Ex-Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is chasing millions of pounds of back pay from his former club and is selling his house in a bid to avoid bankruptcy, the High Court has heard.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is seeking a bankruptcy order against the France international over a nearly £800,000 tax debt, a specialist judge was told.
The hearing in London on Wednesday comes less than a month after the 29-year-old was cleared of rape and attempted rape at Chester Crown Court.
Jacquille Jarrett, representing HMRC, said proceedings at the Insolvency and Companies Court had previously been postponed pending the outcome of the criminal trial and for a settlement of Mendy’s debt from backdated salary or the sale of his property.
“There has been no contact from the debtor,” Jarrett said, adding: “The agreement advises that an update would be given to HMRC but no contact was made.
“We look to secure a bankruptcy order today.”
Mendy’s accountant, who refused to give reporters his full name, told the hearing the now Lorient defender “was found not guilty in respect of those very serious criminal charges against him”.
He said Manchester City had not paid Mendy, who was not present at Wednesday’s hearing, since September 2021.
The accountant said Mendy’s agent is “in negotiations with Manchester City to get the back pay on the basis that he has been found not guilty”.
The sum is “in the order of nine to 10 million pounds gross”, the accountant told the court.
He also said Mendy’s house in Cheshire is being marketed by estate agent Savills for £5million.
“He himself has moved back to France where he comes from,” the accountant said.
“I would like to ask for a short extension because I am told very firmly by his agent that the pay issue will be resolved from Manchester City.
“He was very short of money indeed, the cost of the legal case were over one million pounds.”
Mendy left City in June at the expiration of his contract, having not played for the European champions since August 2021.
He has since signed a two-year deal with French club Lorient.
Judge Clive Jones told Wednesday’s hearing that Mendy’s HMRC debt is £788,409.
Criticising Mendy, the judge said: “I’m very unimpressed at the lack of information that’s been provided both to HMRC and to the court prior to this hearing.
“That, I really think, is the wrong step for him to take,” he said, adding that Mendy must attend any further hearing or be legally represented.
The judge adjourned the bankruptcy proceedings to 11am on October 4 to allow Mendy to sell his house.
He said he has been told there is “more than sufficient equity in a house”, adding that “time should be given to enable payment to be made”.
“I also bear in mind that there are also negotiations in place about the backdated pay,” the judge said, adding that Mendy could be being paid “a large sum in wages” in France.
On July 14 this year, jurors found the full-back not guilty of a charge of rape and one of attempted rape, following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.
Mendy had been on trial for a second time, the jury failing to reach verdicts on the allegations made by two women.
In his first trial, lasting six months and ending in January, he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four other young women or teenagers.
Nicky Henderson is looking forward to going novice hurdling with Willmount having taken over training duties of the unbeaten five-year-old.
Owned by Olly Harris, he commanded £340,000 at the sales following a maiden point-to-point win at Comea in February 2022 and then went on to make an immediate impact under rules last season.
He created a deep impression when partnered by Jamie Moore for his rules debut at Doncaster, scoring by 13 lengths and followed that up with another victory on Town Moor, winning by four-and-a-half lengths under a penalty.
Those two victories came while in the care of Neil Mulholland, but the talented youngster has now been switched to Seven Barrows ahead of the new jumps season kicking into gear.
“He’s only just arrived, he’s a nice horse,” said Henderson.
“He will certainly be going straight over hurdles. He’s a very nice horse actually and he looked a good horse for Neil last year. He looks very well.
“He did look a bit special, and interestingly we all knew he looked quite good because I bought his sister at the Derby Sale in Ireland over the summer hoping he might turn out to be a good horse.”
Justin Kluivert believes Bournemouth can reach "a higher level" in the Premier League under the coaching of Andoni Iraola.
Bournemouth impressively avoided the drop last season by finishing 15th and eyebrows were raised when Gary O'Neil was replaced despite securing survival.
But Iraola arrives with an impressive reputation from Rayo Vallecano and soon after joining he made Kluivert his first signing, with the Dutchman arriving from Roma.
Cherries chief executive Neill Blake said in June that beating a number of other high-profile clubs to the signing of Kluivert was a sign of Bournemouth's ambition.
Kluivert has revealed the opportunity to link up with Iraola was key, and he is starting the Premier League season – which begins with a home match against West Ham on Saturday – in an optimistic mood.
"I'm very excited because his philosophy is a bit what I know from my past teams that I've played at," Kluivert said to Stats Perform.
"Not every [team] but a lot of them – for example at Ajax I'm used to pressing a lot to go for the attack and that is his philosophy also.
"We need to attack, we need to press, we need to want the ball and that's what I really like to do.
"So I'm very happy he is the coach and with his philosophy, how he wants to play, I just can't wait to get started, and I know him from the Spanish league last year, so that is also nice.
"We speak some Spanish also a little bit sometimes, so that helps us.
"I'm always positive, I always think high and yeah, I can't wait to show my qualities and help the club and team to a higher level. If you have this mentality you will achieve a lot of good stuff."
Kluivert scored nine goals in 68 appearances for Roma and spent last season on loan at Valencia following similar spells with RB Leipzig and Nice.
It is clear the 24-year-old's goals with Bournemouth are more than simply retaining their Premier League status.
Kluivert added: "What excites me is just that I want to see how high we can end with this team.
"I have a strong belief like we can do very good with the team. I trust myself, I trust the team-mates, I trust the coach.
"I have belief that we can do some great stuff this season and that [belief] is what I always have."
The West Ham opener could be key for Bournemouth, as they have been handed a brutal run of fixtures after that, with matches against Liverpool, Tottenham, Brentford, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal to follow in their first seven contests.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire hopes she has learned a valuable lesson from her experience of leading a major championship as she bids to win the AIG Women’s Open.
Maguire held a one-shot lead after 36 and 54 holes of the KPMG Women’s Championship at Baltusrol in June, having won her second LPGA Tour title just days earlier.
A third 69 of the week in the final round would have been enough to make Maguire the first female Irish player to win a major, but the 28-year-old could only card a closing 74 to slip into a tie for 11th.
“I think at Baltusrol I put three really good rounds together,” Maguire said ahead of the year’s final major at Walton Heath.
“I think I had had seven rounds in the 60s (in succession) leading into that final day so I was playing really nice golf.
“I think the win the week before took a lot out of me. I was quite drained come Sunday and just didn’t have enough in the tank to get over the line.
“It was obviously a new learning experience, to be in that situation in the lead and the last group on Saturday and Sunday and sort of the emotions and everything that went along with that.
“I’d like to think that if I get myself in that position again, I’ll approach it a little differently and I’ll have learned from that experience.”
Maguire can also draw on the experiences of her male counterparts, with the likes of three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, former Open champion Shane Lowry and 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley happy to offer advice.
“Padraig’s been quite generous with his time and his advice,” Maguire added.
“(I’ve) chatted to Shane and chatted to Paul McGinley, he has been a big help as well. He was our captain at the Rio Olympics and has been a big help with advice.
“To be fair they all shared their knowledge in different ways and they have all had very different experiences and I’ve kind of leaned on all of them at different times for different bits of advice.”
Maguire feels keeping the ball out of the heather will be the key to success this week and world number one Nelly Korda was in full agreement after tangling with it in practice.
“Yeah, almost broke my wrist today,” the Olympic champion said with a smile.
“It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy. If you get a good lie, then maybe (you can advance the ball) but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree (wedge) just to try to get it back into play.
“It’s really tough to get out of that.”
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda will be in action at Walton Heath for the first time since being disqualified from the Evian Championship for refusing to accept a two-shot penalty for slow play, with Korda backing the decision to hand out sanctions.
“I really like Carlotta. She’s a great person. I enjoy playing with her,” Korda said.
“I am a fast player, but I would say at the end of the day the Rules of Golf are the Rules of Golf, and it’s good that it’s being enforced.
“I mean, if I’m being honest, if I was a spectator and I was out here for five and a half to six hours, you know, it’s tough to watch, right. You want to watch a sport that’s continuously moving and not continuously stalling.”
The R&A announced on Wednesday that AIG will continue as title sponsor of the Women’s Open through 2030, with Royal Lytham also named as the host venue for 2026.
This year’s total prize fund will be 9 million US dollars (£7.1million), a 23 per cent increase on 2022. The 2023 champion will earn 1.35 million US dollars (£1.1m).
Luton have signed former Chelsea and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley on a free transfer.
Former England international Barkley, 29, spent last season at Ligue 1 club Nice following his departure from Chelsea by mutual consent.
Barkley – who played for England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and also had a loan spell at Aston Villa – could make his debut for the Hatters in their opening Premier League match at Brighton on Saturday.
“Why Luton? Going from the Conference to the Premier League is a great story and for me personally to be back in the Premier League, it’s great motivation,” Barkley said on the Luton club website.
“I’m still relatively young and over the last couple of years I’ve not played as much as I’d have liked.
“But I’ve reserved a lot of energy and looked after myself, so it’s great to be here now as I’ve got a lot to show but I’m ready and feeling motivated.”
Luton manager Rob Edwards is confident Barkley can bring something different to his squad as their embark on a first Premier League campaign after winning the Sky Bet Championship play-off final.
“Ross brings loads of experience at the top level, has international experience and brings an X-factor,” Edwards said.
“He gives us something different, he has that ability to make something out of nothing and we need that in the Premier League. He’s got all the tools required to make a difference for us.
“It’s really exciting for the football club. We want the fans to be excited and they should be about Ross’ arrival.”
Gary O’Neil has been appointed as the new Wolves head coach on a three-year contract following the departure of Julen Lopetegui.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues in his in-tray at Molineux.
Steady ship and pick up morale
It has been a turbulent summer at the club. Relegation was ultimately avoided with something to spare last season, but then problems began as the reinforcements Lopetegui wanted did not arrive and some key players left. With rumours of disquiet growing louder by the week, the players left have effectively been told throughout pre-season that they are not good enough. Morale will likely be low and one of O’Neil’s first tasks will be to restore some order.
Get the fans onside
As well as getting the players on board, O’Neil is going to have to win over the fans. After the high-profile appointment of Lopetegui, a former Spain and Real Madrid coach with a strong reputation, the arrival of the former Bournemouth boss is underwhelming by comparison. It was clear some supporters were beginning to tire of Lopetegui’s complaints and perhaps felt replacing him now was better than allowing the situation to deteriorate further, but they could be forgiven for having doubts about the new man at the helm. Despite making an impression at Bournemouth last season, he remains relatively inexperienced and needs to prove himself.
Identify modest targets
The root of Lopetegui’s problems with the club was their need to balance the books. After spending heavily prior to the Spaniard’s arrival, a tightening of the purse strings has been necessary to ensure compliance with Financial Fair Play regulations. The implication from Lopetegui was that he was not aware of the extent to which this was necessary and consequently felt let down. After that rumpus, O’Neil should be more aware of the club’s financial constraints. The squad will need strengthening in areas, particularly in terms of strikers, and he will need to identify realistic targets.
Make a point to Bournemouth
This will not be in his in-tray as such, but O’Neil will also be driven by personal ambitions as well as those of the club. He took over in difficult circumstances at Bournemouth early last season, when Scott Parker was sacked after saying his squad was “under-equipped” to compete in the Premier League. He took the same group of players and guided them to a 15th-placed finish. His subsequent dismissal by the Cherries was widely regarded as harsh. By making an impact at Molineux he can undoubtedly make a point.
Prepare for Old Trafford
There will be little time to settle before the first game of the Premier League season arrives, and it is hardly a straightforward opener. Wolves travel to Manchester United on Monday. He will need to catch up quickly on Wolves’ pre-season performances, analyse what he has at his disposal and put a team together. It is a tall order but, in terms of assessing United, he may at least have some recent work to fall back on, having faced Erik ten Hag’s side in his penultimate match with Bournemouth.
Nicky Henderson says Constitution Hill “couldn’t be better” following his summer break – but he is yet to partake in the all-important schooling session which could determine if jumps racing’s unbeaten superstar remains over hurdles or goes chasing.
National Hunt racing’s flagship horse is a perfect seven from seven in his career to date and has swept the board over timber, blowing away his rivals to win six Grade One prizes on the bounce.
Having conquered all over the smaller obstacles, the burning question is whether connections will take the plunge and embark on a campaign over fences with the reigning Champion Hurdler in the new season.
Constitution Hill is back at Seven Barrows following an enjoyable summer at Hillwood Stud, with owner Michael Buckley and Henderson having plenty to consider together with jockey Nico de Boinville.
“He couldn’t be better, he’s looking enormous and great,” said Henderson.
“We’re waiting for the weather just to have a look-see and it will probably be a few weeks before we do, but we’re looking at him, not that he can talk.”
It is not the first time Henderson has had to make the crucial decision over which direction to send one of his stable stars, with the situation reminding him of Altior’s early days at the Lambourn centre of excellence.
Patricia Pugh’s pride and joy was unbeaten in five outings over hurdles, but the decision was made to switch and he went on to win 15 of his 18 starts over fences, including the Champion Chase twice and the Arkle.
However, Henderson believes there are more variables at play on this occasion, with the pull of becoming the first horse since Dawn Run to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup meaning stamina is a vital component connections need to be sure is in Constitution Hill’s armoury.
“It’s a difficult dilemma and I remember going through it with Altior when we were in exactly the same boat – OK, he hadn’t won a Champion Hurdle but he would have done if he had stayed hurdling, there is no doubt about that.
“It’s the same dilemma and again we schooled Altior over fences and he was absolutely brilliant and we decided to go down that route.
“There are other issues to consider this time, because it is also going to be a question of stamina really and we would be doing it if we think he is a stayer.
“You would want to be thinking along the Gold Cup lines, that would be the reason for going chasing.
“He can do most things because he is so relaxed about life and I think he would stay as far as you liked to be honest. He just goes to sleep very easily and he’s not one who will overrace.
“We’ve been talking about it as you can guess, but Nico is still away at the moment because there is a break (in the summer jumps season) and we’ll keep thinking, but he’s in very good form.”
Wolves have moved swiftly to install Gary O’Neil as Julen Lopetegui’s replacement as head coach.
The 40-year-old, the club’s first British coach in six years, was sacked by Bournemouth in June despite guiding the Cherries to survival.
He has signed a three-year deal after Wolves and Lopetegui came to an “agreement to part ways” on Tuesday after disagreements over recruitment and the direction of the club.
“We’re delighted to welcome Gary to the club,” said sporting director Matt Hobbs.
“He’s a highly-motivated young coach with strong principles and very well thought of by everyone he has worked with, and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together at Wolves.
“Our players have shown their quality during pre-season, and I believe Gary and his team will continue to coach and improve them and will have success working with this group.
“Everyone at Wolves is looking forward to welcoming Gary, offering him their full support and working collaboratively to help the club to keep pushing forward together.”
With just a couple of days until the Premier League season kicks off O’Neil’s first match in charge will be against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday.
Anthony Joshua admitted a sense of responsibility to not let people down was a driving factor behind him accepting a last-minute opponent change for Saturday’s fight at the O2 Arena in London.
Joshua went head-to-head with Robert Helenius for the first time at Wednesday’s press conference in the capital after 24 hours earlier the 6ft 9 heavyweight had been confirmed as Dillian Whyte’s replacement for this weekend.
Chapter two of the Joshua versus Whyte rivalry had to be scrapped after the latter saw a doping test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) detect “adverse analytical findings”, which has left Whyte in a battle to prove to clear his name.
Joshua discovered news of Whyte’s failed test on Saturday morning but was eager to keep the show on the road and will now face an opponent who fought in Finland last weekend.
“Yes so I also looked at the undercard as well and I know how much it means for them to compete,” the former two-time world heavyweight champion said.
“I know how hard you (Matchroom) guys work and not only you (Eddie Hearn), all your backroom staff. I didn’t want to let anyone down, my coach, DAZN, so it is kind of like a responsibility.
“Late replacements are not ideal but it is the third time it has happened. We had it with Kubrat Pulev and (Carlos) Takam, Jarrell Miller and Andy Ruiz Jr so this is what happens.
“A long career will present these type of obstacles and I just have to get used to them. Yeah, this is another rock on my shoe towards the top of the mountain.
“Helenius fought on Saturday, he is doing the right thing. As a fighter, you have to stay busy, you have to stay active and keep expressing your skill because that is the only way to improve.
“Obviously I haven’t been fighting, I fought at the start of April (against Jermaine Franklin) but I spent a lot of time in the ring. In Dallas we do a lot of ring work and that’s the closest thing to a fight. It is not just hitting the bags, shadow boxing, we do a lot of combat training so I am physically ready.”
Meanwhile, Helenius (32-4, 21KOs) insists he is not merely in the UK for a pay-day despite being in action on Saturday, where he recorded a third-round win over Mika Mielonen in a Castle in Finland.
The veteran will step into the ring for the 37th time and after sharing the canvas with Deontay Wilder last October, where he suffered a vicious knock-out loss inside three minutes, he is excited to go toe-to-toe with old sparring partner Joshua (25-3, 22KOs).
Stockholm-born Helenius added: “I am ready to fight. That is why I am here. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.
“I respect him, he’s a good fighter. It is going to be glorious.
“It was big news in Finland and I can ensure you I will give everything.”
Some 2000 athletes from around 200 teams will descend on Hungary’s new National Athletics Centre on Saturday 19 August for nine days of thrilling competition at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, where World Athletics will once again run its world record programme.
Athletes who set a world record will be eligible* for a special award of US$100,000 offered by TDK and World Athletics’ new Inside Track platform.
The performance must be an improvement on the existing World Athletics world record. Performances that equal the existing world record will not be eligible for a world record award.
USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis are two of the most recent recipients of a world record award, following their performances at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. There, at Eugene’s Hayward Field, McLaughlin-Levrone improved her own world 400m hurdles record to an awe-inspiring 50.68, while Duplantis took the pole vault to another level again, clearing 6.21m.
Continuing TDK’s involvement with the world record programme, the Japanese electronics company will offer the award for men’s events. The women’s world record programme will be supported by World Athletics – Inside Track, a new online hub where fans can access exclusive content, discover untold stories and unlock benefits. Inside Track provides the perfect platform to tell all athletics stories, but especially those of female athletes, as seen by the recent exclusive interview with McLaughlin-Levrone.
For the mixed 4x400m relay, the programme will be supported by both TDK and World Athletics – Inside Track.
TDK’s involvement with the World Athletics Championships goes beyond the world record programme. In a year that celebrates four decades of the World Athletics Championships, it also marks 40 years of TDK’s support, as one of the original sponsors of the World Athletics Championships. Having been the main bib sponsor for men's events for all 18 previous editions, TDK will maintain that involvement in Budapest.
New Official Partner NTN will be the main bib sponsor for women's events at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
Prize money
Aside from the world record programme, a total of US$8,498,000 in prize money will be on offer in Budapest.
The prize money is as follows:
Individual events
Gold: US$70,000
Silver: US$35,000
Bronze: US$22,000
Fourth place: US$16,000
Fifth place: US$11,000
Sixth place: US$7000
Seventh place: US$6000
Eighth place: US$5000
Relays (per team)
Gold: US$80,000
Silver: US$40,000
Bronze: US$20,000
Fourth place: US$16,000
Fifth place: USD $12,000
Sixth place: US$8000
Seventh place: US$6000
Eighth place: US$4000
World Athletics
*The payment of prize money and bonuses is dependent upon the usual ratification process
Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu could be out for up to six weeks with a calf problem.
The 22-year-old South Korea international originally picked up the injury in James Forrest’s testimonial match against Athletic Bilbao but did not declare it before taking his place on the bench for the cinch Premiership opener against Ross County at Parkhead on Saturday.
“Oh will probably be out for a few weeks,” said Hoops boss Rodgers, who refused to elaborate on Celtic’s interest in Swedish centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke, which had been revealed by Elfsborg manager Stefan Andreasson.
“He hurt his calf against Athletic Bilbao but no one knew and he trained on.
“He was involved in the game at the weekend and then he trained on the Sunday and afterwards he spoke to the medical team to say he felt his calf and it has ended up that he has a calf problem which might put him out for four to six weeks. So that’s where he is at.
“Apart from that, the injured guys are doing really well.
“Ali Johnston is back on the grass, running, working, he is increasing his intensity so that is really good news for us.
“Marco Tilio is also now out on the grass and moving well so we expect him to be another month or so away.”
Swedish central defender Carl Starfelt has been linked with a move to Celta Vigo after Rodgers confirmed at the weekend he was keen to move on, but the manager said: “It is progressing but nothing definitive to add on that.”
Asked if he could say reveal anything on Lagerbielke, the Northern Irishman said: “No. Clearly if we lose a centre-half I want to bring in another one, but I have got nothing to add.
“There’s probably be a few other names that will be mixed in there and if I spoke about every one we might be here for a little while.
“There is a number that we are looking at, but nothing definitive.
“There are other areas I would like to improve on.”
Justin Kluivert has named Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Eden Hazard and Son Heung-min among his Premier League inspirations as he prepares to start his career in England with Bournemouth.
The Dutch attacker, son of Barcelona great Patrick Kluivert, has admired the impact made by Manchester City striker Haaland after arriving in the division.
Kluivert has joined Bournemouth from Roma ahead of the new Premier League season.
Having also had loan spells with RB Leipzig, Nice and Valencia, he will complete the set of playing in each of Europe's top five leagues when he makes his debut for the club.
Kluivert is delighted his chance to play in the Premier League has come and has been watching some of English football's greatest recent performers to prepare.
"I've watched a lot of YouTube of course and you watch a lot of Cristiano Ronaldo," Kluivert said to Stats Perform.
"Eden Hazard in his best days at Chelsea was unbelievable if you ask me, so yeah, those are players I like to watch or Heung-min Son maybe – someone like that, a type that is very straight to the goal – I like that."
Asked if he had tracked Haaland's record 36-goal debut top-flight season in England, Kluivert added: "Of course. You always need to look at the guys who are successful in what they do.
"You learn a lot from a player like Haaland or players that have played there like Ronaldo or Eden Hazard.
"You have a bunch more too and of course you need to look at them, how they have done it and maybe you can learn some stuff from them. It's always good to learn to get the best of yourself."
Kluivert understands that the opportunity to play in all of Europe's top-five leagues, as well as the Eredivisie in Ajax where he started out, is a rare feat, especially doing so by the age of 24.
"All top five leagues, there are not a lot of players who have done that," Kluivert said.
"First of all, I'm very happy to have played at all these clubs, it's an honour.
"To end in the Premier League, it's the best league in the world, so I'm very happy with that and happy for the opportunity that Bournemouth gave me.
"I'm very happy to be here and to represent Bournemouth, a beautiful club and I can't wait to get started.
"So I could say that I have a lot in my backpack and can't wait to take them all out to show them here in this great league."
Kluivert thinks the style of play in England should suit him nicely.
He added: "I played in Italy [first]. Germany has, like France, has a little bit of the Italian philosophy, but also parts from the Spanish game, it's right in the middle.
"And it's nice that when I played in France, Italy, Spain, they all have little bits that are the same but, for me, France is more physical, Italy is also, and then in Spain there is more football.
"And I think the Premier League is more like you can relate it to La Liga, because the teams want to attack, they want to keep the ball and press.
"That's a philosophy that the Premier League also has. So yeah, I'm happy to be here on that level."
Kluivert, who earned his two caps for the Netherlands in 2018, thinks the style of play in the Premier League and La Liga is the best fit for his game.
"Yeah [it suits me more]," he said. "Italy is more what I think of as a more defensive, a more tactical game.
"And Spain was more you have a lot of good footballers who want to attack.
"They attack with the whole team so there is more space in the back and the football games also are much nicer for the fans to watch – I think the Premier League also has that.
"That's also good for me to show my qualities. So I'm happy to be here."
Bournemouth begin their Premier League campaign at home to West Ham on Saturday.
Big Rock will bid for Group One glory in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Sunday.
The Christopher Head-trained Rock Of Gibraltar colt has had a superb season so far, starting off with a wide-margin handicap success before progressing up the levels in a three-race winning streak.
The first leg of the hat-trick was the Listed Prix Maurice Caillault, which he won by four and a half lengths, after which he took in the Group Three Prix la Force and was a comfortable winner again.
At the same level he landed the Prix de Guiche by an unchallenged three lengths and the following month he stepped up to an extended 10 furlongs for the Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly, running a huge race from the front before Arc favourite Ace Impact ran him down.
Another big-race tilt now awaits for the three-year-old, back to a mile against the likes of Kevin Ryan’s Queen Anne winner Triple Time.
“He’s going to run on Sunday at Deauville, everything is all right with him,” said Head.
“He is in good form and we are pretty optimistic about his run in the Jacques le Marois.
“He has been working well and we are looking forward to having another Group One run with him.
“He takes his racing very well and is a very nice horse.”
Colombia stand between European champions England and a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
The sides meet in the last-eight clash at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday, with Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses having edged past Nigeria on penalties despite Lauren James’ dismissal, while the South Americans saw off Jamaica.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look the team England must beat to keep alive their dreams of global glory.
Coach
Renowned for developing talent, 67-year-old Nelson Abadia initially learned his trade in youth and lower-division football and has worked across South America. After a spell in charge of the America de Cali women’s team, he was appointed Colombia boss in 2017 and guided them to World Cup qualification via an impressive Copa America Femenina campaign.
Key players
Two women at opposite ends of their careers have carried the nation’s hopes in some style Down Under. Inspirational skipper Catalina Usme, 33, and Real Madrid’s 18-year-old Linda Caicedo, widely regarded as a superstar in the making, have each scored two of the five goals they have managed in the competition to date. As well as Usme and Caicedo, who finished top scorer in the Colombian league as a 14-year-old, Abadia has Atletico Madrid midfielder Leicy Santos, Levante forward Mayra Ramirez and Real Sociedad defender Manuela Venegas at his disposal.
Pedigree
At 25th, the South Americans are the lowest placed of the quarter-finalists in FIFA’s rankings, but, having already helped see off one of the pre-tournament favourites Germany in the group stage, they cannot be under-estimated. Runners-up to Brazil in last year’s Copa America Femenina, they travelled to Australia and New Zealand not only determined to better their previous best of reaching the last 16 in Canada in 2015, but of making a significant impression. Victory over an England side who, barring their thumping 6-1 Group D victory over China, have not been at their best, would certainly do that.
Style of play
Colombia have been described as “raw” in their approach to the game, an expression which says as much about their physicality – a behind-closed-doors warm-up game against the Republic of Ireland was abandoned at Ireland’s request after a bruising 20 minutes – as it does their freedom of expression. Abadia is not afraid to tinker with a system in which it is pace out wide which provides the threat, although his team is based on the solid foundation of a back four which have conceded only two goals so far in the tournament.
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