England are expected to take the bold step of naming Marcus Smith at full-back for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against Fiji in Marseille.

Smith is on course to make his second start in the position as head coach Steve Borthwick looks to inject pace and creativity into his back line at the expense of Freddie Steward.

A converted fly-half, Smith excelled in the group game against Chile when handed the number 15 jersey and has also starred during a number of cameos.

But Fiji are a step up in opposition, even if they lack the pinpoint kicking game to truly expose his inexperience in the position.

Borthwick names his team to face the Islanders on Friday afternoon and is expected to make another big call at fly-half with captain Owen Farrell likely to replace George Ford.

Ford was named man of the match in the emphatic Pool D wins against Argentina and Japan but the Sale ringmaster appears to have lost out to his rival’s greater impact in defence in what is a nod to the threat posed by Fiji’s power runners.

While the change at chief conductor would represent one of the biggest selection calls made by Borthwick, it is Smith’s presence at full-back that provides a key indication of how the team wants to play at Stade Velodrome.

England wing Elliot Daly said: “Marcus probably shifts in a little bit more to be that second ball player.

“Obviously with him being a 10, he wants to get his hands on the ball and organise on the outside.

“Freddie’s been brilliant since his debut at the back and I think he’s come on leaps and bounds, the last year especially, in the way he attacks.

“I don’t think much changes, but Marcus probably goes in a little bit closer and wants to be that proper second ball player.”

Daly is set to return to the side after being dropped for the tense 18-17 victory over Samoa that rounded off Pool D on a sour note, either on the wing or at outside centre.

If he is picked on the wing, the 31-year-old utility back intends to go hunting for the ball as one of a number of duties.

“I’m on the wing but really I’m there to try and get my hands on the ball, connect with the 10s and the 15s and try to get the ball wide really. Take opportunities when they’re on,” Daly said.

“As a winger now in international rugby you need to be able to do a lot. My role is to try to look for the ball and look for backfield space, feed that into the 10s or use my left foot to put it in there. There’s not one role any more.

“The best thing for me is that because I’ve played in those positions I understand what they need.

“I understand what communication I need to give to those guys to make their job a little bit easier.

“We’ve got a very fluid backline. The way we attack, we’re happy to get anybody on the ball and we just want to get it into space and into the right areas of the pitch.”

Scotland suffered their first Euro 2024 qualifying defeat with a 2-0 loss in Spain but qualification hopes remain alive.

The Scots had won their first five Group A qualifiers including a 2-0 win over the Spanish at Hampden Park in March and needed to take something from the return game in Seville or Norway fail to beat Cyprus, to qualify on the night.

In a stifling warm evening, the Scots survived some heavy first-half pressure to go in at the break goalless before Scott McTominay, who scored both goals against Spain in Glasgow, fired in a wonderful free-kick in the 59th
minute only to see it ruled out after a VAR check for a Jack Hendry infringement.

Alvaro Morata headed in after 73 minutes and substitute Oihan Sancet and Scotland defender Ryan Porteous clashed together for the second in the 86th minute and with Norway beating Cyprus, Steve Clarke’s men move on to the second October fixture.

Scotland face France in a friendly in Lille next Tuesday but Spain face Norway two days earlier and if the Norwegians drop points, Scotland’s place in Germany will be secured while the Scots also have Georgia away and Norway at home in November.

That it was the annual National Day of Spain added to the sense of occasion although the Scots had work to do.

In the absence of injured Kieran Tierney, Clarke stuck with a back-three with Scott McKenna taking over and Lyndon Dykes was asked to lead the line, supported mostly by Ryan Christie.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who had criticised Scotland’s tactics and talent after the defeat in March, Gavi and Morata were some of the stars starting for this summer’s Nations League winners.

Feran Torres missed a great chance in the second minute, beating Scotland keeper Angus Gunn with a close-range shot after taking a Morata pass but failing to hit the target.

Torres’s corner moments later sped through the Scotland six-yard box but Morata’s header at the far post was at a stretch and caused no danger.
It was looking like a long night for the visitors.

La Roja kept their corner count ticking over amid their control of the game – Rodri was jeered by the Scotland fans – but the Scots stuck to their task with only the occasional foray forward.

In the 34th minute, after Scotland defender Aaron Hickey brilliantly blocked a shot from Mikel Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino cracked the post with a left-footed drive and the ball spun away for a goal kick.

Morata had the ball in the net soon afterwards but was well offside but some bad luck followed.

Just before the break skipper Andy Robertson collided with Spain keeper Unai Simon and appeared to hurt his shoulder, with Nathan Patterson taking over and Hickey moving to left-back.

Granada attacker, Bryan Zaragoza, who scored twice against Barcelona at the weekend, came on to make his debut for Spain at the start of the second half, along with Fran Garcia.

Spain continued their dominance but in a rare Scotland attack, Christie could not quite control a John McGinn pass inside the box and the chance was lost.

Christie did well to win a free-kick against Dani Carvajal near the byline on the left and the Tartan Army were in raptures when McTominay fired it high past Simon but after Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk was sent to check his pitchside monitor, he ruled a Hendry foul on the keeper.

Scotland were soon on the back foot again as Spain brought on Jesus Navas and Sancet and when Navas crossed from the right Morata skimmed a header past Gunn.

It was another blow for Scotland who came right out their shell, substitute Che Adams, on for Dykes, stabbing a close-range shot at Simon
while at the other end Porteous blocked a goal-bound shot from substitute Joselu before a mistake by Hickey allowed Joselu to square the ball and
Sancet and Porteous challenged with the ball ending in the net.

It was a tough night for Scotland but in qualification terms, Germany is still very much on the cards.

England manager Gareth Southgate accepts the Football Association would have been “criticised in one way or another” for its response to the Israel and Palestine conflict.

Following attacks by Hamas militants on the country’s territory last weekend, the FA had faced calls to illuminate the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag before Friday’s friendly between England and Australia.

The Hamas attacks have led to the Israeli government responding with airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, with a ground invasion also reported to be a possibility.

The British Government had written to UK sports bodies encouraging them to mark events in Israel appropriately.

The FA, though, announced in a statement on Thursday that players would wear black armbands and that a period of silence would be observed instead to remember the victims of the conflict.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said she was left “extremely disappointed” by the decision not to light up Wembley.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews also criticised the FA statement – pointing out that it made “no mention of the mass terrorist murders of hundreds of innocent Israelis last Saturday”.

England manager Southgate was asked for his thoughts on the FA’s stance at Thursday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Australia game, and accepted it was “one of the most complex situations in the world”.

Southgate said: “Firstly (there have been) incredibly harrowing pictures. (Our) thoughts and feelings are to everybody who has suffered, who have lost relatives and friends in these attacks. It is incredibly disturbing to see.

“On a broader scale, in my lifetime it is one of the most complex situations in the world and I think everybody is grappling with how best to deal with that.

“I don’t know what it is like to walk in the shoes of people on either side of that conflict. What I do know is people at the FA will have consulted with everybody they possibly can and will have tried to make the best decision with good intentions.

“Clearly whatever decision they came to would have been criticised in one way or another, so I also recognise how difficult it was for them. I wasn’t involved in those discussions, (but) they went on for a long time I know.

“They (FA) have decided to take the stance they have and we will get on with that.”

The FA said flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality beyond those related to England or Australia would not be allowed inside Wembley on Friday.

The Culture Secretary also criticised the FA’s stance in a post on social media on Thursday evening.

“I am extremely disappointed by the FA’s decision not to light up the Wembley Stadium arch following last weekend’s horrific terrorist attacks in Israel, and have made my views clear to the FA,” Frazer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“It is especially disappointing in light of the FA’s bold stance on other terrorist attacks in the recent past. Words and actions matter. The Government is clear: we stand with Israel.”

Teams in the EFL and Premier League will pay tribute to the victims of the conflict in their next rounds of matches.

There will also be a period of silence ahead of kick-off at the weekend’s matches in the Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and Women’s National League to “remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement on Thursday which read: “We deplore the appalling loss of innocent life following recent events in Israel and Palestine.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all the innocent victims, and those who are still missing, as well as the communities who are affected.

“While sport seems trivial compared to the harrowing scenes we have all watched, it is also an opportunity for people to come together and remind ourselves that there’s far more that brings us together, than divides us. We should now all unify in our hope for peace.”

A post shared by Moeen Ali (@moeenmunirali)

England cricketer Moeen Ali has deleted an Instagram post featuring the Palestinian flag and a quote from Malcolm X.

Moeen then put up a new post, without the flag but containing the same Malcolm X quote: “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

The International Olympic Committee said its executive board members had “expressed their very strong feelings over these tragic events in the recent days” at the start of Thursday’s meeting in Mumbai and “express their deepest sympathy with the innocent victims of this terrible violence”.

Unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Ace Impact has been retired to stud.

Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, the three-year-old has enjoyed an exemplary campaign, rising through the ranks from a Cagnes-Sur-Mer all-weather win in January to an electrifying length-and-three-quarters victory in the ParisLongchamp showpiece at the start of this month.

After his initial win in January, Rouget bided his time until sending Ace Impact for a conditions win in April, with a Listed success coming the following month.

Upped to Group One level for the Prix du Jockey Club after that, the son of Cracksman showed his trademark turn of foot to win the French equivalent of the Derby by three and a half lengths from Big Rock.

A Group Two victor in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville in August, Ace Impact was a short-priced Arc favourite and he justified that confidence with a stylish success under Cristian Demuro.

Owned in partnership by Serge Stempniak and the Chehboub family’s Gousserie Racing, connections had considered a possible Japan Cup bid or even campaigning on in 2024, but eventually opted to retire their star to stand at Haras de Beaumont stud in Normandy.

Ace Impact bows out the winner of each of his six career starts, boasting a rating of 128 which puts him just 1lb behind top Japanese runner Equinox.

“The way he races and his acceleration is very rare in a racehorse,” said Rouget.

“Very few racehorses are able to accelerate like that and for me (2008 Arc winner) Zarkava was a super champion and maybe had the superior acceleration, but he is not far from that.

“He gave me a great day when winning the Arc and also the Prix du Jockey Club and all the races were delicious. We started very slowly and then progressed to Listed, Group One and Group Two and then another Group One.

“We had very good days with Almanzor in the Prix du Jockey Club and Sottsass in the Jockey Club and the Arc and (they) were equally good champions. With Ace Impact his acceleration is stronger and with him, in three steps, the race is over.”

On his overriding memories of Ace Impact and the opportunity to train his progeny in the future, the handler added: “We have a few years to wait and we will try to find another one like him.

“We are champion trainer for the fifth time in France thanks to Ace Impact.

“My memory of him will be he is he is not impressive in the morning, but when racing, he is another horse with very strong acceleration.”

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has had a cancerous tumour removed from his liver.

The operation was carried out following a diagnosis at the beginning of August and was “completely successful”, but complications during the surgery meant Kenwright needed a lengthy stay in an intensive care unit.

A statement from the Toffees read: “Everton would like to provide a short update on the health of our chairman, Bill Kenwright.

“Following a diagnosis at the beginning of August, Mr Kenwright underwent a major medical procedure six weeks ago to remove a cancerous tumour from his liver.

“The procedure was completely successful but complications during surgery necessitated a prolonged period in an intensive care unit.

“Mr Kenwright is now out of intensive care and has left hospital. He has returned home to continue his recovery, which is expected to be lengthy, but complete.

“Right up until the day of the procedure, the chairman had continued to carry out all his club duties, working hard alongside Mr (Farhad) Moshiri to facilitate the proposed takeover by 777 Partners and supporting Kevin Thelwell with the club’s summer transfer activity.

“Mr Kenwright has always been fiercely protective of his private life and is grateful that his privacy has been respected during this difficult time. He hopes this will continue following this update.”

Kenwright, 78, first joined the Everton board in 1989 and has been chairman for nearly 20 years.

It was announced last month that a deal to sell the club to 777 Partners had been agreed.

Tommy Fury promised an “early night” in his showdown against KSI at a chaotic press conference that saw the pair sling insults at one another while separated by perspex glass inside a cage.

Meanwhile, Logan Paul was left with a cut on his face after coming to blows with bitter rival Dillon Danis before the duo were separated by security ahead of their co-main event bout.

Animosity has steadily been building between Fury and KSI, who may be relative novices in boxing but the fame they have found outside the ropes means their fight this Saturday is heavily anticipated.

While they traded barbs laced with profanity as they came head-to-head 48 hours before their contest at a sold-out Manchester Arena, it was Fury’s outspoken father John who loomed large over proceedings.

Fury Sr stepped into a metal cage when invited to and threw punches at the transparent partition separating him from KSI, who earlier dodged a bottle thrown from a side of the stage.

The scenes hardly improved the image of so-called YouTube boxing – this weekend’s event is not sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) – but Fury is adamant him being steeped in the sport in contrast to his rival will become clear when they settle their differences in the ring.

“We all know what’s going to happen,” said the younger brother of Tyson Fury. “There’s no way this man can live with me. Who’s he fought? He’s fought a rapper and the rest are YouTubers. What is going on?

“In this boxing world, he is a bum. I’m not interested (in him). I’m levels above these guys. I’ve got every single advantage: bigger, stronger, reach, weight. This will be an early night, I promise you.

“I’ve trained like a demon for 10 weeks for this man and I’ve sparred everybody, I’ve been sparring Tyson, been sparring the whole lot of them.”

Fury is a boxer by trade and won his first three professional bouts before catapulting himself to celebrity status with a stint in the highly-popular television show Love Island in 2019.

He has triumphed in another six fights since then – beating another YouTube fighter in Jake Paul by split decision earlier this year – and now takes on KSI in a six-round cruiserweight fight.

“I’m in the crossover world of boxing, it’s a circus act,” Fury added. “We know what we’re in for. I’m here to fight. Cut all the other bulls**t, we’re fighting in two days, the talking is done.”

Two-time world heavyweight title challenger Derek Chisora lent another peculiar edge to the spectacle as he appeared to clash with security shortly after Fury and KSI stepped into the cage.

Logan Paul and Danis were also supposed to face-off inside the cage but that was cancelled after an ugly clash between the pair. Paul appeared to underarm a bottle at Danis, who responded by throwing a microphone which left his adversary bloodied as security swarmed the stage and separated the rivals.

Australia manager Graham Arnold reiterated Ange Postecoglou’s message for his side to beat England for “the kids and the nation” ahead of the first ever meeting between the countries at Wembley.

Arnold brought in Spurs boss Postecoglou and his fellow former Australia head coach Guus Hiddink in a bid to inspire the Socceroos ahead of Friday’s friendly in London.

Australia are underdogs going into the encounter, having only beaten England once in seven meetings – a 3-1 triumph at Upton Park in 2003 – and sitting 23 spots below their fourth-placed hosts in the FIFA world rankings, but Arnold says his side will only have victory on their minds when they take the pitch.

He said: “The speeches that Ange said yesterday were very similar about what we’ve been saying for years with doing it for the kids in Australia, the nation and your family and people who are close by and the supporters.

“I know one thing is that they (the players) will run until they drop, the energy will be there and they’ll put in the performance of their lives.

“I have got a special relationship with both (Postecoglou and Hiddink). I’ve known Ange for 40 odd years, I’ve played and coached against him, worked with him and we’ve had a great connection for years.

“With Guus, he’s pretty much a mentor to me and like a brother, a father. I’ve got to be careful with what I say because he’s not that old but he’s always been a great man to me and I worked with him during the 2006 World Cup as his assistant.

“We aim to win. We’re not going out there to lose or draw the game, we’re going out there to win the game.

“It’s the culture that we bring. We’ve seen the Socceroos and the Matildas (Australia women’s team) bring the nation together and this is not my team, it’s the nation’s team.”

While Australia are looking to make history at Wembley, Arnold highlighted some of the challenges he says they face trying to grow the game back home.

Despite the successful co-hosting of the Women’s World Cup this summer, where the Matildas got to the semi-finals, Arnold says the infrastructure and support they receive pales in comparison to other sports Down Under, or that England enjoy.

“We don’t get anywhere near the help and resources (of Australian rules football),” Arnold said.

“We see the Prime Minister and the government say they love coming out to watch the Socceroos and Matildas with scarves on but they must lose them when they go home.

“We don’t have a home of football. Whether you believe that or not, we don’t have a home.

“When the Socceroos come to Sydney to train, we have to go to a rugby league field where they remove the posts and put soccer posts up. That’s the truth.

“We are the highest participated sport at grassroots (in Australia). The last four days England have been at St George’s Park and they come down to (Wembley) where they are inspired and have a culture, we don’t have anything like that.

“After the World Cup I said ‘hopefully this will make things change’ and that government funding will help inspire the kid’s lives and fulfil their dreams.”

Australia’s most recent meeting with England saw the home side claim a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in 2016, when an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford because the youngest player to score on his England debut.

Roy Hodgson was in charge of England for that match but Arnold, who took charge in 2018, is looking forward to pitting his wits against the present incumbent Gareth Southgate.

Arnold said: “England are a fantastic team and Gareth Southgate is a great coach, a wonderful man and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow night.

“We are very appreciative of the invitation to play here and we’re looking forward to the match.”

Wayne Rooney has emphasised how much he is relishing the challenge he has taken on as boss of a Birmingham outfit with sights very much set on the Premier League.

The former England captain was appointed as Blues’ new manager on Wednesday on a three-and-a-half year deal after leaving DC United last weekend.

That was two days on from the Midlands club, who were taken over by US-based Shelby Companies Limited in July and had seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady become a minority owner the following month, sacking boss John Eustace while lying sixth in the Championship table.

Rooney returns to management in his home country having previously been in charge at Derby from 2020 to 2022, and he told a press conference at St Andrew’s on Thursday: “I think for myself firstly to get back into English football is great, it’s what I’ve wanted to do.

“I’ve had opportunities over the last four, six weeks at other clubs as well, to do that. But I think since speaking to Birmingham and seeing the ambitions of the club, where they want to go, where they want to get to, it excited me.

“I want to be successful, it’s clear this club wants to be successful, and everything we spoke about really was very similar. It was a really easy decision once I’d spoken to them.

“That’s the goal – for the club, for myself, is to get this club back to the Premier League, of course. I think there’s a lot of work to be done throughout the football club.

“The Premier League is where we want to get to, it’s an ambition of mine, one of the club’s, and we’re putting everything in place to make sure we do that in the near future.

“We’ll push for it (this season), of course. It’s a challenge, and something we’ll certainly push for. I’m committed, I’m ready to take this club forward, excited by this challenge…and looking forward to taking (it) on.”

When asked about taking over a club that has been doing well, Rooney said: “Of course it’s more pressure, which I love. I love the fact we’re in a good position.

“I love the pressure of it. That’s something I’ve dealt with since I was a young kid coming through at 16, so that’s nothing new to me.

“Who it might be new to is some of the players, so my job is to make sure I get them ready for that and to go out and be successful.”

The former Everton and Manchester United forward – who it emerged had got to work before 7am that morning – revealed he had spoken to Brady, and said: “It’s great to have him at the football club. He’s very ambitious to move this club forward. It’s clear, he’s fully involved in developing the club.”

An associate of the ownership is Steven Knight, the creator of Birmingham-set Peaky Blinders, which Rooney said was “one of the best television shows I’ve watched in the last 10 years”, before adding: “He actually gave me one of the caps, which I certainly wasn’t going to wear to this press conference! But I’m sure I’ll find time to put it on.”

Barry Connell’s Grade One winner Good Land has sustained a tendon injury and will miss the National Hunt season.

The seven-year-old was a bumper winner at beginning of last term and developed into a Grade One-winning hurdler, taking a Leopardstown maiden before returning to land the Nathaniel Lacy & Prtnrs Solicitors Novice Hurdle.

Subsequently the gelding lined up for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and finished a respectable fourth and was later found to have abnormalities in a blood test.

The bay was being prepared for his chasing debut at Limerick next weekend when he sustained the injury that will see him miss the new season but hopefully will not prevent him from returning next term.

“We were planning to run him in the beginners’ chase there at Limerick on Munster National Day, we just did a piece of work with him at the Curragh on Tuesday and he seemed to be fine,” Connell explained.

“Then this morning we felt we were in a bit of difficulty, so we got the leg scanned and unfortunately he’s got a tendon injury.

“It’s treatable but he will be out for the season, we’re fairly hopeful we’ll have him back for next year.

“The treatment nowadays would entail controlled exercise, he’ll have his treatment then he’ll spend time on the walker and probably go out after a little while.

“It’s just one of these things, it usually tends to happen to the better horses rather than the lesser ones because of the nature of the competitions they’re running in – Grade One races at all the top meetings.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s the first one of these we’ve had in quite some time. He had some issues in the past and we got him back successfully last year and he had a very good season and won his Grade One.

“He probably was a little under the weather at Cheltenham but we were delighted to have the season we had last year and with a bit of luck we’ll have him back.

“He’s seven now, eight next year, but he’s only very lightly raced so hopefully the prognosis is good and he can make a full recovery for next year.”

Chris Woakes believes home advantage stacks the odds in India’s favour at the World Cup but insists his England side are motivated to “knock them off their perch”.

The last three editions of the tournament have all gone the way of the host nations, with India lifting their last global title in Mumbai in 2011, followed by Australia in Melbourne in 2015 and England at Lord’s four years ago.

India have done little to reduce their status as pre-competition favourites, kicking off their campaign with heavy wins over Afghanistan and Australia, while Asian rivals Pakistan also have two wins from two.

But Woakes, who was part of Eoin Morgan’s triumphant team in 2019 and is looking for a repeat performance, is not overawed.

“It’s an incredibly tough challenge to win in India. Naturally, I think the sub-continental teams will feel more at home with the conditions,” he said.

“That makes it extremely hard for us to knock them off their perch, so to speak. But we’ve got the squad and the players to be able to compete. People have looked at us for a while and we’ve had a little bit of a target on our back as a white-ball team, around the world.

“It’s a tough competition to win isn’t it? Especially here. But we’ll give it a good crack. We’re taking it each game as it comes.

“Naturally, people have got expectations of us and we’ve certainly got our own expectations of ourselves.”

England’s defence is back on track after they followed an opening defeat to New Zealand with a 137-run success over Bangladesh, with their shifting fortunes exemplified by Woakes’ own figures.

The 34-year-old was off the pace against the Black Caps, leaking 45 runs in six wicketless overs, but warmed to his work on Tuesday night, opening his account with the wickets of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Tigers top-scorer Liton Das.

Unfancied Afghanistan are next, in Delhi on Sunday, with Woakes eager to continue his upward trajectory.

“It’s the start of a long tournament,” he said. “I certainly feel that I would’ve liked to have bowled a little bit better but they are long competitions and you don’t want to peak too soon, I suppose.

“I have built into tournaments in the past and into series, which I suppose holds me in good stead moving forward. But you contribute every time you go out in the field so I’ll be working hard in practice to try and make sure that I’m on the money when I get the opportunity.”

Woakes also had his say on the news that cricket was on the cusp of making its return to the Olympic Games, having last appeared as a one-game showcase in 1900.

The Warwickshire all-rounder does not expect to be around for Los Angeles 2028, but is enthusiastic about the sport moving onto a new stage.

“I don’t think I’ll be playing at that age, but I think it would be great,” he said.

“Getting the game in front of more people is what we need to do. For a sport that I’ve played since I was a child, to be a part of the Olympics would be amazing for me.

“To be sat at home watching the lads taking on the rest of the world as an Olympic sport would be massive for the game. The more people that we can get watching it and maybe looking to take it up the better, and growing the game around the world is hugely important.”

Bob Baffert is excited to see Frankie Dettori’s famous flying dismount again when the Italian returns to California following his retirement U-turn.

The American handler was a big supporter of Dettori when he headed to America last winter and Baffert has indicated he will be keen to provide the 52-year-old with plenty of ammunition when he relocates to be based out of Santa Anita following his Qipco British Champions Day swansong.

Baffert and Dettori have linked up to great effect in the past, claiming Dubai World Cup honours with Country Grammer in 2022, while that horse also kickstarted the jockey’s spell in America last winter when winning the San Antonio Stakes.

Baffert is now relishing Dettori’s return to California and the opportunity to enjoy many more victories together.

“I think it is terrific news for the sport and the fans of racing in California,” Baffert told the PA news agency.

“In particular I can’t wait to see some more of his flying dismounts from my horses in the Santa Anita winner’s circle, because that is really entertaining and the fans really come out to see him.

“He’s an icon in the sport of racing and probably the most notable jockey I know around the world.

“We’ve got some horses here and I’ll definitely use him. I don’t have anything for him for the Breeders’ Cup – if he would have been here a month or so ago I probably would have – but I will definitely put him on some good ones.”

Baffert’s support will be a boost for Dettori who has the aim of adding the Kentucky Derby to his illustrious CV during his overseas career extension.

Some of the duo’s biggest triumphs together have come on dirt and the Hall of Fame handler – who oversaw the careers of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify – believes the Italian’s ability to ride effectively on all surfaces is something he has rarely seen during his career.

“Not only is he a great athlete but he is really intelligent, has great hands and rides the dirt really well,” explained Baffert.

“I thought he was going to come over here and be a turf specialist, but he’s great on either surface and that is very rare and there has only been a dozen or so jockeys who are that kind of rider.

“He knows how to place a horse and how to get a horse to relax and his input is really important – he will get off and tell you how he felt about a horse, what he needs, the style and everything.

“Dirt racing is a different animal and you are going fast the whole way. It is not sitting there in those mile-and-a-half races reading a book down the back side and then everybody goes for home and he’s just incredible.

“He’s reacts really well in a tough situation and he’s used to riding heavy favourites. When he’s got a target on his back, he’s used to it, and he can handle the pressure.

“Unfortunately as a trainer, you can’t blame the jockey when you use Frankie Dettori – that is the only downfall.”

Bob Baffert is excited to see Frankie Dettori’s famous flying dismount again when the Italian returns to California following his retirement U-turn.

The American handler was a big supporter of Dettori when he headed to America last winter and Baffert has indicated he will be keen to provide the 52-year-old with plenty of ammunition when he relocates to be based out of Santa Anita following his Qipco British Champions Day swansong.

Baffert and Dettori have linked up to great effect in the past, claiming Dubai World Cup honours with Country Grammer in 2022, while that horse also kickstarted the jockey’s spell in America last winter when winning the San Antonio Stakes.

Baffert is now relishing Dettori’s return to California and the opportunity to enjoy many more victories together.

“I think it is terrific news for the sport and the fans of racing in California,” Baffert told the PA news agency.

“In particular I can’t wait to see some more of his flying dismounts from my horses in the Santa Anita winner’s circle, because that is really entertaining and the fans really come out to see him.

“He’s an icon in the sport of racing and probably the most notable jockey I know around the world.

“We’ve got some horses here and I’ll definitely use him. I don’t have anything for him for the Breeders’ Cup – if he would have been here a month or so ago I probably would have – but I will definitely put him on some good ones.”

Baffert’s support will be a boost for Dettori who has the aim of adding the Kentucky Derby to his illustrious CV during his overseas career extension.

Some of the duo’s biggest triumphs together have come on dirt and the Hall of Fame handler – who oversaw the careers of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify – believes the Italian’s ability to ride effectively on all surfaces is something he has rarely seen during his career.

“Not only is he a great athlete but he is really intelligent, has great hands and rides the dirt really well,” explained Baffert.

“I thought he was going to come over here and be a turf specialist, but he’s great on either surface and that is very rare and there has only been a dozen or so jockeys who are that kind of rider.

“He knows how to place a horse and how to get a horse to relax and his input is really important – he will get off and tell you how he felt about a horse, what he needs, the style and everything.

“Dirt racing is a different animal and you are going fast the whole way. It is not sitting there in those mile-and-a-half races reading a book down the back side and then everybody goes for home and he’s just incredible.

“He’s reacts really well in a tough situation and he’s used to riding heavy favourites. When he’s got a target on his back, he’s used to it, and he can handle the pressure.

“Unfortunately as a trainer, you can’t blame the jockey when you use Frankie Dettori – that is the only downfall.”