Australian challenger The Astrologist gets the opportunity to reassert his Royal Ascot claims in the Sky Bet John of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.

Trained in partnership by the father and son team of Leon and Troy Corstens, the six-year-old has been placed at Group One level on multiple occasions in his homeland and was beaten just a head by Danyah in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan in March.

That excellent effort encouraged connections to target the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at the big meeting and he made his British debut in last month’s 1895 Duke of York Stakes under Ryan Moore.

While on the face of it The Astrologist’s performance in finishing seventh at York was underwhelming, hopes in the camp are high he can bounce back to something like his best on Merseyside.

“We’re very happy with the way he came through York. Obviously, as everyone knows, he needed the run and that is why he is having another run before Ascot,” said assistant trainer Dom Sutton.

“It is a strange one because we were hoping he’d have a little bit more residual fitness from Dubai, but it was a formula we’d never used before – he’d never had eight weeks between a run and obviously he had to deal with the flight and the travel.

“Back in Australia we use barrier trials as stepping stones to getting them to the races and obviously we couldn’t do that here, so we were kind of a little bit in the dark.

“He handled everything well leading up to York and we were hoping he could run a nice, bold race, but Ryan got off him and said in the last furlong he really needed it.”

With a step up from six to seven furlongs not expected to be an issue on a flat track and fast ground, Sutton is optimistic about his chances of victory, with Moore once again in the saddle.

He added: “He’s been pretty competitive over seven furlongs back home, the ground should suit and he’s ticked every box fitness-wise and gallops-wise in between runs, so hopefully it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Looking at the field you’d hope that he’ll be going pretty close. If circumstances mean he doesn’t win, as long as he’s hitting the line and running well we’ll be happy.”

A horse going the other way in distance is the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Jumby, who was last seen finishing down the field over a mile in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

The son of New Bay won the Group Two Hungerford Stakes over the intermediate trip last summer and his trainer is confident of a bold showing.

She said: “He’s won a Group Two over seven furlongs and a mile just stretched him in the Lockinge.

“He likes fast ground and we’ve been very pleased with him since Newbury.”

El Caballo bids to get his season back on track for the in-form Karl Burke team.

The four-year-old won his first four starts of last year, including the Group Two Sandy Lane at Haydock, but disappointed in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and missed the rest of the campaign.

He trailed home last of 10 runners on his reappearance in the Cammidge Trophy on heavy ground at Doncaster and Burke is hoping conditions will be more favourable.

“We don’t want fast ground and I’m just hoping they put a decent amount of water on – they usually do at Haydock,” said the Spigot Lodge handler.

“We’ve got to get him started, he’s working really well and if we can’t run here on good, fast ground we’re going to struggle for the rest of the summer.

“Hopefully he can go and show himself to good effect. We’re stepping up to seven furlongs, he’s won over seven and I think that will help him.

“This looks a nice race for him to go for and he’s still got the ability, I have no doubt about that.”

Tim Easterby’s Boardman and the Charlie Fellowes-trained Gorak are both course and distance winners but face a step up in class, while Stan Moore’s The Wizard Of Eye, who also contested the Lockinge last month, completes the line-up.

Comparisons with her idol Rafael Nadal may be distinctly premature but Iga Swiatek can take another step towards establishing her own dynasty at Roland Garros with a third title on Saturday.

The Pole has only suffered two defeats on the Parisian clay, winning her first title as an unseeded teenager in 2020 then reclaiming it last year.

Swiatek is yet to drop a set this year – although she was pushed hard in the semi-finals by Beatriz Haddad Maia – and will be a big favourite to beat Czech Karolina Muchova for what would be her fourth grand slam title overall.

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“Rafa, what he did and what he’s still doing, it’s pretty amazing,” said the 22-year-old.

“So it was totally out of my reach. And still he played so well so many years. I don’t know if it’s going to be possible for me. But I just try to compete, keep it cool year by year and just do everything step by step.”

At 43rd in the world, Muchova is the fourth-lowest ranked woman to reach the final of the French Open, continuing a trend of unexpected slam contenders.

The Czech certainly has not come from nowhere though, having made at least the quarter-finals at every slam except the US Open, and would surely have been a consistent member of the top 20 but for injuries.

She produced a stunning victory over second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals on Thursday, battling back from 5-2 down in the deciding set and saving a match point in a three-hour epic.

What stood out most was Muchova’s variety and intelligence as she fought Sabalenka’s pace with craft and guile.

Her final opponent is a fan, with Swiatek saying: “I really like her game. I really respect her, and she’s, I feel like, a player who can do anything. She has great touch. She can also speed up the game.

“She plays with that kind of freedom in her movements. And she has a great technique. So I watched her matches and I feel like I know her game pretty well.”

Muchova’s style is a throwback in a game now dominated by power, but the 26-year-old is happy to be different.

“I think I have it like that in everything in life, I don’t really want to be like anyone else,” she said.

“It’s the type of game I enjoy and I believe in. We are trying to improve it with the team. Now we can see as well that it works, so that’s nice. I’ll keep it this way.”

The strength of Czech women’s tennis is one of the enduring wonders of the game. Ten of the world’s top 100 hail from the country and they have a number of promising teenagers.

“I’ve been asked this every time I’m in the press conference,” said Muchova when asked for an explanation of her country’s success.

“I think I’m always trying to come up with a different answer to make it a little different. I think there is plenty of Czech players playing, good Czech players, and the younger generations, they look up to us and we practise with them.

“I think they can see it’s possible to be a top tennis player. We have as well great coaches.”

Muchova and Swiatek’s only previous meeting came back in 2019, when the Czech won a close battle.

Intriguingly, Muchova maintained her perfect record against players ranked in the top three by beating Sabalenka, extending it to 5-0.

“I don’t think I will be the favourite,” she said. “It’s nice. I didn’t really even know about this statistic.

“It just shows me that I can play against them. I can compete, and obviously the matches are super close. It’s great to know that I win against the top players, and that for sure boosts my confidence.”

Karl Burke expects to have a clearer idea of Cuban Slide’s capabilities after he contests the bet365 Two Year Old Trophy at Beverley on Saturday.

The Spigot Lodge handler has been firing in juvenile winners left, right and centre this season and few were more impressive on debut than this son of Havana Grey.

Cuban Slide was an odds-on favourite for a five-furlong novice event at Musselburgh and justified the cramped odds with a nine-length demolition job.

But while that Scottish success was visually striking, Burke is not convinced of the depth of the race and is anticipating he will learn more about his colt’s big-race credentials in East Yorkshire this weekend.

“I think he’s a nice horse, he’s obviously got good ability and he works well at home,” he said.

“I don’t think it was much of a race that he won, so we’re on a finding-out mission as much as anything.

“I do think he’s useful, but whether he’s top class or not I’m not sure. Stepping up to six furlongs could see him to good effect, but he’s not slow and a stiff five with a good draw should be fine.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him run and learning a bit more about him.”

Richard Fahey is represented by Bombay Bazaar, a Kodiac juvenile who also comes into this in winning form having been victorious over the course and distance last month.

He was previously third in a Thirsk maiden when beaten four lengths, with Kevin Ryan’s Sergeant Wilko the winner and Dominic Ffrench Davis’ Valadero the runner-up.

The latter was previously second in the Brocklesby, while Sergeant Wilko has some positive collateral form having finished second on debut to Hugo Palmer’s Balon d’Or – subsequently third in the Lily Agnes and second in the Woodcote.

Next time out Bombay Bazaar got off the mark by an easy four and a quarter lengths and Fahey is looking forward to seeing him return to the Westwood.

“He improved a lot for his first and second runs and he seems to have gone on again,” Fahey said.

“I don’t know what he beat that day (at Beverley) but he beat them well, he will be a better horse again and whether or not he’s good enough, we’ll see.

“The form will do and we’re getting better, so we’ll see.”

Other contenders include the Ryan-trained Room Service, who was a debut winner at Wetherby, and Richard Hannon’s Fusterlandia, second on his introduction at Leicester late last month.

Andrew Balding’s Loaded Gun, David O’Meara’s Scoops Ahoy and the unraced Mehigburn from Roger Fell and Sean Murray’s yard complete the field.

Britain’s oldest living Olympian Edna Child died in May aged 100, the British Olympic Association announced on Friday.

Child competed in the 1948 London Olympics in diving, despite a fear of heights, and later became a British Empire Games champion.

A post on the Team GB’s Twitter account read: “Condolences to the family and friends of 1948 diving Olympian Edna Child, who passed away in May.

“Aged 100, Edna was Britain’s oldest living Olympian.”

Child won the bronze medal in the 1938 European Championships aged just 15 but her promising career was put on hold during the Second World War as she joined the army.

Once her career resumed she finished sixth in London, but won gold in the springboard and platform at the 1950 British Empire Games – now known as the Commonwealth Games – in Auckland.

Ziggy’s Phoenix makes a swift return to action as she bids for a third win this season in the Hilary Needler Trophy at Beverley on Saturday.

The two-year-old, who is owned by Middleham Park Racing, won a Ripon novice earlier in the season and was then victorious in the Lily Agnes at Chester.

She subsequently headed to Chantilly in search of Listed honours in the Prix la Fleche, but could finish only fourth of eight runners in the hands of Gerald Mosse.

Richard Hannon sends the Kodiac filly back into battle just six days later, with connections “hopeful” the quick turnaround will not be a problem.

“She got caught out on a wing and raced away from the rail in France, but she kept on well to the line,” said Middleham Park’s director of racing, Tim Palin.

“She is down in grade a notch to a level she’s already been successful at and escapes a penalty.

“We’re backing her up quite quickly, but she’s got a decent draw (stall four) this time and we go there hopeful.”

Richard Fahey saddles Midnight Affair, a daughter of Dark Angel who caught the eye finishing second to the Royal Ascot-bound Soprano on her debut at Newmarket last month.

Midnight Affair was unlucky not to make more of a race of it after meeting traffic problems and is a hot favourite to go one better on the Westwood under Danny Tudhope.

“She ran a good race first time out. Things didn’t happen for her, but she still went well for a first run,” said Fahey.

“She’s drawn in stall six and I’d be happy with that.”

Other hopefuls include Charlie Johnston’s Never Fear, the winner of a Wolverhampton maiden, and Andrew Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda, who was beaten just half a length when fourth at Sandown on debut.

Tallulabelle (David O’Meara), Alfa Moonstone (Craig Lidster), Callianassa (Brian Ellison), Miss Woo Woo (Robert Cowell) and La Boo (Mick and David Easterby) complete the field.

Plans remain fluid for Soul Sister following her Betfred Oaks triumph at Epsom last week.

Disappointing in a soft ground Fred Darling at Newbury on her three-year-old debut, the Frankel filly bounced back with a surprise victory in the Musidora Stakes at York last month.

Soul Sister proved that was no fluke by clinching Classic glory on the Surrey Downs a week ago under Frankie Dettori and she holds an entry in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

However, while joint-trainer Thady Gosden reports the three-year-old to have taken her Epsom exertions well, connections have not got as far as finalising the next plan of attack.

“She’s come out of it well. Obviously every Classic is a hard race, but she seems happy and well in herself at home,” said Gosden.

“We’ll see how she is, but it was fantastic to win the Oaks with her.”

On the other side of the coin there was disappointment for the Gosden team ahead of the Oaks, with their other leading contender Running Lion withdrawn on veterinary advice just seconds before the off after kicking the back gate of the starting stalls.

The daughter of Roaring Lion is set to bid for compensation and redemption in the French equivalent, the Prix de Diane, at Chantilly on Sunday week.

“It was obviously frustrating with Running Lion, it was sort of a freak event really. The plan is for her to go to France, I think,” Gosden added.

Cory Hill has become the latest player to withdraw from Wales’ preliminary World Cup training squad.

The former Cardiff and Dragons lock, who had been playing in Japan, was recalled by Wales head coach Warren Gatland following two years out of Test rugby.

But 31-year-old Hill has pulled out of the squad to pursue a club contract opportunity outside of Wales, the Welsh Rugby Union said.

“I am gutted to be leaving the squad, but an opportunity has come up and I need to take it for my family,” Hill said.

“Wishing the boys all the best at the World Cup, and I hope to be back in a Wales jersey in the future.”

Gatland named a 54-man group last month for the tournament in France later this year.

Lock Alun Wyn Jones, flanker Justin Tipuric and scrum-half Rhys Webb, who have 291 Wales caps between them, subsequently announced their retirements from international rugby.

And Cardiff prop Rhys Carre was then released from the squad after he failed to meet individual performance targets.

The PA news agency understands that Gatland has no plans to call up a replacement for Hill, whose new club want him available for them during the World Cup period in September and October.

Hill made his Wales debut against Australia in 2016, while a 32nd and latest appearance came during the 2021 Six Nations against France.

Gatland’s remaining second-row options in his squad are Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Teddy Williams and Christ Tshiunza.

Lawrence Shankland is hoping to end his “really strong season” by helping Scotland take another big stride towards Euro 2024.

The 27-year-old has enjoyed arguably the best campaign of his career as he scored 28 goals and earned the captaincy in his first year at Hearts, whom he joined last summer from Belgian club Beerschot.

Shankland’s form at Tynecastle earned him a first Scotland cap for two and a half years in the victory over Spain in March, and he has retained his place in the squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers away to Norway and at home to Georgia.

“When you get to the end of a season you get the chance to look back and assess it,” Shankland told the Scottish Football Association.

“For me, it was a really strong season. My performances throughout the season were to a really high standard and I was really happy with them.

“The number of goals I managed to chip in with was great. It was my first season at Hearts as well so it was good to get off to a good start. The captaincy was an opportunity that I probably didn’t expect when I first went to Hearts but when it was offered to me I was keen to take on that role.

“I felt it was something that would improve my all-round game, improve me as a person, and I felt I took it in my stride and handled it really well. It’s been a huge learning opportunity for me and hopefully it stands me in good stead for the future.”

Shankland has won five Scotland caps but he admits such a scenario would have been a pipe dream when he found himself without a club and pondering getting a job away from football when he was released by Aberdeen in 2017. He eventually joined Ayr and set about rebuilding his career.

“There’s been a lot of rejections along the way but it comes down to hard work and determination really,” he said, reflecting on his rise. “You have your end goals and what you want to achieve in your career.

“There have been times when I couldn’t have dreamed of getting a Scotland cap. But you just need to knuckle down and if you keep working hard, things pay off and you get these opportunities.

“I’ve taken most of them first time and did well at most of the clubs I’ve been at. It has been a bit of an up-and-down journey but I’ve worked hard and I feel like I deserve what’s come my way.”

The Scotland squad are currently at a training camp in Spain gearing up for their showdown with Norway in Oslo a week on Saturday.

Steve Clarke’s side sit top of their qualifying section after winning their opening two matches and know that a good share of points from their two outings this month will leave them firmly on course for the finals in Germany next summer.

“It’s been good to meet up and get everybody back together,” said Shankland.

“The wee break in between (the end of the club season) gives us a bit of time to do a training camp and I think that’s important for us before we go into the game week next week.

“The training’s been good and the weather’s been nice. The last two games we had really good results and we’ve given ourselves a really good opportunity going into these two games. If we get positive results we could be in a really good position.”

Alex Iacovitti has thanked Ross County for “an incredible three years” after his departure from the Staggies was confirmed.

The 25-year-old former Scotland Under-21 defender moved to the Highlands from Oldham in 2020 and made 116 games appearances for the Dingwall club, scoring 12 goals.

Iacovitti is leaving County, who survived in the cinch Premiership following a dramatic play-off victory over Partick Thistle, under freedom of contract.

“Firstly I’d like to place on record my thank you for an incredible three years at the club,” he said in a statement on the Staggies’ website. “I’ve loved my time in the Highlands and was happy to call it home for this period.

“The supporters were excellent throughout my time here and they will always hold a special place in my heart for how they have treated me.

“The players I played with at the club are also a top bunch of lads, unfortunately I was unable to play a part in the play-offs due to an injury I had played through that eventually got the better of me.

“I was absolutely delighted the club secured their Premiership status, where they belong.

“I wanted to thank all of you for your support throughout and wish you all and the club the very best for the future. I’ll be back to watch a game as a County fan in the future!”

County will announce full details of their retained/released list in due course.

Frankie Dettori will replace Richard Kingscote on Desert Crown in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Kingscote won the Derby on the Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old last season, but the colt was beaten on his first run since Epsom in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown by Hukum.

With Dettori available, owner Saaed Suhail has decided to snap up his services in what will be the Italian’s last ever Royal Ascot ahead of his retirement later this year.

Suhail’s racing manager Bruce Raymond told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast: “He (Suhail) just feels that for Desert Crown to win this race is all important and while Frankie is around he wants to give the horse every chance.

“He believes Frankie is unbeatable around Ascot and that is why. It’s no disgrace for Richard at all, I myself was jocked off Carroll House when he won the Arc.”

Norwich have signed Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy from Fulham on a three-year contract.

The 31-year-old, capped 55 times by his country, made five Premier League appearances for Fulham during the 2022-23 season.

Norwich boss David Wagner told the club’s official website: “We’re delighted to welcome Shane to the club. He’s a player with a vast amount of experience, both domestically and on the international stage.

“I’m confident that he’ll be a great fit for our squad and brings not only the on-field qualities that we have been looking for, but leadership and desire to help drive our club forward.

“From my conversations with Shane, his vision was clear. You can feel that determination and hunger to play and win football games.”

Duffy began his career in England at Everton and had spells at Blackburn and Brighton before a loan move to Fulham last summer was made permanent in the January transfer window.

Eoin Morgan hailed the authenticity of Ben Stokes and believes the England captain is sincere about following through with a win-at-any-cost mentality in every Test against Australia.

Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have transformed the Test side’s fortunes with 11 wins in 13 matches but a long-awaited Ashes showdown starting next week could challenge their aggressive approach.

However, Stokes demonstrated in New Zealand in February he is prepared to risk defeat to pursue victory and the all-rounder is adamant that will not change despite the stakes being considerably higher this summer.

And Morgan doubts there is any bluffing from Stokes, who has insisted that he would declare even if England were 2-1 up and 300 ahead with seven wickets in hand going into the last day of the final Test.

The former England white-ball skipper, speaking in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, told the PA news agency: “I don’t believe anything Ben says is for show.

“He is a man of his word, he is very authentic, you can tell it speaks volumes both on and off the field and it rings clear in the changing room, so it should be no different for anybody in the public.

“When you have a leader like that, it’s great because there’s just clear, transparent direction in where you’re going and what you want to achieve.

“A draw isn’t the task, they want to win, their eyes are on the prize and he seems to get more out of his own players that way.”

Morgan lifted England’s white-ball sides out of the doldrums to 50-over World Cup glory in 2019 – and among his team-mates was Stokes, who took charge of a Test side that had won just once in 17 matches.

While there might be some parallels in their captaincy arcs, Morgan feels that is where the similarities end.

Morgan said: “I see shades of the trend and journey that he’s going through but ultimately he’s his own leader – and he should be.

“For the best part of four or five years, England were terrible at Test match cricket, they tried fighting and being dogged, defensive and playing the long game, and that just doesn’t work. I can imagine the cornerstone of Ben’s thinking is ‘we’re not going back to playing that way’.

“You need to be as authentic as you can as a leader, particularly around the group simply because you ask everybody else to be authentic and if you’re not, people tend to notice it at various stages.”

Morgan was renowned for his shrewd thinking under intense pressure but even he draws a blank when asked how he would attempt to negate England under Stokes and McCullum.

He said: “When they get going, it’s a captain’s nightmare so I suppose stopping them getting going would be the biggest challenge. I’m not even sure how you do that. I wouldn’t put myself through it!”

Stokes, though, could meet his match in opposite number Pat Cummins, according to Morgan, who played alongside and captained the paceman at Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

Morgan added: “Pat’s captaincy has been exceptional. I would hold him in the same regard as I hold Ben Stokes’ leadership. He is a very cool, calm customer and very intelligent for a fast bowler.

“He’s completely bucked the trend. An important part of captaincy is taking in what’s happening in the game and taking in opinions from others – that is incredibly difficult to do when you’re charging in for upwards of 20 overs per day, giving your all physically and mentally in the bowling innings.

“He has managed to find a balance. Clearly, he’s making good decisions and being able to bowl very well at the same time.”

:: Every match of the men’s and women’s Ashes will be shown live and exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW from 16th June.