fighter’s mind.
“I’m delighted the rematch has been made and really can’t wait for another huge night in November,” Taylor said. “I relish challenges like this and these are the occasions I live for.”
Gregor Townsend is confident Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie will recover from injury in time for next weekend’s World Cup warm-up match away to France after sitting out this Saturday’s Test against Les Bleus at Murrayfield.
The Edinburgh flanker has sustained a minor calf strain and will play no part in this weekend’s match in Edinburgh, with stand-off Finn Russell handed the skipper’s armband in his absence.
However, Townsend is optimistic that Ritchie will be back in contention for the rematch against the French in Saint-Etienne the following Saturday.
“I would hope he will be back next week,” said the head coach. “He’s confident he will be back in full training next week.
“It was a calf strain that has required more time off. He got a scan on Tuesday just to make sure there was no more damage done, and it was felt that this week there was no need to push the injury.
“He’s confident he will be running by the weekend and back to full training next week.”
Talismanic stand-off Russell – who will join Bath from Racing 92 after the World Cup – will lead the national team for the first time, less than 10 months after being omitted from the initial squad for the autumn series.
Asked what has changed in the intervening period for the 30-year-old to go from outsider to leader, Townsend said: “Finn has played really well since he got back into the squad.
“He has always been a leader for us in terms of attack. He is older, has more experience and an opportunity has opened up where he’s the right man to lead us this week.
“It’s the right time to give him that opportunity, and it will be interesting to see how he goes. Being vice captain and our most important attack leader gives him a real confidence and I’m hoping that being captain gives him confidence too.
“The players that do most of the talking on the field are your 10, your captain and maybe one other player. Finn has certainly done that for us over the last couple of years.”
Townsend believes Russell is in his prime.
“He’s in really good physical shape and was when he came back in last November and during the Six Nations too,” he said.
“He’s hitting that sweet spot where, after playing the game for 10 years in that one position and playing against some of the best teams around, he has an understanding of where space might open up.
“If you’ve got that physical side right too, you can exploit those opportunities. That’s what he is doing. He’s really motivated about playing for Scotland and playing club rugby for the next few years.
“If you can get that mix for the next two or three years, and it’s important to note he is improving all the time, you’ve got one of the best players in the world in that position with us, which is great.”
Townsend has made 13 changes to his starting XV for this weekend’s clash with the French, restoring the majority of his big-hitters after fielding a largely experimental side for last Saturday’s win over Italy.
Ritchie and hooker George Turner are the only notable absentees from the starting line-up, with Ewan Ashman – capped seven times – the least established international in the line-up.
Townsend is hoping Scotland can show over the next two games that they have built on a strong performance in their 32-21 Six Nations defeat by France in Paris in February when they roared back from 19-0 down and threatened to pull off a famous victory.
“We want to show we are a better team than that day,” said Townsend. “I feel that what the players are showing in training is at a lot higher level than what we produced in the Six Nations. That gives us a lot of encouragement and excitement.
“We did play well and the character in the team was outstanding, but we didn’t finish off nearly enough opportunities to win the game. Three times we were over the try-line and didn’t score, and there were another four times where great creative play didn’t get rewarded.
“It’s great that France have committed to home and away fixtures like they did last time. It suits us that we were able to mix up our team last week and we now have two very tough Test matches home and away.”
Paddington made it a brilliant six from six for the season with a dominant front-running victory in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
The Siyouni colt has not looked back since making a successful start to his campaign in a handicap at Leopardstown, winning a Listed race at the Curragh, the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes before successfully stepping up to 10 furlongs in the Coral-Eclipse.
Dropping back to a mile, Aidan O’Brien’s teak-tough three-year-old was the 4-9 favourite to make light of testing conditions and controlled matters from flag-fall in the hands of Ryan Moore.
Three-time Group One-winning filly Inspiral was the first of his challengers to throw down a challenge, but her effort was short lived and in the end it was French raider Facteur Cheval who emerged as the biggest threat.
But try as he might, he could never quite get on terms with Paddington, who had matters well in control as he passed the post with a length and a half in hand.
The winner was emulating former Ballydoyle great Giant’s Causeway by completing the St James’s Palace, Coral-Eclipse, Sussex Stakes treble.
The ‘Iron Horse’, as he was affectionately known, went on to add the Juddmonte International at York to his CV 23 years ago.
Emma Raducanu has stepped up her recovery from wrist and ankle surgery by returning to the practice court for the first time.
The 20-year-old was forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon after undergoing operations on both wrists and one ankle at the beginning of May.
She has been rehabilating over the last few weeks but made a big step by hitting for the first time at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on Wednesday.
View this post on InstagramRaducanu documented her session, which saw her gently hitting with a practice partner, on Instagram with the caption: “August 2nd, THE FUN PART. 1st time back on court.”
The US Open winner, who has been dogged by injuries since her amazing 2021 triumph in New York, will not be fit for the forthcoming tournament at Flushing Meadows, with a return in the Asia or European indoor swing in the autumn more likely.
Clive Cox makes no apology for thinking Jasour is at the top of the pecking order of his juveniles at Beechdown Stables in Lambourn as he bids for a hat-trick in the Markel Richmond Stakes at Goodwood on Thursday.
The Havana Grey colt has progressed in each of his three runs this term and followed up his Nottingham five-furlong maiden win with an authoritative two-length verdict over Lake Forest when upped to six furlongs in the July Stakes at Newmarket.
He tackles nine rivals in similar Group Two company on the Sussex Downs, with his trainer expecting him to back up that good performance.
Cox, who won this race in 2019 with Golden Horde and again the following year with Supremacy, said: “We were thrilled with the Newmarket success. He has come out of the race really well, we’re very happy with the way he’s been since then.
“It was nice to see him settle behind the pace and finish off in a race of that level, and to win as nicely as he did.
“We rate him highly. We had him entered in the Gimcrack before he ran at Newmarket and was our only entry in the race, so that tells you.
“It was not as if it was unexpected, but it is always nice to confirm what you hope and believe. We are hopeful that he’ll go well.”
First-time winners Vandeek, who landed a six-furlong maiden in easy ground at Nottingham for co-trainers Ed and Simon Crisford, and Sketch, who was an eyecatching Newbury scorer for Freddie and Martyn Meade, look worthy opponents.
Confidence is high that Showcasing colt Sketch, who scored by five lengths on debut 12 days ago, can back up that form.
Freddie Meade said: “He seems to have come out of it really well. Obviously it is quite a quick turnaround, but he was a true professional at Newbury. In the winner’s enclosure he seemed to take it all in his stride.
“It looks a tough renewal, but I think he showed he’s entitled to be there and he is a big, strong horse and it is not all about this season.
“He is a really nice horse who we think a lot of and we are hoping to go there with a live chance. Not many can do what he did first time out and the sectional times were good if you compare them to the Hackwood.”
Ed Crisford feels Vandeek will gain some useful experience, suggesting it is not all about his juvenile season.
He said: “He looked a bit inexperienced at Nottingham and just fell out the stalls, but with the ground the way it is – it was soft when he won there – it will help. He seems to have come on for that mentally for the last few weeks, so we thought we’d take a chance.
“If he can take a step forward from his maiden win, we’ll be pleased. He is one for the future and it is not all about this.”
The Group Three John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes over a mile and a half sees the King’s Royal Ascot winner Desert Hero having his first outing since landing the King George V Stakes.
However, the top two in the market are the Aidan O’Brien-trained Espionage and the Crisfords’ Chesspiece.
The former won a Listed race at Rosscommon on his seasonal bow, having shown some smart form in three runs last autumn, including when beaten a head by Donnacha O’Brien’s Proud And Regal in the Criterium at Saint-Cloud.
O’Brien said of the Galileo colt, who is towards the head of the betting on the St Leger: “He’s only had the one run this year and nearly won a Group One in France last year.
“He’s progressing, he’s coming on. That was his first run at Roscommon this season and we think he’ll progress as the year goes on.”
Chesspiece was placed in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot before dropping back in trip to land a Listed prize at Hamilton over a mile and three furlongs.
Ed Crisford feels he will appreciate the easy ground in what looks a high-quality renewal.
“He won nicely in a Listed race at Hamilton and he’s come out of it very well,” he said.
“We know he likes softer conditions and with all the rain, we thought it was a good option to run him.
“He is doing extremely well and I’m sure he will be very competitive. It looks a strong race for the class and if he can take another step forward, he’ll be right in the mix.”
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