Derby-winning jockey Martin Dwyer has admitted he will not be fit to ride Pyledriver in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes as he continues his recover from a knee injury that has seen him sidelined for 15 months.

The Liverpool-born jockey, who turns 48 on Wednesday, partnered Sir Percy to Epsom Classic glory in 2006 for Marcus Tregoning and was preparing to ride Pyledriver in last year’s Dubai Sheema Classic when hurt riding out for Brian Meehan.

Dwyer severely twisted his knee when a leather iron broke and he suffered a torn ACL in March 2022.

A length recovery process has still not been completed and Dwyer said it was “tough” watching the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver’s victory in Saturday’s Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“I had an operation to remove scar tissue about six weeks ago. It has helped, I’m moving forward. I’m going back to see the surgeon this week and get a bit more of an update,” said Dwyer.

“I got on a rowing machine last week, which was a massive step forward, then my knee swelled up.

“The surgeons are happy and mechanically it is working. He has kind of fixed it, but it is a bit like when you have a horse with an injury. You think, ‘he’s so much better now, we’ll give him a canter,’ but when you canter him he’s lame the next day. That’s where I am, to sum it up.”

Pyledriver was having his first run since his King George success under PJ McDonald last July.

The six-year-old, who had been off the track for 336 days with injury, took his earnings to just shy of £2 million in beating West Wind Blows in Saturday’s Group Two contest.

He has taken his race well, according to Muir, who said: “He’s grand this morning. He’s really good, come out of it like a gazelle. He went up there as good as he did yesterday morning, so I’ve got no bothers there at all.

“He trotted out well, looked a picture and it’s brilliant.”

He now looks set to defend his title on July 29, with McDonald again likely to deputise for Muir’s son-in-law.

“I would love to be fit for the King George, but that’s long odds-against to happen,” said Dwyer.

“It was tough watching again yesterday. I was delighted for the team.

“It was brilliant and great to see him bounce back like that. William has done a great job, as it was touch and go there for a while that the horse would ever run again.

“It was mixed emotions, watching him run, but delighted for everyone.”

Dwyer, who has split his time between providing his expertise as a TV pundit and Lambourn’s Oaksey House rehabilitation centre, is not openly entertaining thoughts of retirement and praised the care he has received.

“Even just to get back to normal life, being able to run for a bus – I’ve been throwing the kitchen sink at it in rehab,” added Dwyer.

“I just have to focus on that and just get back to normal life and walk the dog.

“They are great at Oaksey House. The physios have been superb. Jerry Hill, the BHA doctor, speaks personally to my surgeon, they communicate and try different things, so I could not be better looked after.

“The physio at Oaksey House even came with me to see the surgeon. We are leaving no stone unturned, trying everything and let’s hope it works.”

Derby-winning jockey Martin Dwyer has admitted he will not be fit to ride Pyledriver in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes as he continues his recover from a knee injury that has seen him sidelined for 15 months.

The Liverpool-born jockey, who turns 48 on Wednesday, partnered Sir Percy to Epsom Classic glory in 2006 for Marcus Tregoning and was preparing to ride Pyledriver in last year’s Dubai Sheema Classic when hurt riding out for Brian Meehan.

Dwyer severely twisted his knee when a leather iron broke and he suffered a torn ACL in March 2022.

A length recovery process has still not been completed and Dwyer said it was “tough” watching the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver’s victory in Saturday’s Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“I had an operation to remove scar tissue about six weeks ago. It has helped, I’m moving forward. I’m going back to see the surgeon this week and get a bit more of an update,” said Dwyer.

“I got on a rowing machine last week, which was a massive step forward, then my knee swelled up.

“The surgeons are happy and mechanically it is working. He has kind of fixed it, but it is a bit like when you have a horse with an injury. You think, ‘he’s so much better now, we’ll give him a canter,’ but when you canter him he’s lame the next day. That’s where I am, to sum it up.”

Pyledriver was having his first run since his King George success under PJ McDonald last July.

The six-year-old, who had been off the track for 336 days with injury, took his earnings to just shy of £2 million in beating West Wind Blows in Saturday’s Group Two contest.

He has taken his race well, according to Muir, who said: “He’s grand this morning. He’s really good, come out of it like a gazelle. He went up there as good as he did yesterday morning, so I’ve got no bothers there at all.

“He trotted out well, looked a picture and it’s brilliant.”

He now looks set to defend his title on July 29, with McDonald again likely to deputise for Muir’s son-in-law.

“I would love to be fit for the King George, but that’s long odds-against to happen,” said Dwyer.

“It was tough watching again yesterday. I was delighted for the team.

“It was brilliant and great to see him bounce back like that. William has done a great job, as it was touch and go there for a while that the horse would ever run again.

“It was mixed emotions, watching him run, but delighted for everyone.”

Dwyer, who has split his time between providing his expertise as a TV pundit and Lambourn’s Oaksey House rehabilitation centre, is not openly entertaining thoughts of retirement and praised the care he has received.

“Even just to get back to normal life, being able to run for a bus – I’ve been throwing the kitchen sink at it in rehab,” added Dwyer.

“I just have to focus on that and just get back to normal life and walk the dog.

“They are great at Oaksey House. The physios have been superb. Jerry Hill, the BHA doctor, speaks personally to my surgeon, they communicate and try different things, so I could not be better looked after.

“The physio at Oaksey House even came with me to see the surgeon. We are leaving no stone unturned, trying everything and let’s hope it works.”

Connections of Derby third White Birch are eager for another crack at Auguste Rodin in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby next Sunday.

And should all go well at the Curragh, a possible Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe bid may be on the cards.

Trainer John Murphy has floated the idea of a trip to ParisLongchamp in October after seeing plenty of improvement in three runs this term.

The grey landed the Group Three Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown to start his Classic campaign, before a slow-starting, fast-finishing runner-up spot in York’s Dante Stakes.

White Birch tackled a mile and a half for the first time at Epsom where, despite again being slowly away, he made up plenty of ground under Colin Keane to stay on behind Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel in the Betfred Derby.

Murphy is keen to take on the Aidan O’Brien-trained Derby winner again and is a general 5-1 chance to lift the Irish Classic.

“He is in great shape,” said the County Cork-based handler. “I think we are happy enough to have another crack at him. It is going in the right direction.

“I think we fancy our chances. He’s going the right way, definitely. We are going to be looking forward to a very nice run.

“The ground is heading as though there might be some juice in it, which won’t bother him either. He’ll have no bother with ground – he’s very versatile ground-wise.

“I think that would inconvenience others more than him, because in the trial (Ballysax) it was heavy.”

Owned by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, the strapping son of Ulysses is expected to improve as he matures and a possible tilt at the Arc could be in the offing at the end of the season.

“He has been a bit unlucky in the Dante and the Derby,” Murphy added. “He could do with winning a big one, which would be lovely for us all.

“It would just completely turn around our profile maybe. It would put a smile on everybody’s face for sure and a pep in the step.

“And I’ve no doubt he will improve with age, given his physique. He is a big horse, he’s getting stronger. I’ve not any doubt he will improve.

“He is in the Champion Stakes and I think he is going to be put into the Arc. We’ll see how he progresses. We will discuss it with the owners and we’ll see what they want to do, but we’re really looking forward to next weekend first.”

Ollie Sangster could look to York’s Ebor Festival in August with Royal Ascot third Inquisitively.

The Ten Sovereigns colt was beaten just under four lengths by Big Evs in Wednesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes, having previously finished a narrow second on his only other start at Windsor last month.

While the Group Three Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood on August 2 could come into the equation, Sangster is also eyeing a Listed contest at York on August 26 with a maiden stop-off another possibility along the way.

“We were very happy and delighted (with his Ascot run),” said Sangster.

“You never know what to expect, but the horse was in really good form, so we were hopeful of a positive run first time there. To finish third was great, we were delighted with that.

“He’s come out of the race in good form and we’ll hopefully now just work back from nice targets.

“The Molecomb is an obvious one but I think the winner is going there and he looks like a good horse and there’s a race at York called the Julia Graves (Roses Stakes) which is a Listed race over five. Further down the line there is races like the Flying Childers, but for now that is a way off.

“He’s still a maiden so we’ll work it out and we might just tick that off in the meantime, but there will be a couple of nice targets for him hopefully.

“It’s nice not just for me but also for the team, we don’t have a huge amount of horses but it’s nice to hopefully have a half-decent one.”

George Baker is eyeing up a tilt at the Sky Bet Ebor with Cemhaan following his gallant effort in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot.

The six-year-old has been somewhat of a stable star for Baker, winning five of his 18 starts since joining the the Robins Farm handler from John Gosden in 2020 and this year competing at the Royal meeting for the second successive season.

He bettered last year’s seventh in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, with a fine effort to finish third in the opening day’s concluding contest – a run which can be marked up given the impressive nature of the winner Vauban and the fact Cemhaan only lost second in the dying strides when pipped to the runner-up spot by another Willie Mullins-trained runner, Absurde.

“It was a wonderful run,” said Baker.

“I thought a leg had fallen off because he drifted so much. I genuinely thought he was around a 20-1 chance and to see him on the boards at 66-1, you do wonder if a leg has actually fallen off.

“He ran a hell of a race and he has been a star for us. He’s been in great form recently and Pat Cosgrave gave him a lovely ride. Pat said he would have been second if he hadn’t had to commit to chase the mighty Vauban which just paid in the last 20 yards and we got done for second, but it was a huge run and we were clear of rest.

“Take out the annoying Mr Mullins – who luckily is a mate of mine – and we have won the race really nicely.”

Delighted with his charge’s performance, Baker now feels the £500,000 Ebor on August 26 is the obvious long-term target for his ever-improving son of Muhaarar and options ahead of the valuable York contest include possible trips to Germany and France next month, or even an early sighter of the Knavesmire in the John Smith’s Cup on July 15.

He continued: “We’ve got much to look forward to and the Ebor would be the obvious plan. We’ll revolve the season around that.

“He’s in a Group race in Germany in July and he’s in the John Smith’s Cup which is back to a mile and a quarter, but I think this horse is pretty flexible and a mile and a quarter up to one-mile-six and maybe even further is fine for him.

“For now, all roads lead to the Ebor and if we have a run in July, we may sneak over to Germany or France for a Group race. That may make sense as some of those sometimes do cut up between festivals.

“He’s an exciting horse and we’re lucky to have him.”

Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets to lead England’s fightback on the penultimate afternoon of the Women’s Ashes Test but Australia increased their lead to 264 at Trent Bridge.

Australia were cruising on 149 for one but then lurched to 198 for seven, with Ecclestone to the fore as the tourists lost four wickets in 34 balls at a hectic juncture in the afternoon session.

Lauren Filer bowled Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath in the morning, but there were a few let-offs for Australia’s batters as England dropped six chances of varying degrees of difficulty.

Beth Mooney’s 85 plus 47 from Alyssa Healy underpinned Australia’s teatime 254 for seven on day four in what is effectively a one-innings shootout at the start of this multi-format series.

Mooney put on 99 with fellow opener Phoebe Litchfield (46) and 50 with Perry (25) and was the beneficiary of being dropped on 55 as Nat Sciver-Brunt spilled a difficult return catch with her first delivery in Australia’s second dig.

Sciver-Brunt went off before tea after falling in a heap at the end of her ninth over, having been restricted in Australia’s first innings because of a jarred right knee.

Despite Tammy Beaumont’s historic double century on Saturday, Australia had edged ahead through Mooney and Litchfield, who outlined her intentions on the penultimate morning with an uppish drive at Ecclestone. She was reprieved after Cross spilled a simple waist-high chance at extra cover.

Cross required strapping on her left thumb but was able to continue bowling, and the England seamer’s drop proved not to be too costly as she got a delivery to jag back alarmingly towards Litchfield, who offered no shot and lost her off stump.

There was movement and spin in sunny and blustery conditions but England were largely unable to take advantage. Mooney offered a sharp caught and bowled chance after passing 50 but Sciver-Brunt could not cling on in her follow-through despite getting both hands to the ball.

Heather Knight’s off-spin drew the outside edge of Perry on 21 but the ball flew between wicketkeeper and slip. The talismanic Australia all-rounder’s luck ran out soon after as, leaning back and shaping to cut, she merely inside edged on to her stumps.

Cheered on by the Nottingham crowd, Filer struck in her next over as a fuller, pacy delivery proved too much for McGrath, whose leg stump was flattened, in a second successive wicket maiden.

Australia progressed to 178 for three post-lunch before Jess Jonassen saw her bails dislodged after missing a full-blooded sweep at Ecclestone, with the ball snaking under her bat, while Mooney’s cross batted shot to the slow left-armer ended with her under-edging on to her stumps.

Ashleigh Gardner lasted just three balls as a low edge off Cross was held by a juggling Knight while Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt put down difficult chances off first-innings centurion Annabel Sutherland, who was out for a streaky 14 after lobbing Ecclestone tamely to square-leg.

Healy demoted herself to number eight and might have recorded a fourth successive Test duck after getting a thin edge to her first delivery but the ball brushed the glove of Jones, standing up to the stumps, before rolling away.

Healy (47 not out) and Alana King (9no) steadied Australia following the flurry of wickets with an unbroken 56-run partnership but a few minutes before the end of the session there were England concerns as Sciver-Brunt limped off the field after falling to the ground in her follow-through.

Jelena Ostapenko won her second title on grass with victory over Barbora Krejcikova in the final of the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham.

In a battle of the top two seeds, it was the second seed who came out on top, with Ostapenko triumphing 7-6 (8) 6-4.

It was the Latvian’s first title since Dubai last February and her first on grass since Eastbourne in 2021.

Ostapenko clinched a very tight first set on her fourth set point in the tie-break after saving one chance for Krejcikova and moved to the brink of victory at 5-1 in the second set.

Czech Krejcikova, who will return to the top 10 on Monday, threatened a comeback, winning three games in a row, but Ostapenko made it across the line.

“She’s a really great player and congrats to her and her team,” said the 26-year-old, who has survived several close battles this week.

“I was really close from 5-1 to 5-4 but then I managed somehow and I’m really, really happy about it. I was fighting every match. I played five great matches, this was the only match in two sets. It’s a great preparation for Wimbledon and there’s still a couple of things I can do better.”

Krejcikova, who was playing her first final on grass, did not drop a set until the final and felt losing the first-set tie-break was crucial to the outcome.

“She’s playing well,” said the top seed. “I’m disappointed but that’s tennis. (The tie-break) was maybe the key to the match because when you play the first set that long and you are up, down, up, down all the time – I was very unfortunate.

“I definitely had a great week. It was really nice to be here, I really enjoyed it. It’s special to play on a centre court and to enjoy the support. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back.”

Carlos Alcaraz secured his first grass-court title and top billing at Wimbledon with victory over Alex De Minaur in the final of the cinch Championships.

The 20-year-old Spaniard overtook Novak Djokovic as world number one, and confirmed he will be a major contender to take the Serbian’s crown at SW19 next month, with a commanding 6-4 6-4 win at Queen’s Club.

Alcaraz was playing only his third ever grass-court tournament, and his first outside of two underwhelming visits to Wimbledon.

In his first match he needed a third-set tie-break to get past French journeyman Arthur Rinderknech, but as the week wore on he grew in confidence on the surface and by Sunday looked to the manor born.

Alcaraz will now be top seed at Wimbledon and, on this evidence, has a genuine chance to emulate compatriot Rafael Nadal, who won at Queen’s in 2008 and went on to claim the big one three weeks later.

A break of serve in each set proved enough to overcome Australian number one De Minaur, who competed well but had no answer to the pace and power of the favourite.

For example when De Minaur, 24, created the match’s first break point, at 4-3 in the opener, Alcaraz simply rolled out a 137mph ace.

A high-quality first set swung the way of the top seed when De Minaur sent a backhand wide, and then a forehand long, to gift Alcaraz the break.

The youngster from Murcia wrapped up the 49-minute set with an ace before taking a medical time-out for treatment on his right thigh.

Whatever the issue was, it did not seem to bother Alcaraz too much as he forced another break point at 2-2 in the second – and De Minaur picked the worst possible time to throw in a first double fault.

Victory was confirmed when De Minaur’s return floated long and Alcaraz celebrated an 11th career title, and surely the first of many on the lawns of London.

Alcaraz said: “It means a lot to have my name on the trophy. It was special to play here where so many legends have won. To see my name surrounded by the great champions is amazing.

“I started the tournament not very well, especially my movement on the grass, but it’s been an amazing week.”

De Minaur had been hoping to match his British girlfriend Katie Boulter, who won a first career title in Nottingham last weekend, but he just came up short.

He said: “It’s been a great week for me. We were close but I wasn’t quite able to get it done. Too good from Carlos.”

Classic-winning filly Mawj will remain sidelined for the time being after missing her intended clash with Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes due to a dirty scope.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained three-year-old defeated Tahirya in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, before Dermot Weld’s star took the Irish equivalent at the Curragh.

Tahiyra landed Friday’s Coronation Stakes with a comfortable length to spare over Remarquee at Royal Ascot, with Bin Suroor an interested bystander.

He said: “It was a good performance from the winner. She did it impressively.

“It was a shame Mawj could not run, but we are not going to force her to run when she is not well.

“She will take a break now and have some time to recover.

“She has a bad infection in her chest and once she is ready, we will start her work again. Once she starts her work, then we will have a look at the options.”

Mawj wintered in Dubai and the daughter of Exceed And Excel won both the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic and mile Fillies Guineas before taking the Newmarket Classic by half a length on her return to Britain, her fifth win in eight starts.

The popular Godolphin handler says she is likely to return to Dubai at the end of her Classic season, but added: “We will have a race for her before she leaves for Dubai. Once she starts work, then we will find a race for her. It could be in the UK or abroad.”

Though Bin Suroor saddled Live Your Dream to finish third in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, he was not too disappointed after missing the target at this year’s Royal meeting.

He said: “Ascot was good. It is the best meeting in the world. The horses that run there over the five days, they are the best.

“There are millions and millions of people worldwide watching these races. It is royal racing – it is great. There is no other meeting like it in the world.”

Bin Suroor hopes that he will make his mark at Newmarket’s July meeting and added: “We have some for that meeting, but I hope the ground won’t be too firm.”

Hukum, who bypassed Royal Ascot because of the fast ground, will now be aimed at the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Trainer Owen Burrows decided to withdraw Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard winner from the Hardwicke Stakes, after the ground tightened up throughout the week.

Hukum beat last season’s Derby winner Desert Crown in his scintillating return to action following a year off, having sustained a potentially career-ending hind-leg fracture during his victory in last year’s Coronation Cup at Epsom.

Connections felt they did not want to risk him in the race won by last year’s King George hero Pyledriver.

However, Shadwell’s longstanding racing manager Angus Gold is keen to take on the Hardwicke winner in the 12-furlong highlight on July 29.

“Hukum will run if and when we get some rain,” said Gold. “It was a touch and go situation yesterday.

“We were longing to run him, but Owen just felt in the end that while we could run him and he could win it, he might come back a bit sore after it and we’d all look silly.

“We kept him in training and spent a lot of time getting him right again after his injury last year and he just felt it was too big a risk. It is frustrating but sensible.

“Very much the idea is the King George. If the ground was good or even if it was good to firm, we might have to take a chance. That’s the big day. We will see how we are going nearer the time.”

Meanwhile, Burrows’ Prix d’Ispahan winner Anmaat is being primed for the Coral-Eclipse on Saturday week, although Prince of Wales’s Stakes hero Mostahdaf will swerve the race.

Gold said: “We had a winner which was a very important winner. Touch wood, Mostahdaf has come out of it very good. I spoke to John Gosden yesterday and he says he is bouncing.

“John is absolutely right and said that we know this horse is good fresh. He has run plenty of horses back two weeks later, thinking you have had plenty of time, and they come out and run flat.

“Particularly as we have done that with Al Asifah, I think we will be sitting still with Mostahdaf and hopefully get him to York in the same form in August.”

He added: “The Eclipse is off the cards for Mostahdaf. We still have Anmaat in, ground permitting. If he’s in good form and conditions look suitable, hopefully we will go there with him.”

Promising three-year-old filly Al Asifah, who won her first two starts, including a runaway success in a Listed 10-furlong contest at Goodwood earlier this month, will be held back after a disappointing sixth to Warm Heart when odds-on for the Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday.

Supplemented for the Group Two contest for her first try over 12 furlongs, just 11 days after her second start, she raced wide but did not pick up when jockey Jim Crowley asked the question.

Gold said: “Everyone has different opinions on Al Asifah, but to me she was just flat.

“Jim said he was never really happy with her, never really comfortable. I see all the experts saying she didn’t stay – she wouldn’t have won at a mile and a quarter.

“I don’t care what anybody says, at Goodwood she ran right through the line and here she was struggling from two out.

“She had only had two runs before, but she was just a bit more on her toes before. It was only 11 days after her previous run and everything has happened quite quickly for her. It could be a combination of things, but for me, she didn’t run her race.

“When you see how she picked up and ran through the line at Goodwood, she didn’t pick up and run anywhere at Ascot. It was fairly obvious it wasn’t the same run.

“We’ll give her a break now and get her back in the autumn. I still think she will be a very nice filly. We haven’t even discussed targets. We will give her some gentle downtime, three weeks or so, then bring her back and take it from there.”

Similarly, Mutasaabeq, who won the Group Two bet365 Mile at Newmarket on his return to action before a three-length defeat in the Lockinge at Newbury, will be given more time after finishing with just one behind him in the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday.

“Mutasaabeq is a funny horse,” Gold said of the Charlie Hills-trained five-year-old. “He runs well fresh.

“We tried to hang on to him this time to see if that helped, but it almost seemed he sulked and just went nowhere.

“We’ll see what there is for him, but we will just give him a bit of time now. He’s had three runs relatively quickly, but he’s the sort of horse who could easily come out and win another Group Two later in the year.”

Australian batter Travis Head has laughed off sledging from England during and since the thrilling Ashes opener at Edgbaston – and has sent a word of warning to Ollie Robinson.

Robinson is viewed in some quarters down under as the pantomime villain following his expletive-laden send-off to Usman Khawaja, with Australian greats Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting rounding on the Sussex seamer in the wake of the tourists’ two-wicket win.

It has not deterred Robinson, who – in a column for Wisden.com this week – expressed his surprise at how “defensive” Australia were, and claimed England’s opponents must change their style to come out on top during the five-match series.

England opener Zak Crawley, meanwhile, predicted on Times Radio recently that the hosts would win the upcoming second Test at Lord’s by 150 runs.

“We’re only going for the lunch, apparently,” Head told 9News Sydney. “Yeah, they have got this mantra they’re going at.

“Not just on the field but off the field they are throwing some nice chat out, but this team is truly just worried about what we need to do to win the second Test to go 2-0 up and put some pressure on them.”

Middle-order batter Head hit 50 at Edgbaston and put on 79 for the fourth wicket with Khawaja, who faced plenty of verbals from Robinson in Birmingham.

Robinson ended Khawaja’s marathon knock and claimed five wickets during the first Test, but Head insisted the England bowler will have to improve if he wants to retain his position in Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ team.

Head added: “I find it pretty fun. I had a few quiet words, jovial words, to him out there.

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“It all makes for good fun and we’ll see where the next four Tests go.

“It didn’t go his way in the first one but he’s very competitive and he will want to step up. But if he doesn’t, I think they have got a few people at home that might want to get up his back.”

Head trained with his Australian team-mates at Lord’s on Sunday ahead of the second Test getting under way on Wednesday.

Fellow batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were also present, having spent their Saturdays at the Home of Cricket in the nets following their low scores at Edgbaston.

Labuschagne took a painful blow to a finger on his right hand during his Saturday net session, but was fine to carry on after being checked over by team doctor Leigh Golding.

Adrian Murray is targeting further big-race success having got on the Royal Ascot scoreboard with Valiant Force in the Norfolk Stakes.

The Irish handler saddled only three runners at the Royal meeting and as well as Valiant Force’s shock 150-1 Norfolk triumph, Murray also saw Bucanero Fuerte run with real credit in the opening day’s Coventry Stakes to finish third.

Both two-year-olds are owned by Amo Racing and are now set to be campaigned at the highest level, with the Breeders’ Cup highlighted as the long-term aim for Valiant Force having provided Kia Joorabchian’s racing operation with their long-awaited first winner at the summer’s big meeting.

“I couldn’t believe he was 150-1,” said Murray. “I was drawing a line completely through his last run as he ran no race at all that day and with his form with His Majesty before that, I felt he had a right chance.

“He’s probably going to be aimed at the Breeders’ Cup now in November. He will more than likely run before then but having talked to the owner he is keen to go there, so that will be our big target for him.

“He’s a horse with a lot of speed, so I would say we will stick to five furlongs for the time being.”

With Valiant Force being pointed towards America, it could be left to Bucanero Fuerte to fly the flag on home soil with the son of Wootton Bassett set to continue plying his trade in Group company.

Although the GAIN Railway Stakes on July 2 may come too soon for the improving colt, a trip to the Curragh could be on the cards for the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes later in the summer on August 12.

“He’s a really nice horse and I think he’s going to be a really good horse down the road, there’s lots of improvement to come from him yet,” continued Murray.

“He might go for a Group One at the Curragh, but we will need to sit down and have a discussion. He’s entered for a couple of Group Ones but it might be the Phoenix Stakes for him. He’s entered in all the good races anyway, but we’re not going to rush him though.”

Reflecting on Bucanero Fuerte’s Coventry run when third to Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber, he added: “I would say if he was able to have got a tow into the race longer, he might have got closer the other day.

“I don’t know if he would have beaten the winner or not, but it would have been more helpful for him. It was just the way the race went for him, he was in front and went idle a bit, he was a bit green. But there should be lots more improvement to come from him.”

As well as providing his big-name owner with a Royal Ascot victory, it was the biggest success of Murray’s training career in its own right – something that the Westmeath-based trainer is still coming to terms with.

“It’s been fabulous and I can’t complain, it’s been a great week,” he said.

“It still hasn’t sunk in. You go there with great chances and you can still get beat, it’s a tough game. But we were delighted with the week.”

Lauren Filer made a crucial double breakthrough for England but Australia stretched their lead to 167 in the one-off Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Cross atoned for dropping Phoebe Litchfield minutes into the fourth morning by uprooting the off-stump of the Australia opener, out leaving for the second time in the match on her Test bow.

England debutant Filer, meanwhile, accounted for the highly-rated Ellyse Perry and then took out the leg stump of Tahlia McGrath, but Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 73 helped to lift Australia to 157 for three.

Mooney put on 99 with Litchfield (46) and 50 with Perry (25) and was the beneficiary of being dropped on 55 as Nat Sciver-Brunt, having only bowled five overs in the first innings before a sore knee, spilled a difficult return catch with her first delivery in Australia’s second dig.

Despite Tammy Beaumont’s historic double century on Saturday, Australia had edged ahead through Mooney and Litchfield, who outlined her intentions on the penultimate morning with an uppish drive at Sophie Ecclestone. She was reprieved after Cross spilled a simple waist-high chance at extra cover.

Cross required strapping on her left thumb but was able to continue bowling, and the England seamer’s drop proved not to be too costly as she got a delivery to jag back alarmingly towards Litchfield, who offered no shot and lost her off stump.

There was movement and spin in sunny and blustery conditions but England were largely unable to take advantage. Mooney offered a sharp caught and bowled chance after passing 50 but Sciver-Brunt could not cling on in her follow-through despite getting both hands to the ball.

Heather Knight’s off-spin drew the outside edge of Perry on 21 but the ball flew between wicketkeeper and slip, but the talismanic Australia all-rounder’s luck ran out soon after as, leaning back and shaping to cut, she merely inside edged on to her stumps.

Cheered on by the Nottingham crowd, Filer struck in her next over as a fuller, pacy delivery proved too much for McGrath, whose leg stump was flattened, in a second successive wicket maiden for the England youngster.