Deauville Legend could take on defending champion Pyledriver in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, with trainer James Ferguson confident he will take “a huge step forward”.
Fourth in the Melbourne Cup on his previous run at Flemington, the lightly-raced four-year-old produced a fine run on his return from a 235-day break when beaten just under three lengths by Pyledriver in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.
A head runner-up in last year’s King George V Stakes, Deauville Legend went on to take two Group races and his Newmarket handler is happy to meet Pyledriver again in the all-aged Group One contest at the Berkshire track on July 29.
“That was huge after an extremely long lay-off,” said Ferguson.
“We knew it would be a tough ask and he just went for his girths half a furlong from home, and he will probably take a huge step forward from that.
“Deauville Legend will probably go to the King George. He’s had two solid runs at Ascot now and it is a track he obviously likes.”
Zoology almost made it a meeting to remember for the young trainer, the three-year-old stepping up on his fourth-placed effort in the Greenham to run Age Of Kings to a length in the Group Three Jersey Stakes on vastly different ground.
He stayed on nicely inside the final furlong to claim the runner-up spot under Oisin Murphy, and Ferguson feels he may be ready to go up in trip.
He said: “I’ve always been confident in the horse and I’m very grateful to have a Zoustar of his calibre.
“He has just done better with age and he’s developed mentally as well as physically. He looks a different horse to the one we had six months ago – he’s changed that quickly.
“I thought he ran really well and potentially he could step up to a mile.
“The Greenham at Newbury was on terrible ground. He is genuine. That’s Zoustars for you – they are genuine and very honest. But I can’t tell you where he will go next.”
Likewise, Canberra Legend, who was beaten three lengths by Waipiro in the Hampton Court, could also be upped in trip next time.
A son of Australia, he had previously disappointed in York’s Dante Stakes, finishing ninth of 11 to The Foxes.
Ferguson was happy to see him bounce back to something like his best at Ascot and has pencilled in the Group Three Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on August 3 for his next outing.
“Just put a line through the Dante,” he insisted. “We saw the real Canberra Legend this time and he will probably step up to a mile and a half. He will probably go to the Gordon.”
Domingo German threw the 24th perfect game in major league history in the New York Yankees’ 11-0 rout of the lowly Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.
German retired all 27 Oakland batters in order to become the first pitcher to accomplish the rarely seen feat since Felix Hernandez did it for the Seattle Mariners against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug 15, 2012.
The Yankees right-hander struck out nine in his first career complete game. He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees pitchers to throw perfect games.
German threw 72 of 99 pitches for strikes, mixing 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs that averaged 92.5 mph with 17 changeups and one sinker.
German’s perfect game came after he allowed 15 earned runs and 15 hits in his past two starts, spanning 5 1/3 innings.
Seth Brown came closest to reach base for the Athletics when he hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who made a diving stop and tossed to German for the second out of the fifth inning.
Just over a month ago, German was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball after using too much rosin on his hands in a start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in three runs and Josh Donaldson added three RBIs as New York defeated Oakland for the 15th time in the last 21 meetings.
Rays score 3 in 9th to rally past Diamondbacks
Josh Lowe doubled home two runs to cap a three-run ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a matchup of division leaders.
Scott McGough was called on to protect a 2-0 lead in the ninth but surrendered singles to Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco before Luke Raley singled home the first run.
After Isaac Paredes lined out to second, Lowe ripped a double into the left-centre field gap to plate the go-ahead runs.
A loss would’ve dropped the Rays behind the Atlanta Braves for the best record in baseball, but Lowe’s hit means Tampa Bay remains atop the majors.
Red-hot Braves sweep Twins
The Atlanta Braves kept rolling, beating the visiting Minnesota Twins 3-0 to cap a three-game sweep.
Atlanta extended its winning streak to five games and posted its 21st victory in 25 contests to add to its National League-leading 53-27 record.
Matt Olson hit his NL-best 26th home run and contributed an RBI double for the Braves, who top the major leagues with 147 homers.
Atlanta’s 55 home runs in June are one shy of the franchise record set in June 2019.
Minnesota fell to 40-42 after scoring just three runs in the series and striking out 31 times.
Wimbledon closed its newly installed roof over centre court during a match for the first time on this day in 2009.
A fourth-round encounter between Russian world number one Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo was under way when play had to be paused due to rain.
Covers were pulled across the court at 4.35pm and an announcement informed spectators: “Ladies and gentlemen play is suspended and a further announcement will be made shortly.”
Four minutes later the lights went on in the four corners of the stadium and the state-of-the-art roof buzzed into life, taking seven minutes to shut completely.
Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, told the BBC: “We’ve been waiting for it for so long, it’s the first time ever at Wimbledon somebody’s waiting for rain, but we’d still prefer the sunshine.”
The roof, reported to have cost £80million to install, was not used during play in the first week of the tournament except as a sun shade for the royal box.
The New England Patriots and wide receiver DeVante Parker have reached agreement on a three-year extension worth up to $33 million, according to reports.
Parker, 30, was heading into the final year of his current deal as a pending free agent in 2024. The deal reportedly includes $14 million in guarantees and pe-game roster bonuses.
In his first season with the Patriots, Parker had 31 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games.
The 6-foot-3 Parker caught ten of his 19 contested targets, leading to ten catches of 20-plus yards, which ranked second on the team to Jakobi Meyers. Parker’s 17.4 yards per reception lead all Patriots receivers in 2022.
Parker spent his first seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins and had his best season in 2019, when he caught 72 passes for 1,202 yards and nine TDs.
New England is one of the teams interested in signing veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and he visited the team earlier this month. It’s unknown if Parker’s signing affects the Patriots’ pursuit of Hopkins.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Chicago Blackhawks selected 17-year-old Connor Bedard with the first pick of Wednesday's NHL Draft.
Bedard has been turning heads since he was 11 years old and has been labeled a generational talent, drawing comparisons to Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, who was picked first overall in 2015.
It was basically a foregone conclusion that the Blackhawks would take Bedard with the top pick after they were the winner of the NHL’s draft lottery on May 8.
Bedard becomes the second player selected first overall by the Blackhawks, joining Patrick Kane in 2007. Kane helped lead the team to three Stanley Cups in 16 seasons before he was traded to the New York Rangers in February.
Bedard was the first person granted exceptional status to play in the Western Hockey League at age 15 and concluded his WHL career with an eye-popping 271 points in 134 games. His career points per game ranks 10th in league history and is the highest in the league since the early 1980s.
A certified sniper who already owns one of the best releases at 17, Bedard also is an outstanding skater with a deceptive and unpredictable style of play.
His 71 goals in 57 games last year were the most by a WHL player in 24 years, and his 143 points were the most since 1995-96.
Bedard swept the Canadian Hockey League awards, becoming the first voted player of the year, top prospect and top scorer.
He further cemented his status as the best player available in this draft with a dominant showing for gold medal-winning Canada in the 2023 World Juniors.
Playing against players up to three years older than him on an international stage, Bedard set the Canadian record for most points at a single tournament (23) and most assists at one tournament (14) in seven games on his way to winning MVP honours.
Two-time All-Star centre Nikola Vucevic is returning to the Chicago Bulls after agreeing to a three-year, $60 million contract extension, his agents told ESPN on Wednesday.
The new deal keeps Vucevic from hitting the open market when the NBA free agency period begins Friday. The 32-year-old would have been among the top available big men after averaging 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists while playing in all 82 games in 2022-23, the final season of a four-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2019.
“I’m excited to continue my journey as a Chicago Bull,” Vucevic said in a team release. "Since I have arrived in Chicago, everyone in the organisation has been incredibly welcoming to my family and me. I am motivated more than ever to achieve our mutual goals as a team."
Vucevic will be entering his third full season with Chicago after the Bulls acquired him from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline in March 2021. He put together his best season that year by averaging a career-high 23.4 points along with 11.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 70 games.
The 12-year veteran, along with star scorers Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, helped the Bulls end a four-year playoff drought the following season. Though Chicago missed the playoffs this past season, Vucevic put up identical numbers to his 2021-22 per-game averages in points, rebounds and assists while shooting 52 per cent from the field, his highest rate since 2014-15.
Vucevic has averaged a points-rebounds double-double in five consecutive seasons and owns a solid 34.8 per cent career average on 3-point attempts. The 2011 first-round pick has averaged 17 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 823 career regular-season games.
“During his time in Chicago, Nikola has proven that he is a special player both on and off the court,” Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnsiovas said. “He has produced at an elite level since we acquired him and will remain an integral part of our foundation moving forward.
"Nikola’s willingness to do whatever is asked of him to help us win, while also being an established veteran leader for our group, makes him a valuable component of the culture of our organisation. He is a consummate professional and tremendous teammate, which plays a big role in making us an attractive destination for other players. We are excited to have him continue to be part of our journey."
Retaining Vucevic was considered a top offseason priority for Karnisovas, who paid a high price to acquire the Montenegro native two years ago. Chicago sent talented young centre Wendell Carter Jr. to Orlando in the trade along with two first-round picks, one of which was used on rising star Franz Wagner.
While bringing back Vucevic solidifies Chicago's frontcourt, Karnisovas still has big decisions to make regarding the backcourt with point guard Lonzo Ball expected to miss a second straight season with a career-threatening knee injury. Fellow guard Coby White, the Bulls' top bench scorer last season, will be a restricted free agent.
Andy Murray branded a contentious poster of past and present Wimbledon greats a “disaster” as he highlighted the lack of prominence given to female players.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray was a notable absentee from the official All England Club artwork which features 15 famous players walking down a staircase.
Young pair Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – neither of whom have made an impact at the Championships yet – stand in the foreground of the painting, followed by a selection of “epic” rivalries, beginning with Murray’s long-time competitors Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Of the six women depicted, only Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are among the front 11 players, with the other four, including Serena and Venus Williams, at the back.
While Murray’s uncle and brother criticised his exclusion, the Scot insisted that is not the issue as he spoke about the poster for the first time since its release.
With a smile, he initially said: “It was a disaster, wasn’t it? I don’t need to elaborate any more on it, it’s pretty obvious if you see the poster.”
Asked about four of the front five groups of rivals being men, he continued: “That was what was slightly strange.
“I guess the players that are on the poster are ones that have had incredible careers and have been unbelievably successful at Wimbledon.
“But elsewhere are some of the greatest players of all time.
“For me, Alcaraz and Sinner are unbelievable players but it just seems strange that they were all sort of behind them.
“I personally don’t really care that much about it. But I can see when you look at it’s like, ‘that does look a bit strange’.
“Me not being on it is certainly not a problem.”
Murray’s final warm-up ahead of Wimbledon ended in a 6-4 6-4 loss to world number six world number six Holger Rune at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic.
The 36-year-old, who is ranked 39th, goes into his home slam unseeded and awaiting his fate in Friday’s draw.
While he would relish another meeting with reigning champion Djokovic before the end of his career, Murray is keen to avoid star names in the early rounds, albeit he is ready for that scenario.
“Ideally that wouldn’t happen right at the beginning,” he said of facing a top seed. “I would obviously want that to happen probably later in the tournament.
“But at the same time, because of the situation, I need to be prepared for that. I need to be ready to play against anyone right from the start.
“I’ve had some pretty tough first-round draws in the slams over the last couple of years so I need to to be ready for that and I think I am.
“Obviously, I would love to play against Novak again. I can’t remember the last time we played. It’s a long time ago.”
Murray moved well on court against 20-year-old Dane Rune at the Hurlingham Club but could not capitalise on his chances as he slipped to defeat.
Prior to last week’s first-round exit at Queen’s Club, he had won 10 successive matches in claiming back-to-back grass-court titles in Surbiton and Nottingham.
“Form-wise, I think has been good,” he said of his recent displays. “There are some positive signs there.
“Maybe the other players would see it differently but I don’t think there are loads of guys that would want to draw me in the first round. That’s a good place to be.”
Tom Pidcock believes the racing at this year’s Tour de France will be different as a result of Gino Mader’s death at the Tour de Suisse less than two weeks ago.
Mader, who was 26, died on June 16 as a result of injuries suffered when he crashed into a ravine on a high-speed descent, and rider safety has been a hot topic in the build up to Saturday’s opening stage.
Pidcock, who was also racing in Switzerland, lit up the Tour de France on debut last year with an incredible descent off the Galibier setting up his victory on the Alpe d’Huez.
But asked if he expected the approach to racing to be impacted by what happened in Switzerland, the 23-year-old said: “I think so. I think especially for everyone who was at the race, that was pretty hard hitting.
“I didn’t see a single rider take any risks after that incident on the last two stages. Personally I think one of the things that hit me was it happened descending which is something that I love.
“It kind of showed me what the consequences can be when it goes wrong. I never take uncalculated risks when I’m descending, I don’t take unnecessary risks but things can happen when we’re riding down a descent at 100 kilometres an hour in lycra.”
Pidcock heads into this year’s Tour aiming to better last year’s debut. For him, that means being more consistent in the general classification so there will be no deliberately losing time to get in a breakaway. If he is to win another stage, he wants it to be from the group of favourites.
The New Jersey Devils and star forward Timo Meier have agreed to an eight-year, $70.4 million extension through the 2030-31 season, the team announced hours before Wednesday's NHL draft.
Acquired from the San Jose Sharks in February, Meier was a restricted free agent who scored a career-high 40 goals this past season. The 26-year-old was an All-Star for the Sharks in 2021-22 and finished that season with 35 goals and a career-high 76 points in 77 games.
"We were excited to acquire Timo at the (trade) deadline, but it's an even greater feeling knowing that he'll be here for the next eight seasons," Devils executive vice president/general manager Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement. "Timo's unique blend of style of play, goal-scoring ability, and physical presence will prove valuable for us."
Meier is the second key player the Devils have locked up on a long contract this offseason. The team previously signed forward Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $63 million deal earlier this month.
"In talking with him, Timo realised, and I always believed, that this is the right place for him as a player and a person," Fitzgerald said. "We've locked up another piece of our young core that is looking to take that next step together for greater success."
New Jersey also acquired 34-goal scorer Tyler Toffoli from the Calgary Flames on Tuesday to add another proven forward to one of the NHL's up-and-coming teams. After missing the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, the Devils won a franchise-record 52 games in 2022-23 and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The ninth overall pick of the 2015 draft, Meier has recorded 163 goals and 167 assists in 472 career regular-season games and has reached the 30-goal mark in three of his seven NHL seasons. The Swiss native posted nine goals and five assists in 21 regular-season games for New Jersey following the trade, though he managed only two goals in 11 playoff games.
PJ McDonald was once again seen to good effect aboard Vetiver in the British Stallion Studs EBF Eternal Stakes at Carlisle.
The northern-based rider broke his Royal Ascot duck in last weekend’s Hardwicke Stakes aboard Pyledriver, having previously guided the top-class performer to win last year’s King George at the Berkshire circuit.
McDonald was back on more familiar territory in Cumbria and jumped on the Andrew Balding-trained 7-2 chance Vetiver in the £50,000 Listed feature, a filly whom he had already won on twice.
Carrying the colours of Cheveley Park Stud, the chestnut daughter of Twilight Son was fitted with a tongue-tie for the first time and after briefly being stuck behind horses, she powered home to get up and beat Dandy Alys by half a length.
McDonald said: “I’ve won on her a couple of times around Beverley, but this was a different ballgame today.
“As you can see she wears a hood and she’s a free-going filly. I got into a nice enough rhythm on her and I was keen not to play my cards too early on the ground because at the end of the day today was all about getting her into the first three and picking up some black type.
“I’ve ended up getting myself into a little bit of a pocket, but to be fair to her she showed some guts to come out of there and stick her head out and gallop out through the line.”
There were jubilant scenes in the winner’s enclosure after Two Brothers (6-1) landed one of the feature handicaps on the card, the Stablemate By Agma Cumberland Plate.
Mick and David Easterby’s inmate had been placed three times since his last triumph and was rewarded for his consistency with a neck verdict over Ravenscraig Castle under Billy Garritty.
“That was very good, we couldn’t have asked for any more,” said Oliver Thompson, who owns the winner along with his brother, Gavin.
“We were optimistic. We’ve had the horse since he was a two-year-old and he didn’t run until he was three. We’ve had a couple of ups and downs, but he’s absolutely awesome!
“This is our first horse. We’re actually related to Mick and he’s found us a good one.”
Clear Angel (7-2) lunged late to lift the Jason Watson 25 Years Carlisle Bell Consolation Handicap.
Making his first appearance since winning at Wetherby in late April, Susan Corbett’s charge benefited from a patient ride from Graham Lee, arriving on the scene late to score by a head from Strongbowe.
Corbett said: “This has been a while in the making as he was a very expensive yearling (€120,000). He kept having issues and we actually bought him online for 1,500 guineas.
“We obviously needed to do some work on him, he had a bone chip and various things. He definitely likes a cut in the ground and we’ve been praying for rain for so long. We’ve had him a few races and either the ground was against us and one day he had an allergy to the shampoo we used!
“It’s been a comedy of errors and the lads that own him have waited a while, but now they’re getting their just desserts which is good. He just seems to be getting better and better.”
The John Quinn-trained Due For Luck (9-1) made a successful start to his career in the Mark Nield Wealth Management Restricted Maiden Stakes, pulling two and a half lengths clear under Jason Hart.
Sean Quinn, assistant to his father, said: “He’s always gone alright at home. We trained the mother (Vanity’s Girl) and she went well at home, but never quite did it on the track.
“I saw him at the yearling sales and he’s a fine beast, as you can see there.
“He’s from a fast family I think he’s quite quick. Jason said he’s still a little bit green, so maybe we’ll just go for a novice with a penalty and teach him.”
Title-chasing Joe Fanning landed the concluding Carlisle Supporting Racing Staff Week Fillies’ Handicap on Charlie Johnston’s 7-1 shot Kitai.
Hollie Doyle reached another notable milestone as she steered Mostawaa to victory in the £30,000 Stablemate By Agma Carlisle Bell.
Fresh from booting home three winners Royal Ascot last week, the record-breaking rider made the long journey north to Cumbria in a bid to secure her first victory at Carlisle – the only British racecourse to currently stage Flat racing where she had not previously enjoyed success.
Doyle fittingly broke her duck in one of the track’s most prestigious races, with the two bells on offer to the winner reputed to be the oldest sporting trophy in the world, having first been presented in 1599 when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne.
The Heather Main-trained Mostawaa was a 15-2 chance to complete his hat-trick following recent wins at Brighton and York. After racing prominently, the seven-year-old answered his rider’s every call to repel the sustained challenge of Liamarty Dreams by half a length.
“He’s turned a corner in his old age,” said Doyle.
“He won at Brighton and then he went to York, but I did get an easy lead that day and things fell right. Today there was plenty of pace on paper and it’s a stiff track on soft ground, but he stuck at it well and I think now you could probably investigate going up to 10 furlongs.
“Between the three- and the two- (furlong markers) I was thinking I hadn’t got much of a breather into him and we were going a good gallop. They got into a duel and to be fair the pair of them kept going.”
She added: “It’s great to have a winner here because it’s a good atmosphere and it’s a long way to come!
“I used to come up for the lady riders’ meeting so I’ve had a few rides, but no winner until today.”
World number seven Coco Gauff cruised into the last eight of the Rothesay International at Eastbourne with a comfortable 6-1 6-1 victory over Britain’s Jodie Burrage.
The American took just 59 minutes to complete the win with the only highlight for Burrage, who has a Wimbledon wildcard, being a break of serve to make it 5-1 in the second set.
Gauff will now face compatriot and doubles partner Jessica Pegula, who beat Colombian qualifier Camila Osorio 6-2 1-6 6-3, in a meeting of the top two Americans on tour.
The American is enjoying the relative peace of Eastbourne ahead of Wimbledon next week.
“Being in a town like Eastbourne where you can walk reminds me of home. It’s peaceful and I need that before getting into a Grand Slam,” she told BBC2.
Britain’s representation in the women’s singles ended with Harriet Dart’s exit to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, losing 6-3 6-4, while Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina beat 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova in three sets.
Defending men’s champion and top seed Taylor Fritz was knocked out by fellow Californian Mackenzie McDonald, who recovered from a break down in each set to win 7-6 (3) 7-6 (8) against the world number nine.
“It’s a big win for me. Taylor’s a close friend and it’s always tough playing your friends. It was a battle out there,” McDonald said in his on-court interview.
The American will face Swede Mikael Ymer in the quarter-finals after he defeated home favourite Liam Broady 6-2 6-4.
Eighth seed Miomir Kecmanovic struggled past qualifier qualifier Aleksandar Vukic for a 7-6 (6) 6-4 win and will face Frenchman Gregoire Barrere after he upset fifth seed Nicolas Jarry in three sets.
Andy Murray’s final warm-up for Wimbledon ended in a straight sets defeat to world number six Holger Rune at the Hurlingham Club.
The two-time Wimbledon champion, who opted for some extra match play following his first-round exit at Queen’s Club last week, was beaten 6-4 6-4 at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic.
Murray moved well on court against his 20-year-old opponent but could not capitalise on his chances, notably four break points in the sixth game of a tight opening set.
A double fault from the 36-year-old gifted Rune the first break of the contest and he was ultimately unable to battle back after dropping serve in the first game of the second.
Murray had won 10 successive matches in claiming back-to-back grass-court titles in Surbiton and Nottingham before suffering an early exit at Queen’s at the hands of Alex De Minaur.
“It’s great obviously to play these sorts of matches a few days out from Wimbledon,” Murray said in his on-court interview after his defeat.
“He’s one of the top players in the world, so you get to see exactly where your game is at. There are things to work on but it keeps you very sharp.
“I would have liked to have done a little bit better but I can start from here and build on this.”
Two days before discovering his fate as an unseeded player in the Wimbledon draw, the Scot was given a serious workout on a warm afternoon in west London.
A fashion show provided the pre-match entertainment on the north bank of the river Thames and it was the energetic Rune who proved to be the more stylish on court.
Like many of the catwalk models, the Dane had his baseball cap on backwards and he exuded the confidence of a player who has recently won four ATP titles, including defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Paris Masters final.
Former world number one Murray grew into the encounter and showed glimpses of his grand-slam winning best throughout with soft hands at the net, powerful groundstrokes and some delightful lobs.
However, Rune often had the edge when it mattered in an exhibition match lasting around an hour and 40 minutes.
Murray, currently ranked 39 by the ATP, was finally broken in the ninth game following one of a handful of double faults across the high-profile exhibition match.
Rune wasted little time in wrapping up the set and then swiftly backed it up with a further break en route to another impressive victory of his fledgling career which underlines his credentials as an outsider for glory at SW19 in the coming fortnight.
John ‘Shark’ Hanlon’s son, Paddy, rode his first winner under rules at just the second attempt when guiding Chef d’Etat to victory in the Richard Newland Racing National Hunt Flat Race at Worcester.
The young amateur – an experienced regular on the pony racing scene in Ireland – only picked up his licence a week ago and had his first ride at Leopardstown on June 22 when unplaced on his father’s Pahlavi.
The claims of Chef d’Etat were far more obvious, though, and he was sent off the 4-6 favourite to follow up his 33-1 debut win at Tramore.
On that occasion he was ridden by teenage American jockey Taylor Kingsley – but travel problems prevented her from taking the ride on this occasion, allowing young Hanlon to step into the breach.
Those who took the short odds never had too much to worry about, but the trainer was visibly relieved when the race was over.
“He gave it a peach, he stayed patient and stayed sitting and went down the inside, he gave it a lovely ride, so he did,” said Hanlon, who has enjoyed so much big-race success with bargain-buy Hewick in the last 14 months.
“He’s actually done a lot of pony racing, he won the Dingle Derby last year and that stands to him, pony racing means so much – around Ireland and England there should be a lot more of it.”
The winning rider told Sky Sports Racing: “He travelled beautifully for me, we got a gap up the rail and he got going. I feel so sorry for Taylor, she was supposed to ride but couldn’t get here.
“He travelled beautiful for me, when we turned in I knew we didn’t need to go quick straight away. He kept at it to the line to be fair and he’s a nice horse.”
He added: “This beats anything in pony racing and I’d just like to thank everyone involved for letting me ride.”
Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia have ended their feud in the wake of the proposed peace deal between golf’s rival factions.
The former Ryder Cup team-mates fell out following Garcia’s move to LIV Golf, with McIlroy emerging as the most vocal opponent to the Saudi-funded breakaway.
But even though McIlroy admitted earlier this month that he still “hates” LIV Golf, he and Garcia rekindled their friendship at the US Open in Los Angeles.
Asked in a press conference ahead of LIV’s event in Valderrama this week if the deal was good news, Garcia said: “I think so. I think it’s great.
“I think in my personal opinion I wish this would have happened a year and a half ago when we all started, and it would have been better for all of us. I really think so.
“To give you an example – it wasn’t because of the merger, but the US Open was a great event for me.
“I feel like I played well, but more than anything because I gained a friend back, a friend that I kind of felt like I lost in the last year or so. We talked and we had a great conversation, and I feel like I have that friend back and that to me means a lot.”
Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Garcia revealed that a friendly interaction at the US Open between his wife Angela and McIlroy had been the catalyst.
“I had been thinking about it for a while but I wasn’t totally sure,” Garcia said.
“But then I saw that reaction from him and it kind of gave me the incentive to get closer and we had a great chat.
“I think that at the end of the day, the important thing is that we got together and talked; we were two friends that wanted to get back to that spot.
“Like I said, no doubt it was the saddest part of all of this, these friendships turning sour.”
Desert Crown is back in light exercise following the setback which ruled him out of Royal Ascot.
Last year’s Derby winner has only been seen once in public since his famous Epsom win, when surprisingly beaten by Hukum at Sandown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes.
He wowed gallop watchers when tuning up for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Frankie Dettori had been booked for the big day, but just over a week beforehand connections were dealt a blow.
Following a routine gallop he was giving off cause for concern and while no major damage has been discovered, Sir Michael Stoute’s colt was unable to go to Ascot.
Philip Robinson, owner Saeed Suhail’s assistant racing manager, said: “He’s started cantering, having been walking all last week, and is all is good.
“Nothing showed up on any scans or X-rays or anything, so it must have just been a bruise or something like that which just set him back 10 days.
“I’m not sure where he’ll run, I wouldn’t have thought Sir Michael will rush him back, he’ll just take his time and when he’s back in full work then he’ll make a plan.
“It was just one of those really unfortunate things that happens with horses, but they are athletes and these things happen.”
Rachael Blackmore has been made an honorary MBE for services to sport.
The 33-year-old won the 2021 Grand National on Minella Times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2022 on A Plus Tard, becoming the first female rider to win the two biggest prizes in National Hunt racing.
She was crowned leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 and in the same year won the BBC Sports Personality’s World Sport Star of the Year award.
Blackmore is perhaps best known for her association with the Henry de Bromhead-trained mare Honeysuckle, who won 17 of her 19 races including two Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham.
Honorary MBEs recognise those from overseas who excel in their field in Britain.
Frankie Dettori was made an honorary MBE in 2001 for his services to racing.
Marco Botti is banking on his decision to skip the Gold Cup at Ascot paying dividends in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup for Giavellotto.
Promoted to third in the St Leger behind Eldar Eldarov last season, he beat that rival in the Yorkshire Cup last month, admittedly in receipt of 5lb.
Botti decided against going to Ascot feeling two miles is as far as his stable star wants to go, and an entry in the Irish St Leger suggests he may even be coming back in trip later in the season.
“Giavellotto is very well and the plan was always to go straight for the Goodwood Cup,” said Botti.
“The horse won well at York and then we were keen to give him more time rather than stepping up to the Gold Cup, as we think two miles is his best trip.
“He has matured a lot mentally from three to four and we expected him to improve this season, as most stayers do with age. He used to wear a hood and get quite warm before his races but that was not the case in the Yorkshire Cup.
“We were disappointed on his first run back in the Dubai Gold Cup but he was drawn wide and the race did not pan out for him, so it was nice to see him show what we thought he was capable of at York.
“You never know until you run at Goodwood whether they will handle the track, but he seems a well-balanced horse and the long straight will be in his favour.”
Giavellotto is one of 26 entries for the Goodwood race, which include the Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami.
His John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate and Queen’s Vase winner Gregory, who is so far unbeaten, is another potential rival.
Subjectivist, Coltrane, Eldar Eldarov and Emily Dickinson are others given the option.
Sir Nick Faldo believes LIV Golf cannot survive the proposed deal between golf’s warring factions, but that Rory McIlroy can thrive following the shock outbreak of peace.
Earlier this month the PGA Tour announced it was creating a new commercial entity with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway circuit.
The deal is subject to judicial scrutiny in the United States and details remain thin on the ground, but the “framework agreement” does state that LIV’s future will be determined by the new entity, whose board will be controlled by a PGA Tour majority.
Asked ahead of the British Masters if LIV can survive, tournament host and six-time major winner Faldo said: “I don’t think so, because nobody’s really interested.
“They’re not going to get the sponsorship that they want. They call it a team (event) and it’s not because it’s strokeplay.
“You see your mates on the putting green and say ‘play well’ and you see them in the scorers tent and say ‘What did you shoot?’ That’s it. A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team.
“You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, you know the passion and the atmosphere of that. They’re not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup.
“It’s only half a dozen (players) that are really current, half of the field I don’t really know and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20 over.”
Unsurprisingly, LIV player and HyFlyers team captain Phil Mickelson has a different view and believes everything that the rebels were promised by LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is coming to pass.
“I think that right now we have basically an agreement to have an agreement and everything over the last couple of years that we’ve been told by Greg and everybody on LIV has come to fruition, so we have a lot of confidence in what they have been saying to us because everything has been happening,” Mickelson said ahead of the LIV event in Valderrama.
Asked if he felt vindicated by developments, Mickelson added: “I would say I felt appreciation that we got to this point where we’re working together because it makes me confident with where the game of golf is headed in the future.
“We felt like it was going to be about two years roughly before we got to that point. It took a year and a half, or six months quicker than I thought it would be.”
McIlroy admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” when the proposed deal was announced, the four-time major winner having emerged as the public face of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV.
The following week he cancelled his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, where he finished second to Wyndham Clark to extend his major championship drought.
“I’m pretty sure Rory’s suffered from being constantly asked, being a spokesman (for the PGA Tour),” Faldo said. “You want a clear head when you go and play golf, you want to be able to concentrate.
“I’d rather be playing well and fending off questions about why I finished second than why I finished 152nd. If you finish second it’s stewards’ inquiry and a dissection but he’s there, he’s playing that well every week.
“He’s playing beautifully so if he can just get those wedges a smidgen closer that changes everything. Putting under pressure to putting for birdie is a huge difference.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s seriously inspired at Hoylake. That’s where he won last time (the 2014 Open).
“There is scar tissue from nine years without a major and not too many players have come back from a long gap and then go on to reboot your career and win more, but I’m sure he would just love to be able to bowl up, go and practice and play with minimal off-course work and interference.
“You need that when you’re trying to play your best. You’ve got to have that all day long.”
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