Gavin Cromwell is eyeing a possible crack at the Debutante Stakes before bidding for Group One glory in the Moyglare Stud Stakes with his Royal Ascot winner Snellen.
The unbeaten filly just held on in a tight finish from Aidan O’Brien’s Pearls And Rubies in the Chesham over seven furlongs on Saturday.
Incredibly she was just Cromwell’s second Royal Ascot runner, with the first, Quick Suzy, winning the Queen Mary in 2021.
“It was great, pinch yourself kind of stuff really, to be honest. Very exciting and enjoyable, and a brilliant experience,” said Cromwell.
“She came home fine, 100 per cent. We’ll give a little break for a few weeks and we’ll make a plan.
“She’s entered in the Moyglare (September 10, Curragh) and has the Debutante (August 19, Curragh) as an option on the way as well. She’s home safe and sound and that’s the main thing.
“Ascot is a brilliant place and its very special to win there. Quick Suzy won there two years ago and there was only a small crowd after covid.
“There was a full house on Saturday and a massive atmosphere. It was a big occasion.
“We’re two from two there now so I’ll have to be very selective to keep up that strike-rate!”
Ebor-winning jockey Louis Steward has announced that he will retire from race-riding after an 11-year career in the saddle.
Steward, 27, started as an apprentice and achieved plenty of success, including winning the Cambridgeshire and the Balmoral Handicap with Bronze Angel in 2014 for Marcus Tregoning.
Steward amassed close to 200 winners in his career, with a season-best of 37 in 2014, the year he partnered Mutual Regard to a 20-1 success in the valuable Ebor Handicap at York for Johnny Murtagh.
Michael Bell, for whom he rode 42 winners, was a staunch ally, although fellow Newmarket trainer Sir Michael Stoute provided Steward with his first Listed-race success when Sextant took the Stand Cup Stakes at Chester in the royal colours in 2019.
He also earned another Pattern-race success earlier this month when White Moonlight took the Listed Queen Of Scots Fillies’ Stakes at Musselburgh for Saeed bin Suroor.
“After some long and careful thoughts I’ve decided my time in the saddle has come to an end,” Steward announced on Twitter.
“Thank you to everyone from my family, friends, owners, trainers and the stable staff that have given me some wonderful memories that I’ll never forget. Looking forward to the next chapter!”
Sport England funding is helping people with complex disabilities to get involved in tennis.
Research from the governing body has shown more than half of disabled people are physically inactive, and the funding means national disability charity Sense can expand its programme of sports across England and directly support an extra 5,000 people.
Lin Wallace, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and is blind, is a big tennis fan and has taken up sensory tennis, which uses special equipment, including balls that make a sound when they are hit.
The 64-year-old from Devon said: “Tennis is very important to me. When I’m being active, I feel calm. It’s part of how I support my physical and mental wellbeing.
“I’ve always wanted more opportunities to play. My vision loss has led me to find new ways of enjoying and playing the game and now, with sensory tennis, I can join in. Sensory tennis is designed for me and it makes me feel really happy. It’s my favourite sport.”
Paulette James, who is deafblind, non-verbal and has a learning disability, plays sensory tennis in Barnet, and her support worker has seen the difference the sport has made.
Nancy Williams said: “Paulette is very quiet but she knows what she wants. If we’re doing an activity she doesn’t enjoy, she’ll get up and stop, and since I’ve known her there’s not many things she likes to do. But then we found tennis.
“There is no day we have taken her there and she hasn’t enjoyed it. We’re so pleased she has something to look forward to.”
Mandy Burns, also from Barnet, was largely inactive before taking up sensory tennis.
Tracey Robson, who manages the sports sessions, said of the 60-year-old, who is deafblind: “Tennis is Mandy’s favourite thing.
“At first she was initially a bit confused about the concept, so we use hand-under-hand signing to help explain it to her. As the sessions have gone on, we’ve seen her smiling more and more.
“It’s amazing seeing the impact that sensory tennis has on Mandy and all the other participants. We have about 10-12 people that come every week and we’ve really seen the benefits. It helps build strength in the arms, which can help with other things like eating and signing.”
Louis Wickett-Padgham, head of sport and physical activity at Sense, believes playing tennis can help disabled people in different areas of their lives.
“Stories like Lin’s and Paulette’s show there’s no reason why people with more complex needs shouldn’t be able to enjoy sport – we just need to provide a more meaningful, appropriate way to do so,” he said.
“Tennis is a great example of a sport than brings really tangible benefits to players, as well as being a lot of fun.
“Playing tennis can improve motor skills, balance and co-ordination and, for people with complex disabilities, this can really help them to build up their independence and confidence both on and off the tennis court.
“With new Sport England funding, we hope to reach thousands more people through sports like sensory tennis, to help people with complex disabilities to lead more active, healthy lives, learn skills and make friends.”
Spencer Strider struck out 10 in seven innings and Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh for the red-hot Atlanta Braves, who recorded their 11th win in 12 games with a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.
Ozuna snapped a 1-1 tie with his third homer in five games, while Ronald Acuna Jr. added a two-run shot later in the seventh to help Atlanta take the opener of this three-game series between division leaders.
The Braves are now 18-3 since June 3 and own the National League's best record at 51-27.
Strider improved to 9-2 by holding the AL Central-leading Twins to one run and three hits while extending his MLB-leading strikeout total to 146. The right-hander's only blemish came when he allowed a solo homer to Joey Gallo in the second inning.
Minnesota starter Sonny Gray matched Strider for six innings before surrendering Ozuna's blast and a two-out single by Michael Harris that chased him from the game. He was charged with three runs and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings.
Ohtani's 26th home run helps Angels edge White Sox
Shohei Ohtani retook sole possession of the major league home run lead and Mike Trout scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Trout led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk against Reynaldo Lopez and Ohtani greeted reliever Aaron Bummer with a walk before the two stars executed a double steal to put two on with none out. After Bummer struck out Brandon Drury, the left-hander uncorked an errant pitch that allowed Trout to slide into home plate with the deciding run.
Ohtani tied the contest at 1-1 with his 26th homer of the season, a 446-foot blast into the right field seats off Dylan Cease in the fourth inning that snapped a tie with Atlanta's Matt Olson for the most in the majors.
Both Cease and the Angels' Reid Detmers engaged in a stellar pitching duel from that point on. Detmers yielded a run on just two hits and two walks while striking out 10 in seven innings. Cease also fanned 10 while allowing one run on five hits in six innings.
Luis Robert homered for the fourth time in three games in the first inning to account for Chicago's lone run.
Orioles withstand long delay to rout Reds
A rain delay of nearly two hours wasn't enough time to slow down the Baltimore Orioles' bats in a 10-3 win over the suddenly struggling Cincinnati Reds.
Five Baltimore players each collected two hits as the Orioles overcame a 1-hour, 44-minute stoppage in the second inning to earn their third consecutive win. Austin Hays gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead with a two-run single before the delay and finished with three RBIs, while Adley Rutschman drove in two runs in the rout.
Jordan Westburg, ranked the Orioles' No. 3 prospect by MLB.com, made his big league debut and recorded his first hit with a fifth-inning single. The second baseman also drove in a run on a fielder's choice.
The Reds were dealt a third straight loss following a 12-game winning streak that was the club's longest since 1957. Cincinnati dropped a half-game behind Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central after the Brewers defeated the New York Mets, 2-1, on Monday.
Spencer Steer homered and knocked in all three Cincinnati runs while finishing 3 for 3.
This year’s NHL Awards very well could have been called the Connor McDavid Show.
The Edmonton Oilers’ captain was announced as the runaway winner of the 2022-23 Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s most valuable player award, after receiving 195 of 196 first-place votes.
The Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak received the other first-place vote and finished second. Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers was voted third.
McDavid also won the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the most outstanding player as voted by his peers, and had already secured the Maurice Richard Trophy with his league-leading 64 goals and the Art Ross Trophy for his NHL-best 153 points.
McDavid received his honours at the annual NHL Awards ceremony Monday in Nashville, Tenn.
At just 26 years old, McDavid enters rarefied air by winning his third career Hart Trophy after being voted MVP in 2016-17 and 2020-21.
Only Wayne Gretzky (nine), Gordie Howe (six) and Eddie Shore have won the Hart Trophy more than three times. The last player to win his third MVP was Alex Ovechkin in 2012-13.
McDavid’s 153 points last season were the most by a player since Mario Lemieux’s 161-point campaign in 1995-96.
Playing in all 82 games, McDavid paced Edmonton to a 50-win season and fourth straight playoff appearance with his staggering offensive numbers.
McDavid’s scoring last season included 21 power-play goals and 50 power-play assists, as well as four goals while shorthanded. The six-time All-Star was held without a point in just seven games and had 10 games in which he had four or more points.
Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman after becoming the sixth blue-liner NHL history to have over 100 points in a season.
Karlsson’s 25 goals and 76 assists last season earned him his third Norris Trophy, previously winning in 2011-12 and 2014-15 as a member of the Ottawa Senators.
After a record-setting, 65-win season, the Bruins were well-represented Monday. Linus Ullmark claimed the Vezina Trophy as the season’s top goaltender, beating out Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin.
Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was honoured as the top defensive forward in hockey with the Selke Trophy, winning for the second year in a row and a record sixth time in his career.
The Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers took home the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. The second overall pick in the 2022 draft, Beniers led all rookies with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) while helping Seattle make its first playoff appearance.
The Chicago Blackhawks are adding a former No. 1 overall pick two days before this year’s draft.
The Blackhawks are acquiring winger Taylor Hall and the rights to Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins for defenceman prospects Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell.
The teams announced the trade Monday.
The Bruins, coming off a historic 65-win season, were in a precarious salary cap situation this offseason and were able to unload Hall’s $6million cap hit, plus get a return for the rights to Foligno, an unrestricted free agent.
The Blackhawks will try to sign Foligno, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, as the rebuilding team adds experienced forwards to play alongside likely No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. The 2023 NHL Draft begins on Wednesday.
Hall, the top pick in the 2010 draft, won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 2017-18 but joins his sixth NHL team. Hall was a crucial trade-deadline acquisition by the Bruins in 2021 and had a strong 2021-22 season before seeing his numbers dip last season.
Hall, 31, had 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games last season. He has 693 career points (264 goals, 429 assists) in 822 games.
Foligno, 35, tallied 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games last season while carrying a cap hit of $3.8million.
The Bruins, meanwhile, add some much-needed youth along the blue line in Mitchell, 24, and 22-year-old Regula.
Mitchell was a second-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2017 and has tallied four goals and 12 assists in 82 career NHL games.
Regula, a third-round pick in 2018, has played just 22 NHL games but totalled five goals and 16 assists last season with the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
This offseason could be a busy one for the Bruins after a record-breaking season ended with a first-round playoff exit.
Defenceman Dmitry Orlov and forward Tyler Bertuzzi are unrestricted free agents this offseason, while the future remains uncertain for captain Patrice Bergeron, who will turn 38 in July.
The Utah Jazz are finalising a deal to acquire forward John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday.
Atlanta will receive veteran forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick in the NBA Draft as it sheds the remaining money owed to Collins - $78.5 million over the next three seasons.
The Hawks selected Collins with the 19th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and he earned second-team All-Rookie honours in 2017-18.
Collins signed a five-year, $125 million contract before the 2021-22 campaign.
The 6-foot-9 Collins averaged 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 55.1 percent from the field in 364 games, including 313 starts, over six seasons with Atlanta.
Gay, 36, appeared in 56 games for Utah in 2022-23, his 17th season in the NBA. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.
Daria Kasatkina branded the war in Ukraine “s***” following her first match in Britain for two years and revealed she is “very worried” about loved ones back home in Russia.
World number 11 Kasatkina, who was banned from competing in the UK last year due to the ongoing conflict, overcame Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 6-1 in a politically-tense first-round match at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.
The 26-year-old has been following the news on a daily basis since the outbreak of war and feared friends living in the Russian city of Voronezh could be caught up in the recent rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group.
Kasatkina, who is now based in Dubai, acknowledges Ukrainians are in a “way worse situation” and concedes she cannot see an imminent end to the fighting.
“My family, my parents are still in Russia,” she said. “As you can see, the last few days it’s been a big mess also there.
“I’m worried for my friends, because my best friends they actually live in Voronezh, where the guy with the private army (Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner) entered.
“I was pretty worried about that because they were very scared.
“Obviously Ukrainians, they are experiencing a way worse situation but also I can feel the same. I’m very worried for the people I love.
“It’s been a tough year, and we don’t know how long it’s going to be. Honestly, so far I don’t see the end.
“(It) feels s***, honestly. I’m not gonna hide it. It’s tough to face the circumstances for such a long time already. I’m just trying to be a good human in this scenario. That’s all I can do.”
Kasatkina was booed off court earlier this month following her defeat by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina at the French Open.
Knowing Ukrainian players’ stance of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents at the end of matches, she gave Svitolina a thumbs up, which was reciprocated, before walking to her chair.
There was little reaction from the East Sussex crowd on Monday afternoon as Kalinina followed the stance of her compatriots before swiftly departing Centre Court.
Kasatkina, who respects the reasoning for the post-match snub, admits playing tennis is providing her only escape from the war.
“When I’m on the court, I’m not thinking about it,” she said.
“I am in the different state of mind, which actually helps me to turn off from all this.
“Since the beginning of the war, I was actually following everything every day. It’s a lot.
“I was overwhelmed in some moments, and I’m just trying to turn off my head at least on the tennis court. It helps me a lot.
“I’m really glad to be back and to have this opportunity to play the tournaments, Wimbledon included.”
Asadna, who disappointed when well supported for last week’s Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, has been switched to the care of Alice Haynes.
Previously trained by George Boughey, Asadna made quite a splash when winning by 12 lengths in a Ripon novice heat in May but could not follow that up when only ninth in the Coventry, beaten six lengths by River Tiber.
Owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah has subsequently decided to send the Mehmas colt to Haynes, who enjoyed notable juvenile success with Lady Hollywood last term and has sent out 26 winners so far in 2023.
She said: “I’m very fortunate, it’s lovely to be sent a horse who looks to have so much potential.
“It’s great to get the call up. Obviously it’s not too nice for George and trainers do like to stick together, but he was going to another yard and it’s great for the team that he is joining us.
“It’s a bit too early to say what we might do, we’ll just let him settle in at the yard and see from there.”
Haynes also confirmed the transfer of Danger Alert from Boughey’s yard, with the three-year-old having been withdrawn from the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes on veterinary advice at Ascot on Friday.
The three-times winner may not be in Haynes’ care too long though as he is entered at Tattersalls sales next month.
She added: “We also have Danger Alert who is entered in the July sale but will run before.”
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 June 26.
FootballTributes were paid to Craig Brown.
Man City bid farewell to a club great.
West Ham and Man City remembered a former favourite.
Jamie Carragher’s Glastonbury weekend came to a close.
CricketBen Duckett found a way to stand out from the crowd at 5ft 7in.
England’s women took pride in their performance despite an Ashes Test loss.
TennisNovak Djokovic prepared for Wimbledon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was being philosophical.
Jannik Sinner made a Wimbledon vow.
UFCConor McGregor made a bold claim.
Connections of Inspiral could opt to bypass both the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in favour of a return to Deauville for the Prix Jacques le Marois.
Last season, the John and Thady Gosden-trained filly remained unbeaten in five runs when taking a second Group One victory in the Coronation Stakes, before being defeated for the first time in the Falmouth by Prosperous Voyage.
The daughter of Frankel bounced back to land the Group One Prix Jacques le Marois before she was beaten for just a second time in the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot in October.
Last week she returned from a 248-day absence and went down a neck by Triple Time in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.
Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud, was more than satisfied with her Ascot run.
“We were thrilled,” said Richardson. “Although we were disappointed not to win. We were hopeful as we knew Inspiral was in great shape and was the one they had to beat, and unfortunately there was one that did.
“But she’s a talented filly and I felt (it was) a great run for her first time out.
“We put her in the Falmouth, but I’m not sure we’ll go. We went there last year and regretted it.
“So, I suspect we’ll probably go Prix Jacques le Marois again – I don’t know, we’ll see how she is, see what she’s telling us.
“I wouldn’t entirely rule out the Sussex, but John Gosden feels a flat track probably suits her better.”
The iconic red, white and blue Cheveley Park colours filled the runner-up spot again when Khaadem swooped late to deny Sacred the spoils in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
“Sacred being beaten a neck was frustrating,” said Richardson. “She ran a blinder and she ran her best race there last year and was beaten a length (in the same race).
“It was just frustrating that we came to win the race and Jamie Spencer produced one of his specialties from behind which denied us the triumph, but there we are.
“She’s really thrived from four to five and we’re really pleased with what she’s done.”
The William Haggas-trained daughter of Exceed And Excel may have to use her passport for the first time, as a trip to France may be in the offing.
“The Prix Maurice de Gheest in Deauville will be a serious consideration at this point. I think that’s her ideal trip, six and a half (furlongs),” Richardson added.
“She has got all the entries, because obviously she is desperate to go when the ground is the best for her, which is obviously quick ground as we saw last week.
“The Falmouth for both those fillies was really just in case something went wrong and we couldn’t run last week, and we had that up our sleeve.”
Little went right in running for Twilight Calls, who did well to finish fourth to Bradsell in the King’s Stand.
The Henry Candy-trained five-year-old gelding was squeezed for room at the start of the five-furlong dash and failed to get a clear run when Ryan Moore attempted to make his move approaching a furlong out.
Richardson said: “Twilight Calls just got checked at the wrong moment. Ryan was very apologetic. It was not his fault, it was just the way the race unravelled. He said he would have gone very close.
“All being well, he came out of the race fine, and we’ll probably go to Goodwood and then target York.
“I think the Nunthorpe will be his main target, depending on how it’s going.”
He added: “Having run in three Group Ones to be as close as they were was exciting, but a little frustrating from my perspective.”
Chesham third Golden Mind is being primed for a step up in class, with the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting on Richard Fahey’s radar.
The North Yorkshire handler is looking to get on the scoresheet at the meeting after hitting the bar with regularity at Royal Ascot.
Golden Mind’s goal could be the seven-furlong Group Two contest won last year by Isaac Shelby, who went on to finish a short-neck runner-up in the French 2000 Guineas at ParisLongchamp.
The Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum-owned juvenile, a son of Classic winner Galileo Gold, won a Leicester maiden on his second outing before beaten three-quarters of a length by Snellen in the Chesham.
“Golden Mind is learning,” said Fahey. “He travelled a little bit better than he did last time, so he is learning with racing experience.
“He is the grandest horse – he’s horizontal now, the most laid-back character. I’m sure he will improve again. The Superlative or something like that would be in the thinking.
“It is too early in his career to say whether he’s a Classic horse next year, but he has plenty of potential still. I haven’t given up on him.”
With Malc runner-up in the Norfolk, Pretty Crystal a close-up fifth in the Albany and Midnight Affair just out of the money in the Queen Mary, it proved a frustrating Royal Ascot for the Malton handler.
“They ran respectable really,” Fahey said. “I was happy enough. No trainer is ever going to be happy not to get a win there. It didn’t happen, but onwards and upwards.”
Despite being an impressive winner on his Carlisle debut, Malc was sent off at the dismissive odds of 66-1 for his second start in the Norfolk, and found only Valiant Force too good.
Fahey said: “That was a good run. I was pleased with that. He will either go for the July Stakes and will probably get and entry in the Group One in France (Prix Morny at Deauville). He looks like a step up to six (furlongs) is where he wants to go.
“If one horse was disappointing, it was the one in the Coventry (Emperor’s Son). He maybe just bounced a bit from a harder race than he probably wanted when he won at Carlisle on his debut.”
Pretty Crystal, who tidily won a Ripon novice on her first start, was similarly an unconsidered 33-1 chance in the Group Three Albany, where she finished fifth to Porta Fortuna, beaten three and a half lengths.
“We were pleased with her in the Albany,” added the trainer. “She probably just wasn’t savvy enough for the race.
“I think I would have preferred to have been drawn a little bit lower, as it all happened away from her. She did hit the front this side and just pricked her ears a little bit.
“She’ll improve again. She’s a smart filly and I really like her. She’ll progress again. With that type of filly, I’d like to see how she is before making any concrete plans, but she is a sweet filly.”
Midnight Affair was the one that got away after missing the break in the five-furlong Queen Mary, eventually finishing over seven lengths behind Crimson Advocate.
Fahey added: “Midnight Affair half missed a beat and was in the stalls a long time. She just didn’t jump and run. I’m afraid at Ascot, if everything doesn’t slot in place, you don’t win.
“You can give weight, but you can’t give head-starts. She was playing catch-up and never caught them, so it was a bit frustrating. I am frustrated, as we have a bunch of nice horses.”
Katie Boulter insists she will not become distracted by off-court commitments after expressing her dream of becoming the world’s best in a high-profile article with Tatler magazine.
Boulter, who this month replaced Emma Raducanu as British number one, features on the front of the August edition of the lifestyle publication alongside compatriots Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper.
In the piece, the 26-year-old shared hopes of emulating 2021 US Open champion Raducanu by clinching a grand slam title, in addition to ambitions of one day rising to the top of the WTA rankings.
Despite feeling comfortable in the spotlight and enjoying the glamour of a photo shoot, Boulter, who on Tuesday faces world number 10 Barbora Krejcikova in the first round of Eastbourne, is adamant sport comes first.
“That was super-fun for me to do,” she said of the Tatler piece, which was done before the French Open. “I have never done anything like that before.
“We can always get lost in tennis and I spend my life in sweats and working my arse off and I think it’s sometimes nice to kind of completely switch off and do something totally different.
“(But) I would like to think that I am quite grounded with this stuff. No matter what I am going to do, I am going to be working hard, day in, day out.
Chaldean could renew rivalry with his Royal Ascot conqueror Paddington in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in August.
Last week’s St James’s Palace Stakes featured a mouthwatering clash between the two Classic winners, with 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean the marginal favourite over the Irish Guineas victor Paddington.
Frankie Dettori attempted to make all the running aboard Andrew Balding’s Juddmonte-owned colt, who had no answer when Aidan O’Brien’s charge quickened away from him in the straight.
There were almost four lengths between the pair at the line, but Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon would be happy to see a rematch under different circumstances.
He said: “He ran a great race, to be fair. The winner is obviously a very a good horse who is improving quickly and we were happy with our lad.
“We would have probably liked a lead. The early pace was pretty frenetic, I think Frankie just felt he couldn’t get a breather into him the whole way and it just cost him when he turned in.
“All told it was a nice run and we look forward to taking on the winner again some day.”
O’Brien nominated the Sussex Stakes as an option for Paddington in the immediate aftermath of his Ascot triumph and Mahon also views the Group One contest as the “obvious” next port of call for Chaldean.
“That looks the next obvious target. Let’s see how he bounces out of it, Andrew said to me the next day he was in good shape but I haven’t really touched base with him since,” Mahon added.
“He’s not in the Prix Jean Prat, but that could be an option if Andrew thought it was the right thing to do.
“He’s a top-class horse. I suppose it’s more disappointing when you’re beaten if you have an unbeaten record, but luckily we were beaten in our maiden and Frankie fell off him in the Greenham at Newbury!
“We know he’s still a nice horse to look forward to for the rest of the year.”
Rogue Millennium will remain at a mile for the Prix Rothschild following her victory in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Having run predominately over 10 furlongs for her first nine starts, astute trainer Tom Clover decided to supplement the four-year-old for the Group Two contest and drop her back to a mile for the first time.
The gamble paid off spectacularly, as the daughter of Dubawi stayed on smartly from a modest pace under Danny Tudhope to beat Random Harvest by a neck, and thus gain a third career success.
Her Newmarket handler is still pinching himself at recording his first British Group-race victory.
“It’s nice when a plan comes together,” said Clover. “It was just the most incredible day – it was a really, really special day and it is only just all sort of sinking in now, I suppose.
“It just been fantastic. You work your whole life towards it. It is fantastic, just superb.”
Rogue Millennium, who is owned by the Rogues Gallery syndicate, will now head to the Group One contest at Deauville on July 30.
“I would say she will go to the Prix Rothschild, “ said Clover. “It gives us a really nice time frame. It’s five weeks. We didn’t put her in the Falmouth. She didn’t love the Rowley Mile last year and the meeting on the July course, it is quite tight between Ascot and Newmarket.
“I just feel you’d have every chance if you went straight to Deauville instead, so that’s what she will be training for.”
He added: “It’s lovely to see her getting quicker and she’s sharpening up all the time and actually, not to go very quick and to still get up and win was great.”
Rogue Millennium has had four runs already this term and with her trip versatility now confirmed, Clover admits there are plenty of potential avenues she could follow.
“There are all these lovely options now, though how we run in France I suppose will dictate where we go to a certain extent,” he said.
“She went in her coat quite quickly last year and she comes to hand very early in the spring, so it is really hard to know where we will be later in the season.
“The dream, the absolute dream, would be to even think about taking on the boys in the QEII, but that’s very far-fetched at the moment.
“Let’s think about the Rothschild now and take it from there.”
Roger Varian has revealed Sakheer is being investigated for “front limb lameness” following his disappointing run at Royal Ascot last week.
The Zoffany colt won two of his three juvenile starts last season, including the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, and seemingly failed to stay a mile on his reappearance in the 2000 Guineas.
Dropping back to six furlongs, hopes were high ahead of Friday’s Commonwealth Cup, but Sakheer trailed home last of 13 runners.
Varian believes he may have unearthed a valid excuse for that disheartening display, though, posting on Twitter: “Unfortunately Sakheer is not 100 per cent following his run in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on Friday.
“He is currently unsound and being investigated for a front limb lameness. He will require a period of time out of training but will return to the track later in the year.
“Whilst this is obviously disappointing, it does go some way to explaining his below-par performance.”
Warren Gatland says Wales could have two captains at the World Cup after skipper Ken Owens was ruled out of the tournament.
Scarlets hooker Owens, capped 91 times, has failed to recover from a back injury ahead of the World Cup, which starts in September.
Gatland says it is possible 36-year-old Owens could feature in the later stages of the tournament if there was an injury at hooker, but he will not be named when the New Zealander announces his 33-man squad at the end of August.
“Ken didn’t train at all with us (in recent weeks), his back has not recovered,” head coach Gatland said.
“He has not been able to do any of the training. It is the same injury but not as severe as before so he may need an operation on that.
“He wanted to reiterate he has not retired from rugby and he is hoping potentially he could be available later if we pick up injuries in the tournament.”
Asked about Owens’ successor, Gatland added: “Co-captaincy is a possibility. We did that with Ellis Jenkins and Cory Hill in 2018 and it worked well.
“It is something I have put out there potentially as an option, it is not guaranteed we will do that.
“We will put a leadership group together and we will tell the players. You look at the squad and I don’t think there are any guaranteed starting positions and players will get opportunities in the squad.
“It is looking at the team and picking the right person as captain. It is the support they are going to get or is it potentially co-captains that can share that role and responsibility?”
Outside-half Dan Biggar, who captained Wales in the 2022 Six Nations and the following summer tour to South Africa, and second-row forward Adam Beard are among the leading candidates to take the armband.
Possible younger options could be hooker Dewi Lake, 24, and 23-year-old flanker Jac Morgan.
Gatland chose Sam Warburton, then 22, to be Wales’ captain at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
Asked if he would consider a young captain again, Gatland said: “Yes absolutely. We have time for that with the two camps (in Switzerland and Turkey) and seeing more of the rugby.
“We have been doing that more with players getting plenty of touches on the ball.
“We probably won’t name a captain or captains until we name the squad.”
Scarlets back-rower Josh Macleod (shoulder) and Cardiff prop Will Davies-King (foot) have both been released from the squad.
Taulupe Faletau will miss the first week of the Switzerland camp because of a calf injury.
Alex Cuthbert and Owen Williams will miss the trip altogether but Gatland, who has called Ospreys hooker Sam Parry into a revised 47-man squad, is confident they will be fit for the Turkey trip.
Veteran trio Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb have all retired from Test rugby during a turbulent build-up to the World Cup.
Prop Rhys Carre was released from an initial 54-player training squad after he failed to hit individual performance targets, while lock Hill withdrew to pursue a club contract opportunity outside of Wales.
“They are different in a way,” Gatland said when asked how this group compared to previous squads.
“There are some young players that are a bit green, but even in a short of period of time we have seen how they have developed.
“They’re all sponges in terms of wanting to learn and wanting to get better. I see that as hugely positive.”
Zoffee and Rajinsky are set to give trainer Hugo Palmer a strong hand in Saturday’s Jenningsbet Northumberland Plate at Newcastle.
Both horses bring strong course form to the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’, with Rajinsky finishing third and fourth in the last two renewals and Zoffee winning last year’s Northumberland Vase – the consolation race for the Plate – on his only previous visit to Gosforth Park.
Rajinsky made a flying start to his campaign by inflicting a shock defeat on star stayer Trueshan in the Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham. He was well beaten in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot next time, but bounced back to finish a close-up fifth in last month’s Chester Cup.
The admirable Zoffee filled the runner-up spot on the Roodee, going down by just a neck to Metier, and ran another fine race in defeat when sixth in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting last week.
“At this stage the plan is to run both horses,” Palmer confirmed.
“Poor old Rajinsky doesn’t get much luck with the ground in the British summers we get these days, but he ran a great race at Chester and ran a great race in the Northumberland Plate last year.
“It’s a valuable race and he goes on the surface so fingers crossed, but he does have a lot of weight.”
He added: “Zoffee appears to go on any ground and I thought he ran a really great race at Ascot, coming from far too far back from an awkward draw.
“We had runners every day at Ascot so I didn’t see him canter again until this morning (Monday), but he’s full of his usual enthusiasm and Charlotte Kerry, who rides him every day, says he feels fantastic.
“I guess we won’t really know until there’s a furlong to run on Saturday, but he’s certainly in good nick.”
Palmer’s pair were among 48 horses left in the Northumberland Plate Monday’s confirmation stage, with Rajinsky joined at the head of the weights by the William Haggas-trained Roberto Escobarr.
Haggas is also responsible for the well-fancied Post Impressionist, as well as Nathanael Greene.
Other leading hopes include Michael Bell’s recent Newmarket scorer Adjuvant and Golden Rules, who won on his first start for Deborah Faulkner at Kempton after being bought out of John and Thady Gosden’s yard for just 6,000 guineas.
Omniscient (Sir Mark Prescott), Law Of The Sea (Ian Williams) and All-Weather Marathon winner Rainbow Dreamer (Alan King) also feature.
Soprano could be set for a step up in trip after her fine third to Porta Fortuna in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The George Boughey-trained filly was well supported in the six-furlong Group Three contest following her smart debut win over the minimum trip at Newmarket.
However, she did not have the ideal draw and despite staying on nicely under William Buick, the daughter of Starspangledbanner could not reduce a diminishing two-length deficit at the line.
Harry Herbert, managing director for owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, believes she will develop into another top-class prospect.
“We were really excited by that,” he said. “She looked like a really good filly. She had run and won on debut like a very good filly, and she’d done well physically entering the Royal meeting.
“As William Buick said afterwards, if she’d have just broken a bit better and been drawn a bit better, she would definitely have tickled them up.
“She is a beautiful filly and she’s got size and scope. She needs to go further. We haven’t decided where to go, but we will plot a course.
“It is very exciting, because it looks like she deserves to play at the top table. We’ve been fortunate to have some wonderful fillies in recent years, and she looks like being another one.”
Highclere appear to have another smart filly on their hands in the shape of Truthful.
Trained by William Haggas, the three-year-old by Sea The Stars made a winning debut at Salisbury last month, taking 10-furlong fillies’ novice race and followed up over an extended 11 furlongs at Haydock 12 days ago.
Herbert believes she will step up in class now. He said: “She is lovely filly. She is two for two and we’ll probably step up to black type next time.
“She looks like she could be very special. There is lots to look forward to.
“I don’t know where she goes next. It is hard to know, when you are rated like she is, whether you still stick in a valuable handicap or whether you move to Listed company.
“She was being considered by William for the Ribblesdale after one run, so I’d like to think she’ll be heading to a black type race next time.”
Herbert is the son of the late Queen’s legendary racing manager Lord Porchester and his brother-in-law John Warren currently fills that role.
The King and Queen, attending their first Royal Ascot since the coronation, saw their colours carried to victory by Desert Hero in the King George V Stakes, which Herbert felt was a major shot in the arm for British racing.
“It was an absolutely fantastic Royal Ascot in regards to the overall event,” he added.
“I thought it was extraordinary and of course it was a sort of turning of the page from the late Queen, and the King and Queen so obviously enjoying it and having a winner was wonderful.
“That winner was quite simply one of the greatest things that could possibly have ever happened, great for British racing and the whole event.
“It was remarkable. They enjoyed every bit of it, right through the five days and having a winner, and we all know how hard that is – there are so few races and they’re such competitive races – that to hit the back of the net at Royal Ascot is incredibly difficult.
“It is hugely important that the King and Queen have invested in the sport, absolutely vital. We all know how international Royal Ascot is, the Australians are over here, the Americans are over here, some Japanese are over here.
“Everywhere I have ever gone, racing the world, it is the one place everyone wants to go to, and to ideally have a runner and, if at all possible, a winner.
“It was a fantastic event and I thought it was great that it went off so brilliantly all round.”
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