Legendary Day is unlikely to be seen back over hurdles any time soon having gained his biggest pay day to date in the Betfred Mallard Handicap at Doncaster.
Trained by Adrian Keatley, the five-year-old was bought out of Hughie Morrison’s yard as a dual-purpose prospect, yet despite winning on his first attempt over timber, two subsequent defeats tempered enthusiasm.
In any case, when you have a Flat horse capable of winning £60,000 handicaps you are probably better off sticking to what you know and that is what Keatley, an Irish 1,000 Guineas-winning trainer with Jet Setting when still based in his homeland, intends to do.
It was a narrow success – one of the biggest of 3lb claimer Mark Winn’s career – having been left in front a long way from home, but Legendary Day (12-1) held off 33-1 chance Oneforthegutter by a short-head.
Keatley said: “We bought him for 8,500 guineas to do both and he’s won over £70,000 for us now, but I won’t be in a rush to go back hurdling with him as he’s not a natural. He did win first time over them but he’s not good at getting in and popping, so he could damage himself with his technique.
“There’s nothing wrong with his technique on the Flat. He’s been knocking on the door in these sort of races. Joe Fanning rode him at York earlier in the season and was adamant he’d win one. Oisin (Murphy) rode him the last day in a big race at York and was very happy with him also.
“I said to Mark today, I just thought with his 3lb it might help us get there and it did.
“I’d been watching Mark for a while, he’s a good rider and an astute young man with a good head on his shoulders and I just thought that 3lb would be crucial.
“He was following the fancied one (The Goat) who quickly fell away, so he found himself in front and there was nothing he could do. Thankfully it worked.”
Keatley went on: “We’ve had a good year. We restocked in the middle of last year, we’ve 21 boxes, we rotate as we go and keep it as fresh as we can.
“These are the days you want to have winners, the big meetings.”
Winn said: “He travelled through the race lovely but when I asked him he found it a bit too well and I was in front a long time.
“He has cheekpieces for a reason, but even so he stuck at it very well. It was tight enough and you never like to be too confident.”
Richard Hannon’s Circe had shown up well on her debut at Sandown earlier in the month and had little trouble opening her account at the second attempt in the Coopers Marquees EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
In truth, not many got involved, with Marie Ellen trying to see them all off from the front but Sean Levey always looked confident.
The 3-1 favourite hit the front still on the bridle just over a furlong out and despite looking green in the closing stages, won by a length and a half.
Levey said: “She was very impressive, we liked her first time and she ran in a quality race, beaten by two horses with experience.
“We hoped she’d stepped forwards and she has. I would have liked to have seen her put her head down a bit more and run right through the line, but I didn’t really get a chance to do that as she did it too easy.
“She’s a big horse with plenty of scope and she’ll make a nice three-year-old.”
William Buick guided the George Boughey-trained Baradar (100-30 favourite) to an easy win in the Doncaster Groundworks Reinforcements Handicap, while Ralph Beckett’s Mistressofillusion (7-2) made all in the British EBF Ruby Anniversary Premier Fillies’ Handicap.
Gareth Anscombe has revealed how he feared his Rugby World Cup hopes might have been destroyed by injury for a second successive tournament.
The Wales fly-half missed Japan 2019 after suffering an horrific knee injury during a World Cup warm-up game against England that sidelined him for two years.
Anscombe fought back to put himself on the international stage once more – then injury struck again during Wales’ World Cup training camp in Turkey earlier this summer.
An attempted tackle on George North left Anscombe with a thumb problem that resulted in scans and him having to wear a plaster cast for a month, ruling him out of Wales’ three pre-World Cup Tests.
“I suppose I had a night there in Turkey where I thought I was done again, and that was devastating,” said Anscombe, who starts Saturday’s Pool C clash against Portugal at Stade de Nice.
“You have some dark thoughts then, but thankfully I had some luck on my side for once.
“It didn’t look great at the start, and the initial prognosis was it was probably going to need surgery, but thankfully the scans came back better than first thought.
“I had to be in a cast for a month, which was difficult, but at least I could still run.
“I missed the warm-up games, but to have the backing of the coaching staff was great. They spoke to me and said I was still in their plans, which was nice to hear.
“It has been about getting myself right and ready for when an opportunity presented itself, and here we are this weekend.”
Anscombe is one of eight survivors from Wales’ 2015 World Cup squad to be involved eight years later, and he offers considerable experience through 35 caps.
And the New Zealand-born number 10 is relishing a chance to play his part as Wales aim to reach the World Cup knockout phase for a fourth successive tournament.
He features in a team showing 13 changes from the side that toppled Fiji, and it is Anscombe’s first World Cup appearance since he started at full-back against quarter-final conquerors South Africa eight years ago.
“We know there are parts of our performance that we need to improve if we want to progress deep into this tournament,” he added. “But it was a great start (against Fiji).
“There has been an element of confidence brewing. The more time we spend together, we always improve.
“You look back to the Six Nations, a new coaching group and a fairly volatile situation in Welsh rugby.
“We’ve just been able to get away from a bit of the noise, which I think has been important for us as a group. Getting away in Switzerland and Turkey, focusing on ourselves.
“You always need an element of luck in World Cups, with injuries and decisions. We just hope to slowly go about our work and ride the wave.
“We had fantastic support on the weekend. I think more people will jump on the plane over and get behind us. I think you see when Welsh fans get behind us, who knows what can happen.”
Ireland continue their Rugby World Cup campaign on Saturday evening by taking on Tonga in Nantes.
Andy Farrell’s men are seeking a second successive Pool B win ahead of pivotal Paris appointments with South Africa and Scotland after beginning the competition with a thumping 82-8 success over Romania.
Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points.
Strong selection
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With the formidable Springboks looming large, there were suggestions head coach Farrell may make sweeping changes to his starting line-up. But the Englishman has resisted temptation and gone almost full strength. Only sidelined hooker Dan Sheehan and scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park are missing from arguably his preferred XV. Farrell made clear he wishes to prioritise the immediate challenge rather than become preoccupied by potential injury setbacks and the forthcoming threat of the reigning world champions. Some fans and pundits disagree with that logic. Only time will tell if it is the correct call.
Sexton seeking more history
Johnny Sexton returned with a bang in Bordeaux. His first competitive outing in almost six months following injury and suspension included two tries as part of a 24-point haul. The impressive return propelled him above Ronan O’Gara as Ireland’s leading World Cup points scorer (102) on the day he became his country’s oldest international. Further history beckons for the 38-year-old in Nantes. He needs just 10 more points to surpass O’Gara as Ireland’s outright record points scorer. Captain Sexton, who will retire after the tournament, is not contemplating personal glory. “It will be a very special moment individually but no-one else will really care,” he said.
Avoiding deja vu
Ireland require little reminder of the risks of underestimating weaker opposition at the World Cup. With influential fly-half Sexton rested, they were stunned by hosts Japan under Joe Schmidt in 2019, which ultimately led to a quarter-final exit at the hands of New Zealand. Farrell was assistant to Schmidt back then. But he insists the upset in Shizuoka has not influenced his strong selection. Ireland only need to look back to Thursday evening, when a second-string France side survived a major scare against Uruguay, for further evidence of the dangers posed by emerging nations.
Tough start for Tonga
Tonga have been drawn in the tournament’s trickiest pool, with the world’s top-ranked nation up first. Toutai Kefu’s side, who had a weekend off in round one, are well aware of their underdog status. “We’re not delusional to the challenge we face,” said assistant coach Tyler Bleyendaal. Yet the ranks of the Pacific islanders have been significantly bolstered thanks to a change of international eligibility rules. Former All Blacks Malakai Fekitoa, a World Cup winner in 2015, Charles Piutau, Augustine Pulu and Vaea Fifita are among their starting XV. Bleyendaal anticipates a physical encounter. “We’re here to really fire some shots,” said the former Munster player.
The heat is on
Ireland will welcome a significant reduction in temperature following the scorching conditions endured at Stade de Bordeaux. Farrell’s players defied heat of 36 degrees Celsius to run in 12 tries against Romania, while it was again uncomfortably warm on Friday afternoon when they trained at Stade de la Beaujoire. The forecast for Saturday’s 9pm kick-off local time is a more manageable 22 degrees, with light winds, clear skies and a low chance of precipitation following possible thundery showers earlier in the day. That said, humidity is expected to be high and will add to the intensity as Ireland once again bid to deliver under pressure.
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham is defying expectations and can bring "joy and visibility" to LaLiga, according to former Spain midfielder Marcos Senna.
The England midfielder has enjoyed a blistering start to life in Madrid since joining from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth an initial €103million, which could rise to €133.9m.
Bellingham is the top scorer in LaLiga with five goals, while his stoppage-time winner against Getafe last time out made him only the third Madrid player – after Pepillo and Cristiano Ronaldo – to net on each of his first four competitive appearances for the club.
The 20-year-old's exploits have caught the eye of ex-Villarreal captain Senna, who was part of the Spain squad that won the 2008 European Championships.
Speaking at the Thinking Football Summit, Senna told Stats Perform: "He is really impressing, and the numbers are there for everyone to see. He is doing more than could have been expected.
"For LaLiga, it is very important that players like him and others who arrive in the league continue being very competitive and visible in the world.
"He is a player that can bring [Spanish football] joy and visibility, and he is proving it already."
The 47-year-old also spoke about former club Villarreal, where he racked up over 350 appearances during his 11-year stay, helping them reach the Champions League semi-finals in the 2005-06 season.
But the Yellow Submarine have endured a poor start to 2023-24 with three defeats in four games culminating in the departure of Quique Setien, who was replaced by Pacheta.
The former Elche and Real Valladolid boss will take charge for the first time when Villarreal welcome fellow strugglers Almeria on Sunday, but Senna is confident the club's fortunes will soon improve.
"Villarreal didn't start the season the way we wanted and now there is a change of manager," he said. "But I believe we have a lot of time to turn the situation around, and we have a group of great players.
"It's a great club that knows what it's doing. The goal this year is to finish as high as possible in the table, among the European places, and to be the Villarreal that everyone knows."
On Pacheta, Senna added: "It's a great opportunity for him, he is a great professional. This is one of the clubs with the most expression, and he will have the opportunity [to show his methods]. We hope he does a good job and can help us."
Tom Lawrence admits Rangers players were wounded by their defeat to Celtic but are determined to get back on track immediately.
The Light Blues received stinging criticism from their own supporters at the end of the 1-0 home defeat to their Old Firm rivals just before the international break, which left them four points behind Brendan Rodgers’ side with boss Michael Beale under pressure.
Ahead of the trip to St Johnstone on Saturday, attacker Lawrence, recently back after a year’s absence due to a knee injury, said: “Everyone was disappointed.
“The whole changing room was really down after the game, there were a few honest conversations.
“We know what it means to the fans. It is always difficult. We know how big those games are.
“It hurts us, it hurts the fans, it hurts everyone to do with the club.
“We know if we don’t get a result in that game it is going to hurt everybody.
“We have to have honest conversations with ourselves in the changing room and that is what we have done. It is the whole group, as a collective.
“I am not going to go into the individuals. But, like I say, it has been spoken about and all we can do is look forward to the next game and deliver in that game.”
Stuart McInally revealed he has gone through “a whirlwind of emotions” in recent months after he finally got the call to join Scotland’s World Cup squad for a fairy-tale career swansong.
The 33-year-old hooker was officially added to Gregor Townsend’s 33-man squad this week after his long-time Edinburgh club-mate Dave Cherry suffered concussion when slipping on stairs at the team hotel near Nice on Monday, the day after the Scots’ defeat by South Africa.
McInally announced in April that he would be retiring from rugby after the World Cup to pursue a new career as an airline pilot, and his dream of bowing out of the sport on the biggest stage of all looked on course when he was named in the provisional 41-man training squad.
But just days after coming on to win his 49th cap for Scotland away to France last month, McInally received a call from head coach Townsend to inform him he was not in the final 33-man squad, effectively putting him into retirement.
McInally was given some hope when he was called out to France last week as cover after Ewan Ashman suffered concussion and then after flying home to Edinburgh on Monday, he got the call on Wednesday morning to say he was required for duty once more following Cherry’s accident.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions,” he said, reflecting on his remarkable return to the fold at the team’s training ground in Nice on Friday. “I was named in the original 41, I was really excited, then to find out I wasn’t going, the emotions took a bit of a hit there, I was very disappointed.
“Then I was out here for injury cover, but I wasn’t allowed to train. I still felt part of it, but I wasn’t really part of it. Then when I found out I was officially joining the 33, I was over the moon. The story continues.
“It’s lucky I like flying as I’ve been back and forth, clocking up the air miles. I didn’t mind it, it’s always been for a reason and it’s not like we’re in Japan like last time. It’s a two-hour flight.
“I got the call to come back on Wednesday. It was a case of pack my bags and getting straight back out here. Luckily I hadn’t unpacked, I’m quite slow with the unpacking!”
McInally was gutted not to be named in the original squad in August.
“The hooker position is so competitive so I never took anything for granted,” he said. “I thought I had a good chance but ultimately they went a different way and I respected that and had a good chat with Gregor. I moved on, but that’s all in the past now.”
McInally insisted there was never any danger of him going into retirement mode after his initial snub as his professional mentality ensured he kept himself in shape in case an opportunity arose belatedly.
“I had always been very clear that I’d be starting my new career in November and that would be after the World Cup,” he said.
“I can see why people would think it would be hard to stay focused (on rugby), but for me it was quite easy as I always knew this could happen and as long as it could happen, I was going to make sure I was in a good position to take the chance if it came.
“I would have kicked myself if this situation had arisen and I hadn’t looked after myself.
“People said ‘you might get a call, I can see it happening’, but you never really believe it. But it was very easy for me to keep fit because I knew that even if I had been called up much further down the line, maybe a quarter-final or something and I hadn’t stayed fit and they needed me, then I would never have been able to forgive myself. That’s just me being me.
“I have been running and doing my weights on my own to make sure I stayed sharp.
“I made sure I spoke to the conditioners here and they gave me running sessions and weights to do. I’ve got a gym in the house and a running pitch two minutes from my house so I could do very specific rugby sessions.
“After 13 years in rugby I know the sessions I need to do to stay in shape so I put myself through my paces. It was all for a good reason.”
McInally, who captained Scotland at the last World Cup in Japan, knows he now has the chance to notch his 50th cap before he retires.
“A lot of people are talking about it (the possibility of a 50th cap) and I’ve had a lot of love from back home about that,” he said. “I’m trying not to think about it because until you’re actually named in a 23 and take to the pitch, anything can happen.
“It’s so exciting, and knowing that it’s my last throw of the dice as well, I’m determined to give my best.
“What would make it really special would be if we went on and did something special and got out of the group and challenged for quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.
“That’s what we’re here for. It’s great to be here, but we’re just focused on playing our best and trying to get out of the group.”
McInally had sympathy for 32-year-old Cherry, who had made his first-ever appearance at a World Cup the day before his accident.
“It was hugely disappointing for him,” he said. “I spoke to him before he left and he was obviously very gutted. It is just one of those things and I feel really sorry for him.”
Paris St Germain have loaned Edouard Michut to Turkish club Adana Demirspor.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who enjoyed a loan spell at Sunderland last term, will stay in Turkey for the full season.
Michut played 28 times as the Black Cats reached the Championship play-offs.
The French club said in a statement: “Paris St Germain wishes Edouard a successful season with Adana Demirspor.”
Adana Demirspor are managed by former Barcelona and Netherlands forward Patrick Kluivert.
An emotional Andy Murray broke down in tears at the end of an epic Davis Cup win over Swiss debutant Leandro Riedi after revealing he was missing his grandmother’s funeral to play in the tie.
Murray needed all his nous to grind out a 6-7 (7) 6-4 6-4 victory in three hours and 10 minutes at Manchester’s AO Arena, giving Great Britain a 1-0 lead over Switzerland.
At the end of what had been a light-hearted on-court interview, the Scot choked up, revealing the added significance of his victory.
“Today is a tough day for me, it’s my gran’s funeral today,” he said. “I’m sorry to my family that I’m not able to be there but gran, this one’s for you.”
Murray then returned to his bench where he sat sobbing into his towel.
It made his efforts in coming through another long and tense battle even more impressive.
Murray had only lost three of his previous 35 singles matches in the competition and never to a player ranked as low as world number 152 Riedi, but the big-hitting 21-year-old produced a performance well above that.
Having seen his gamble to play debutant Jack Draper and Dan Evans handsomely pay off in Wednesday’s victory over Australia, captain Leon Smith made use of his options by naming Murray and Cameron Norrie as his singles players here.
Evans’ 0-5 record against Wawrinka may have played a part in his thinking along perhaps with caution not to overplay Draper considering his physical fragility this year.
Murray played singles against Kazakhstan at the same stage last year but only once Britain were already eliminated, making this his first live singles rubber in the competition since 2019 and only his second in seven years.
Switzerland also sprung a surprise by picking Riedi ahead of their number two Dominic Stricker, and Murray admitted that had thrown him having prepared to face a left-hander.
After negotiating an 11-minute first game, the Scot broke serve immediately and had a chance to open up a 4-0 lead.
He could not take it, though, and Riedi worked his way into the contest, beginning to cause Murray increasing problems with his big forehand and aggressive tactics.
They earned him a break back when the Scot served for the set at 5-3, and Murray was then unable to take two set points in the tie-break, Riedi converting his first opportunity with his 22nd winner.
The young Swiss, who had never previously beaten a top-50 player, had his tail up and Murray kicked his bag in frustration after failing to break in the third game of the second set.
He finally made the breakthrough at 3-3 when Riedi double-faulted, only for the 21-year-old to leave his opponent rooted to the spot with a series of blistering returns.
Undeterred, Murray engineered another break and this time held onto it with trademark grim determination to level the match.
The 36-year-old has been in similar situations hundreds of times during his career and ultimately experience won out, although it was still nip and tuck, with Murray slamming his racket to the court after handing an early break back in the decider.
He broke again to lead 3-2, though, and quashed Riedi’s hopes of a comeback by taking his first match point with an ace.
Murray said: “It’s obviously incredible to get through that one, it easily could have gone the other way.
“It was ridiculous the shots he was pulling off, amazing, amazing returning. I kept fighting and tried to stay focused and managed to turn it round.”
Lewis Ludlam has edged Billy Vunipola in the battle for England’s number eight jersey for Sunday’s World Cup clash with Japan.
Vunipola has completed his two-match suspension for a dangerous tackle against Ireland last month but the hard-carrying Saracen is limited to a bench role only for the Stade de Nice showdown.
Instead, Ludlam has been rewarded for his defensive masterclass as a replacement in the 27-10 rout of Argentina on Saturday by filling the hole in the back row created by Tom Curry’s suspension, also for an illegal challenge.
Ben Earl switches from number eight to openside to accommodate the return of Ludlam, who played every minute of this year’s Six Nations and has been one of England’s most consistent performers of recent times.
The Northampton skipper’s elevation above the less mobile Vunipola is a nod to Japan’s high tempo tactics, which assistant coach Kevin Sinfield has compared to Barcelona’s tiki-taka style of football.
Two further changes in personnel have been made in the front row where Kyle Sinckler and Joe Marler displace Dan Cole and Ellis Genge as starting props.
Sinckler has recovered from the pectoral injury that limited his game time during the warm-up Tests and prevented him from facing the Pumas in the Pool D opener in Marseille.
Steve Borthwick has retained the same backline that featured against Argentina with George Ford given another opportunity to argue his case for being viewed as first choice fly-half.
Owen Farrell completes his four-match ban – once again for a dangerous tackle – versus Japan and becomes available for the last two group matches against Chile and Samoa, forcing Borthwick to make a difficult call at 10.
England will march on to a place in the quarter-finals if they topple Japan, who are not the dynamic force that captured hearts and minds at the last World Cup when they reached the knockout phase for the first time.
Having risen to tier-one status, they have now slipped to 14th in the global rankings but at least opened the tournament with a thumping 42-12 victory over Chile.
“It was both pleasing and important that we were able to start our World Cup campaign with a good win against Argentina last Saturday,” Borthwick said.
“It was incredible to see so many of our supporters in the stadium in Marseille. Their support means a great deal to the team. We hope that we were able to provide the supporters both here in France and at home with some great memories, and we are setting out to do the same again this Sunday in Nice.
“After another good week’s preparation in Le Touquet, we are looking forward to the challenge of playing a Japan side that will be full of confidence following their comprehensive win over Chile in their opening fixture of the competition.”
Steven Naismith feels “nothing changes” behind the scenes ahead of his first match as Hearts head coach.
Naismith was given the new title during the international break after being made technical director in the summer as Frankie McAvoy took on the head coach role.
The move was designed to meet UEFA requirements for coaching qualifications for managers in European competition, and Hearts simplified the coaching structure after exiting the Europa Conference League.
Naismith, who was appointed caretaker manager late last season, said ahead of Saturday’s visit of Aberdeen, said: “Nothing has changed behind the scenes from the seven games we took over to now, to be honest.
“It will be much more of the same. I think it’s more a paper thing than anything else.
“All along I have been comfortable with, internally, how I am valued. Everything is the same.”
Naismith accepts that fans will now know the buck stops with him.
“That probably is clearer but internally nothing changes,” he said. “In terms of the buck stopping with me, I personally felt that when I was a player and when I was a coach and when I took the team last season. Nothing really changes in that front as well.
“I will work as hard as I can with the guys who are part of the squad, part of the coaching team, the support staff, to try and bring success to the club and that’s probably been our motivation from the time we took the team.”
Defeat by Motherwell before the international break made it four losses in a row and left Hearts in eighth place, but sitting above fellow European qualifiers Aberdeen and Hibernian.
Naismith, who feels Hearts have struggled to deal with fatigue levels after European games, said: “The break probably came at a good time for us.
“Our performance levels at times this season have been really good. We have looked a threat, but then when you throw in the number of games that we have had in a short space of time, I don’t think we have dealt well with that.
“We have given up cheap goals from that and that then puts you in a difficult position, but then we just haven’t shown that bit of magic in those times when you need to dig really deep.
“For me, that has been the biggest thing, but in the last two weeks we have been able to do some really good work on that. Making sure that we play with a freedom, and we don’t think twice about playing certain passes.”
Hearts suffered a blow during the break with defender Alex Cochrane facing a spell on the sidelines.
“Alex Cochrane took a knock on his ankle in training while blocking a shot, so he is likely to be looking at six weeks or maybe longer,” he said.
Andy Murray battled past Davis Cup debutant Leandro Riedi in a three-hour epic in Manchester to give Great Britain a 1-0 lead over Switzerland.
The former world number one had only lost three of his previous 35 singles matches in the competition and never to a player ranked as low as world number 152 Riedi.
But the big-hitting 21-year-old produced a performance well above that and, after failing to take his chances in the opening set, Murray needed all his nous to grind out a 6-7 (7) 6-4 6-4 victory in three hours and 10 minutes.
It was another demonstration that, for all his frustration at being unable to get back in the mix at grand slams, the competitive fire still burns brightly within Murray and to get over the line in an important match for his country undoubtedly meant a lot.
The 36-year-old said: “It’s obviously incredible to get through that one, it easily could have gone the other way. It was ridiculous the shots he was pulling off, amazing, amazing returning. I kept fighting and tried to stay focused and managed to turn it round.”
Having seen his gamble to play debutant Jack Draper and Dan Evans handsomely pay off in Wednesday’s victory over Australia, captain Leon Smith made use of his options by naming Murray and Cameron Norrie as his singles players here.
Evans’ 0-5 record against Stan Wawrinka may have played a part in his thinking along perhaps with caution not to over-play Draper given his physical fragility this year.
Murray played singles against Kazakhstan at the same stage last year but only once Britain were already eliminated, making this his first live singles rubber in the competition since 2019 and only his second in seven years.
Switzerland also sprang a surprise by picking Riedi ahead of their number two Dominic Stricker, and Murray admitted that had thrown him having prepared to face a left-hander.
After negotiating an 11-minute first game, the Scot broke serve immediately and had a chance to open up a 4-0 lead.
He could not take it, though, and Riedi worked his way into the contest, beginning to cause Murray increasing problems with his big forehand and aggressive tactics.
They earned him a break back when the Scot served for the set at 5-3, and Murray was then unable to take two set points in the tie-break, Riedi converting his first opportunity with his 22nd winner.
The young Swiss, who had never previously beaten a top-50 player, had his tail up and Murray kicked his bag in frustration after failing to break in the third game of the second set.
He finally made the breakthrough at 3-3 when Riedi double-faulted only for the 21-year-old to leave his opponent rooted to the spot with a series of blistering returns.
Undeterred, Murray engineered another break and this time held onto it with trademark grim determination to level the match.
The Scot has been in similar situations hundreds of times during his career and ultimately experience won out, although it was still nip and tuck, with Murray slamming his racket to the court after handing an early break back in the decider.
He broke again to lead 3-2, though, and quashed Riedi’s hopes of a comeback by taking his first match point with an ace.
Napoli manager Rudi Garcia has backed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to return to form ahead of a busy period for the club.
Georgian winger Kvaratskhelia scored 14 goals last season to help the Serie A title return to Naples, but a calf injury has restricted his involvement during the new campaign.
Kvaratskhelia played twice for Georgia during the international break and Garcia knows he can count on the attacker when Napoli travel to Genoa on Saturday night for the start of a sequence of seven matches in 23 days.
“Kvara has played 180 minutes (for Georgia). He struggled a bit in the first match and was a bit better in the second, but I am not worried for him,” Garcia told a press conference.
“He was a bit unlucky in the second half against Lazio. He will score and assist again. He could not play for 90 minutes against Lazio, but two full games with Georgia are good news for us.
“We have seven games in 23 days. It will be like a marathon and we must start well having all the group available.”
Last season’s Scudetto winners suffered their first loss of the campaign before the international break when Lazio won 2-1 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 2.
Garcia admitted he will be forced to make changes to his starting line-up for that match and goalscorer Matteo Politano could be on the bench.
Politano trained separately this week with a knock but could still be included on the bench for the trip north.
Garcia added: “Many players were tired yesterday and some are not 100 per cent fit, but I am happy that there are no injuries.
“Matteo Politano should be with us, even if he can’t play for 90 minutes.
“Kvaratskhelia has only started one Serie A game so far this season but is getting back in shape.
“Those who deserve it will play but the starting line-up won’t be the same as against Lazio.
“We must be more efficient up front. It would be important to keep a clean sheet, like against Sassuolo.
“We must be confident because we have a tidy playing style, which must bring us to scoring more goals.”
Dawid Malan pushed himself into pole position to open for England at next month’s World Cup, carrying the side with a superb century in the final ODI against New Zealand.
With Jason Roy once again missing due to back spasms, Malan continued to make the most of his unexpected opportunity at the top of the order with 127 off 114 balls in a total of 311 for nine at Lord’s.
The 36-year-old, who became a father for the second time last week, also made 96 at the Kia Oval on Tuesday and 54 in the series opener in Cardiff.
Only a matter of days ago Malan was being talked about as a potential fall-guy should Harry Brook be parachuted into the final 15 for the tournament in India, but he has picked his moment expertly and instead appears to have built a compelling case to gatecrash the first XI.
Roy, meanwhile, was left kicking his heels in the dressing room once more and may now be sweating over his own place on the plane. He was one of the stars of England’s 2019 triumph but his fitness issues have emerged at the worst possible time and captain Jos Buttler admitted at the toss that England may look to add him to the second-string side that takes on Ireland next week in a bid to get him back in the saddle.
Malan played his part outstandingly, scoring 14 boundaries and three sixes as he occupied the crease for 40 overs and displayed a combination of touch and timing that eluded his team-mates.
Along the way he eased past 1,000 ODI runs in his 21st appearance – a joint record alongside Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott. He has now reached three figures five times in that period, averaging 61.52 at strike-rate of 96.52 – a formidable track record by any reckoning.
England rested Ben Stokes after the exertions of his record-breaking 182 on Tuesday evening and his presence was missed in the middle order, Brook stepping in at number four but failing to crank up the pressure on Roy any further.
He was dismissed for 10 when he hit a Rachin Ravindra drag down straight to mid-on and boasts a modest 37 from his three outings this series. Joe Root’s struggle for rhythm also continued, twice dropped in single figures before losing his stump for 29 aiming a slog sweep at Ravindra, who finished with four for 60.
Buttler was the best of the rest, chipping in a lively 36, with New Zealand taking five for 68 in a busy final 10 overs.
Tom Marquand is concentrating on the result rather than the occasion ahead of his bid to carry the royal colours to Classic glory in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster.
It is 46 years since Dunfermline provided the late Queen with the last of her five British Classic wins in the Town Moor showpiece and optimism is high that Desert Hero can end the long wait for another victory by adding his name to the roll of honour on Saturday.
The William Haggas-trained colt brought the house down after giving the newly-crowned King and Queen their first taste of Royal Ascot success in the King George V Stakes in June and he has since enhanced his Leger claims by landing the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.
Marquand has ridden multiple Group One winners at home and abroad, including a first Classic win with Galileo Chrome in a behind-closed-doors Leger three years ago – but in his view Desert Hero’s victory in Berkshire three months ago tops the lot.
“I’d be lying if I said anything other than I didn’t even give it a thought beforehand, as a jockey you don’t. There’s only one thing that matters and that’s winning and everything else pales into insignificance unless you win,” he said.
“It was an absolutely incredible day and an extremely special one that will probably rank up right up there for the rest of my days riding.
“Honestly, it’s probably the highest. Obviously you’ll have higher profile wins in higher grade races, but as an Englishman the opportunity to ride the King’s first Royal Ascot winner, with them there and seeing the excitement and the pleasure both the King and Queen got from it, was incredible.”
Following the Queen’s death 12 months ago, there were genuine concerns the royal patronage of the sport might fade. Marquand feels Desert Hero’s Ascot win went some way to allaying those fears.
“For racing it’s extremely important and gratifying that the passion for the sport that we all love so much is there,” he continued.
“I think that’s what made the occasion so special, that it was so clear for everyone that was there and watching on the TV as well the joy the King and Queen got from that winner.
“I didn’t think that I’d get a Classic-winning opportunity for them so soon after obviously, but that Royal Ascot will be hard to topple off top spot.
“It was great, but to have that line of progression from Desert Hero to the point where he’s going into the St Leger as one of the main chances in the race is fantastic for everyone.”
Given the expectation, Marquand will have plenty of pressure on his shoulders when he heads out onto the Doncaster turf on Saturday afternoon, but he is keen to treat it like just another race.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it, it’s a big day and an important one with pretty special circumstances, obviously. It’s great.
“Obviously we’re very appreciative to be in the situation we are going into the weekend with him, but we kind of put that to one side going into the racing scenario as it’s all insignificant unless his head lands in front in the right place.
“It doesn’t matter who owns him or who is involved or whatever if that doesn’t happen, so first and foremost the main priority is to give him the best opportunity to win that we can and after that hopefully we’ll have a bit more to worry about!
“It’s all insignificant if he doesn’t win, so there’s not much point spending time thinking about it.”
Desert Hero finished only eighth when favourite for Newbury’s London Gold Cup on his seasonal debut, but Marquand insists he was far from despondent.
He said: “He didn’t disappoint us all at Newbury. It was a mile and a quarter, it was obviously his first run of the year and things didn’t quite go to plan as I ended up making the running, so I actually came back in extremely happy with him.
“I just thought he’d been a bit slow and he’d love going up to a mile and a half and the progression from there has been massive.
“Ascot was obviously a huge performance, but he went and cemented that at Goodwood up in Stakes company and on very different ground as well.”
One question Desert Hero will have to answer is whether his stamina will last out over a mile and three-quarters, but Marquand is as hopeful as he can be the longer trip will not be an issue.
“He’s shown how appliable he is to different things and different conditions. He’s got a different trip to contend with this time, but I think it’s fair to say he’s shown the trip shouldn’t be an issue and on breeding it shouldn’t be an issue, so we’re hoping it’s not going to be,” he added.
“Until you run over it, it’s still a question mark, but I think it’s one of the question marks going into a race like this you don’t mind having. If the trip is the only problem we have then fantastic!”
Marquand knows Desert Hero will not have things all his own way, with a clutch of talented rivals lying in wait.
Frankie Dettori bids for one final Classic win before his retirement aboard Arrest, while Continuous and Gregory renew rivalry after finishing first and third in the Great Voltigeur at York last month.
Further strength in depth is added by the supplemented Middle Earth and Chesspiece, who was only a neck behind Desert Hero at Goodwood in early August.
Assessing the field, Marquand said: “It’s a race where there’s a lot of strength in it, but there’s no standout horse that needs to disappoint for something else to win. It makes it interesting.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity and I know William and the team at Somerville Lodge are thrilled they’ve found a horse like him this year for the King and Queen – it’s given everyone a huge amount of pleasure to be in this position.
“Whatever happens, they’ve done a fantastic job with him and everyone has enjoyed the ride so far.”
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