Summer signing Jason Knight scored twice as Bristol City thrashed Oxford 5-1 in an entertaining Carabao Cup first-round clash at Ashton Gate.

Oxford’s Billy Bodin cancelled out Harry Cornick’s opener, but Knight’s brace either side of the interval put the hosts in charge before Nahki Wells and Kal Naismith added further goals.

The Championship side took a 15th-minute lead when debutant left-back Haydon Roberts combined well with Anis Mehmeti on the left and crossed low for Cornick to shoot home from close range.

But Oxford had created several chances before then and deservedly equalised on the half hour through former Bristol Rovers player Bodin’s looping far post header from a Fin Stevens cross.

City were in front again five minutes later ex-Derby County midfielder Knight fired past James Beadle from 12 yards after Mehmeti’s cross was only half cleared.

Knight came up with a repeat performance two minutes after the break, netting with another low drive from a Roberts cross.

Three minutes later, Wells broke clear on to a defensive error and rounded Beadle before slotting the fourth.

Naismith volleyed the fifth seconds after going on as a 61st-minute substitute before another home switch gave a debut to 17-year-old attacker Ephraim Yeboah.

Leeds made hard work of reaching the second round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-1 home win over League One side Shrewsbury at a packed Elland Road.

The much-changed Championship newcomers trailed to Taylor Perry’s first-half opener but progressed thanks to goals from Joe Gelhardt and Pascal Struijk early in the second period.

Leo Hjelde and Archie Gray both had early efforts for the home side and Ian Poveda should have done better 25 minutes in but his under-hit low shot was comfortable for Marko Marosi.

Shrewsbury grabbed the lead just two minutes later when Perry was allowed to run at goal and his shot deflected off a defender and went in off the post, giving debutant Karl Darlow no chance.

Leeds were level seven minutes into the second half as Poveda’s shot was saved by Marosi and Gelhardt directed the ball into the net off his thigh.

They soon had a second as half-time substitute Struijk volleyed home left-footed at the far post after a corner had been headed on.

Poveda shot off target with 20 minutes to go and Dan James had an effort deflected wide but Daniel Farke’s side had already done enough to progress.

Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy is expecting a “real tough game” when his side come up against Rosenborg in the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round first-leg in Norway.

The Jambos will be looking to make it to the group stage for the second consecutive year but need to beat the 26-time Norwegian champions and would then meet either Hajduk Split or PAOK if they are to play in the main draw again, and McAvoy is not underestimating their opponents.

He told a press conference: “We are expecting a real tough game if I’m honest.

“I think they are undefeated in six as well so that shows what kind of form they are on but we are prepared as best as we can coming here.

“It’s a big game there’s no doubt about that, we’ve set a few aims for ourselves to try and qualify to get into the group stages, we’ve got a tough opponent there’s no doubt about that.

“We will do our utmost, do our best here to take a good positive result back to a full house at Tynecastle and that can be a daunting task for anybody.”

Hearts started their league campaign in style on Saturday with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone thanks to goals from Yutaro Oda and Lawrence Shankland.

In contrast, Rosenborg sit eighth in Norway’s Eliteserien but have recently seen an upturn in form, winning each of their last four league games.

McAvoy continued: “In terms of match sharpness they are probably ahead of us but there’s no reason why we can’t come here and do extremely well and that’s what we are hoping to do.

“But we’ve got a good competitive group, we believe we have a good squad and we are hoping we can come here and do ourselves justice tomorrow night.

“You can see when you walk down the tunnel, you can see their record in Europe but they have brought a new manager in and have started to do well. They’ve played Scottish competition before and know what they will be coming up against.”

Emma Finucane capped a breakout year as she became Britain’s first women’s sprint world champion in a decade at the UCI Cycling World Championships.

The 20-year-old got the better of Germany’s Lea Friedrich to win the final 2-0, the first time Britain had picked up a medal of any colour in this event since Becky James took the world title in 2013.

“It’s pretty surreal to be honest,” the Welsh rider said. “I can’t really believe that I’m world champion.

“I don’t think it will ever sink in but I really wanted this, I worked really hard for this with my coach Kaarle (McCulloch) and the team back in Manchester so it’s definitely super special.

“Especially after coming so close in the team sprint and then crashing in the keirin, but everything happens for a reason and this was meant to happen for me so it’s super special.”

Finucane has been a key part of Britain’s changing fortunes in the women’s sprint and last week was part of the trio that won team sprint silver alongside Sophie Capewell and Lauren Bell, building on their bronze last year.

This year she has also picked up four national titles, a Nations Cup win in Cairo, and two silver medals at the European championships.

“After winning in Cairo I knew it was in there and it’s just executing,” she said. “I knew I could do it, it’s just how you do it.

“This year has been pretty special for me and I’ve broken through but there’s still so much more to come for Paris, and I’m excited to start that journey again.”

There were emotional scenes with McCulloch, who is leaving her post after these championships for personal reasons, in tears during the celebrations.

“Emotions are super high because Kaarle is leaving and I feel like this was my last race with her and to win it with her and for her is super special,” Finucane added.

“I knew I was going well after the team sprint so I really wanted it in the keirin and after crashing I just used that as motivation to give everything and show everyone that I can do it.”

Jack Carlin missed out the medals in the men’s keirin on his home track as he took fifth place in the final, with Will Perrett also fifth in the men’s points race.

Anthony Joshua has acknowledged there is a doping problem in boxing but is unsure whether longer bans are the best solution for a cleaner sport.

Joshua was set to fight old rival Dillian Whyte at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, but Whyte had to be pulled from the bout after “adverse analytical findings” were discovered in his doping test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) and he now aims to prove his innocence.

It saw 39-year-old Robert Helenius drafted in as a last-minute opponent but the elephant in the room for Joshua’s latest fight week is the worrying trend of positive tests in the sport.

During the past 18 months British duo Amir Khan and Conor Benn have failed drugs test and while Benn’s suspension was lifted last month, pending an appeal by UK Anti-Doping, it adds to the long list of boxers to fail tests with Tyson Fury and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvaraz previously serving suspensions.

Joshua reflected on the darker side of the sport ahead of this weekend’s fight with Helenius and says targeting local gyms would help get to the root of the problem.

“There is a doping problem in the sport, definitely,” Joshua said.

“I can’t speak on the numbers, I don’t really mix inside the boxing industry. I don’t know but it’s a problem.

“Am I surprised? It happens in boxing. It’s not the first and won’t be the last, so no, I was not surprised to be honest.

“It is a dangerous sport but I am not disgusted. Boxing is not an institution where you join a club and everything is presented to you, these guys go to local gyms and they are around people who might be doing dodgy stuff so you have to be very, very responsible.

“I hope it is a mistake (for Whyte) but it shows why I have to invest in these tests and the team have now got Helenius tested because it is important because this stuff happens.

“It doesn’t fill me with anger, no, but it’s not good. I don’t think we just need longer bans, I think we need to look at it at the root.

“I don’t know the solution but I always mind my Ps and Qs because I don’t want my reputation damaged.”

Joshua is no stranger to seeing his opponent embroiled in a doping storm after Jarrell Miller failed a test ahead of their planned 2019 fight, which subsequently saw Andy Ruiz Jr given a chance and produce a huge shock victory at Madison Square Gardens to become world champion.

Miller would later serve a suspension and test positive again a year later but it has not stopped him accusing Joshua of doping.

Brixton boxer Whyte, meanwhile, has already served a two-year doping ban in 2012 and yet has taken aim at his British rival in the past with accusations of Joshua being “the Lance Armstrong of boxing” in 2019.

Joshua questioned: “How can people get away with doping if you are getting random drug tests?

“I get drug-tested all year round. Every quarter I have to submit my whereabouts, where I am going to be, every day, for every hour of the day so they can turn up randomly.

“I have submitted that every day of my life since 2011. So, I don’t know why I am under this pressure but all these other boxers aren’t?

“When you sign up to a promoter, they should all have that in the deal. It damages the sport. Look where we are at with this situation, we lost the fight and nearly lost the card because of this situation.

“I have a long history of being drug-tested and sometimes you have to question the person who keeps pointing the finger.

“It’s funny that the two people who have accused me have popped dirty themselves.

“Maybe they did it because of my physique or my success, my rise. It maybe didn’t make sense to them but it’s God-gifted and a lot of hard work.”

Joshua first found out about Whyte’s failed test on Saturday morning and despite wanting to fight at O2 Arena, he would never have stepped in the ring with the south Londoner after learning of his test results.

“I don’t know what Dillian supposedly took,” Joshua said.

“(But) I wouldn’t fight him on drugs, no way. It’s not right, it’s not morally right.

“I was drug-tested in our previous fight, I have been drug-tested since 2011, I don’t know if he was on drugs when he boxed before, but I won.”

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs was sentenced Wednesday to three to 10 years in prison for killing a woman and her dog while driving drunk in November 2021.

Ruggs pleaded guilty in May to a felony charge of driving under the influence causing death in the accident that killed 24-year-old Tina Tintor near the Las Vegas Sunset Strip on Nov. 2, 2021, as well as a misdemeanour count of vehicular manslaughter. 

The 2020 first-round pick will be eligible for parole after three years.

Police reports stated that Ruggs was driving at speeds of up to 156 mph before his Chevrolet Corvette Stingray rear-ended an SUV driven by Tintor. Tests taken after the incident revealed Ruggs' blood alcohol content to be over 0.16 per cent, more than twice the legal limit in Nevada.

Tintor and her dog, Max, died from thermal injuries as a result of the accident, according to the Clark County cornorer's office.

The Raiders released Ruggs from the remainder of his four-year, $16.7 million contract less than 24 hours after his arrest.

Ruggs read a prepared statement during Wednesday's hearing in which he apologised to Tintor's family and expressed remorse for his actions.

"To the parents and family of Ms. Tintor, I sincerely apologise for the pain and suffering my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021 have caused you, your family and those who knew Ms. Tina and Max," he said. 

"I let my family, my teammates and those who believed in me down with my actions and hurt so many."

The Raiders selected Ruggs with the 12th overall pick of the 2020 draft. The 24-year-old appeared in 20 games with Las Vegas and totalled 921 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 50 catches. 

 

 

 

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 9.

Football

Reece James reflected on a big day.

John McGinn reminisced.

Newcastle turned the clock back.

As did Manchester City.

And Ajax.

And Crystal Palace.

Some of Australia’s landmarks were lit in green and gold.

Premier League media day.

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale said farewell to Matt Turner.

Formula One

Valtteri Bottas was back on his bike with a friend.

Moods were measured on the Hulk scale.

George Russell enjoyed his holiday.

Tennis

One tennis great wished another a happy birthday.

UFC

Conor McGregor was getting some sun.

David Menuisier’s Heartache Tonight will seek soft ground as she returns from a brief break at the height of summer.

The three-year-old is an own sister to the stable’s former star Wonderful Tonight, a multiple Group One winner who also ran in the colours of Christopher Wright.

Wright and Andy MacDonald jointly own Heartache Tonight, who won her sole two-year-old start and then kicked off this season with a third-placed run in the Group Three Prix Cleopatre at Chantilly.

A good fourth, beaten only a length and a half, followed in the Group One Prix Saint-Alary, after which she headed to Epsom for the Oaks as a 28-1 shot.

There she ran a gallant race and led for a spell before losing ground two furlongs from home and eventually finishing sixth on ground quicker than ideal.

Connections have given her an easier time since but she is limbering up to run again and has a range of entries on both sides of the Channel.

After incredibly wet weather the ground is drying again, however, and Menuisier will seek cut in the turf when he decides which race to target.

“Heartache Tonight is absolutely fine, she’s had a break and is back in training,” he said.

“She’s entered on Sunday in the Prix Minerve at Deauville, but we’re looking at the weather forecast and I’m not sure if there’s enough rain for the weekend.

“She’s also in on the 19th (of August) in the Prix De Pomone at Deauville and possibly also in the Galtres at York and the Yorkshire Oaks.

“We’re not too sure where she’s going next, where the rains falls in an ideal world!”

Of the Epsom run he added: “She ran really well considering how quick the ground was.

“She had them pretty stretched out at the bottom of the hill and then the ground was just too quick for her to quicken again, but it was a very good display and I was really happy with her.”

England prop Ellis Genge believes the Rugby World Cup in France is a “wide open” tournament.

Only four countries – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England – have won the competition across its nine previous stagings.

But if the current world rankings prove an accurate guide, then a new name could be engraved on the trophy this time around with Ireland currently topping that list and France holding third place.

“Someone spoke to me recently and said about Ireland, South Africa and Eddie (Jones) going back to Australia,” England prop Genge said.

“They didn’t even mention New Zealand, so it shows where people’s heads are at. New Zealand are still one of the best teams in the world.

“You have seen the upsets we’ve had in recent years, and I think it is wide open.

“I think any good team is very, very good at what they do. There is no magic potion.

“You have to be very good at what you set out to do, and that is what all the best teams in history have done.

“I think the key factor is finding your identity and being really good at that. It is about hanging your hat on something.”

While Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Scotland all find themselves in the draw’s top half, England’s initial testing hurdles appear to be pool rivals Argentina – they meet in Marseille on September 9 – and potential quarter-final opponents Australia, Wales or Fiji if they reach the last-eight.

Genge is set to win his 50th cap at some point during England’s World Cup warm-up schedule.

Since the last tournament in Japan four years ago, when Genge made two appearances as a replacement, he has captained his country and established himself as England’s first-choice loosehead prop.

He is also among two World Cup vice-captains named by head coach Steve Borthwick, joining Courtney Lawes in understudying World Cup skipper Owen Farrell.

Asked how much he feels he has grown as a player since the last World Cup, Genge added: “I wouldn’t even pin it on growing as a player, to be honest. It’s more growing as a person.

“I’ve had two kids in that space of time. I’ve had some things go on with my family, so I moved back home (to Bristol).

“I am probably in a lot better spot psychologically, as opposed to looking at my performances on the pitch, which have obviously been bolstered by what has happened off it. They definitely coincide.

“It’s about that mentality of switching off, which I am quite good at, and then turning it back on when it counts.

“Switching off is very easy when you’ve got two young kids and a dog – a very big dog at that! That has really helped me as a person and the gym (Genge’s fitness business) is another avenue to take my mind off the game.

“Going into this World Cup, I am more of a senior player and I can’t wait to get involved. I really want to get going now.”

* Ellis Genge is a Dove Men+Care ambassador. For more rugby and stories of personal growth and selfcare, follow @DoveMenUK Twitter or @DoveMenCare Instagram

Rory McIlroy has thanked Tiger Woods for easing the burden on his fellow players by joining the PGA Tour’s policy board in response to anger at the proposed deal between golf’s rival factions.

Woods and McIlroy have been the biggest advocates of the established tours in their battle with LIV Golf, but were kept in the dark before the shock announcement of a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV.

Masters champion Jon Rahm said players felt a sense of “betrayal” that the deal was negotiated in secret, with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan facing calls to resign when the Framework Agreement was revealed on June 6.

Woods becoming a player-director is part of what the PGA Tour announced last week as a new agreement “to ensure that the Tour lives up to its mission of being a player-driven organisation, for the players, by the players”.

It means the new board will be made up of six player-directors, five independent directors – including a replacement for Randall Stephenson, who resigned over “serious concerns” about the deal last month – and the PGA of America director.

Woods, 47, has not played since withdrawing from April’s Masters and concedes his playing opportunities will be extremely limited going forward, but the 15-time major winner remains a hugely influential figure in the game.

McIlroy, who is also on the policy board with Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati, said: “It’s a great addition.

“The player that, especially over the last 20 years, has left the biggest legacy on the game, for him to be involved in the discussions around the future of professional golf and what that may look like is very important.

“Tiger’s stepped up for all of us on Tour and I think he realises all the players on the policy board are trying to play regular golf and at the same time trying to navigate all these different things as well, so he’s maybe got a little bit more time on his hands than we do.

“So for him to step up and sort of take a little bit of the load off us is very much appreciated.”

McIlroy was speaking in a press conference ahead of this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship as he bids to win the overall FedEx Cup title for a fourth time.

The 34-year-old has brought an old putter out of his garage to use at TPC Southwind in Memphis as he tries to overhaul Masters champion Jon Rahm and world number one Scottie Scheffler at the top of the standings.

“I sort of treat it like a 12-round tournament,” McIlroy added of the play-offs format. “You’ve got 12 rounds to play, and you’re trying to go out there and get the best out of yourself for those 12 days.

“I missed the cut here last year and then was able to bounce back with a good finish at the BMW (Championship) and then go on and win the Tour Championship.

“If you’re up there in the standings, at least you know you’ve got a little bit of wiggle room. Going into the Tour Championship, if you’re sort of within four of the lead starting on Thursday, I think you’re in a really good spot.”

McIlroy’s place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team for this year’s contest in Rome was officially confirmed on Wednesday, along with that of Rahm, but the Northern Irishman’s preparation will be somewhat unorthodox.

After the PGA Tour season finishes McIlroy will return to Europe for the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship, but added with a smile: “I’ve got a buddy’s bachelor party in Mykonos after Wentworth for a few days and then I have a few days to dry out before the Ryder Cup.”

The New York Knicks and swingman Josh Hart have agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $81 million, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old Hart is now under contract through the 2027-28 season after he exercised his $12.96 million player option for the 2023-24 campaign on June 30.

New York acquired Hart from the Portland Trail Blazers on February 9 as part of a four-team trade. He averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.36 steals while shooting 58.6 percent overall and 51.9 percent (27 of 52) from 3-point range in 25 games after joining the Knicks.

The Utah Jazz selected Hart in the first round (30th overall pick) in 2017 before sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a draft-night trade.

Hart played his first two NBA seasons with the Lakers before getting dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in July 2019 as part of the trade that saw Los Angeles acquire Anthony Davis.

New Orleans sent Hart to Portland in February 2022.

Hart has averaged 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 372 career games, including 170 starts.

Jim Goldie is doubtful Euchen Glen will get another crack at the Sky Bet Ebor, despite finishing an honourable third when in action at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

The 10-year-old has won 12 times in a long and distinguished 61-race career, but is without a victory since winning the Listed Gala Stakes in 2021 and as such has seen his rating drop from a career high of 116 to 96.

Looking to snap that two-year loosing run in the Coral Summer Handicap on the Sussex Downs, Euchen Glen gave a fine account to make the podium in heavy ground.

However, his handler believes he needed to win to stand a chance of making the final field of the Ebor for the fourth successive year with him currently lying 37th on the list for the £500,000 contest which has a maximum field of 22.

“He’s going fine, but we’re probably going to miss the Ebor,” said Goldie.

“I think he had to win at Goodwood to get in the Ebor. We will probably have to look at another race at York.

“He needs quite a few to come out and if they do we will be running in it, but we might miss it by one or two.

“If we got the ground you got at Goodwood, you never know, and he is one of the few horses who does handle it. That would make it interesting, but I think we will get a summer at some point!”

The current favourite for the Knavesmire handicap is Euchen Glen’s Goodwood conqueror Sweet William, who was also ahead of Goldie’s stable stalwart when they clashed over two miles at Newbury last month.

But the Scottish handler is keen to take another crack at John and Thady Gosden’s improving stayer, having bridged the deficit between the pair in their most recent encounter.

“I think it was two very progressive horses that beat him at Goodwood and it was a good field,” added Goldie.

“I know they think a lot of the winner, but it is interesting because we are getting closer to him. We ran against him at Newbury and we probably closed that gap by four or five lengths at Goodwood.

“With another 7 or 8lb we might actually pass him one day, with the theory that weight will stop a train eventually.

“Euchen Glen is obviously a superstar and he’s from a good family, Sir Chauvelin is his brother, so we’ve had a lot of winners out of that mare.”

England are among eight nations still standing at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand as preparations continue for their respective quarter-finals.

The last-eight fixtures begin on Friday when Spain play the Netherlands and Japan take on Sweden, while the Lionesses face Colombia after co-hosts Australia and France clash on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the first of two fixture-free days Down Under before the action resumes.

We’re not happy – Bronze

Lucy Bronze admitted England “are not happy” with their World Cup displays, but vowed the Lionesses will step up on Saturday against Colombia.

The European champions rode their luck to beat Nigeria in the last 16 on penalties and will be without Lauren James, who will serve at minimum a one-game ban after her dismissal on Monday.

Barcelona defender Bronze said: “We’ve built on every game, we’ve taken something from every game, whether that was the Haiti game that was physical, the Denmark game when we lost our key player in Keira (Walsh), the China game we changed the formation completely, (Monday) we had a red card.

“Everything that has been thrown at us, we’ve dealt with and moved forward. I don’t see many other teams who’ve had that adversity and if they had, I don’t think they’ve managed to overcome the way we have. At the same time, we are not happy with our performances.”

Matildas prodigy tipped for top

Australia’s Cortnee Vine says there is no limit to what team-mate Mary Fowler can achieve in the game and insisted she has not been surprised by the 20-year-old Manchester City forward’s stellar contribution.

Vine said: “She can just be amazing. I said to her before this tournament began that she’s going to have a fantastic tournament. She just has so much more to go and she’s still so young, I think we forget sometimes.

“She’s so mature and knows what she wants and is her own individual kind of person and when she gets on that field, you just see something special.

“I just think she’s going to keep growing from that. I can’t wait to see Mary keep going because she’s just killing it at the moment.”

Swedes wary of Japanese threat

Sweden pair Fridolina Rolfo and Zecira Musovic believe quarter-final opponents Japan have been one of the best sides in the tournament so far.

Japan edged closer to a second World Cup triumph on Saturday by beating Norway 3-1 in the last 16, having cruised through their group without dropping a point or conceding a goal.

Barcelona forward Rolfo said: “They have been great, I have to say that. They have been one of the best teams so far in the tournament. So we need to analyse them really well and need to have a good match plan.”

Chelsea goalkeeper Musovic added: “We know it will require a lot of hard work. I think Japan is maybe the most exciting and maybe the team who has impressed me the most so far.”

Post of the dayQuote of the dayWhat’s next?

Quarter-final: Spain v Netherlands, Wellington, Friday 2am.

Quarter-final: Japan v Sweden, Auckland, Friday 8.30am.

Caernarfon will have her sights slightly lowered for her next outing following her game effort in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Although only fifth on the Sussex Downs, Jack Channon’s Oaks third was beaten just two-and-three-quarter lengths in a muddling renewal of the 10-furlong Group One.

The contest was run at a steady pace before turning into a dash for the line as Roger Varian’s Al Husn proved best placed to grab the honours and although proud of his filly for once again proving herself worthy of a place at the top table, Channon was left to rue the way the race was run.

He said: “It was a mess of a race. Ryan (Moore, aboard Above The Curve) has walked round, controlled the race and then they have sprinted and us, the French filly (Blue Rose Cen) and Nashwa had no chance from where we were.

“Nashwa has picked up well and our filly has picked up as well all the way to the line. They took two lengths out of her and never got further away, she’s been beaten just over two and a half lengths.

“She ran an absolute cracker, but the race certainly wasn’t run anywhere near what we would have liked to suit her. We’re not the only one, it was the same scenario for Blue Rose Cen and Nashwa. I couldn’t be happier with her performance.”

Caernarfon could now get her passport stamped as the West Ilsley handler eyes securing the confidence-boosting success her consistent efforts this season have deserved.

She has options at both the Curragh and Deauville, as Channon prepares to drop the filly back to Group Two or Group Three level over the coming weeks.

He continued: “I honestly believe she is quite a flexible filly and I wouldn’t hesitate going a mile and a half or a mile and a quarter with her, it will be just where the best race for her fits from now.

“She’s proven she is capable of mixing it with the best Group One fillies, but hasn’t been quite capable of winning one just yet. I do believe she will eventually win one, where and when that will be I don’t know, but we’re trying to get her head in front now.

“There is no such thing as an easy Group race, but we will probably drop down a grade or two now and just try to find a race to win before we step back up again.

“She’s in the Snow Fairy Stakes at the Curragh (August 26), she’s also in the Prix de Alex Head which used to be the Prix de la Nonette at Deauville on August 20 and she’s also in the Blandford (Curragh, September 10) albeit that’s a few weeks later.

“I’ve got three races in mind over a three-week period and whenever I feel she is ready to rock and roll again we might have a go at one of those.”

Channon is also looking forward to the return of Gather Ye Rosebuds who created a taking impression on debut at Newbury before disappointing in the Musidora when upped in class for her second start.

She is reported to have thrived over the summer months and with the summer rainfall making conditions soft throughout the country, could have her optimum ground when next sighted on track.

“I couldn’t be happier with her and she has put on something like 30 kilos since the Musidora,” added the handler.

“All she has done is improve physically all through the summer and with her wanting a bit of juice in the ground we felt there was no point in battering her head against the quick ground in the summer.

“Obviously that meant we were a bit on the back foot when the soft ground has come around now, but she’s probably a couple of weeks away from running again with a view to having probably two runs at this back-end and then putting her away for a four-year-old campaign.

“She’s a massive filly with a big engine and I’m not going to rush her.”

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