Max Verstappen’s crushing dominance of Formula One continued at the Austrian Grand Prix after he put his Red Bull on pole position.
The world champion, a winner at six of the first eight races, saw off his rivals at the Red Bull Ring to seal his fourth pole on the spin for Sunday’s 71-lap grand prix.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc provided Verstappen with a late scare, but the Monegasque had to settle for second place, crossing the line 0.048 seconds shy of the Dutchman.
Carlos Sainz took third in the other scarlet car, while Lando Norris impressed in his revamped McLaren to take fourth spot. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, 0.428 sec adrift.
Sergio Perez’s torrid time continued after all three of his laps in Q2 were deleted for track limits. He lines up a lowly 15th on Sunday.
The increasingly under-pressure Mexican looked to have sealed his spot in Q3 in the closing seconds only for the stewards to scrap his lap after he drove all four wheels on his Red Bull beyond the white line at the final bend.
“Can we go again?” asked Perez over the radio. “No, that is the chequered flag,” said his race engineer, Hugh Bird. “What a f****** joke,” replied a furious Perez.
George Russell was also subjected to an early bath after he failed to make it out of Q2. The Englishman, who retired at the last round in Canada after he crashed into the wall, missed out on progressing to the final phase by just 0.041 sec and qualified 11th.
For Verstappen there were no such concerns, and the Dutchman is on course to extend his 69-point lead at the summit of the standings following another commanding performance.
His qualifying triumph was greeted with a number of his travelling Dutch fanbase lighting orange flares.
“It was very difficult because of all the track limits,” said Verstappen. “We don’t do this on purpose, but with these speeds and the high-speed corners it is so hard to judge the white line and that is why a lot of people got caught out.
“It was about surviving. My first lap in Q3 was just a banker lap which takes out the joy but we still did a good enough lap and I am happy to be on pole.”
Verstappen’s countryman Nyck de Vries’ place on the grid appears uncertain after Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko said Christian Horner was right to question whether he should have been signed.
The 28-year-old was brought into the Red Bull junior stable at the beginning of the year, but he has struggled to get up to speed at AlphaTauri, and he did little to help his cause here after he qualified last for Sunday’s race.
Earlier, qualifying was delayed by half-a-dozen minutes after Valtteri Bottas stopped in his Alfa Romeo.
Bottas spun on the exit of the opening corner and was left stranded on the track as he failed to engage neutral.
The red flags were deployed but Bottas was able to get going again and made his way back to the pits. The Finn made it through to Q2 and qualified 14th.
Spielberg is hosting the sport’s second sprint event of the year with a shortened race on Saturday to come before Sunday’s main event.
Sri Lanka were truly tested for the first time at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023, but big performances from Dhananjaya de Silva and Maheesh Theekshana got them out of trouble against the Netherlands.
Dhananjaya made 93, his best ODI score, to help Sri Lanka recover from 96 for six to make 213.
And Theekshana then took three wickets in the space of two overs to derail the Dutch chase in a 21-run victory.
The Netherlands signalled their intent from the very first ball of their clash with Sri Lanka, with Pathum Nissanka sent on his way for a duck by Logan van Beek.
That was part of a dream start for the Dutch, who quickly had the Sri Lankans 34 for four as Van Beek (3/26) showed his skill with the ball four days on from his heroics with the bat against the West Indies.
It required a sensational knock from Dhananjaya de Silva to get Sri Lanka to 213 all out, and even that did not look like it would be anywhere near enough.
However, just as the Netherlands seemed to be on track in reply, Maheesh Theekshana (3/31) swung the momentum with three quick wickets as the Netherlands eventually fell 21 runs short.
They had started so well. Nissanka departed after just one ball, before Ryan Klein had Kusal Mendis (10) trapped in front in the fourth over.
Van Beek added Sadeera Samarawickrama (1) and Charith Asalanka (2), bringing Dhananjaya to the crease.
He began to rebuild with Dimuth Karunaratne, who then fell for 33, with skipper Dasun Shanaka then departing for five, Saqib Zulfiqar (2/48) accounting for both men.
Wanindu Hasaranga provided some useful runs, making 20 in a 35-run stand with Dhananjaya. And after he fell LBW to Bas de Leede (3/42), Theekshana joined Dhananjaya.
The duo added 77 runs, taking Sri Lanka past 200 before both getting out in the space of three deliveries.
A target of 214 was certainly in reach for the Dutch, albeit on a tricky wicket for the batters.
Their cause was not helped by both openers falling for ducks, Lahiru Kumara removing Vikramjit Singh and Dilshan Madushanka accounting for Max O’Dowd.
However, a 77-run partnership between Wesley Barresi (52) and De Leede (41) got the chase back on track. It was ended by some sharp work in the field by Shanaka, with Barresi short of his ground while trying to steal a single.
Teja Nidamanuru then became the third Dutch batter to go for a duck, bowled by Hasaranga. In came Scott Edwards and the skipper quickly settled in alongside De Leede, the pair adding 36 in six overs.
Sri Lanka were in desperate need of a breakthrough and it came from Theekshana, who snuck one through the defences of De Leede.
He added two more in his next over, including the vital wicket of Van Beek, before another run-out saw Shariz Ahmed depart for two, leaving the Netherlands on 151 for eight.
Edwards and Ryan Klein added 25, inching closer with the required rate not an issue, but a perfect wrong’un from Hasaranga was too good for Klein (5).
That left the final pair with 38 to get in 17 overs and the in-form Edwards helped get them close, but the skipper was left stranded unbeaten on 67 when Aryan Dutt was clean bowled by Shanaka.
With Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe both on six points, the West Indies will have to beat Scotland on Saturday to stay in contention to make it to the World Cup. If they lose, the most points they can end up with is four.
England continued their costly habit of unforced batting errors at Lord’s as they gifted control of the second Ashes Test to Australia.
The home side were knocked over for 325 on a deflating third morning, 91 behind, having apparently taken charge at 188 for one midway through the second evening.
While a host of England’s leading batters were the authors of their own downfall, Australia’s more pragmatic approach saw them reach 81 for one at tea, defying tricky conditions to stretch their lead to 171.
The successes of the ‘Bazball’ era have been built around an ultra-positive ‘no regrets’ policy, but the manner of several dismissals over the past 24 hours may push that rule close to the breaking point.
After Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Joe Root fell on their swords during an adrenaline-fuelled bouncer battle on Thursday evening, England lost their last five wickets for 47 in the morning session. Harry Brook reached 50 but gave up his wicket with a wince-inducing swat at Mitchell Starc, while Jonny Bairstow hacked a rare full ball straight to mid-on.
With Australia spinner Nathan Lyon on crutches with a serious calf injury, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad even managed to give part-timer Travis Head two wickets in an over during a dispiriting passage of play.
The tourists rubbed it in by building their lead with some careful top-order batting as the ball started to nip around under the floodlights, with James Anderson dropping Usman Khawaja on 19 to compound matters.
Khawaja, player of the match in his side’s victory at Edgbaston, was 45 not out at tea with Josh Tongue responsible for the solitary wicket of David Warner.
England began the day 138 behind on 278 for four, diminished by their losses to the short ball but still well placed to push for a lead of their own. Instead, they were rocked by the dismissal of Ben Stokes to his first ball of the day.
Having curbed his attacking instincts during a responsible knock late on day two his reward was a fine welcome delivery from Starc, angled across the left-hander and lifting as it left the bat. Stokes (17) angled the bat towards midwicket, Cameron Green took the catch and England’s best-laid plans were already up in smoke.
Australia offered no respite, Starc and Pat Cummins bowling with hostility and repeatedly threatening Brook and Bairstow with deliveries that reared up off the pitch. Brook, resuming on 45, was hit on both glove and helmet before bringing up his half-century but that was as far as he got.
Faced with a fiercely difficult contest he tried to slog his way out of trouble, backing away to leg and attempting to swat Starc down the ground. Brook has made his name as a free spirit in the middle order but as the ball popped up to cover it was a soft and unedifying way to go.
After an hour’s play England had added just 33 for two and things were only getting worse, Bairstow reaching 16 before hacking Josh Hazlewood to mid-on, eyes lighting up at the long-awaited chance to drive.
Australia’s ruthless streak was out in force now, Green rattling Broad’s grille with an 86mph lifter that left the England physio assessing his jaw. England’s fight had gone and they lost the next three wickets in seven balls, Head having Robinson caught on the charge then trapping Broad lbw before Cummins made short work of Tongue.
Warner and Khawaja saw off six overs before lunch, nudging the lead past 100 off the last ball of the session. Conditions in the afternoon offered some cause for English optimism, with clouds overhead and the floodlights switched on.
But while their four seamers worked away diligently and beat the bat on a series of occasions, Australia were digging in. When the chance did come, Khawaja pulling Tongue’s second ball to midwicket, Anderson struggled to pick it up and saw it burst through his hands for four.
The hunt went on as they ground out just 69 runs in the session, but when the lively Tongue had Marnus Labuschagne given lbw for three, DRS ruled that he had been hit outside the line.
Broad had two huge appeals against Labuschagne in the final over, close calls on caught behind and lbw, but Stokes wisely opted not review either.
Not a name associated with big Saturday afternoon contests, Deborah Faulkner is targeting an “absolutely huge” JenningsBet Northumberland Plate success with the heavily-supported Golden Rules.
Faulkner is responsible for less than a dozen horses at her Monmouthshire yard and is pinching herself at the fact that she houses the market leader for the £150,000 Newcastle showpiece.
Bought out of John and Thady Gosden’s yard for bargain-basement price of 6,000 guineas in October 2021, Golden Rules did not make his debut for his new connections until appearing at Kempton in March of this year, when he proceeded to make every yard of the running under Oisin Murphy.
With the three-time champion jockey again in the saddle, and owner Gareth Cheshire bullish about his chances in a recent interview, the six-year-old has been backed into favouritism for the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’, which is only heightening Faulkner’s nerves.
She said: “I don’t know who is gambling on him, it’s not me because I don’t bet!
“He’s in good order, Oisin sat on him on Wednesday and he was more than happy with him.
“It’s all in the lap of the gods now and I just hope we don’t end up with egg on our face, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.”
While Golden Rules was out of competitive action for the best part of two years prior to his Kempton comeback, Faulkner revealed he has not suffered any major setbacks.
“We didn’t even attempt to get him on the track last year. For whatever reason they sold him, he had a few issues and we’ve just given him time,” Faulkner added.
“He does a lot of swimming and hopefully that’s sorted out his impatience in a race – he seems to have settled a lot better.
“We’ve just ticked along with him and when we thought he was ready, we had a little pop with him.
“We were originally going to run him over jumps, that’s why we bought him, but the ground wasn’t in his favour at all and we didn’t want to risk him, so we went for the Kempton race.
“He’s worked very well at home, so going to Kempton it was just a case of whether he still had the enthusiasm to race and luckily for us he did.”
Faulkner will not be making the trip to the north east herself, instead electing to watch on from her home in Wales.
She said: “It would be absolutely huge if he could win. We’ve only got 10 horses and I’m not going on Saturday because somebody has to stay in the yard and as three-quarters of our workforce has gone to Newcastle, it’s left to me to do the honours with the remaining horses!
“I will be very nervous, I just hope he lives up to expectations.”
Prior to the Golden Rules gamble, the ante-post favourite was the William Haggas-trained Post Impressionist.
The four-year-old finished second to subsequent St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov on his only previous visit to Gosforth Park and while he has been off the track since winning a lucrative prize at York in October, hopes are high, despite the fact a high draw in stall 19 of 20 is hardly ideal.
“He got a lovely draw in stall 19, that’s helpful! But he’s been training well and should run well,” said Haggas.
“He wants a bit of cut in the ground – he doesn’t really want summer firm – so we thought this would be the right sort of place to start.
“He was very slow to come to hand in the spring, but he’s coming now and has had a good preparation.”
The Newmarket handler has an interesting second string to his bow in Nathanael Greene, who like Post Impressionist will be tackling the two-mile distance for the first time.
Nathanael Greene was fifth at Ascot and fourth at Goodwood in May, most recently finishing just over five lengths behind Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami, and Haggas feels he could outrun his odds.
He added: “I thought Nathanael Greene wouldn’t be miles away. He’s got the headgear back on and he clearly needs that, so hopefully he’ll run a good race.
“He’s run two solid races this season and I think he’ll appreciate going up in trip as well.”
Hugo Palmer is also double-handed, with Zoffee and Rajinsky both bringing strong course form to the table .
Rajinsky has finished third and fourth in the last two renewals, while Zoffee plundered last year’s Northumberland Vase – the consolation race for the Plate.
“He’s getting better all the time, Rajinsky. He’s produced two career-bests from three runs this year and we were praying to be able to run him in the Queen Alexandra at Ascot last weekend,” said Palmer.
“I think he’d have been the top-rated horse in the race and I think he’d stay that far, but we are where we are and he’ll have no ground concerns at Newcastle.
“Zoffee is such a consistent horse – if they were all like him it would be an easier game.
“He found the line really well at Ascot (sixth in Ascot Stakes), for all he found it possibly just a furlong too far.
“He’s very well versed at two miles, he copes with that trip and he obviously won the consolation last year, so it’s always been the hope that he could try to follow up in the big one this year.”
The Alan King-trained Rainbow Dreamer is another Newcastle regular and has been kept fresh for this race since winner the Marathon over the course on All-Weather Championships Finals Day in April.
King said: “He’s a much better horse on the all-weather and he seems well when he’s lovely and fresh, so it was always the plan to give him a break and train him for this.
“It’s all gone very well – he seems to love it. He’s a bit higher than he was last year and it won’t be easy off that sort of rating, but he seems very well and this was the obvious place to come.
“Let’s hope he runs well.”
Gilles Simon believes Andy Murray's inferior trophy haul means he cannot be grouped with tennis' 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Murray has enjoyed a long and stellar career, reaching 11 major finals and claiming three grand slam titles, as well as spending 41 weeks ranked as the world number one.
But with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam successes respectively, Simon feels Murray is not quite on their level.
"He's not part of the Big Three," Simon told Stats Perform at the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas.
"You don't have to compare him with the Big Three, because he played at the very same time and we have the result.
"Andy was a fantastic player, just under these three guys in terms of level. In the end, the gap is huge in terms of titles: 23, 22 and 20, compared to three, so he's not part of the Big Four.
"He played at the same time as everyone and he has three and they have 20 or more. That's how I see it."
Simon – who won three of his 19 meetings with Murray before retiring in 2022 – feels the Scot was unfortunate to have competed with the 'Big Three' and would have been remembered as one of the game's greats in another era.
"He could have won 17 slams without the Big Three," Simon explained. "What is hard for Andy is to compare him to other players from other generations, when other players maybe have more slams than he has.
"If he had played at that time, he could maybe have had 15 and been one of the greatest. You cannot compare him with the Big Three, we saw it already, we saw the results.
"Where I feel sad for Andy is that if you play in a different era, you have 10 [grand slam titles] and then if we take the all-time rankings, we go to [Pete] Sampras with 14 and you say maybe he's here.
"This is where I feel it's a bit of an injustice for him compared to his level, because he would be closer to something like this than to someone who has three slams. He would be much higher in the all-time rankings."
A decision on whether Paddington steps up in trip for the Coral-Eclipse is likely to be made over the weekend, according to Aidan O’Brien.
Since winning a handicap first time out this season, the son of Siyouni has won a Listed race, the Irish 2,000 Guineas and put up a dominant display in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
He beat English Guineas winner Chaldean there and has been the subject of strong market support for the 10-furlong Eclipse, from 6-1 into 7-2 with the sponsors, making him second-favourite behind Emily Upjohn.
“The lads haven’t quite decided yet, I think they are going to decide this weekend what they want to do with him,” said O’Brien when asked if the Eclipse was a possibility.
“He seems to be in good form, but we’ll talk over the weekend and we’ll hopefully have a plan by next week.
“He’s improved with every run and we’ve been very happy with him all the way.
“He’s always looked like he’d get 10 furlongs if they wanted to.”
O’Brien also had news on Statuette, who was unbeaten in two outings last year before injury intervened.
She was last seen winning the Airlie Stud Stakes at the Irish Derby meeting 12 months ago.
“She’s back on the go, she’s cantering but she’s a good bit away still as we’ve had to give her two or three breaks due to a few little setbacks and each time we’ve had to stop,” said O’Brien.
“She is back cantering again, though, so hopefully we’ll have her back for the autumn.”
Liverpool are to apply for a safe standing licence as they expand rail seating by a further 3,000 to 13,300 at Anfield.
The initiative has been trialled for a couple of years, but they are now set to become the seventh Premier League club after Wolves, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Brentford and Chelsea to have a licence.
As a result, fans in the Kop and the newly-redeveloped Anfield Road end, which will open for next season and take the ground’s capacity to 61,000, will be able to stand throughout matches and not just for significant moments such as goal celebrations.
“Following an extensive review of our rail seating trial we’re delighted to confirm it has been successful and is now a permanent feature at Anfield Stadium,” said managing director Andy Hughes.
“We also examined how effective rail seating is in terms of the health and safety of our fans and we came to the conclusion that the management of rail seating areas would benefit from safe standing areas.
“So that’s why we have taken the decision to apply for a safe standing licence, which will see the introduction of safe standing areas across all stadium sections with rail seating from next season.
“The health and safety of our supporters when attending matches at Anfield is, and always will be, paramount.”
Enforcement recommendations from the Sports Ground Safety Authority state stadiums with rail seating for more than two years must apply for a licence.
A total of 7,800 rail seats were first introduced in two areas at Anfield ahead of the 2020-21 season, with a further 2,500 installed on the Kop during last season’s break for the winter World Cup.
The next installation phase this summer will see a further 3,000 rail seats added to the Kop, taking its total to 7,425, meaning just over 55 percent of the famous stand’s capacity will be rail seating, with plans to add more next year.
Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Fabio Carvalho has completed a loan move to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig for the 2023-24 campaign.
The deal does not include an option to buy, with manager Jurgen Klopp wanting the 20-year-old to gain more experience after making just 21 appearances last season.
George Boughey is optimistic Via Sistina can make a successful raid on Irish soil in the Yulong Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
The Classic-winning trainer has not yet saddled a winner in Ireland and to break his duck in a Group One would be quite a way to do it.
Boughey nominated this 10-furlong contest as a likely target following her hugely impressive display in a soft-ground Dahlia Stakes on the Rowley Mile in early May – and the Newmarket handler’s confidence will grow with every drop of rain that falls ahead of Saturday’s feature.
Boughey said: “She goes there in very good form, the rain overnight will help and any more will certainly help her chance again.
“I’ve never seen her look so well and she’s been training super, so it’s all systems go as long we get a little bit more rain.
“She’s gone very good since she won at Newmarket. It’s been a dry spring and a dry early summer, but she’ll be busy whenever she gets her preferred ground and it looks like she might get it this weekend.
“She’s travelled over good and she’s ready to rock and roll. It’s been the plan for a while and we look forward to taking them on.”
Joseph O’Brien has saddled two of the last four winners of the Pretty Polly in Iridessa (2019) and Thundering Nights (2021) and is this year doubly represented.
The clear first string is Above The Curve, who was last seen landing a Group Two in France, while Goldana steps up in trip after finishing fourth in the in the Lanwades Stud Stakes last month.
“We are looking forward to running them. They are both in good shape,” said O’Brien.
“Above The Curve won nicely in France last time and this race will suit her well.
“Goldana shaped the last day as though she will enjoy the extra couple of furlongs. Any rain that falls will be a help to her. She stayed on well last time.”
Aidan O’Brien sends Never Ending Story back into battle just under a fortnight after finishing second to the brilliant Blue Rose Cen in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly.
“Never Ending Story ran really well in France, that was her first time over a mile and a quarter,” said O’Brien.
“She came out of that race very well so that is why we are going back early with her. Hopefully she will run well.”
Paddy Twomey’s Rosscarbery bids to follow up victory in the Munster Oaks at Cork, with Insinuendo (Willie McCreery), Stay Alert (Hughie Morrison), Comhra (Jim Bolger) and Trevaunance (Jessica Harrington) completing the line-up.
Max Verstappen finished fastest in the sole practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix – as Mercedes were fined £86 after Lewis Hamilton was caught speeding in the pits.
Verstappen saw off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by 0.241 seconds at Red Bull’s home race, with Charles Leclerc third. Hamilton finished fourth.
Spielberg is hosting Formula One’s second sprint event of the year which will see two qualifying sessions – one to decide the order for Sunday’s grand prix which takes place at 5pm local time (4pm BST) – and the other determining the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint race.
Practice has been slashed from three hours to just one to create greater jeopardy with the teams unable to gather as much data as they would like.
Red Bull are undefeated at the opening eight rounds of the season with Verstappen taking six victories to head the championship standings by 69 points.
And the Dutchman, perhaps predictably, raced to top spot in the first running of the weekend without even posting a lap on the speedier soft tyre compound.
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finished in fifth, half-a-second off the pace and one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Mercedes team were hit with a 100 Euro (£86) fine after the British driver breached the pit-lane limit.
Hamilton, who earns £40million-a-season, was adjudged to have broken the 50mph limit by just 0.12mph.
Aston Martin were also hit with a fine – this time worth 300 Euros (£258) – after Fernando Alonso and team-mate Stroll drove too quickly in the pits.
Elsewhere, Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell finished ninth for Mercedes, almost a second down on Verstappen, with Lando Norris bringing up the rear in his revamped McLaren machine.
England gave control of the second Ashes Test to Australia with a host of unforced batting errors at Lord’s, handing over a big first-innings lead of 91 on day three.
From a serene position of 188 for one midway through the second evening, the hosts collapsed to 325 all out in response to Australia’s 416. An England side who have thrived on a policy of ‘no regrets’ may yet consider reviewing their approach after following some loose dismissals late on day two by losing five for 47.
Openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner took advantage to 103 in a six-over session before lunch and, with spinner Nathan Lyon highly unlikely to play any further part in the match due to a serious calf injury, the tourists will be looking to leave a formidable chase behind them.
England’s travails began almost immediately, Ben Stokes out to his first delivery of the morning. The captain had played a deliberately responsible innings late on Thursday, curbing his own natural aggression to suck some of the heat out of the damaging bouncer battle that cost Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Joe Root their wickets.
But his hard work was undone in an instant when Mitchell Starc angled one across middle stump, extracted some extra bounce and took a thick edge as Stokes (17) angled the bat towards midwicket. Cameron Green took the catch and England’s best laid plans were already up in smoke.
Australia offered no respite, Starc and Pat Cummins bowling with hostility and repeatedly threatening Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow with deliveries that reared up off the pitch. Brook, resuming on 45, was hit on both glove and helmet before bringing up his half-century but that was as far as he got.
Faced with a fiercely difficult contest he tried to slog his way out of trouble, backing away to leg and attempting to swat Starc down the ground. Brook has made his name as a free spirit in the middle order but as the ball popped up to cover it was a soft and unedifying way to go.
After an hour’s play England had added just 33 for two with Stuart Broad playing against type in a bid to support Bairstow. But the unforced errors kept coming, Bairstow reaching 16 before hacking Josh Hazlewood to mid-on after his eyes lit up at a rare full ball.
Australia’s ruthless streak was out in force now, Green rattling Broad’s grille with a 86mph lifter that left the England physio assessing his jaw. The next two wickets fell to the part-time spin of Lyon’s temporary stand-in, Travis Head, Robinson caught behind on the charge and Broad lbw on the sweep.
Cummins made it three wickets in seven balls when number 11 Josh Tongue popped a catch to short-leg, ending an innings littered with regrets for the home side.
James Anderson and Broad sent down three testing overs before the break but could not conjure the breakthrough they badly needed as Australia settled on 12 without loss.
Ryan Moore is not taking anything for granted ahead of his bid for a first Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby success aboard red-hot favourite Auguste Rodin.
While trainer Aidan O’Brien is seeking a remarkable 15th victory in the Curragh Classic – and his 100th European Classic in total – it is one of the few top-level prizes that has so far eluded one of the world’s top riders.
Following victory at Epsom four weeks ago, Auguste Rodin is all the rage to complete the Derby double, a feat last achieved by Dermot Weld’s Harzand in 2016.
As usual, though, Moore is not getting carried away.
“His chance is obvious, as his price suggests, but there are few certainties in racing,” he told Betfair.
“I am sure the connections of the Epsom third and fourth, White Birch and Sprewell, will fancy their chances of at least getting closer to us on this more conventional track. And who is to say they won’t. Different day, different course, different result maybe.
“But everyone saw the real Auguste Rodin in the Derby, stepped up to a trip more in keeping with his superb pedigree, and everyone has seen how strong the form is with King Of Steel and Waipiro coming out and winning at Ascot
“If he runs up to the level of his form at Epsom, something is going to have improve markedly to beat him.”
O’Brien is responsible for more than half of the field, with Auguste Rodin joined by Epsom eighth Adelaide River, the 11th home San Antonio, last week’s Queen’s Vase seventh Peking Opera and Covent Garden completing his quintet.
The Ballydoyle handler’s two sons also saddle runners, with Up And Under out to provide Joseph O’Brien with his second Irish Derby as a trainer after striking gold with Latrobe in 2018, while his younger brother Donnacha is represented by Proud And Regal.
The field is completed by the aforementioned third and fourth from Epsom in John Joseph Murphy’s White Birch and the Jessica Harrington-trained Sprewell.
White Birch finished just over five lengths behind Auguste Rodin at Epsom, while Sprewell has seven lengths to find.
Madison Keys shrugged off an injury scare to progress to her second Eastbourne final by upsetting fellow American Coco Gauff with a straight-sets win at the Rothesay International.
The 2014 champion, who suffered a nasty slip in the middle of the second set, triumphed 6-3 6-3 against the world number seven at a blustery Devonshire Park.
Former USA Open runner-up Keys had earlier on Friday been drawn to face British wildcard Sonay Kartal in the first round of Wimbledon.
“I’ve had a little bit of a not great year so far, so being able to make a final here where I won my first title is amazing,” the 28-year-old world number 25 said in her on-court interview.
“It’s definitely 10 times more difficult when you have to play Coco and then you throw in hurricane winds on top of it.
“I’m very happy that I was able to have a not incredibly complicated match and get the win. I’m really looking forward to the final tomorrow.”
Gauff, who defeated doubles partner Jessica Pegula to reach the semi-final, looked poised to stage a comeback.
However, after breaking serve in the first game of the second set, the 19-year-old blew a 40-0 lead and then hit a remarkable three double faults in a row at advantage to allow her opponent to level at 2-2.
Unseeded Keys was left holding her hip following a painful fall in the next game but recovered sufficiently to progress in an hour and 21 minutes.
Ryan Peniston “almost crashed” his car after learning he would face Andy Murray in the first round at Wimbledon.
The 27-year-old will be only the second British player Murray has met in his many Wimbledon campaigns after beating Liam Broady in the opening match of his second title run in 2016.
Peniston was driving in Wandsworth on Friday morning when his coach told him the news, and the 27-year-old said: “I was literally just driving from my girlfriend’s.
“I had a text from my coach, Mark. He just said, ‘Andy!’. It’s pretty cool. I almost crashed. I was pretty pumped.
“I know Andy pretty well. We’ve become friends and we’ve practised quite a lot together. He’s a good guy.
“I grew up watching him, especially here. So it’s pretty special. I actually remember when he won it (in 2013), I was playing in Ilkley. They had it up on the big screen. I remember watching it and everyone was crowded around and it was a special moment.”
It would a big surprise if the clash is not scheduled on Centre Court on Tuesday, which would be the biggest occasion of Peniston’s career.
“I’ve got to try and prepare for it,” he said. “I’ve never gone through that before. I think going out on Queen’s centre court might be a little bit similar so I can take some things from that. I will just try and go out there, get ready for it and give it my all.”
Peniston’s only previous experience of Centre Court has been as a fan watching from the stands.
“I came and watched (Grigor) Dimitrov, I’m sure he played (Richard) Gasquet on Centre,” he said. “Then I watched Heather (Watson) in her epic match against Serena (Williams). I was there and screaming on the side.”
The left-hander, who overcame cancer as a very young child, earned a lot of home support last year with a breakthrough season on the grass, reaching quarter-finals at Queen’s Club and Eastbourne, beating Casper Ruud and Holger Rune, before securing a first victory at Wimbledon.
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This year has been more of a struggle but he had another good win at Queen’s, knocking out top-40 Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty special experience to go out there onto Centre Court and play, against Andy as well,” said Peniston, who is an ambassador for Young Lives vs Cancer.
“For my family, I hope they enjoy it as well because they’ve sacrificed a lot for me to get here. Hopefully it will be a special day. I’m going to do my best to treat it like any other match.
“I’ve got to step out onto any court thinking there’s a chance I can win. I’m going to do that. I take into account that Andy’s an amazing tennis player, he’s won here twice. We know each other’s games pretty well from practising quite a lot. It’s going to be a good test.
“Hopefully the crowd is going to be loud, that would be pretty cool. But I’m not going to be surprised if the crowd are chanting Andy’s name.”
England’s players will not be allowed to wear the OneLove armband in matches at the World Cup this summer but will be able to wear bands supporting other causes.
FIFA has announced plans, first reported exclusively by the PA news agency last week, to highlight a number of social issues and causes throughout the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Captains will be able to wear armbands corresponding to the cause being highlighted in each round of matches, or wear an armband in support of one cause for the entire tournament.
FIFA has consulted with national associations and players over its plans in a bid to avoid a repeat of the row over ‘OneLove’ armbands which dominated the opening week of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.
There, captains of the nations involved in the ‘OneLove’ campaign, including England and Wales, were threatened with sporting sanctions starting at a yellow card if the bands were worn, because they would have been a breach of FIFA equipment regulations. The bands were seen as a potent symbol of tolerance in a country where same-sex relationships were criminalised.
PA understands teams can promote other causes at team training camps if they choose to, but wearing the ‘OneLove’ band, or any other unapproved band, at a match would trigger sanctions.
The colours of FIFA’s ‘unite for inclusion’ band are not those of the rainbow or LGBT pride flag, instead, they symbolise race and heritage (red/black/green) and all gender identities and sexual orientations (pink/yellow/blue).
The choices for the colour combinations were inspired by the Pan-African flag and the pansexual flag respectively.
Alongside inclusion, the other causes being highlighted are ‘unite for indigenous peoples’, ‘unite for gender equality’, ‘unite for peace’, ‘unite for education for all’, ‘unite for zero hunger’, ‘unite for ending violence against women’ and ‘football is joy, peace, love, hope and passion’.
Team captains will also have the option to wear a ‘football unites the world’ armband for the entire tournament, if they do not wish to choose a single cause or support different causes round by round.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “Football unites the world and our global events, such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup, have a unique power to bring people together and provide joy, excitement and passion.
“But football does even more than that – it can shine the spotlight on very important causes in our society. After some very open talks with stakeholders, including member associations and players, we have decided to highlight a series of social causes – from inclusion to gender equality, from peace to ending hunger, from education to tackling domestic violence – during all 64 matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The Football Association said: “We know FIFA engaged with federations and players from around the world on the armbands to be worn at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The next step is for our players to decide which of the options they will choose to wear.”
The PA news agency understands the England squad will take some time to consider which option to go for.
World players’ union FIFPRO has also been contacted for comment.
Speaking prior to FIFA’s announcement, England midfielder Georgia Stanway was asked about the armband situation at a press conference and said: “I think no matter what the outcome is, whether it goes our way or not, we know that we still stand for exactly the same thing.
“If we can or we can’t wear the armband we know that we wanted to and we’ll stand by the fact that we wanted to. Whatever the outcome is we’ll still stand by whatever we believed in and whatever we wanted to be the resolution.”
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