Rassie Erasmus expects semi-final opponents England to have “some beef” with South Africa due to their defeat in the final of the last World Cup.

Springboks director of rugby Erasmus began the mind games ahead of Saturday’s Paris showdown by listing Steve Borthwick’s potential team selection.

England are out for revenge after being beaten 32-12 by Erasmus’ side in the 2019 final in Japan when they were coached by Eddie Jones.

Reigning champions South Africa are overwhelming favourites for victory and expected to face New Zealand, who take on Argentina in the other last-four fixture, in the final.

“To talk about the All Blacks would be disrespectful to England because they’re a massive, massive speed bump for us to get over,” said Erasmus.

“More so a pothole than a speed bump because I was just looking at the possible teams I think can play.

“They have so many experienced players that played against us last time.

“I think because they’ve played us in the World Cup final they will have some beef with us. I think they were be very physical, I think they will definitely step it up at all set phases.”

Erasmus moved into his current role after guiding his country to glory at the expense of England four years ago in Yokohama, with Jacques Nienaber replacing him as head coach.

The 50-year-old went into specific statistical detail of the two teams he believes will take to the field at Stade de France.

He then, when prompted, listed England’s possible matchday 23.

“I think we have averaged 200 minutes per player, they 260,” said Erasmus.

“I think the average caps of our team will be about 54, they’ll be about 59. I think the average age of our team is 30, the average age of their team about 29. And then the average weight is 104 (kilograms) and 105.

“England are unbeaten, they stuck to their guns since he (Borthwick) has been appointed, and they kept believing in what they’re doing and it’s paying off.

“You can see their team is full of belief and they will definitely be hurting from not just last year when we beat them (27-13 at Twickenham) but also from the World Cup in 2019.

“So they will be a very, very desperate team and a team which we respect.”

Asked for the England team written down on his sheet of paper, Erasmus replied: “We’re guessing obviously.

“Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Chessum, Lawes, Curry, Earl, Mitchell, Farrell, Daly, Tuilagi, Marchant, May and Marcus Smith or Steward then Marler, Cole, George (Martin), Billy (Vunipola), Ben Youngs or Danny (Care), George Ford and Ollie (Lawrence), that’s who we think.

“But we might be totally wrong.”

Kevin Porter Jr.'s days with the Houston Rockets are officially over, and he's being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He won't be playing in any games with his new team, however.

The Thunder are reportedly acquiring two draft picks and the troubled point guard from the Rockets and will immediately waive Porter. Oklahoma City is sending Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to Houston to complete the trade.

The Rockets wanted to cut ties with Porter and in order for Oklahoma City to acquire the picks - second-round selections in 2027 and 2028 - the deal had to include him. The Thunder also must pay the $16.9million guaranteed left on his four-year contract.

The trade was reported Tuesday by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Porter was arrested September 11 and charged with assault and strangulation of his girlfriend.

Porter and his girlfriend - former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick - were staying at the Millennium Hotel in New York, and per a police report, she was upset he returned early in the morning and locked him out of the room.

Porter was able to gain access to the room with the help of hotel security, and he then assaulted her, according to the report.

Earlier this month, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said Porter was no longer a part of the organisation.

Porter was second on the Rockets in scoring last season with a career-high average of 19.2 points per game while averaging a team-best 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds.

The 2022-23 season was Porter's fourth in the NBA, though his future in the league is in serious doubt following the arrest.

Oladipo just completed his 10th season in the NBA, and was acquired by the Thunder in July after averaging 10.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 42 games for the Miami Heat in 2022-23.

He has career averages of 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

Robinson-Earl averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 43 games for the Thunder in 2022-23, his second professional season.

England boss Sarina Wiegman says Beth Mead was “not close” to a recall for this month’s Nations League double-header against Belgium despite her return to action with Arsenal last weekend.

Winger Mead made her first appearance since sustaining ACL damage last November when she came off the bench late on for the Gunners against Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, going on to set up the winning goal in a 2-1 victory.

The Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner and player of the tournament was missing from the 25-player England squad announced on Tuesday for matches against Belgium in Leicester a week on Friday and Leuven four days later.

Wiegman told a press conference: “To be honest, she was not close.

“She’s in a good place now. She’s been out for nine months, she had her first minutes, which was very nice to see.

“She was really happy, the crowd was very happy so it gave a lot of energy too.

“But I think she first has to build and show performances at club, and get that consistency back.

“Then of course I hope she performs at that level we hope she gets back on and then we have an opportunity to select her, and she has the opportunity to compete with the players who are in the squad right now.”

Wiegman’s selection does see Fran Kirby – another who missed the summer’s run to the final of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand because of injury – return to the fold.

Kirby has featured in each of Chelsea’s three matches this term, starting Saturday’s win against West Ham, as she steps up her comeback from a knee problem suffered in February.

Wiegman said: “Of course it’s very nice that she’s back on the pitch and is fit and healthy.

“She did well with Chelsea when she came on the pitch. I think she has been building up to those moments, also during the summer, and she’s shown enough quality in her performance that I think it’s good that she comes back in the team.”

Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh is also back after being sidelined by a calf issue for September’s win over Scotland and loss to the Netherlands, as is Mead’s club-mate Lotte Wubben-Moy, who withdrew from the last squad with an injury.

There are maiden call-ups for Grace Clinton, the 20-year-old midfielder on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United, and 19-year-old Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating, while Katie Robinson, Jordan Nobbs, Laura Coombs and Lucy Staniforth drop out.

Wiegman said: “I think, yes it goes fast for both, Khiara at Man City and Grace at Tottenham, but I think they have showed good performances, and what I want to see from them is come in camp, see how they relate to the other players in the squad, and show what they can do.”

Keating is among four goalkeepers in the squad, a group also featuring fellow City player Ellie Roebuck and Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton, neither of whom have made an appearance for their clubs so far this season.

Asked if Roebuck and Hampton’s inclusion was an indication that the goalkeeping pool was not as big as she would like at the moment, Wiegman said: “That’s a little bit complicated indeed.

“Yes we want players to play, because when they play we can see them and their performances make us pick them.

“Both of them have built a little bit of credit with us, because they have been with our team for a long period of time and done well in training sessions, and shown up all the time.

“I think they still are with the best goalkeepers in the country and I just hope in the future they do get minutes.”

England, who can secure Paris 2024 Olympics qualification for Great Britain via the Nations League, face a Belgium outfit who have four points from their two group games so far.

Marcus Smith was among a number of players placed on modified training as preparations began for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final against South Africa, but England are hopeful he will be fit.

Smith ended the last-eight victory over Fiji with a fat upper lip and a bandage on his head after he was the victim of a dangerous tackle by wing Vinaya Harbosi, forcing him to depart for an HIA which he passed.

The Harlequins star, who has been moved from his accustomed position of fly-half for the World Cup, defended bravely on a tense evening at Stade Velodrome and is contention to retain the number 15 jersey ahead of Freddie Steward.

Defence coach Kevin Sinfield insists a clearer picture of his availability will emerge over the coming days after he was joined by Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes and Dan Cole in missing the start of Tuesday’s session.

“Marcus is good. He’s one of those who have been modified today so we’ll get a clearer read in the week, but fingers crossed he will be good to go,” Sinfield said.

England learned on Tuesday that their semi-final will be refereed by Ben O’Keeffe, whose officiating was criticised by France in the wake of their defeat to South Africa on Sunday.

It will be the second time O’Keeffe has overseen a Springboks match at this World Cup after the Kiwi official was in place for their 13-8 defeat by Ireland in the group stage.

South Africa have taken steps to repair their relationships with referees after director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was banned for two months for verbally attacking officials during the 2021 Lions series.

The reigning world champions are among the least penalised teams in the tournament and Sinfield said: “We have full respect for whoever takes charge.

“It’s a big game and I don’t think we’d ever criticise the referee during this campaign. We understand what a tough job it is.

“We are a pretty disciplined team at the minute and it’s something we talk about a lot. We certainly need to be disciplined in a whole host of ways on Saturday evening.”

Sinfield holds South Africa in high regard as the rematch of the 2019 World Cup final looms large, but insists England must also draw strength from their own attributes.

“They are a top team. We saw their quarter-final against France and were in awe of the physicality they brought,” Sinfield said.

“We have the utmost respect for them. We think they are a nation that play the best rugby. They know what they are about and they don’t shy away from it.

“We’re coming up against a team with probably the best defence in the world. They’ve been together a long time and they’re really well drilled. It’s an aggressive defence.

“They are a running threat, they’re a kick threat, they have an incredible set-piece, they have an unbelievable defence – do you want me to keep going?

“It’s important for us to get the balance right this week, understanding what South Africa do and how they play, but also some of our strengths as well.

“I think it would be quite easy for us to be completely blown away by how good they are.”

England’s head coach Matthew Mott has revealed how the side’s “spiritual leader” Ben Stokes stepped in to rally the dressing room after their shock World Cup defeat by Afghanistan.

Stokes, who came out of one-day retirement to help defend the trophy he did more than anyone to win in 2019, has yet to feature in India after suffering a hip injury on the the eve of the tournament.

But Sunday’s upset in Delhi, where a side whose only previous win on this stage was a narrow one against Scotland eight years ago, led Stokes to address his team-mates during a dressing room debrief.

Test captain Stokes is on track to return in Saturday’s must-win clash against South Africa at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, but has already made his presence felt behind the scenes.

“He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day,” said Mott.

“He spoke about that need to really assert ourselves, which he’s renowned for. I said ‘I’ve got this’ and just spoke, talked about the plan going forward for the next few days, and then Stokesy came in on the back of that.

“He really reinforced what was a great message, particularly for someone who’s sitting on the bench and has a bit of a different lens on things. I think it went down well, it brought us back to controlling what we can control, really.”

Mott’s own attempt at diagnosing England’s problems saw him suggest that the defending champions were suffering from a lack of self-belief.

Having become the most swaggering side on the planet during their reinvention from also-rans to world champions under Eoin Morgan, England looked uncharacteristically tentative in their losses to New Zealand and Afghanistan.

“You don’t lose your ability overnight but you can lose your confidence,” he said.

“It’s that confidence… puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on, which this team has been renowned for over a long period of time.

“On reflection we’ve been the reactive team in those two games, so we need to turn that round really quickly.

“That was one of Stokesy’s biggest points – we’re normally the team that dictates terms and gets the other team unsettled, disrupted and for whatever reason we haven’t been able to do that.

“We’ve always been on the back foot, trying to pull things back. What we need to do is dominate those first 15 overs whether we bat first or bowl first in the next game.”

Brendon McCullum, Mott’s red-ball counterpart and joint architect of England’s ‘Bazball’ approach in the Test arena, made an unexpected appearance at the team’s Mumbai hotel on Tuesday after arriving on business.

McCullum memorably said on his appointment last year that he was not interested in the limited-overs job on account of it being too simple in contrast to reviving the Test team, a position Mott suggested may no longer stand.

“I just saw him down in the foyer and he said exactly the opposite!” he joked.

“I said, ‘do you want to do a little swap?’ We had a good chat and good catch up.”

Stokes’ likely return – which is all but certain provided he pulls up well after a thorough workout on Thursday – means Mott must grapple with a thorny selection issue.

Harry Brook has been keeping his spot warm and would ordinarily be expected to drop out, but his fluent 66 was easily England’s best innings against the Afghans and made a strong case for his retention.

Experienced seamer Chris Woakes and all-rounder Sam Curran are both vulnerable after struggling badly for form thus far, but with Stokes currently unavailable to bowl that only muddies the waters.

“It’s still up for debate. We’ll have some really good, robust conversations over the next 24 hours,” Mott said.

“I think we’re going to sit down as a selection group, get the numbers, get some theories out there. We’ll normally get to two or three XIs and then debate it, so all things are on the table at the moment.”

David Willey and Gus Atkinson are waiting if England do decide to cut Woakes after three poor outings in a row, but Mott is not ready to draw an emphatic line under the long-time leader of the attack.

“Over the history of Woakes’ career, he’s come out on top a lot more than he’s missed out,” he said.

“He hasn’t been at his best, and he’s the first to admit it, but he’s got a few credits in the bank.”

Professional Fighters League founder Donn Davis has targeted the middle of 2024 for a Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall rematch in MMA.

Britain’s Marshall signed a multi-year deal with the mixed martial arts promotion in August, joining long-standing American rival Shields – who beat her by unanimous decision in the boxing ring to become undisputed middleweight world champion last year.

Davis believes the PFL has “arguably the best women in combat sport” and that Hartlepool-born Marshall and Shields need time to train in MMA before a fight date is set.

“We have the top three women in boxing (Shields, Marshall and Amanda Serrano), we arguably have the best women in combat sports,” Davis told the PA news agency.

“They are both training and when they are both ready it will be great.

“They are both dead serious about being really good in MMA so I don’t think we will see that fight until the middle of next year, or the fall of next year, because it will take them that long to sharpen up the areas they are weak at.

“Both of them are really inspired by the challenge.

“That big women cross over pay-per-view next year will be on one of Francis Ngannou’s cards in the spring, or the Jake Paul card in the later year.

“My best guess is one of those cards will be in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and the other one somewhere else, hopefully in Europe.”

Undisputed Shields, who boasts an unbeaten professional boxing record of 14-0-0, lost in her second MMA appearance to Abby Montes by split decision in 2021.

And Davis believes the Michigan fighter has gained motivation from her setback in the PFL smart cage and that the idea of seeing a boxer in a “vulnerable” setting is what makes the potential match-up so special.

“She had two fights, lost one of them but she learnt a lot from that because she lost to somebody who is not top 50 in the world,” Davis added.

“As Claressa said, it was humbling for her because she hadn’t lost a round for five years and then she loses to a fighter who’s not top 50. That made her work harder, even in boxing and she credits that defeat to her becoming a better athlete.

“I think it will be big, people like to see fighters at the top of their sport who can also be vulnerable.”

Former UFC fighter Ngannou, who joined the PFL in May, faces Tyson Fury in a 10-round heavyweight boxing fight on October 28 and Davis believes he is inspired by the challenge.

He said: “Francis Ngannou is not scared two weeks out for Tyson Fury, he is inspired by the challenge. He knows the odds are five to one against him, he’s not fearful of that. He’s inspired to prove to himself and to show what he’s capable of in boxing.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is unlikely to play again this season.

At least, that's what Colts owner Jim Irsay believes.

Irsay told ESPN on Monday that Richardson is considering season-ending surgery on his injured throwing shoulder.

"The most likelihood is he's probably going to be gone for the year," Irsay said. "I mean, it's not definite but [he] probably misses this year and we're going to have to contend with that factor."

Richardson suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder in the Colts' 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 5. He was hurt with just over 4 1/2 minutes to go in the second quarter when he was tackled by two Titans on a 4-yard run. He took a hit to the left shoulder but appeared to land awkwardly on the right one.

Since he was injured, Richardson and the team's medical staff have consulted with doctors on various treatment options. While they are still gathering information, Irsay said surgery is a more likely choice than rehabilitation.

"There's a debate going, but it's probably going to lead toward surgery in the next week or so," Irsay said. "We're just trying to figure out exactly how and when and what we want to do and what Anthony wants to do."

Irsay's comments came hours after Colts coach Shane Steichen also said surgery was a possibility.

"Obviously, we want to do what's best for him and this organization moving forward," he said. "Like I said, we'll make that decision when the time is right. We're still evaluating that process."

Richardson has made four starts since the Colts drafted him fourth overall in this year's draft, but the dual-threat QB has only been able to finish one game as injuries have forced him out of the other three.

In the Colts' 31-20 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 2 on September 17, Richardson suffered a concussion when he took a hard hit to the head at the end of a 15-yard touchdown run.

He was unable to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and Gardner Minshew led Indianapolis to a 22-19 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. Richardson returned in Week 4 for an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams - the first game of his young career he was able to complete.

He also suffered a knee bruise on a hard hit near the goal line in the final minutes of a 31-21 season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Steichen said he could have returned, however, and he was taken out as a precaution.

On the season, he has completed 59.5 per cent of his throws for 577 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for an 87.3 passer rating. He has also rushed for 136 yards with four TDs on the ground.

Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew made his second start of the season Sunday, passing for 329 yards and a touchdown but also three interceptions in a 37-20 loss to the Jaguars.

He has completed 65.2 per cent of his passes for 882 yards with three TDs and three interceptions for an 81.3 rating.

The Colts are 3-3 and host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday.

Brian Ellison is considering options in France and Australia for Tashkhan following his fine weight-carrying performance in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket on Saturday.

The high-class stayer has been placed in a number of top races over the past couple of years, including the 2021 Long Distance Cup at Ascot and last season’s Yorkshire Cup and Prix du Cadran.

Having registered a first win in over two years in a valuable race at Chester late last month, Tashkhan was lumbered with top-weight of 10st 2lb in last weekend’s prestigious handicap on the Rowley Mile, but showed his class in being beaten just a length into third place by The Shunter and Pied Piper.

With options to run in Britain before the end of the year limited, Ellison may look to a trip across the Channel for a tilt at the Prix Royal-Oak on October 29, while an even longer journey to run on foreign soil is in the melting pot for next year.

He said: “It was a fantastic run, he got beaten by two proper horses. The penalty he got for winning at Chester probably beat him, but he ran a blinder and it was probably one of his better runs.

“We did think about putting a claimer on him but he’s a hard enough ride, which is why we left Ben (Robinson) on him, and to be fair he gave him a great ride.

“I took him out of Ascot on Saturday. He is entered in France, but I don’t know. He’s had two races in handicap company under top-weight and now we’ve got him back to some really good form, maybe we should just look after him a bit more.

“We are talking about the Sydney Cup at Randwick, where it’s wet. That race is in April, so if we wanted to go for that he’d need to go to Australia in February time.

“It’s not definite, it’s just something to think about. If he doesn’t go there, he’ll probably go to Nottingham again for the Further Flight and then just wait for soft ground.”

Ellison first bought Tashkhan out of Emmet Mullins’ yard with the idea of a future career over obstacles, but that plan has been put on the back burner for the time being.

He added: “We were actually thinking about going jumping earlier this year because he lost his way a bit, but that was probably more because he wasn’t getting his ground and he wasn’t enjoying it.

“If we did go jumping, he’d be some three-miler, I know that, and I did school him when I first got him, but he ended up being a good Flat horse, so we left him there.

“Is it worth risking it when we’re making good prize-money on the Flat? I think we’ll just stick to good races on the Flat, as there’s more money to be made.”

A decision on whether high-class juvenile Inquisitively will make a trip to the Breeders’ Cup is likely to be made in the coming days, according to his trainer Kevin Philippart De Foy.

The son of Ten Sovereigns was placed on his first two starts for fledgling handler Ollie Sangster, notably finishing third to the Breeders’ Cup-bound Big Evs in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, but was subsequently sold in the expectation he would continue his racing career in Hong Kong.

However, in an intriguing twist, his new owner instead elected to keep him in Newmarket for the rest of the season and he is now two from two since joining his Belgian-born trainer – impressing in the Listed Roses Stakes at York in August and the Group Three Cornwallis Stakes at Newmarket last week.

Philippart De Foy is now considering whether to send the exciting colt to California for a potential rematch with Big Evs in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 3.

He said: “He has come out of his race the other day very well and we are considering whether to go to the Breeders’ Cup or put him away for next year.

“We will see how the horse is, discuss it with the owner and make a plan. I would say the decision will be made over the next few days.”

Whether Inquisitively makes the trip to America or not, his trainer is hopeful he will at least begin his three-year-old campaign in Britain next term.

He added: “I think he will be with us for the first part of next season, (but) there is a question mark over whether he will be with us this time next year.”

New Rangers boss Philippe Clement is determined to build a dressing room of winners at Ibrox but acknowledges that he is no football magician.

The 49-year-old became the 19th permanent manager of the Govan club following the departure of Michael Beale at the start of the month.

After playing at Genk and Club Brugge, Clement won the Belgian Pro League as a manager with both teams but he inherits a Light Blues side who are currently seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders and defending champions Celtic.

Speaking at Ibrox, Clement said: “I want to win everything. That’s the mentality when I step into a building, I want to give this mentality also towards the dressing room and create more and more winners in this dressing room.

“So we’re going to work really hard to get silverware as fast as possible and to make this story step by step, bigger and bigger.

“How fast it comes? You never know I don’t have this crystal ball.

“Also I’m not a magician that suddenly can totally change players. But I know if we can work a long time with players that we can make them better.”

Clement will give players a chance to impress before he considers changes in the January transfer window.

He said: “I’m also somebody who likes to see first, what is the potential that is there already.

“I’m not somebody who wants 10 new players every year and say, ‘OK, this one and this one is not good enough’.

“I’m somebody who likes to invest in people, who wants to find the key to get the best out of them.

“So we need to use the next weeks, months to do that in the best way.

“So all the players with me – maybe not with some fans, and that’s a little bit pity maybe – everybody starts with a white page.

“Everybody has the chances also until January to prove themselves, to show that they are really good players that they want to be on the pitch, that they want to make the difference for the club, that they want to give everything. And then we will see.”

Chief executive James Bisgrove’s next job will be to appoint a director of football.

He said: “Certainly in the next few weeks, if not months, we’re having live conversations at the moment.

“There are variables in that depending on the individuals that the board believes and the football board and Philippe feel has the best fit. But I believe it will be imminent.

“It’ll be a club board appointment that Phillipe will absolutely be part of that process and will meet whoever we bring in before we take that decision.

“And that person when they come in will add additional value, expertise and leadership to the recruitment function.

“We’ve currently got John Park as the chief scout at the top of that division.

“We’ve made some changes to the scouting function recently. We’ve modernised that in terms of some of the processes, additional emphasis on data and video analysis.

“And we’ve been I think, more strategic and focused on how we’ve set that up.

“Phillipe would have some strong views on that as well. But it’s a decision that the board will take in terms of the long-term football strategy and someone to complete that football board that’s already in existence to make sure we’ve got really robust processes around the decision-making that we take right across the football department.”

Fit-again pair Fran Kirby and Keira Walsh have returned to the England squad for this month’s Nations League double-header against Belgium but there is no recall for Beth Mead.

Chelsea’s Kirby has not been involved since sustaining a knee injury in February, while Barcelona’s Walsh is back after missing the matches against Scotland and the Netherlands in September because of a calf issue.

Mead is not included despite on Sunday making her first appearance for Arsenal since her knee injury last November, coming off the bench and setting up the winner in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

Mead’s club-mate Lotte Wubben-Moy is also back, after withdrawing from the September squad with an injury, while there are maiden call-ups for Grace Clinton, who is on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United, and Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating.

Katie Robinson, Jordan Nobbs, Laura Coombs and Lucy Staniforth drop out.

Sarina Wiegman’s side continue their Group A1 matches by facing Belgium at Leicester’s King Power Stadium a week on Friday and then again away four days later, having started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Scotland and 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in September.

Wiegman said: “It’s good for us to be back together. Obviously we had a good start with the win against Scotland; however, the outcome of our last fixture against the Netherlands was disappointing.

“We will be fully focused to perform well twice against tough opposition. Belgium’s results in the Nations League show they are a talented side who can cause teams problems, so we will need to be at our best to get the results we’re looking for.

“The group is wide open, so every game is crucial. The squad have shown their ability to respond to setbacks and I’m sure this will be no different. We look forward to meeting up at St George’s Park next Monday and putting in the time to make sure we’re fully prepared and ready to go twice in quick succession.

“Again we feel very fortunate to be playing in front of a sell-out crowd. The support we are receiving from all corners of the country is amazing, it isn’t something we’ll ever take for granted and it really gives us that extra lift. Hopefully we can give them another night to remember.”

Mawj will attempt to become the first filly since Uni in 2019 to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Mawj made a triumphant return to action at Keeneland on Saturday, her first outing since seeing off subsequent three-time Group One winner Tahiyra.

The Godolphin trainer faced a quandary over whether her to keep her against her own sex in the Filly & Mare Turf over a 10-furlong trip she has never tackled before, or take on the boys over a mile, with the latter the preferred option.

“She’s a tough filly with a big heart, to do that on her first run for five months and win a Grade One,” said Bin Suroor.

“She had been doing well before the race and Oisin (Murphy) had been in to ride her and we knew she was well – she’s come back well from the race too.

“She will head to Santa Anita now for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. If she stayed against the fillies it would be a mile and a quarter and a mile is the best trip for her, she’s proved that.

“Because she’s a tough filly she stayed nine furlongs at the weekend but the Mile is for her, she’s a top-class filly. She’s not very big so the two turns over a mile will suit her.

“When she beat Tahiyra in the Guineas, they were a long way clear of the others – they are the best by a long way.

“In the past good fillies have gone and beaten the colts, look at Goldikova (winner of the Mile in 2008, 2009 and 2010).”