Hollie Doyle landed a Classic success when guiding Shavasana to victory in Sunday’s Oaks D’Italia Tattersalls at San Siro racecourse.
Stefano Botti’s filly, who had previously taken the Italian 1,000 Guineas in heavy ground under Cristian Demuro, travelled sweetly on her first try at a mile and three furlongs.
Doyle’s mount, a daughter of Gleneagles, took her unbeaten record to five in defeating 11-5 favourite View Zabeel by half a length in the Group Two contest.
It was a second Classic success for Doyle, having landed the French Oaks with Nashwa last summer.
Owned by Katsumi Yoshida, Shavasana was keen in landing the Italian Group Three 1,000 Guineas over a mile a Capannelle in Rome last month, and Doyle was not about to disappoint her this time.
Having enjoyed the run of the race from the front, she stayed on well to give the Herefordshire-born rider victory on her first visit to the Milan track.
Doyle said: “It was a great result. It all went to plan, really. She was stepping up from a mile and was very exuberant over a mile.
“She travels too well usually, but Mr Botti did not want me to get in a fight with her, so I just got her into a rhythm where she was happy. She ended up in front and stayed the trip well on the quick ground, which really helped the situation.
“She is a very talented filly and I got a soft lead on the front end, so hopefully there is more to come.
“I need a British Classic now! It’s great. The people here are so passionate and the people here were so welcoming. It was great to ride a winner, especially a Classic winner for Mr Katsumi Yoshida, who owns her now. He is a very influential person in Japan.
“I met him last year and had a tour of Northern Farms, which was a great day and it is great that I can ride him a winner like this.”
Novak Djokovic secured his most significant piece of tennis history with his 23rd grand slam title.
The Serbian defeated Casper Ruud 7-6 (1) 6-3 7-5 in the French Open final to break the men’s all-time record he shared with Rafael Nadal.
It was a third final defeat for Norwegian Ruud, who was unable to take his chances in the first set.
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Women’s singles: Iga Swiatek (Poland)
Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Wang Xinyu (China)
Men’s doubles: Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Austin Krajicek (USA)
Mixed doubles: Miyu Kato (Japan) and Tim Puetz (Germany)
Girls’ singles: Alina Korneeva
Boys’ singles: Dino Prizmic (Croatia)
Girls’ doubles: Clervie Ngounoue (USA) and Tyra Grant (USA)
Boys’ doubles: Yaroslav Demin and Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez (Mexico)
Women’s wheelchair singles: Diede De Groot (Netherlands)
Men’s wheelchair singles: Tokito Oda (Japan)
Women’s wheelchair doubles: Yui Kamiji (Japan) and Kgothatso Montjane (South Africa)
Men’s wheelchair doubles: Alfie Hewett (Great Britain) and Gordon Reid (Great Britain)
Quad wheelchair singles: Niels Vink (Netherlands)
Quad wheelchair doubles: Andy Lapthorne (Great Britain) and Donald Ramphadi (South Africa)
Manchester City’s match-winner Rodri has been named Champions League player of the year by UEFA as seven City players made the team of the season and Erling Haaland took goal of the season honours.
Rodri’s 68th-minute strike made the difference as City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul to lift the European Cup and complete a remarkable treble.
And on Sunday the 26-year-old was named player of the season by UEFA’s technical observer panel.
Rodri played in all but one of City’s Champions League matches this season, with Saturday’s match-winner his second goal in the tournament this campaign.
The Spain midfielder was joined by six club mates in the team of the season as Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker were all included.
Inter’s Federico Dimarco and Alessandro Bastoni were also selected along with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Vinicius Junior.
City also scooped the goal of the season award through Haaland for his acrobatic strike against former club Borussia Dortmund during the group stages, when he twisted to turn Joao Cancelo’s curling pass into the net during City’s 2-1 win.
Andy Murray stepped up his preparation for Wimbledon in style with a straight-sets victory against Jurij Rodionov in the men’s final of the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.
Murray continued his fine form at the tournament as he beat Austrian Rodionov 6-3 6-2 to earn him a seeded position at Wimbledon next month, with the 36-year-old now eyeing a third title at his home grand slam.
Having seen off Australia’s Jordan Thompson in Saturday’s semi-finals, Murray showcased a powerful shot collection which dismantled Rodionov in just over an hour.
The pair were subjected to Surbiton’s soaring temperatures but maintained a high level of energy as they jostled for the lead in a competitive opening set on centre court.
Murray’s serve was a vital weapon on the day and he picked up crucial aces in the early stages to punish Rodionov, who trailed 5-3 as his opponent looked to take a one-set lead.
Murray rounded off the first set and showed signs of his best through his intricate shot selection which caused his opponent to scramble across the turf and pay an exhaustive price in sweltering conditions.
And the former world number one, who was backed by a fervent Surbiton crowd, began to punish the Austrian with classy forehands which forced errors from his opponent as he took a firmer grip on the tie.
Murray led the second set 3-1 but Rodionov’s persistence came to the fore as Murray began to let out frustrated groans as the visitor looked for a way back into the final.
But the number two seed continued to bombard Rodionov with a series of quality serves just before a heavy downpour suspended play, which offered some much-needed respite to both players after temperatures reached 29 degrees.
Play resumed nearly three hours later and Murray quickly reasserted himself on the unseeded Rodionov, taking a fourth game which put him within touching distance of the trophy.
The rain failed to dampen the Surbiton crowd’s spirit and excitement began to grow as they witnessed Murray in top gear on grass just weeks away from Wimbledon.
Murray sent down more punishing serves which further highlighted the gulf between himself and Rodionov as the Scot claimed a well-deserved victory.
England’s Dale Whitnell completed the journey from courier driver to DP World Tour winner as he claimed an emotional victory at the Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed.
Whitnell was regarded as one of British golf’s brightest prospects when he turned professional in 2009, shortly after playing on a Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team that included future European number one and Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood.
But he struggled to find his feet in the paid ranks and took on work as a delivery driver while playing on satellite tours before claiming a win on the Challenge Tour in 2019, the same year he earned his DP World Tour card via the Qualifying School.
He has been establishing himself on the main circuit since and a closing 70 in Stockholm handed him a 21 under total and a three-shot victory over American Sean Crocker.
“It’s awesome,” said a clearly emotional Whitnell. “It tested me out there.
“It’s been a long time coming, I’m ecstatic. It means everything to me, it’s what I get up every day for. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. I’ve dreamt of this for a long time.”
The 34-year-old brought a six-shot lead into the weekend and extended that to eight at one point on Saturday but he was not to have it all his own way at Ullna Golf and Country Club.
Despite a bogey on the second, he led by six after four holes of his final round but the advantage was back to four at the turn and when Crocker made a second eagle of the day on the 15th and Whitnell found water on the 13th, the lead was just two.
A seemingly nerveless 17-foot birdie putt on the 17th handed the leader some breathing room, however, and after finding the green in two at the last, he and caddie Garry Melia – who was only on the bag for this week – were left to celebrate.
Crocker’s closing 65 left him at 18 under, three shots clear of German Ryder Cup hopeful Yannik Paul and Anne Van Dam, who was the leading women’s player.
English duo Gabriella Cowley and Paul Waring were at 14 under, with Swedish amateur Hugo Townsend, son of two-time Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend, two shots further back.
The Miami Heat mascot reportedly had to attend hospital after being punched by Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor at basketball’s NBA finals.
What was a promotional stunt during game four between the Heat and Denver Nuggets ended badly as former UFC champion McGregor floored ‘Burnie’, who was wearing oversized boxing gloves, with a left hook before adding another punch as the stricken Miami mascot lay on his back.
‘Burnie’ – who is described as a “rough, anthropomorphic depiction of the fireball featured on the Heat’s logo” – was dragged off court by three people and it was later reported that the individual inside the mascot suit was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital for treatment.
The Heat have declined to comment on the incident, but it has been reported that the mascot is out of hospital and recovering.
The Miami Herald said that “the man behind the Burnie costume has never revealed his name publicly and the team does not identify him in its media guide”.
McGregor, who was booed by many in the Miami crowd even before walking on court, stayed for the entire game as the Nuggets won 108-95 to secure a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
UFC president Dana White questioned the practice of mascots taking punches from “professional fighters”, highlighting the 2018 incident when former world heavyweight boxing champion Deontay Wilder was invited to show his punching power on a hot-dog like creature.
Asked about the McGregor incident at the UFC 289 post-fight press conference, White said: “I saw the Deontay Wilder one too.
“What’s up with mascots getting punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect?
“What are those mascot things made out of? Unless you’re like the Golden Knights mascot…with a metal helmet…
“I wouldn’t have professional fighters punch me in the face if I was a mascot, doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world.”
Jude Bellingham and Lewis Dunk have been ruled out of England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Real Madrid-bound Bellingham is still suffering with the hamstring injury that sidelined him for Borussia Dortmund’s heart-breaking season finale, when they let slip the Bundesliga title by drawing 2-2 at home to Mainz.
The 19-year-old midfielder will report to St George’s Park to receive further treatment, but will play no part in either match, a team statement confirmed.
Brighton defender Dunk has withdrawn from the squad through injury and will not travel to the national football centre – the only player from Gareth Southgate’s original 25-man squad who is not now due to join up.
England players began to gather at St George’s Park on Sunday, preparing for Friday’s trip to face Malta in Ta’ Qali and Monday’s fixture against North Macedonia at Old Trafford.
West Ham’s Declan Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in midweek, will join in the coming days, as will the five players from Manchester City’s Champions League-winning squad.
Jack Grealish, John Stones, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are all expected to be part of City’s bus parade in Manchester on Monday before reporting for duty.
In a video posted on England’s social media accounts on Sunday, Southgate said: “We’ve a little less training than we would have liked but today was an important session in terms of players getting back into their football movements.
“They all keep themselves in good shape but you’re not training with the team in that period and you have to adapt your body back to the rhythm…
“We’ll get the players through today so they’re ready to go tomorrow and then we start the more tactical preparation for the game with Malta.
“I think what we’ve shown in the last few months is that we’re a team who now can take on some of the best teams in the world.
“We showed that in the World Cup and we definitely showed that by winning in Naples (the 2-1 win over Italy in March), which was a really important game for us not only in terms of qualification but in terms of our confidence and setting some markers for what we are as a team.
“If you’re a really big team you nail those big games and then you don’t slip up with the teams you are expected to beat and that’s the challenge for us now.
“We’re at the end of the season, we’ve had a lot of different distractions. There’s any number of reasons or excuses if you search for them but we can’t have a team looking for excuses.
“We want to consistently perform at a high level and we have to start that from the minute the players arrive.”
Novak Djokovic stands alone at the pinnacle of men’s tennis after defeating Casper Ruud to win his 23rd grand slam title at the French Open.
Since claiming his first at the Australian Open in 2008, Djokovic has been pursuing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal through the history books but now he has surpassed both having broken the record he jointly held with Nadal.
Djokovic’s 7-6 (1) 6-3 7-5 victory over Ruud draws him level with Serena Williams and he could equal Margaret Court’s all-time singles mark at Wimbledon next month.
The Serbian, meanwhile, also becomes the first man ever to win at least three slam titles at all the major tournaments – a measure of his all-round greatness.
Ruud had impressed in making it back to the final, where he won only six games against Nadal last year, and was looking for his first title in his third final having also lost to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
He had failed to win a set in four previous matches against Djokovic, though, and missed his chance here in an 81-minute opener before the Serbian pulled away for his 21st consecutive slam victory.
This was the most humid day of the fortnight and, with black clouds looming, it appeared the match would be played under the roof on Philippe Chatrier only for the cover to be removed just before the start.
Ruud’s best chance was to make a fast start and take advantage of the nerves Djokovic would surely be feeling so close to a goal he has been pursuing relentlessly for years.
On his only previous shot at striking out on his own, at the US Open in 2021, he had rather frozen in sight of the line, losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Ruud had read the script and came out sharp, exploiting Djokovic’s unusually leaden footwork with high shots to push his opponent back and breaking in the second game when the Serbian shanked a smash – the one remaining weakness in his game.
Djokovic had NFL great Tom Brady in his player box, while Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were also in the crowd, and they witnessed Djokovic claw his way back, breaking in the seventh game after a punishing rally that ended with Ruud netting an overhead.
Djokovic refused to miss in another long rally after Ruud created a break point in the next game, but it was the third seed cursing himself for a missed opportunity at 4-4, with his irritation compounded when he lost his balance and fell sprawling to the clay.
Djokovic also complained vociferously to the umpire about the quick turnaround between games as the set extended beyond the hour mark.
The longer it went on, the more important it became to win it, and Ruud was two points away on Djokovic’s serve after winning a point with a tweener lob but that was as close as he would come.
One of Djokovic’s greatest strengths is the ability to raise his level at key moments and he won an absurd sixth tie-break of the tournament without making a single unforced error.
Given Djokovic had won his previous 100 slam matches once he had taken the opening set, it was a crushing blow for Ruud, and that was compounded when he dropped serve in the second game of the second set.
Djokovic now looked fully settled, with his forehand purring, and, although Ruud saved two set points at 2-5, the door was firmly shut in his face in the next game.
Ruud was now clinging on by his fingernails but he was determined not to allow Djokovic to run away with it, as Nadal had last year.
The Norwegian found a better rhythm on his serve and applied some pressure to Djokovic, although he was left cursing his luck when his opponent benefited from a lucky netcord down 0-30 at 3-4, giving the French crowd a final chance for a round of booing.
The question seemed to be when Djokovic would make his move, though, and it came at 5-5, a series of superlative groundstrokes earning him the break, and moments later his moment of history.
Nadal was among the first to hail the Serbian, tweeting: “Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole. 23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team!”
Al Asifah could head to the Darley Irish Oaks on the strength of her a facile success in the Listed Weatherbys/British EBF Agnes Keyser Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood on Sunday.
The Shadwell-owned Frankel filly had scored in impressive fashion on her debut in a Haydock maiden 17 days ago under Dane O’Neill and remained unbeaten with another scintillating run.
Jim Crowley sat motionless as the 4-7 favourite sauntered through the gears to trounce her six rivals by upwards of six and a half lengths in the 10-furlong contest.
Thady Gosden, who trains the three-year-old in partnership with his father, John, said: “She has always looked a classy filly.
“Obviously she didn’t run last year, but won in good style on her first start and she showed her class again today. Hopefully she can continue on her upward trajectory.”
A trip to the Curragh and a step up in trip for the Irish fillies’ Classic may be her next landing spot, according to Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold.
He added: “It was nice. It was fabulous. We haven’t had time to discuss it yet, and we will talk to Sheikha Hissa (Shadwell owner), but a very obvious thing, if we want to be bold, we could talk about supplementing her for the Irish Oaks.
“Timing-wise, it was just a pity she had immaturity issues, her muscle enzymes were a bit high for a while, so they have just gone steady with her and typically taken their time.
“Everything about her, to me, she looks a mile-and-a-half filly from her action.
“Jim very much got that feeling today and the very encouraging thing was he was able to go past them so quickly off a relatively slow pace.
“She is a big, tall filly. She’s (from the family of) Unfuwain. You can argue she’s more a mile-and-a-quarter pedigree, but for me, I’m pretty certain she’ll stay a mile and a half.
“That was only her second win. The important thing is to make her a stakes winner. How we do it, obviously all the options are open. We could easily stay at a mile and a quarter next time, but that’s putting off the inevitable, I think.
“In Jim’s words, she could be even better over a mile and a half. If we had 10 more days, obviously we could consider Royal Ascot.
“She could be very good. If we were able to keep her in training next year and keep her in good form, she could be a filly for all the top mile-and-a-half races next year, so we won’t want to rush her straight back in.
“So, let’s see when the dust settles what everybody feels. If the family are happy to supplement and if John Gosden thinks she is in good form, having made rapid strides in a short space of time, she could go (to the Curragh).”
Meanwhile, Peripatetic was given a well-judged ride by David Egan to take the other Listed race on the card, the four-runner William Hill Tapster Stakes.
The Roger Varian-trained four-year-old, returning to the scene of a handicap success last August, had finished a close-up fourth in the Group Three Pride Stakes at Newmarket on her last run in October.
Egan gradually would up the pace from the three-furlong marker in the 12-furlong contest and having seen off Candleford, the 100-30 chance plenty to spare from the staying-on First Ruler to score by a length and a half.
Rodri recognises he may have scored the most important goal in Manchester City’s history.
The Spanish midfielder tucked home City’s winner as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final and completed the treble in Istanbul on Saturday.
The 26-year-old now hopes City can build on winning the European crown for the first time to establish a long-lasting dynasty.
Rodri, who has developed into one of the world’s best midfielders since his £62.8million move from Atletico Madrid four years ago, said: “From my point of view I want to thank the team. It’s a victory of many years of work at this amazing club.
“They trusted me to come here, even though the change wasn’t easy. It was a new culture for me and I arrive now scoring the most important goal in the history of this club.
“We deserve this. What a season. We deserve it.
“I said this before the game it was so important to win against Inter because we can build a legacy for the future. This is what teams like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, AC Milan – these kind of clubs – did in the past.
“We believe we can do it again. I think that’s why it’s so important.”
City were not at their sparkling best at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
With Inter proving obdurate opponents, City could not replicate the swashbuckling football that swept aside Arsenal and Real Madrid recently, or even reproduce the control they exerted over Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
They instead relied on their character and quality and Rodri eventually made the crucial breakthrough in the 68th minute with a controlled strike from just inside the area.
Rodri said: “I think it was the only time I went forward in the game because Inter were so narrow and I wanted to make sure the two strikers weren’t comfortable.
“In that moment I just saw the space. In the first moment I thought about shooting strong but then I realised there were six or seven players in the goal area and I was like, ‘no, I’m going to put it inside the first post’.
“The end result was incredible but there was half an hour still to go so it was a big effort from all of us.”
The goal capped a memorable season in which City retained the Premier League – their fifth title success in six years – and beat arch-rivals United at Wembley to claim the FA Cup.
They are only the second side to win all three of those trophies in the same season, emulating United’s achievement in 1999.
Their success was savoured by owner Sheikh Mansour, who had travelled to Turkey to watch a City game in person for only the second time since he purchased the club in 2008.
The sheikh’s backing has propelled City from mid-table in the Premier League to the top of the European game and Rodri was keen to pay tribute to the players that paved the way for their success.
He said: “I said when I finished the game I don’t want to forget players like Fernandinho, Sergio (Aguero), David Silva, (Vincent) Kompany – many players who worked eight, nine, 10 years at this club to help it arrive at this level.
“We take the fruits (of their labour) and this victory is for all of them.”
City partied overnight at their hotel in Istanbul before leaving for home on Sunday afternoon. They were flown back to Manchester on a club-liveried Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The celebrations will continue on Monday as they hold an open-top bus parade through Manchester city centre.
Another mouthwatering clash with Tahiyra has got Saeed bin Suroor counting down the days to Royal Ascot with Mawj.
The pair were involved in one of the best races of the Flat season to date when duelling in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
On that occasion Mawj came out on top, but Tahiyra has since won the Irish equivalent and the bookmakers make her favourite to turn the tables in the Coronation Stakes on June 23.
“She grew a little bit when she was in Dubai,” said Bin Suroor of his diminutive filly.
“What I do with two-year-olds, when I see they are small and skinny, is give them time between races and that helps them.
“She hasn’t really grown that much but at least she has a big heart.
“We ran her over seven (furlongs) in Dubai and then she won well over a mile. When she came back to England she went and won a Classic. She’s a very special filly and we’re looking forward to Ascot.”
Looking ahead to the rematch he went on: “Dermot Weld’s filly is very good, she was second in the English Guineas and went and won in Ireland, she’s very tough.
“Our filly should run well, we’re happy with her and looking forward to it.
“I think a mile is perfect for her. Maybe in the future we might look at something different, but at the moment a mile is fine. We might look at nine furlongs some day.
“There are lots of races for her over a mile, the Falmouth, the Sun Chariot, races like that. We’ll see, but I think a mile suits her well.
“I don’t think we’d ever be looking to come back in trip with her.”
Paul Struthers will return to the Professional Jockeys Association as a consultant, along with Frankie Dettori’s commercial agent Peter Burrell.
Struthers, who left the organisation after 10 years at the helm in 2021, returns to assist the board in his capacity as chief executive of his own company Moya Sport, which specialises in PR support to governing bodies.
Burrell has been recruited to seek out additional income for the PJA and its members, and to act as an adviser on other important commercial matters.
The appointments, made with immediate effect, are to support “specific projects”, according to a statement from the organisation.
In recent months, heightened tensions over the perceived handling by senior PJA figures of critical issues such as the whip review, valets’ pay and the closure of racecourse saunas led to a revolt by jockeys and the resignation of CEO Ian McMahon.
Jon Holmes, the sports agent who counts the likes of Nick Luck, Gary Lineker and Ruby Walsh as clients, then resigned as PJA chair along with board members Simon Cox and Mick Fitzgerald.
Seven new members were appointed to the PJA board last week – Henry Brooke, Neil Callan, Tom Marquand, Andrew Mullen, Jonjo O’Neill Jr, Tabitha Worsley and Nick Attenborough, who was announced at Holmes’ successor.
Commenting on the appointments, Dale Gibson, interim CEO, stated: “This is positive news for the PJA. Adding Pete and Paul to our team helps ensure that we can deliver for our members both commercially and strategically.”
Attenborough added: “I’m delighted to welcome Pete and Paul to the association, their experience will strengthen the organisation considerably.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Dale and the team for their tireless work and commitment during recent challenging times.”
Gareth Southgate believes England can benefit from Manchester City’s Champions League success after they beat Inter Milan in Saturday’s final.
Southgate has included five members of Pep Guardiola’s side in his squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, with John Stones, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips all due to join up with the squad after enjoying their celebrations.
With City’s success coming after Declan Rice lifted the Europa Conference League with West Ham earlier in the week, Southgate said it can be good for the national team.
“It’s absolutely brilliant for all our guys who have been involved,” Southgate said in a video on England’s social media.
“To start with Declan, his first experience of lifting a trophy so… fabulous for him. You can see the emotion having been at the club for so long and what it meant to him.
“Then the boys at Manchester City have had a phenomenal season, an absolutely incredible season, and of course that’s been the Holy Grail for them to get this final trophy that they hadn’t won up until now.
“I’m delighted for all of them. It’s great to see them enjoying themselves and also it’s brilliant for us as a group.
“We’ve got so many experiences now of individual players winning big trophies, and that’s so important for our development as a team. It’s fantastic on all counts.”
Sporting worlds are set to collide at Royal Ascot when Frankie Dettori partners baseball star Alex Bregman’s No Nay Mets in the Norfolk Stakes.
Trained by American George Weaver and owned by the Houston Astros’ third baseman’s Bregman Family Racing, the son of No Nay Never booked his ticket when landing the ‘win and you’re in’ Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes by an impressive three and a half lengths at Gulfstream in May, and will now attempt to become the third US-trained winner of the Group Two Norfolk.
Joining No Nay Mets on the flight across the Atlantic will be stablemate Crimson Advocate, who was equally as impressive on the same afternoon at the Florida track.
She will head to the Queen Mary Stakes as a general 7-1 chance, with Weaver relishing the prospect of getting on the Royal Ascot scoreboard with his pair of five-furlong fliers.
“They were both sharp in victory last time and earned their shot to make this trip,” Weaver said.
“They both did really well at Gulfstream. With two-year-olds, they are so lightly-raced it is hard to tell what you are running against, but they won the right way and it was never a second thought to bring them over to Ascot if they won.
“You don’t just want to shoot for the sake of it, but both have earned their chance to run in these races at Ascot and we’re excited about it.”
Dettori, of course, is no stranger to partnering American raiders at the Royal extravaganza and will be bidding to add to the four Royal Ascot winners he has previously steered for Wesley Ward during what will be his swansong at the showpiece meeting.
It will, however, be the first time he has ridden for from Weaver during his career and the trainer is delighted to have secured the services of the 52-year-old.
“Dettori will ride the colt and John Velazquez will ride the filly,” he confirmed.
“I don’t even think I’ve had the chance to give Dettori a ride before. Even though he has been in the States, he has been more California. But the man speaks for himself. What a career he has had – and he’s still got it! He’s one of the best in the world.”
And it appears Weaver will trust the Italian to make the right calls aboard the forward-going No Nay Mets as he bids to emulate his sire’s victory from 10 years ago.
He continued: “Both of these horses have plenty of early speed. I’m not sure what that translates to over in Ascot, as I know it is straight and a little uphill.
“No Nay Mets is a handy horse and I don’t even think he needs to lead. He’s got quality. Certainly, we’ll break away from the gates and try to place him forwardly and then the rest will be down to Frankie.”
Before Dettori has been given the leg-up on No Nay Mets, fellow riding great Velazquez will get the chance to notch his fourth Royal Ascot victory in the Queen Mary.
Hall of Fame pilot Velazquez is best known at the meeting for setting hot fractions aboard raiders saddled by Ward and he can be expected to take his customary position at the head of affairs when he rides Crimson Advocate, who is a precocious daughter of Nyquist.
“She’s so quick out of the gates, I wouldn’t want to take that away from her,” continued Weaver.
“In her first race she was behind horses on the dirt and was a little green about it. She was wearing blinkers and had those on, but then took to the grass really well at Gulfstream.
“If there is another horse that is quicker than her then fine, but we intend to be forward in this race – we will not take that early gate speed away from her.”
Weaver is hoping to fare better than on his sole previous visit to Ascot in 2015 when the Velazquez-ridden Cyclogenisis was unable to back up his strong American form in the Commonwealth Cup, finishing down the field in 14th.
But that experience left a lasting impression on Kentucky-born Weaver, who has been craving a return to the Berkshire track’s summer showpiece ever since.
He continued: “In 2015, I brought over a horse that wasn’t good enough, so this time around I hope I’m bringing at least one horse that is good enough – and maybe two.
“When I was there in 2015, I thought to myself how cool it would be to win a race at Royal Ascot and come back with a horse with a little better chance to win. At the time I thought our horse had somewhat a chance but hindsight is always 20-20.
“Royal Ascot just feels a lot different to American racing as a whole. The big days are big days over here, but Royal Ascot just feels like a special place. There is such an atmosphere there and then there is the pageantry. Everyone I’ve spoken to since I went there, I’ve told them, you need to go to Royal Ascot if you get the chance.
“If you have any sort of love of horse racing and a fan of the sport, going to Royal Ascot should be definitely on your bucket list, it’s a great experience.”
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