Karl Burke took the wraps off another exciting two-year-old at Nottingham when Beautiful Diamond scorched the turf in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

A £360,000 breeze-up purchase, the daughter of Twilight Son was easy to back all morning before late money saw her go off the 100-30 second favourite.

Having broke smartly from the stalls under Clifford Lee, she was travelling smoothly throughout behind Rainyniteingeorgia.

When Lee decided it was time to make a move, the response was immediate and she shot clear to win by three and a half lengths.

Burke is well stocked in the juvenile division this season and saddled the first two home in the Listed Marygate Stakes at York over five furlongs in Got To Love A Grey and Dorothy Lawrence, leaving some decisions to be made around his Queen Mary Stakes contenders.

“I was delighted with that, she’s obviously a very smart filly with a high cruising speed,” said Burke.

“Clifford gave her a good ride and she’s had a very easy introduction there, it couldn’t have gone much better.

“I didn’t feel any extra pressure because of the price tag because I didn’t actually buy her! Richard Brown, who buys a lot for Sheikh Rashid (owner) bought her, so I’d say he was feeling the pressure more than me but he was delighted, and relieved as well I think.

“Got To Love A Grey will definitely go to Ascot. I was pretty sure she was going Queen Mary, but I’ll have her chat with the Middleham Park guys (owners) as Beautiful Diamond looked a little bit special there and Got To Love A Grey would stay six furlongs.

“They are two very good fillies and I wouldn’t like to split them at this stage and Elite Status is in great form too since winning the National Stakes, he’ll be going to Ascot as well.”

Betfair and Paddy Power introduced the winner at 6-1 for the Queen Mary.

Steven Naismith will continue to lead Hearts after being handed a two-year contract following his term as interim manager.

Naismith has been named as technical director with Frankie McAvoy as head coach, in order to comply with UEFA regulations until the former Scotland international earns his Pro Licence coaching qualification. Gordon Forrest will remain as first-team coach.

The former Kilmarnock, Rangers, Everton, Norwich and Hearts player took charge of the final seven games of the season and kept the Jambos in fourth place in the cinch Premiership.

Chief executive Andrew McKinlay told the official Hearts website: “We are thrilled to confirm Steven, Frankie and Gordon as our coaching team.

“We received a number of excellent applications, and, after a robust recruitment process, we believe the three were the best candidates to lead us into next season while sharing our vision for the club’s future.

“Steven is an outstanding young coach with a strong track record of improving players whilst also displaying a commitment to blooding young talent through the ranks.”

Travis Head cracked a rapid-fire half-century as Australia built a solid foundation on the opening day of the World Test Championship final against India.

Head arrived at the crease with his side at 76 for three and bossed an unbroken stand of 94 with Steve Smith, as Australia reached tea on 170 without further loss.

Head was at his counter-punching best, reeling off 10 boundaries in 75 balls to push the pressure back on to the Indian attack.

His lively knock altered the momentum of the afternoon session, which could have turned in India’s favour after Mohammed Shami uprooted Marnus Labuschagne’s off stump shortly after the lunch break.

It was a second well-timed breakthrough, after David Warner’s battling 43 came to end in timid fashion late in the morning’s play, Shardul Thakur brushing his glove with a short ball speared down the leg side.

India had chosen to field after winning the toss and it looked a sound decision during an awkward first hour for the Australian batters.

Mohammed Shami kept Warner honest during a fine opening burst with the new ball, working over the left-hander from round the wicket in a way that will not have escaped the attention of his old nemesis Stuart Broad.

He survived the examination, with a couple of fortuitous moments along the way, but Usman Khawaja banked a 10-ball duck when he nicked the quicker Mohammed Siraj to Srikar Bharat.

There was an early scare for Labuschagne, who dramatically dropped the bat in pain when Umesh Yadav rapped him on the left thumb with a sharp, lifting delivery.

England fans would be forgiven for having the Ashes on their minds as Labuschagne received treatment and popped a couple of painkillers, but he resumed his innings and even wore another blow to the hand to reach lunch on 26 not out.

Warner, having survived his initial trial, began to open up and took a particular liking to Yadav, at one stage lashing the seamer for four boundaries in a single over.

The 36-year-old, who recently announced his plans to retire in the new year, was growing in confidence and will have been annoyed at the manner of his dismissal, well caught by the diving Bharat after getting into a poor position against a modest ball from Thakur.

Labuschagne, who had survived a couple of close lbw appeals, did not kick on in the afternoon – emphatically missing one that was tossed up full and thumped halfway up his off stump.

Steve Smith settled in for a low-key stay, grinding out 33 off 102 balls, leaving the stage for Head (60no) to throw the bat confidently and swing the pendulum in Australia’s favour.

Carlos Alcaraz is relishing the chance to take on Novak Djokovic for a place in the French Open final, according to his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The hotly-anticipated clash will take place at Roland Garros on Friday after both moved through to the last four without dropping a set.

It is a fascinating battle of the generations, with 36-year-old Djokovic chasing a record-breaking 23rd grand slam title and Alcaraz, 16 years his junior, a second.

Ferrero knows what it takes to win on the Parisian clay having lifted the title in 2003 and he feels his man is ready to topple Djokovic.

“I think both players are maybe the best in the world right now,” said the Spaniard.

“Novak has the experience to play these kind of matches more than Carlos, of course, but, at the same time, Carlos really wants to play that match. He was really looking forward to that match since the beginning.

“Of course, he had to play match by match and we were very patient about it. But I think he is ready.

“He practised for these kind of matches. He practises for these kind of moments to be there and try to make history step by step.

“He wants to do it but of course we really know that Novak is going to give absolutely his best. I think he is going to fight until the last ball and he is going to prepare for the match as well as we can do.

“So we expect a really tough and close match. Carlos believes a lot in himself and he believes that he can beat Novak.”

That belief has been evident since the moment Alcaraz burst onto the global stage.

He swatted aside Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening with a display of all-court brilliance.

He can take confidence, meanwhile, from having beaten Djokovic in their only previous match, on clay in Madrid last spring, when he also defeated Rafael Nadal.

“He dreams very big about what he can do, so I think it’s one of the most important things that he believes in himself and that he believes that he can go to the court and win against everybody,” said Ferrero.

The pair have worked together since September 2018 and it has proved the dream partnership so far, with Ferrero helping the 20-year-old to hone his incredible natural talents.

“I’m impressed obviously about his level, but I’m with him now almost five years, so I know the level he’s able to play,” said the former world number one.

“So in that way, I’m not impressed at all because I know that he can play like this. The most impressive thing for me is that he is showing his best level against the best. That’s the most important thing.”

Sheila Lavery feels both “privileged and proud” to have trained New Energy as he prepares relocate to Australia for new connections.

The New Bay colt caught the eye when finishing second in last season’s Irish 2,000 Guineas at odds of 40-1.

He then flew the flag for the stable in a string of Group events across Ireland, England and France, coming home three lengths behind Coroebus in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and finishing second when beaten just a length in Doncaster’s Park Stakes.

This year the chestnut finished fourth in the Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown and was most recently seen placing third behind Cosmic Vega in the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas in late May.

Australian Bloodstock have followed New Energy’s movements for over a year and have now purchased the colt to be trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

The latter’s brother Harry, who trains in Newmarket, will house the horse until he sets sail for his new home and prepares for his ultimate target in the Cox Plate.

Lavery and her brother John, who owns the horse, have been fielding offers for some time now and eventually agreed to part with their stable star and let him shine in another racing jurisdiction.

“They’ve been trying to buy him for over a year and in the end it just made economical sense for the owner to sell him,” the trainer said.

“They’ve some very deep pockets and I was at a bit of a crossroads with him. It makes economical sense for the owner for him to go to Australia, so I’m delighted for John but heartbroken to see him go.

“I’m gutted. I didn’t think I’d be as upset as I am, but it’s the right thing and it’s the right business decision. I’ve been very privileged and proud to train him.”

Lavery expects New Energy to benefit from the style of racing out in Australia and is looking forward to seeing the horse campaigned at the top level in new colours in the future.

She said: “He’s a gorgeous, sound horse that needs pace to run at and I think the style of racing in Australia will really suit him, so I’ll really look forward to seeing him win his Group Ones there.

“We’ll have to move on to the next one, but I think he’s going to win a lot of money and a lot of races out there – more than he probably would have won in Europe.

“His best runs were in straightforward races where there was a lot of pace – the (Irish) Guineas and the Group Two in Doncaster – he just loved it and he thrives on that kind of racing.

“In fairness they have been trying to buy him from the get-go, since he won as a two-year-old almost.

“They’ve really had their eye on him and they’ve been watching his career very closely.”

Rory McIlroy admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” and still “hated” LIV Golf as he responded to the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.

McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but were both kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced on Tuesday.

Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.

McIlroy, whose previously close friendship with Sergio Garcia broke down after the Spaniard joined LIV, said: “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.

“Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf, there’s no denying it.”

McIlroy, who said he was never offered any money to join LIV, was asked if those who did turn down massive offers should be compensated.

The world number three said: “The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is how does that happen?

“That’s all up in the air at the minute. For me as an individual, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.”

McIlroy attempted to distinguish between LIV Golf and the PIF, admitting: “It’s not LIV. I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away and I would fully expect that it does.

“That’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF, very different from LIV.”

Heather Knight is setting her sights on a landmark summer of Ashes cricket, after joining fellow England captain Ben Stokes on a Tower Bridge projection.

Giant images of Knight and Stokes were beamed on to one of London’s best known sights on Wednesday as part of the countdown to the men’s and women’s series against Australia.

Stars of the Lionesses football team adorned famous locations including the Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery and Battersea Power Station ahead of last year’s European Championship and Knight is hoping to echo their triumphant performance.

Tickets sales for the women’s series have already passed a combined 70,000 – doubling the overall attendance in 2019 and guaranteeing record attendances – and an England win over a formidable Australia side could go a long way to lifting the status of Knight’s side to new levels.

“I remember seeing the Lionesses on London landmarks ahead of the Euros last year and thinking that was very, very cool – so it’s really nice to be a part of it this summer. It’s not every day of the week that you see yourself projected on to Tower Bridge!” Knight told the PA news agency.

“When I made my England debut in India in 2010 it was in front of one man and his dog. I was a student and I literally had to tell my tutor I’d be gone for a month. It’s changed so much since then.

“The girls who are making their England debuts now are in a totally different world and this summer we’re looking at grounds like Edgbaston, The Kia Oval and Lord’s and some of them could be nearly full.

“Like Leah Williamson and her team last year, it would be nice to think that we’ve brought a few people into the game this summer.

“I’m really proud of how far cricket has come. We’ve got more distance to go but this is a huge year for women’s cricket and hopefully the scale of the Women’s Ashes will help inspire a few more girls to come and watch us.

“Like the Lionesses last summer, I think we have the chance to bring a lot of people with us.”

Adam Idah will head into Euro 2024 qualifier battle with Greece and Gibraltar grateful for both the help and competition provided by two strikers at opposite ends of their careers.

The 22-year-old Republic of Ireland frontman has spent much of the last four seasons fighting Teemu Pukki for a place in the Norwich starting line-up, and now faces a major challenge from Brighton’s teenage sensation Evan Ferguson on the international front.

However Idah, who made his Canaries debut as an 18-year-old and won his first senior cap for Ireland a little more than a year later, has not been daunted by either battle.

Asked about Pukki’s influence on his fledgling career as the 33-year-old Finland international prepares to leave Norwich this summer, he said: “Teemu was massive to me since I came in.

“When I first came to Norwich I wasn’t playing many games, and I was really frustrated, but he helped me through that.

“Looking back now, it was stupid of me to be frustrated as he was scoring all these goals, but even off the pitch he helped me, (showing me) what to do outside of football.

“On the pitch, he was fantastic. He’s a great player to look up to with all the goals he has scored in championships and the Premier League. He is a great professional.”

Pukki’s impending exit after scoring 88 goals in 210 appearances over his five years at Carrow Road presents Idah with an opportunity next season, with boss David Wagner needing to plug a sizeable gap, and it is one he is determined to take.

He said: “Every new season is a big opportunity for me. Obviously it was difficult – when he was at Norwich, he was the main man and next season is going to be a big one for me to try to get myself in the team.

“But I think me and the manager know it’s going to be a good opportunity for me to try to become the main striker at Norwich. I just have to be the best I can to get in.”

In the meantime, Idah’s task is to force his way into Stephen Kenny’s team for the trip to Athens on June 16 and Gibraltar’s visit to Dublin three days later, a process which has become more difficult as a result of Ferguson’s breakthrough season in the Premier League.

The 18-year-old made 19 league appearances and scored six goals as the Seagulls secured European football for the first time in the club’s history, and also opened his senior international account – something Idah is yet to do – in March’s 3-2 friendly win over Latvia.

Speaking from Ireland’s warm-weather training camp in Antalya, Turkey, Idah said: “He’s had an unbelievable season at Brighton. In every team, you need some friendly competition for all of us.

“There’s not just Evan, there’s five of us forwards all chasing for the same spot and I think we’re all doing everything in the right way. We help each other achieve in the right way to the best we can.

“Whoever starts in any game, I think we all support each other and try to do the best we can. That’s what so good about this team – there’s no ego in this team and we all try to help each other.”

John Ryan is eager to take on the overseas contenders in the King’s Stand Stakes with Manaccan – and hopes to have Frankie Dettori in the saddle at Royal Ascot.

The four-year-old ended last season in rude health, winning Listed races at Doncaster and Ascot, plus a Group Three at Dundalk.

He began this season conceding weight in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket under Dettori and having been drawn on the wrong side of a rain-softened track, ran admirably to be beaten just a length and a half by Vadream.

“I was delighted with him this morning and should all go well between now and then, the King’s Stand is where we are going and hopefully Frankie is going to ride him,” said Ryan.

“We were umming and ahhing over whether we should go to Newmarket or Haydock first time out and I wanted one run before the King’s Stand.

“We went for Newmarket, despite him having to carry a penalty, because Haydock’s Temple Stakes is usually run on soft ground but it wasn’t this year.

“Obviously, with the penalty, the way the ground went and being drawn on the wrong side, he ended up running a big race but crucially it also gave him more time to get over the run than Haydock would have done.”

The King’s Stand went the way of Australia last year with Nature Strip and this year his compatriot Coolangatta is towards the head of the betting, but Ryan is unperturbed.

“We’re in the situation where we’ve got a lot more in our favour than most,” he said.

“He’s already proved he likes Ascot having won there before, we know he wants fast ground and it’s looking like it should be that and while he might not have won at this level yet, he’s won a Listed and a Group Three as well as at the Shergar Cup and those races can be very competitive.

“He’s tough and he’s sharpened his teeth now, he’s certainly earned his place in the race. He’s tough and deserves to take them on.

“Whether the opposition comes from Australia or Kathmandu, it doesn’t bother me, he always gives his best and given some fortune with the draw, I’m sure he’ll run a good race.”

Rory McIlroy admitted he was “surprised” and had “mixed emotions” after learning of the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.

McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but were both kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced on Tuesday.

Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.

“It was a surprise, I knew there had been discussions going on in the background but I didn’t expect it to happen as quickly as it did,” McIlroy said in a press conference ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.

The Northern Irishman added: “I gather the (PGA) Tour felt they were in a real position of strength coming off the DP World Tour winning their legal case in London; it weakened the other side’s position.

“I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and try to look at the bigger picture and I look 10 years down the line, I think ultimately it’s going to be good for the game of professional golf.

“It unifies it and secures its financial future. There’s mixed emotions in there as well.

“I don’t understand all the intricacies of what’s going on. There is a lot of ambiguity, a lot to still be thrashed out but at least it means the litigation goes away, which has been a massive burden for everyone and we can start to work toward some kind of way of unifying the game at the elite level.”

Brad Lyons has signed a new two-year deal at Kilmarnock after helping the club escape relegation.

The Northern Ireland midfielder made 15 cinch Premiership appearances last season and scored in the decisive 3-1 win over Ross County on the final day, after coming into the team for the equally important 3-0 win at Dundee United days earlier.

The 26-year-old former Coleraine, Blackburn, St Mirren and Morecambe player told Killie’s website: “I love the club and community, so it was easy for me to re-sign.

“Towards the end of the season I think that I showed my true self, so I’m really glad the club offered me a new deal. The manager’s message to me is to try and be more consistent with playing levels.

“I’ve now shown what I’m worth, so that’s the level I need to hit every week.”

Iga Swiatek maintained her unbeaten record against Coco Gauff in their French Open rematch to move through to the semi-finals.

The pair had met in the final 12 months ago, with Gauff winning just four games, and the American had not won a set in their six previous clashes.

The statistic remains, although Gauff at least pushed the world number one in a 6-4 6-2 defeat, and will feel she might have done better.

The 19-year-old was unable to take the few chances she had to gain the ascendancy, particularly in the second set, and Swiatek made her pay.

The top seed has lost only 15 games in five matches, and she said: “I haven’t spent much time on court so I’m happy that today was a tighter match.”

Gauff came out with different tactics to last year’s final, testing Swiatek with high, slower balls to her backhand and trying not to allow the top seed to get into a rhythm.

It worked well to a point, with Gauff quickly retrieving an early break, but Swiatek stepped up her level to clinch the set with a brilliant returning game.

Gauff’s big opportunity came in the third game of the second set when she created three break points – the third after drilling a point-blank backhand at Swiatek at the net, sending the Pole tumbling to the clay as she tried to avoid it.

Gauff swiftly apologised, but it was Swiatek who had the last laugh as the American fired shots long on each of her opportunities.

And that would prove to be the last opening, with the two-time champion winning four games in a row to book her spot in the last four once again.

There Swiatek will face Beatriz Haddad Maia, who came from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur and become the first Brazilian woman to reach the French Open semi-finals in the open era.

After battling for nearly four hours to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, the 14th seed again found herself with work to do after losing the opening set to seventh seed Jabeur.

A very tight second went to a tie-break, which Haddad Maia took, and the Brazilian ran away with the decider to win 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-1.

Haddad Maia, 27, looked utterly stunned at the moment of victory, having never previously gone beyond the fourth round at a slam.

Her results away from the majors have been very impressive, though, and she will hope to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian grand slam champions Gustavo Kuerten and Maria Bueno.

Pam Sly will consider an ambitious tilt at the Falmouth Stakes with Astral Beau after her stable star went down fighting at Epsom last week.

The four-year-old was rated in the mid-70s at this stage of last season, but has taken her game to another level this term, putting together three excellent runs.

After blowing her rivals away when landing a heavy ground Doncaster Mile on her April reappearance, Astral Beau proved that performance was no fluke when third in the Group Two Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend.

She encountered much quicker conditions in the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday, but again performed with great credit to finish third, beaten just three-quarters of a length by the Frankie Dettori-ridden Prosperous Voyage.

Sly has not yet made any firm plans, but raised a step up to Group One level in Newmarket’s Falmouth Stakes on July 14 as a possibility.

“For us, she’s a diamond,” said Sly.

“We were well pleased with the run because the ground was pretty quick for her and I couldn’t understand it when the handicapper dropped her 2lb on Tuesday.

“There’s nothing for her really this month, so we’ve either got a Listed race at Pontefract (Pipalong Stakes, July 11) or we could be absolutely extreme and go for the Falmouth. That would be extreme, but there might be hellish thunderstorms or something at that time of the year, so we’ll see.

“We’re very pleased with her, she’ll have a couple of weeks out in the paddock now and we’ve got one or two Group races between now and September we might be able to have a go at. If we can keep picking up a bit of black type, it will be good.”