Hollie Doyle landed a Classic success when guiding Shavasana to victory in Sunday’s Oaks D’Italia Tattersalls at San Siro racecourse.
Stefano Botti’s filly, who had previously taken the Italian 1,000 Guineas in heavy ground under Cristian Demuro, travelled sweetly on her first try at a mile and three furlongs.
Doyle’s mount, a daughter of Gleneagles, took her unbeaten record to five in defeating 11-5 favourite View Zabeel by half a length in the Group Two contest.
It was a second Classic success for Doyle, having landed the French Oaks with Nashwa last summer.
Owned by Katsumi Yoshida, Shavasana was keen in landing the Italian Group Three 1,000 Guineas over a mile a Capannelle in Rome last month, and Doyle was not about to disappoint her this time.
Having enjoyed the run of the race from the front, she stayed on well to give the Herefordshire-born rider victory on her first visit to the Milan track.
Doyle said: “It was a great result. It all went to plan, really. She was stepping up from a mile and was very exuberant over a mile.
“She travels too well usually, but Mr Botti did not want me to get in a fight with her, so I just got her into a rhythm where she was happy. She ended up in front and stayed the trip well on the quick ground, which really helped the situation.
“She is a very talented filly and I got a soft lead on the front end, so hopefully there is more to come.
“I need a British Classic now! It’s great. The people here are so passionate and the people here were so welcoming. It was great to ride a winner, especially a Classic winner for Mr Katsumi Yoshida, who owns her now. He is a very influential person in Japan.
“I met him last year and had a tour of Northern Farms, which was a great day and it is great that I can ride him a winner like this.”
Novak Djokovic secured his most significant piece of tennis history with his 23rd grand slam title.
The Serbian defeated Casper Ruud 7-6 (1) 6-3 7-5 in the French Open final to break the men’s all-time record he shared with Rafael Nadal.
It was a third final defeat for Norwegian Ruud, who was unable to take his chances in the first set.
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Women’s singles: Iga Swiatek (Poland)
Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Wang Xinyu (China)
Men’s doubles: Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Austin Krajicek (USA)
Mixed doubles: Miyu Kato (Japan) and Tim Puetz (Germany)
Girls’ singles: Alina Korneeva
Boys’ singles: Dino Prizmic (Croatia)
Girls’ doubles: Clervie Ngounoue (USA) and Tyra Grant (USA)
Boys’ doubles: Yaroslav Demin and Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez (Mexico)
Women’s wheelchair singles: Diede De Groot (Netherlands)
Men’s wheelchair singles: Tokito Oda (Japan)
Women’s wheelchair doubles: Yui Kamiji (Japan) and Kgothatso Montjane (South Africa)
Men’s wheelchair doubles: Alfie Hewett (Great Britain) and Gordon Reid (Great Britain)
Quad wheelchair singles: Niels Vink (Netherlands)
Quad wheelchair doubles: Andy Lapthorne (Great Britain) and Donald Ramphadi (South Africa)
Andy Murray stepped up his preparation for Wimbledon in style with a straight-sets victory against Jurij Rodionov in the men’s final of the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
Murray continued his fine form at the tournament as he beat Austrian Rodionov 6-3 6-2 to earn him a seeded position at Wimbledon next month, with the 36-year-old now eyeing a third title at his home grand slam.
Having seen off Australia’s Jordan Thompson in Saturday’s semi-finals, Murray showcased a powerful shot collection which dismantled Rodionov in just over an hour.
The pair were subjected to Surbiton’s soaring temperatures but maintained a high level of energy as they jostled for the lead in a competitive opening set on centre court.
Murray’s serve was a vital weapon on the day and he picked up crucial aces in the early stages to punish Rodionov, who trailed 5-3 as his opponent looked to take a one-set lead.
Murray rounded off the first set and showed signs of his best through his intricate shot selection which caused his opponent to scramble across the turf and pay an exhaustive price in sweltering conditions.
And the former world number one, who was backed by a fervent Surbiton crowd, began to punish the Austrian with classy forehands which forced errors from his opponent as he took a firmer grip on the tie.
Murray led the second set 3-1 but Rodionov’s persistence came to the fore as Murray began to let out frustrated groans as the visitor looked for a way back into the final.
But the number two seed continued to bombard Rodionov with a series of quality serves just before a heavy downpour suspended play, which offered some much-needed respite to both players after temperatures reached 29 degrees.
Play resumed nearly three hours later and Murray quickly reasserted himself on the unseeded Rodionov, taking a fourth game which put him within touching distance of the trophy.
The rain failed to dampen the Surbiton crowd’s spirit and excitement began to grow as they witnessed Murray in top gear on grass just weeks away from Wimbledon.
Murray sent down more punishing serves which further highlighted the gulf between himself and Rodionov as the Scot claimed a well-deserved victory.
England’s Dale Whitnell completed the journey from courier driver to DP World Tour winner as he claimed an emotional victory at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.
Whitnell was regarded as one of British golf’s brightest prospects when he turned professional in 2009, shortly after playing on a Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team that included future European number one and Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood.
But he struggled to find his feet in the paid ranks and took on work as a delivery driver while playing on satellite tours before claiming a win on the Challenge Tour in 2019, the same year he earned his DP World Tour card via the Qualifying School.
He has been establishing himself on the main circuit since and a closing 70 in Stockholm handed him a 21 under total and a three-shot victory over American Sean Crocker.
“It’s awesome,” said a clearly emotional Whitnell. “It tested me out there.
“It’s been a long time coming, I’m ecstatic. It means everything to me, it’s what I get up every day for. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I’ve dreamt of this for a long time.”
The 34-year-old brought a six-shot lead into the weekend and extended that to eight at one point on Saturday but he was not to have it all his own way at Ullna Golf and Country Club.
Despite a bogey on the second, he led by six after four holes of his final round but the advantage was back to four at the turn and when Crocker made a second eagle of the day on the 15th and Whitnell found water on the 13th, the lead was just two.
A seemingly nerveless 17-foot birdie putt on the 17th handed the leader some breathing room, however, and after finding the green in two at the last, he and caddie Garry Melia – who was only on the bag for this week – were left to celebrate.
Crocker’s closing 65 left him at 18 under, three shots clear of German Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul and Anne Van Dam, who was the leading women’s player.
English duo Gabriella Cowley and Paul Waring were at 14 under, with Swedish amateur Hugo Townsend, son of two-time Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend, two shots further back.
The Miami Heat mascot reportedly had to attend hospital after being punched by Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor at basketball’s NBA finals.
What was a promotional stunt during game four between the Heat and Denver Nuggets ended badly as former UFC champion McGregor floored ‘Burnie’, who was wearing oversized boxing gloves, with a left hook before adding another punch as the stricken Miami mascot lay on his back.
‘Burnie’ – who is described as a “rough, anthropomorphic depiction of the fireball featured on the Heat’s logo” – was dragged off court by three people and it was later reported that the individual inside the mascot suit was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital for treatment.
The Heat have declined to comment on the incident, but it has been reported that the mascot is out of hospital and recovering.
The Miami Herald said that “the man behind the Burnie costume has never revealed his name publicly and the team does not identify him in its media guide”.
McGregor, who was booed by many in the Miami crowd even before walking on court, stayed for the entire game as the Nuggets won 108-95 to secure a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
UFC president Dana White questioned the practice of mascots taking punches from “professional fighters”, highlighting the 2018 incident when former world heavyweight boxing champion Deontay Wilder was invited to show his punching power on a hot-dog like creature.
Asked about the McGregor incident at the UFC 289 post-fight press conference, White said: “I saw the Deontay Wilder one too.
“What’s up with mascots getting punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect?
“What are those mascot things made out of? Unless you’re like the Golden Knights mascot…with a metal helmet…
“I wouldn’t have professional fighters punch me in the face if I was a mascot, doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world.”
Novak Djokovic stands alone at the pinnacle of men’s tennis after defeating Casper Ruud to win his 23rd grand slam title at the French Open.
Since claiming his first at the Australian Open in 2008, Djokovic has been pursuing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal through the history books but now he has surpassed both having broken the record he jointly held with Nadal.
Djokovic’s 7-6 (1) 6-3 7-5 victory over Ruud draws him level with Serena Williams and he could equal Margaret Court’s all-time singles mark at Wimbledon next month.
The Serbian, meanwhile, also becomes the first man ever to win at least three slam titles at all the major tournaments – a measure of his all-round greatness.
Ruud had impressed in making it back to the final, where he won only six games against Nadal last year, and was looking for his first title in his third final having also lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
He had failed to win a set in four previous matches against Djokovic, though, and missed his chance here in an 81-minute opener before the Serbian pulled away for his 21st consecutive slam victory.
This was the most humid day of the fortnight and, with black clouds looming, it appeared the match would be played under the roof on Philippe Chatrier only for the cover to be removed just before the start.
Ruud’s best chance was to make a fast start and take advantage of the nerves Djokovic would surely be feeling so close to a goal he has been pursuing relentlessly for years.
On his only previous shot at striking out on his own, at the US Open in 2021, he had rather frozen in sight of the line, losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Ruud had read the script and came out sharp, exploiting Djokovic’s unusually leaden footwork with high shots to push his opponent back and breaking in the second game when the Serbian shanked a smash – the one remaining weakness in his game.
Djokovic had NFL great Tom Brady in his player box, while Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were also in the crowd, and they witnessed Djokovic claw his way back, breaking in the seventh game after a punishing rally that ended with Ruud netting an overhead.
Djokovic refused to miss in another long rally after Ruud created a break point in the next game, but it was the third seed cursing himself for a missed opportunity at 4-4, with his irritation compounded when he lost his balance and fell sprawling to the clay.
Djokovic also complained vociferously to the umpire about the quick turnaround between games as the set extended beyond the hour mark.
The longer it went on, the more important it became to win it, and Ruud was two points away on Djokovic’s serve after winning a point with a tweener lob but that was as close as he would come.
One of Djokovic’s greatest strengths is the ability to raise his level at key moments and he won an absurd sixth tie-break of the tournament without making a single unforced error.
Given Djokovic had won his previous 100 slam matches once he had taken the opening set, it was a crushing blow for Ruud, and that was compounded when he dropped serve in the second game of the second set.
Djokovic now looked fully settled, with his forehand purring, and, although Ruud saved two set points at 2-5, the door was firmly shut in his face in the next game.
Ruud was now clinging on by his fingernails but he was determined not to allow Djokovic to run away with it, as Nadal had last year.
The Norwegian found a better rhythm on his serve and applied some pressure to Djokovic, although he was left cursing his luck when his opponent benefited from a lucky netcord down 0-30 at 3-4, giving the French crowd a final chance for a round of booing.
The question seemed to be when Djokovic would make his move, though, and it came at 5-5, a series of superlative groundstrokes earning him the break, and moments later his moment of history.
Nadal was among the first to hail the Serbian, tweeting: “Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole. 23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team!”
Al Asifah could head to the Darley Irish Oaks on the strength of her a facile success in the Listed Weatherbys/British EBF Agnes Keyser Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood on Sunday.
The Shadwell-owned Frankel filly had scored in impressive fashion on her debut in a Haydock maiden 17 days ago under Dane O’Neill and remained unbeaten with another scintillating run.
Jim Crowley sat motionless as the 4-7 favourite sauntered through the gears to trounce her six rivals by upwards of six and a half lengths in the 10-furlong contest.
Thady Gosden, who trains the three-year-old in partnership with his father, John, said: “She has always looked a classy filly.
“Obviously she didn’t run last year, but won in good style on her first start and she showed her class again today. Hopefully she can continue on her upward trajectory.”
A trip to the Curragh and a step up in trip for the Irish fillies’ Classic may be her next landing spot, according to Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.
He added: “It was nice. It was fabulous. We haven’t had time to discuss it yet, and we will talk to Sheikha Hissa (Shadwell owner), but a very obvious thing, if we want to be bold, we could talk about supplementing her for the Irish Oaks.
“Timing-wise, it was just a pity she had immaturity issues, her muscle enzymes were a bit high for a while, so they have just gone steady with her and typically taken their time.
“Everything about her, to me, she looks a mile-and-a-half filly from her action.
“Jim very much got that feeling today and the very encouraging thing was he was able to go past them so quickly off a relatively slow pace.
“She is a big, tall filly. She’s (from the family of) Unfuwain. You can argue she’s more a mile-and-a-quarter pedigree, but for me, I’m pretty certain she’ll stay a mile and a half.
“That was only her second win. The important thing is to make her a stakes winner. How we do it, obviously all the options are open. We could easily stay at a mile and a quarter next time, but that’s putting off the inevitable, I think.
“In Jim’s words, she could be even better over a mile and a half. If we had 10 more days, obviously we could consider Royal Ascot.
“She could be very good. If we were able to keep her in training next year and keep her in good form, she could be a filly for all the top mile-and-a-half races next year, so we won’t want to rush her straight back in.
“So, let’s see when the dust settles what everybody feels. If the family are happy to supplement and if John Gosden thinks she is in good form, having made rapid strides in a short space of time, she could go (to the Curragh).”
Meanwhile, Peripatetic was given a well-judged ride by David Egan to take the other Listed race on the card, the four-runner William Hill Tapster Stakes.
The Roger Varian-trained four-year-old, returning to the scene of a handicap success last August, had finished a close-up fourth in the Group Three Pride Stakes at Newmarket on her last run in October.
Egan gradually would up the pace from the three-furlong marker in the 12-furlong contest and having seen off Candleford, the 100-30 chance plenty to spare from the staying-on First Ruler to score by a length and a half.
Another mouthwatering clash with Tahiyra has got Saeed bin Suroor counting down the days to Royal Ascot with Mawj.
The pair were involved in one of the best races of the Flat season to date when duelling in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
On that occasion Mawj came out on top, but Tahiyra has since won the Irish equivalent and the bookmakers make her favourite to turn the tables in the Coronation Stakes on June 23.
“She grew a little bit when she was in Dubai,” said Bin Suroor of his diminutive filly.
“What I do with two-year-olds, when I see they are small and skinny, is give them time between races and that helps them.
“She hasn’t really grown that much but at least she has a big heart.
“We ran her over seven (furlongs) in Dubai and then she won well over a mile. When she came back to England she went and won a Classic. She’s a very special filly and we’re looking forward to Ascot.”
Looking ahead to the rematch he went on: “Dermot Weld’s filly is very good, she was second in the English Guineas and went and won in Ireland, she’s very tough.
“Our filly should run well, we’re happy with her and looking forward to it.
“I think a mile is perfect for her. Maybe in the future we might look at something different, but at the moment a mile is fine. We might look at nine furlongs some day.
“There are lots of races for her over a mile, the Falmouth, the Sun Chariot, races like that. We’ll see, but I think a mile suits her well.
“I don’t think we’d ever be looking to come back in trip with her.”
Paul Struthers will return to the Professional Jockeys Association as a consultant, along with Frankie Dettori’s commercial agent Peter Burrell.
Struthers, who left the organisation after 10 years at the helm in 2021, returns to assist the board in his capacity as chief executive of his own company Moya Sport, which specialises in PR support to governing bodies.
Burrell has been recruited to seek out additional income for the PJA and its members, and to act as an adviser on other important commercial matters.
The appointments, made with immediate effect, are to support “specific projects”, according to a statement from the organisation.
In recent months, heightened tensions over the perceived handling by senior PJA figures of critical issues such as the whip review, valets’ pay and the closure of racecourse saunas led to a revolt by jockeys and the resignation of CEO Ian McMahon.
Jon Holmes, the sports agent who counts the likes of Nick Luck, Gary Lineker and Ruby Walsh as clients, then resigned as PJA chair along with board members Simon Cox and Mick Fitzgerald.
Seven new members were appointed to the PJA board last week – Henry Brooke, Neil Callan, Tom Marquand, Andrew Mullen, Jonjo O’Neill Jr, Tabitha Worsley and Nick Attenborough, who was announced at Holmes’ successor.
Commenting on the appointments, Dale Gibson, interim CEO, stated: “This is positive news for the PJA. Adding Pete and Paul to our team helps ensure that we can deliver for our members both commercially and strategically.”
Attenborough added: “I’m delighted to welcome Pete and Paul to the association, their experience will strengthen the organisation considerably.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Dale and the team for their tireless work and commitment during recent challenging times.”
Sporting worlds are set to collide at Royal Ascot when Frankie Dettori partners baseball star Alex Bregman’s No Nay Mets in the Norfolk Stakes.
Trained by American George Weaver and owned by the Houston Astros’ third baseman’s Bregman Family Racing, the son of No Nay Never booked his ticket when landing the ‘win and you’re in’ Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes by an impressive three and a half lengths at Gulfstream in May, and will now attempt to become the third US-trained winner of the Group Two Norfolk.
Joining No Nay Mets on the flight across the Atlantic will be stablemate Crimson Advocate, who was equally as impressive on the same afternoon at the Florida track.
She will head to the Queen Mary Stakes as a general 7-1 chance, with Weaver relishing the prospect of getting on the Royal Ascot scoreboard with his pair of five-furlong fliers.
“They were both sharp in victory last time and earned their shot to make this trip,” Weaver said.
“They both did really well at Gulfstream. With two-year-olds, they are so lightly-raced it is hard to tell what you are running against, but they won the right way and it was never a second thought to bring them over to Ascot if they won.
“You don’t just want to shoot for the sake of it, but both have earned their chance to run in these races at Ascot and we’re excited about it.”
Dettori, of course, is no stranger to partnering American raiders at the Royal extravaganza and will be bidding to add to the four Royal Ascot winners he has previously steered for Wesley Ward during what will be his swansong at the showpiece meeting.
It will, however, be the first time he has ridden for from Weaver during his career and the trainer is delighted to have secured the services of the 52-year-old.
“Dettori will ride the colt and John Velazquez will ride the filly,” he confirmed.
“I don’t even think I’ve had the chance to give Dettori a ride before. Even though he has been in the States, he has been more California. But the man speaks for himself. What a career he has had – and he’s still got it! He’s one of the best in the world.”
And it appears Weaver will trust the Italian to make the right calls aboard the forward-going No Nay Mets as he bids to emulate his sire’s victory from 10 years ago.
He continued: “Both of these horses have plenty of early speed. I’m not sure what that translates to over in Ascot, as I know it is straight and a little uphill.
“No Nay Mets is a handy horse and I don’t even think he needs to lead. He’s got quality. Certainly, we’ll break away from the gates and try to place him forwardly and then the rest will be down to Frankie.”
Before Dettori has been given the leg-up on No Nay Mets, fellow riding great Velazquez will get the chance to notch his fourth Royal Ascot victory in the Queen Mary.
Hall of Fame pilot Velazquez is best known at the meeting for setting hot fractions aboard raiders saddled by Ward and he can be expected to take his customary position at the head of affairs when he rides Crimson Advocate, who is a precocious daughter of Nyquist.
“She’s so quick out of the gates, I wouldn’t want to take that away from her,” continued Weaver.
“In her first race she was behind horses on the dirt and was a little green about it. She was wearing blinkers and had those on, but then took to the grass really well at Gulfstream.
“If there is another horse that is quicker than her then fine, but we intend to be forward in this race – we will not take that early gate speed away from her.”
Weaver is hoping to fare better than on his sole previous visit to Ascot in 2015 when the Velazquez-ridden Cyclogenisis was unable to back up his strong American form in the Commonwealth Cup, finishing down the field in 14th.
But that experience left a lasting impression on Kentucky-born Weaver, who has been craving a return to the Berkshire track’s summer showpiece ever since.
He continued: “In 2015, I brought over a horse that wasn’t good enough, so this time around I hope I’m bringing at least one horse that is good enough – and maybe two.
“When I was there in 2015, I thought to myself how cool it would be to win a race at Royal Ascot and come back with a horse with a little better chance to win. At the time I thought our horse had somewhat a chance but hindsight is always 20-20.
“Royal Ascot just feels a lot different to American racing as a whole. The big days are big days over here, but Royal Ascot just feels like a special place. There is such an atmosphere there and then there is the pageantry. Everyone I’ve spoken to since I went there, I’ve told them, you need to go to Royal Ascot if you get the chance.
“If you have any sort of love of horse racing and a fan of the sport, going to Royal Ascot should be definitely on your bucket list, it’s a great experience.”
Iga Swiatek could end her French Open career with a record to rival Rafael Nadal’s, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo believes.
The Pole cemented her status as one of the best women’s players on clay in recent decades by winning her third title in four years just after her 22nd birthday.
That matches the career progression of Nadal almost to the day, although Swiatek has one US Open title while the Spaniard won on his first four visits to Roland Garros.
“Her record is very impressive, just like Rafa’s record was when he started,” said former world number one Mauresmo.
“Three titles in four editions is huge, it’s very impressive. I think we’re still a little bit far away from the 14 titles but, when Rafa started, no-one also thought he would get to 14 so anything can happen.”
Swiatek found herself really tested for the first time in a grand slam final, twice coming from a break down in the deciding set to beat Karolina Muchova 6-2 5-7 6-4.
She is not looking too far ahead, saying: “I’m just happy with what happened during these past few weeks. I don’t know what I’m capable of.
“So I will work day by day to play the best game possible and to develop as a player. I’m not setting any crazy records or goals for myself. I know that keeping it cool is the best way to do it for me. I’m trying more to do that.”
Swiatek has not had things all her own way this season, with a couple of injuries disrupting her schedule, while Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have raised their game to create what has been described as a big three of women’s tennis.
Sabalenka could have overtaken Swiatek in the rankings in Paris, and the Belarusian will have high hopes of doing so on the grass, where she has been much stronger than her rival in the past.
Swiatek did not shy away from talking herself up in comparison to Sabalenka and Rybakina, saying: “I look at my clay-court season and I see on every tournament I really played consistently.
“I reached quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals, I won Stuttgart, I won this tournament. I’m just focused on myself and I don’t care about the other two players.”
For Muchova, it was a bitter-sweet experience, with the Czech handling herself extremely well in her first grand slam final but falling short when the match looked like it was almost in her grasp.
What will give a lot of confidence to the 26-year-old, who will be ranked at a career-high 16 on Monday, is that clay is her least favourite surface.
“I wouldn’t expect it that much on the clay, honestly,” she said. “I look forward to playing on the grass, on the fast surfaces. It’s just nice to know that I can play on the clay great as well.
“This was my last clay tournament. It could have ended up a little bit better, but it was still pretty great.”
It was one of the best endings to a women’s grand slam in recent years, with both semi-finals bringing high quality and drama before a very good final.
There has been a lot of focus again in Paris on the scheduling, with the one-match night session featuring women only once for the second year in a row.
Mauresmo defended the decision-making, insisting other slots considered prime time featured more women’s matches this year.
Organisers do not want matches finishing in the early hours of the morning like they routinely do at the Australian Open and US Open, and Mauresmo admitted the possibility of a quick two-set women’s contest is a key factor in favouring men.
Swiatek, meanwhile, revealed she prefers playing in the day and had requested not to play at night.
“This doesn’t make also our life easier,” said Mauresmo. “I’m comfortable with the scheduling in the day but, yes, we can do better on the night matches.”
Pearls And Rubies will head to Royal Ascot as an exciting proposition for Aidan O’Brien following a very promising debut success at Navan.
An imposing daughter of No Nay Never, Ryan Moore let her find her feet in the five-furlong Lynn Lodge Stud Irish EBF Maiden, as up front Lightening Army took them along.
Keeping close tabs on the leaders was 6-5 favourite I Am Invictus, who looked like getting his head in front when leading over a furlong out, having filled the runner-up spot behind O’Brien’s Coventry Stakes-bound River Tiber first time out.
But Pearls And Rubies (3-1) started to find top gear late in the day, coming home really well to get the verdict by a neck from Michael O’Callaghan’s charge.
O’Brien said: “We thought she was very smart, we had it in our head could she be an Ascot filly.
“Obviously, she needed experience badly. We came here to see if she would be forward enough for Ascot. Ryan rode her accordingly and left her alone and educated her. She could be an Albany filly.
“She has won there and doesn’t even realise she has raced yet. She just kept coming and finished off very strong.
“She’s obviously a filly with plenty of class.”
Yanina Wickmayer came out on top after a three-set battle with Katie Swan to win the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
Wickmayer prevented Swan from securing the British number one spot after coming back from a set down to win 2-6 6-4 7-6 (1) weeks before both players head to Wimbledon.
The pair were not deterred by the Surbiton heat as they battled at a high intensity with lengthy exchanges which resulted in Swan taking a 4-2 lead in the first set.
And Swan’s serve proved to be a decisive weapon early on as Wickmayer struggled to deal with the 24-year-old’s precision which allowed her to be on the front foot in exchanges before she closed out the first set 6-2.
But Wickmayer began to find her feet in the second set as she jostled into a 5-4 lead, with Swan finally beginning to falter at the hands of the 33-year-old.
And the Belgian made no mistake in drawing level after she forced errors out of eighth seed Swan to close out the second set 6-4.
Wickmayer really began to show her class in the final set with some moments of excellence which left her opponent with no answers.
This came in the form of her returns, with her decision to choose placement over power proving to be a masterstroke as she firmed her grip on the tie late on.
Swan managed to take the deciding set to a tie-break but came up short after Wickmayer stormed into a 6-1 lead before she rounded off the set to be crowned champion.
In a court-side interview broadcast by the LTA, Swan said: “I feel like it was a high-level match all the way through.
“It was tough because as soon as I dropped my levels slightly she was all over me and I had to maintain that for as long as I could. It was so tough but it was really high level overall.
“She is in unbelievable shape, I don’t know how she can be that good after having a baby. I think it’s incredible what she’s doing.”
Desert Crown will miss the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, Sir Michael Stoute has confirmed.
Last year’s Derby winner was on course for a clash with Adayar, Luxembourg and stablemate Bay Bridge in the 10-furlong Group One contest on June 21, having produced a scintillating piece of work under Ryan Moore on Wednesday.
However, after a routine canter under Ted Durcan on Saturday morning, he was found to be lame.
A market drifter on the exchanges on Sunday morning, asked if all was well with the colt, Stoute told the PA news agency: “No. He’s not running, no. He’s a non-runner.”
Desert Crown cruised to success in the premier Classic, but picked up an ankle injury and was not seen again until reappearing in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown last month.
Though he looked better than ever beforehand, he was defeated in the dying strides by last season’s Coronation Cup winner Hukum, who was similarly coming back after a year on the sidelines.
Frankie Dettori was booked to ride the son of Nathaniel at Royal Ascot, replacing Richard Kingscote, but Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail, added: “I knew they weren’t happy with him yesterday morning.
“He worked well on Wednesday. He doesn’t usually work like a rocket. His general work practice is to go steady early and to quicken.
“I didn’t see him yesterday. He worked nicely and I believe it was on his own. His final gallop was going to be next Tuesday or Wednesday with Dettori on him.
“I thought he won’t be doing too much. That was at 10 o’clock in the morning. At 12 o’clock, I heard he was a bit lame.
“They were having a good look at him. Injuries so close this time to the race mean you don’t take chances.”
Kevin Philippart De Foy is happy to roll the dice with El Habeeb in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
The four-year-old ran with credit in both the Derby – when only once-raced at the time with Stan Moore – and the St Leger last season, and proved his class when beating subsequent Yorkshire Cup winner Giavellotto in the Listed Noel Murless Stakes.
De Foy has stepped his charge up to two miles this term, a move which saw him finish fifth in the Dubai Gold Cup before placing third in Ascot’s Sagaro Stakes.
The Sagaro winner, Andrew Balding’s Coltrane, is the 3-1 favourite for the Gold Cup, with El Habeeb a best-priced 25-1 shot despite having only five lengths to find.
Philippart De Foy feels his colt merits his place in the field for the two-and-a-half-mile showpiece.
He said: “At the moment that (Gold Cup) is the plan. He ran well in the Sagaro. He’s fairly well one paced and doesn’t have that change of gear he needed at Ascot to go and pick up the second.
“The winner was quite impressive and he deserves to be the favourite, but I thought we were a little bit unlucky on the inside and I think we deserve to be there.
“He settles very well at any pace and he always stays on in his races. He wouldn’t have the biggest stride, but he keeps galloping all day, so I don’t think the distance will be an issue.
“The form of his last few races stacks up well. He’s got plenty to find to be competitive, but I think he will be competitive for a place.”
Robert MacIntyre could be forgiven for having mixed feelings on several fronts when he sits down to watch the US Open on TV.
First and foremost is the fact that it will be just the fourth major championship which MacIntyre has missed since he made his debut in the game’s biggest events with a tie for sixth in the 2019 Open.
Secondly, this year’s US Open is being staged at Los Angeles Country Club, venue for the 2017 Walker Cup in which MacIntyre represented Great Britain and Ireland and won 1.5 points from his three matches.
But while MacIntyre enjoyed a “great experience” six years ago, the visitors were beaten 19-7 by a United States team featuring current world number one Scottie Scheffler, two-time major champion Collin Morikawa and PGA Tour winners Will Zalatoris and Cameron Champ.
“I knew they were good but you never know how good they’re actually going to become,” MacIntyre told the PA news agency.
“They’ve probably exceeded their own expectations at times but that team is going to go down as one of the best Walker Cup teams in history so it wasn’t too bad getting absolutely hammered by them!”
In fairness, MacIntyre did thrash Champ 6&4 in the opening day’s singles and, after suffering a foursomes defeat alongside Matthew Jordan on day two, also halved a rematch with Champ to emerge with great credit from a testing week.
“It was brilliant. The Walker Cup was a great experience,” the left-hander from Oban said.
“The set-up of the golf course was incredible. The place was playing firm and fast, it was the first time I’d putted on greens with that kind of speed and slope.
“And the whole place, the setting of it right in the middle of LA is absolutely spectacular from the minute you drive in through the gates to the minute you drive out.
“It’s completely different to where I come from and for me it was a cool experience to be there to see. The golf course is brilliant but it’s super, super long, as everyone’s going to find out.
“It was reasonably thick rough, there were certain holes you didn’t want to miss the fairways because you couldn’t get it there, but I just remember it being so fast.
“If you hit the fairway it would run 70-80 yards with the driver and the greens were probably running at 13 (on the stimpmeter).”
MacIntyre described Oak Hill as an “absolute monster” as he suffered his first missed cut in a major in last month’s US PGA Championship and Los Angeles Country Club could prove equally tough.
The 7,423-yard, par-70 layout includes a 623-yard par five and two of its five par threes measure 284 and 290 yards, although the shortest hole on the course will not exactly be a walk in the park either.
“It could be absolutely anything depending on what they’ve done to the place,” MacIntyre added. “They will grow the rough and narrow the fairways. It could be crazy.
“In one round in the Walker Cup all the par threes were played off the back tees except the 15th.
“They were playing it at 101 yards to a front-right pin and guys were missing the green because of the firmness. If you hit a certain point on the green it was kicking into the back bunker.
“It’s the best players in the world so length doesn’t really cause them problems, but it will depend on how firm and fast it is. It will be entertaining to watch that’s for sure.”
Josh Taylor spoke about moving up to welterweight imminently after suffering the first defeat of his career to Teofimo Lopez in New York on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old Scot started the defence of his WBO and Ring Magazine super-lightweight titles at The Theater at Madison Square Garden looking like he had the measure of his Brooklyn opponent.
However Lopez, 25, soon grew in confidence and by the end of 12 gruelling rounds there was no doubt about the result.
Two judges called it 115-113 for the home fighter, with the other scoring it 117-111, confirming Lopez a two-weight world champion by unanimous decision.
Following a first loss in 20 fights, Taylor stressed his desire for a rematch but admitted that he would be “more comfortable” stepping up to the next weight division.
He told Sky Sports Boxing: “I would love to do it again and fight him again. Back home, why not?
“But the ball is in his court, he is the champion.
“I would love to do it again but most likely I will probably be moving up to welter now.
“As I have been saying for ages the move up to welter is imminent.
“I could do 140 again but I would be more comfortable at 147.”
It was Taylor’s first bout since his contentious win over Englishman Jack Catterall in February 2022 and it was another difficult night as he struggled to find solutions to the problems posed by Lopez, who was slick and powerful with his punches and evasive in defence.
The Scot refused to blame the long lay-off for his performance as he accepted defeat with humility.
He said: “The last two rounds, the championship rounds I didn’t do enough. The better man won on the night.
“I just wasn’t (at my) best, far from it. It is what it is.
“I am absolutely devastated but I will come again. He’s the champion. I would love to do it again. I know I can win.
“I know I can beat him but last night he was the better man so I have no excuses.”
Lopez said after the fight: “Josh Taylor is a tough dude. I can see why he beat so many fighters but you have to counter the counter-puncher, you have to outsmart the man and get in there and I did that. I think I did enough.”
Light Infantry is on course for the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot following his cracking run in defeat in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp.
Though beaten a short neck by the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat, his third runner-up effort in Group One company in France, the four-year-old son of Fast Company will bid to gain a measure of compensation on the first day of the Royal meeting.
Trainer David Simcock was delighted he showed his best after a disappointing seventh, when beaten three and three-quarter lengths by Modern Games in the Lockinge at Newbury.
Stepped up to nine furlongs for the first time in France, he was headed with over a furlong to race, but battled back to regain second place in the hands of Jamie Spencer.
Simcock said: “I’m delighted with him, especially backing up so quick after Newbury.
“Things really didn’t pan out for him in the Lockinge, but it was a good run (in the d’Ispahan) and it was a very competitive field.
“I would imagine he will go to the Queen Anne – I’m pretty sure of that. He’s very well and in good form.”
Amanda Nunes has retired after defending her world bantamweight belt against Irene Aldana at UFC 289 in Vancouver.
The Brazilian, who also held the featherweight title, won on a unanimous points decision at Rogers Arena and after placing her belts on the canvas, announced she was calling time on her career.
She said in her octagon interview: “Double champion forever, today is a perfect night to retire.
“My mum has been watching me do this for so long, she cannot take it anymore. So I decided, I am still young to enjoy everything I make.
“I never worked out in my mind that I would become a champion and when I did it was unbelievable.”
Nunes, 35, dominated the octagon over a lengthy career, and is the first woman to become a champion in two divisions. She is the only fighter to defend two titles while holding them both.
Saturday’s bout was supposed to be against Julianna Pena but the former champion withdrew due to injury.
Nunes’ victory over Aldana means she walks away with a 23-5 record and is widely regarded as the greatest ever women’s mixed martial artist.
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