The Oaks has produced many brilliant winners during its long history – yet the 2007 renewal created two points of argument that are, while more anecdotal than empirical, equally worthy of note.
Light Shift is arguably one of the most aptly-named winners and received the biggest reception for a horse ever to run in the race since its inception in 1779.
Sir Henry Cecil, saddling his eighth and final victory in the middle leg of the fillies’ Triple Crown, felt the warmth of the crowd. He never quite understood the adulation he was afforded or the esteem in which he was held by his adoring public, and the reception he received moved him to tears.
For this moment encapsulated, to the public at least, a glimmer of light at the end of the trainer’s dark tunnel.
“I think a lot of people thought this was his last hurrah, but little did we know it was the beginning,” said his wife, Lady Jane Cecil.
Cecil, a modest man, had almost effortlessly scaled unimaginable heights in a career which stared in 1969 and brought 25 domestic Classic winners and 10 trainers’ titles.
Top-class victories flowed with regularity. Wollow, Kris, Le Moss, Ardross, Slip Anchor, Oh So Sharp, Reference Point, Indian Skimmer, Bosra Sham, Oath and Reams Of Verse – things came easily to Cecil for so long.
What followed is well documented. The removal of Sheikh Mohammed’s horses from the Warren Place yard in 1995, the death of his twin brother David, from cancer, five years later and the breakdown of his second marriage, all took a heavy toll.
“The joy went out of his life and the focus went,” said Lady Jane, “particularly after David’s death. He took it very badly.”
In 2005 he saddled just a dozen winners and his stable of 200 horses shrank to barely 50.
A year later, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Life’s fates then turned once more, with Light Shift providing the most significant winner in his career.
Musidora winner Passage Of Time was the 9-4 favourite. Also trained by Cecil, she was expected to give him his 24th Classic winner.
However, she had not wintered as well as Light Shift and had an issue with her throat, which came to light after the race, in which she finished eighth, over 21 lengths behind her stablemate.
But the diminutive Light Shift, a daughter of Kingmambo, who had broken her maiden at the third attempt the previous September, was no forlorn second-string.
She came to Epsom on a hat-trick, having opened her Classic season with a win at Newbury, followed by a comfortable Cheshire Oaks victory under Ted Durcan.
“She was so straightforward,” said her jockey. “She was neat but was extremely well-made and light on her feet.
“She was a lovely-moving filly with a lovely action and a lovely mind on her. She was a genuine, straightforward filly.
“Although she was a little bit antsy, there was no malice in her. She was one of those fillies who didn’t like hanging around or being held up in her regime. She loved getting on with it.
“She was a little bit headstrong as a two-year-old, but she learned to settle and was just a really sweet filly.”
He added: “I was very taken with her in the Cheshire Oaks. She gave the leaders a good head-start and picked them up in a matter of strides. On paper it says she won by a neck, but literally she won under hands and heels. I never had to give her a flick. She glided around Chester and showed an electric turn of foot.
“Once she won like that, we all headed to Epsom very excited, as she had every attribute you needed.
“She glided under the radar. At Epsom, I was mindful that I didn’t want to get her in a ruck, because she wasn’t over-big and it might light her up.
“But we had a lovely, smooth run around. The only thing was I was left in front too early. I thought by following Mick Kinane on Four Sins, who I fancied to run a big race, I was in a good position.
“I thought that filly would take me a bit longer into the straight, but she emptied quickly and I was left in front a bit sooner than I wanted.”
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Peeping Fawn, closed the gap significantly to half a length, but Martin Dwyer’s mount could not quite reel Durcan in.
“Aidan’s filly turned out to be brilliant. His filly may have lacked a little experience on Oaks day, but she showed she was smart afterwards and won four Group One races on the trot,” said Durcan.
“I think anyone who didn’t have an interest in the race wanted Henry to win with one or the other.
“Anyone who was neutral, or who loved racing, they were willing Henry to win the race. When one of the fillies won, everyone’s goodwill and emotion was aimed towards Henry, and rightly so.
“It was his day and that was right. One of the nicest things was the Niarchos family and Juddmonte had stood by Henry in his lean times. So for him to have a runner for both of them, and for one of them to win, it just added up to a magical day.
“It was my first Classic and an honour for a rider of my stature to win one. I totally appreciate how fortunate I was, as there were a lot better riders in the weighing room who were not fortunate enough to win a Classic.”
Light Shift’s Epsom win and marriage to Jane (nee McKeown) gave Cecil the fillip he needed.
“You’d never see Henry cry, but he shed a few tears that day with the reception he got, although he didn’t understand the public’s affection,” said Lady Jane.
“Light Shift wasn’t very big, but she was very brave. She was actually a bit of a worrier, so to do it on a day like that was incredible.
“It was a completely amazing day. That was the race that mattered most to him, because that was really the start of things.
“He was amazed by that response. Things from then, they started to get better and it bloomed from there.
“I was there when Love Divine (2000) won and that was a wonderful day and we had lots of well-wishers. I thought ‘this is marvellous’, and that we’d never get that feeling again, but when we arrived back after Light Shift, it was a whole different feeling, it went to a whole other level. You could just feel the love.
“People were willing Henry to win, because he’d had all that treatment and he didn’t look that good.
“He was so pleased for the Niarchos family, who were lovely to work for. Maria (Niarchos) was so delighted, as much for Henry as the horse.
“And Ted was a good rider. He knew her well and was a very good jockey and a very nice person. Henry liked him as a person and as a jockey, so he was delighted for Ted as well.”
Cecil’s story was yet to have its glorious final chapter written. The unbeaten Frankel, who gave him his final Classic in 2011, with a memorable 2000 Guineas romp, is the most famous of his training success stories.
Cecil bore his illness and treatment so gracefully, with such humility and dignity right until the end, which came eight months after Frankel’s retirement in October 2012 following victory in the Champion Stakes.
Lady Jane will keep a wistful eye on the action at Epsom this weekend with Soul Sister, a daughter of Frankel, bidding to give Frankie Dettori another big win in what is set to be his final season as a jockey. He also partners Arrest, another son of Frankel, in the Derby.
“Both races are very interesting this year, especially with the Frankel factor,” she added. “It’s just incredible really. That is the saddest thing, that Henry is not around, because he would have loved to have trained any of the Frankels,” she said.
“It’s so lovely to have the interest. There’s the Frankie factor as well. If it was Frankie’s last Oaks and Derby, winning either would be a great send-off, wouldn’t it?”
Who knows, it might even get the same hearty reception accorded to Light Shift, Durcan and the imperious Cecil.
Long-serving defender Cammy Kerr declared “there is no place I would rather be” as he prepares to continue his association with Dundee for another two years.
The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with his boyhood club – apart from a couple of loan stints at Peterhead – but it was unclear if he would remain at Dens Park beyond this summer, with his deal expiring amid reported interest from other clubs.
However, Dundee announced on Tuesday – a day after the appointment of new manager Tony Docherty – that Kerr has signed a contract extension until 2025 as they prepare to return to the cinch Premiership following their Championship title win.
“I am absolutely delighted to sign a contract extension with Dundee Football Club,” Kerr told the Dark Blues’ website.
“The past year has been a particularly special one for me as it brought along my 250th appearance in my testimonial year and I cannot thank the fans enough for their support in those events.
“To top it all off by winning the league made it extra special, memories to last a lifetime. But it’s now time to be better and make more memories that will last a lifetime.
“To represent Dundee Football Club is something that I could have only dreamed of as a young lad and it fills me with pride every time I pull on the dark blue.
“There is no place I would rather be, Dundee till I die.”
Kerr follows highly-regarded young midfielder Lyall Cameron in signing a new deal with Dundee this month, although the squad remains threadbare with most of the squad that won the Championship under recently-departed boss Gary Bowyer currently out of contract.
Joao Felix is heading back to Atletico Madrid with Chelsea choosing not to retain the Portugal winger following his loan deal, according to the Spanish club’s president Enrique Cerezo.
Felix, 23, joined Chelsea on loan in January for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign and went on to score four goals in 20 appearances for the Blues.
On Monday, after a difficult campaign in which they finished a lowly 12th in the Premier League, Chelsea announced the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach.
And, as reported by Marca, Cerezo said of Felix: “The truth is that I can’t tell you the plan with Joao.
“It’s the news we had yesterday, that the new coach doesn’t have him for Chelsea. We don’t have anything planned yet, Joao is an Atletico player now.”
Atletico paid £113million to sign Felix, who is under contract with them until 2027, from Benfica in 2019.
He has made 131 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, scoring 34 goals, and helped them win the 2020-21 LaLiga title.
Covey is likely to run in either the Jersey Stakes or the Britannia at Royal Ascot following his easy win at Haydock on Saturday.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained colt has now won three of his four races following a narrow defeat on his debut.
Unraced at two, he is rapidly making up for lost time but after Frankie Dettori admitted to being run away with on the gallops with him last year, what has pleased connections most is that he now saves his energy for the track.
A 10lb rise from the handicapper means he is now rated 100.
“We were all happy at Haydock and I was expecting the sort of rise he’s got,” said Barry Mahon of owners Juddmonte.
“We’ve got a couple of weeks to decide, but I would imagine he’ll go for either the Jersey or the Britannia.
“He’s a beautiful horse, an unbelievably good physical specimen and we always felt he could be a very good horse last year but he just didn’t give himself a chance, as Frankie said he was a bit of a boyo.
“But in every run on the track this season, he hasn’t put a foot wrong in temperament or performance, in every run he’s turned up and behaved well. He’s grown up a lot and we’re on the right path, hopefully he can turn into a nice horse.
“He won under hands and heels at Haydock. We’ve been a little bit behind all year but he’s catching up now, it just takes a while to get where you need to be.”
Peter Schiergen’s Tunnes will fly the flag for Germany in Dahlbury Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday.
The four-year-old has an eye-catching pedigree as he is out Tijuana, the dam of 2021 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso.
Tunnes was a juvenile winner and then had a successful three-year-old season as he claimed the German St Leger and the Grosser Preis von Bayern in fairly quick succession as autumn approached.
He then jetted to Tokyo to take on the Japan Cup, a Grade One race in which he finished ninth of 18 to wrap up his season.
This year he kicked off his campaign in the Carl Jaspers Preis, a Group Two held at Cologne, and came home second over the same one-mile-four-furlong trip he will encounter at Epsom on the first day of the Derby meeting.
“He is good, he will run on Friday,” said Schiergen.
“He had a break and after the break he started and was second, he was good, he’s improved and I’m happy in the mornings.
“It was good enough for the first time, he wasn’t 100 per cent, he has improved and should be right now for Epsom.”
Should his Coronation Cup bid go to plan, there may be a return to British turf on the agenda for Tunnes, with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot pencilled in for later in the season.
Schiergen said: “If he runs well,
we might plan to run him in the King George.”
Emily Upjohn makes her seasonal bow in the race and joint-trainer John Gosden feels the race should put the filly spot on for her targets later in the summer as last year’s Oaks runner-up returns to Epsom.
“She’s been fine but like a lot of the fillies, after that false glimpse of spring in February, we then had it cold and wet and she went back into herself,” he told Nick Luck’s Daily podcast.
“She’s taken a long time to come ready but hopefully she’s ready now to run a nice race in the Coronation.
“The race will bring her on. For the older horses, the races are June onwards. We had a think about going to Dubai but chose not to which was the correct and wise decision given who won it (Equinox).
“It looks like a small, select, elite field and she’s a filly taking on the colts, but we want to get her back going and I think you’ll see a big improvement going into June and July.
“She showed brilliance early on last year then it all went wrong in the King George when a few of them, like Westover, over-raced.
“She then had a long time off to come back on Champions Day, when she won with great authority. Right now she’s on the way to getting back up to that level, but I think the race will be key to bringing her on.”
St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean has decided against offering three-time trophy winner David Wotherspoon a new contract as he begins a ruthless squad overhaul.
The 33-year-old midfielder has spent 10 years with his hometown club and helped them to Scottish Cup glory in both 2014 and 2021 as well as the 2021 League Cup.
However, Wotherspoon is one of 14 players who will be leaving Saints this summer as MacLean, who was appointed permanent boss last weekend following an encouraging stint as interim manager, prepares to rebuild the squad following two consecutive seasons of battling relegation.
The Canada international will be given a testimonial year by the club, with details to be announced in due course.
Michael O’Halloran, Eetu Vertainen, Jamie Murphy, Charlie Gilmour, Bobby Dailly, Spencer Moreland and William Sandford are the other players who have not been offered new deals, while veteran midfielder Murray Davidson had already decided to retire after 14 years with Saints.
Remi Matthews, Alex Mitchell, Adam Montgomery, Zak Rudden and Connor McLennan will all return to their parent clubs after being on loan at Saints, while Theo Bair has been made available for transfer.
“I’ve had conversations with all of the lads who were out of contract and one or two of the decisions were hard ones to break to the players involved,” MacLean told Saints’ website.
“Jamie is a model professional and gave his all for Saints in his year here. Michael has been part of the cup successes. I wish them both well.
“David is a St Johnstone legend and I have total respect for him as a professional footballer and as a person.
“He’s played a huge role in all of our successes in the past decade.
“I’ve had a chat with him to explain the reasons behind my decision. I feel I have made the right choice for the football club as we move forward.
“I’d like to wish David the very best in whatever comes next for him in his career.”
Recently-appointed chief executive Stan Harris paid tribute to long-serving duo Wotherspoon and Davidson.
“David has made a significant contribution to St Johnstone over a decade and fully deserves his status as a club legend,” he said. “On and off the park, he has served us wonderfully well.
“He goes with the best wishes of myself and everyone else on the board.
“Also, on behalf of the board, we wish Murray Davidson the very best as he retires from football. Murray has been at Saints for 14 years and his overall contribution has been outstanding.”
Rob Page expects to welcome Tom Lockyer back into the Wales squad in September after the Luton defender collapsed during Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final.
Lockyer was stretchered off after just eight minutes of the Hatters’ Wembley win against Coventry and remains in hospital.
But Luton boss Rob Edwards has reported the 28-year-old is “fine” and Wales manager Page said Lockyer was in good spirits during a 20-minute telephone conversation he had with the central defender on Monday.
“You are always going to phone your players and show them support,” said Page after confirming Lockyer would be absent from next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.
“It was just to say that we are here for him, in any capacity.
“I am not going into detail of what’s happening or what’s going to happen. That’s conversations we are going to have with Luton Town Football Club.
“It would be silly of me to even suggest what those reasons (for his collapse) were and the most important thing in this is health.
“For us it’s just about getting him fit and ready for our camp in September.”
Wales, who picked up four points from their opening two qualifiers in March, travel to Latvia in September.
David Brooks has been recalled to the Wales squad for the first time since his cancer diagnosis.
Brooks, who was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, announced he was cancer-free in May last year.
The 25-year-old midfielder returned to club action for Bournemouth in March and started the Cherries’ last two Premier League games.
Page said: “I wanted to pick him in March. He played some minutes before that camp and I wanted to get him involved as soon as possible.
“But I get that it was too soon and it was more beneficial for him to stay behind and play for Bournemouth Under-23s in a game that was organised for him.
“Brooksy is definitely part of the changes I wanted to make post-World Cup and the way we want to play. He’s back fit, starting games in the Premier League and has the quality to be in our plans moving forward.”
Neco Williams is also included after fracturing his jaw playing for Nottingham Forest last month. The 22-year-old has not played since.
“He’s not played minutes because of the significance of the injury but he will be fit for camp,” said Page.
“You can’t take away every risk and I think he’s got a protection to wear for that reason.
“He’s so many weeks down the line so I’d think the opportunity of a refracture is very unlikely. We’ll get the medical team to assess him on camp and take away the risk as much as possible.”
Midfielder Aaron Ramsey (calf) and goalkeeper Danny Ward (dislocated finger) have also been named in Page’s 25-man squad despite fitness issues over the pair.
Skipper Ramsey has missed Nice’s last three games in Ligue 1.
Page said: “The little niggle, and that’s all it is, has probably come at a good time for him.
“He’s at an age now where he knows his body and how to manage it.
“He’s got one eye on these two games and it is not an issue. Aaron has played more football this season than he has done for the last few years.”
Bristol City youngster Joe Low has been called up into the senior squad for the first time to replace Lockyer.
Cameron Norrie has hit back at Novak Djokovic’s accusations of poor sportsmanship.
The pair had an unexpectedly fiery clash in Rome two weeks ago, with the main flashpoint coming when Norrie hit Djokovic on the ankle with a smash after the Serbian had turned away to walk back to the baseline.
In his press conference afterwards, Djokovic criticised Norrie not just for that moment but for what he perceived as the British number one celebrating in his face after winning points, as well as a medical timeout he took prior to the final game of the match.
Djokovic, who won the contest comfortably, said: “Those are the things that we players know in the locker room it’s not fair play, it’s not how we treat each other.”
Norrie did not see what the fuss was about, saying of the smash: “I apologised straightaway and I didn’t see him. I looked up and hit the ball down low. I didn’t see him turn and concede the point.
“I wanted to win, it was one of those matches where he’s one of the best players in the world and I wanted to play my best and compete as hard as I could.
“I didn’t think I was in his face at all. I think, if anyone knows me, I’m pretty vocal in some matches. It was a regular tennis match for me.
“I was feeling feeling my hip a little bit and I took the medical time-out. It is within the rules. And for him also it’s in the rules to start the match on his time – being late.”
The last comment was a pointed reference to the fact Djokovic turned up more than 10 minutes late for the match after spending time in the treatment room.
“He wanted some more time on the physio bed and the match was scheduled for 11am,” said Norrie. “And we walked out maybe 11.12am, 11.13am. I don’t think he saw any problem with that. He never said anything to me. And he never apologised.
“I asked: ‘Was that OK to do that?’ They said: ‘Yeah, it is within the rules.’ After 15 minutes, he gets defaulted. I said: ‘OK,’ and I continued warming up.
“I’ve never seen that before from any player. Regardless if it’s a tennis match or not, you turn up on time for whatever it is.”
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Djokovic’s complaints have sparked a debate in tennis about where the line is drawn between firing yourself up and disrespect towards your opponent, with Marton Fucsovics also complaining about Sebastian Baez celebrating the Hungarian’s mistakes during a match in Lyon last week.
“If you’re doing it right in front of someone’s face and looking at them and trying to taunt them, that’s not great,” said Norrie.
“I was not doing that, Baez was not doing that, and I think it’s part of the game. I love seeing players compete and really get up for the matches and really wanting to win. You see it in all sports.
“For me, I’m competing as hard as I can. I’m not trying to do it to distract the other guy or anything. This is the only time that anyone’s had an issue with it.”
Norrie could have had reason to complain about a very partisan crowd for his dramatic five-set win over Benoit Paire but the 27-year-old enjoyed the atmosphere and can expect more of the same in the second round on Wednesday when he takes on another Frenchman, Lucas Pouille.
The 29-year-old was ranked in the top 10 in 2018 but an elbow injury the following year began a downward spiral, with Pouille battling depression and turning to alcohol.
He did not play any matches in the second half of last year but returned to the circuit in January and came through qualifying here before winning his first grand slam match since 2019.
Pouille has been roared on by the French crowd and led them in a rendition of the Marseillaise on court following his first-round win.
“It’s really special,” said Pouille, who beat Norrie at Roland Garros back in 2018.
“That’s why also I think I took another 30 minutes on court to sign all the autographs, take all the pictures, because we finished pretty late and the court was still packed, and they were cheering me from the first point to the last one. The energy was just incredible. It was so many good emotions.”
Royal Ascot’s Hardwicke Stakes is still the aim for Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner Hukum, who handed Derby winner Desert Crown his first defeat at Sandown earlier this month.
Owen Burrows was happy to report the Shadwell-owned six-year-old returned to his Lambourn yard in fine fettle after his first run for 11 months.
Hukum had three screws inserted in a hind leg after suffering an injury when winning last year’s Coronation Cup at Epsom.
Having made a remarkable recovery, under a fine ride from Jim Crowley, he produced a telling burst to collar Desert Crown and take the Group Three 10-furlong prize by half a length.
“Hukum thankfully trotted up sound the next morning all good and had a little canter on Saturday. That was the most important bit,” said Burrows.
Victory over the trip opens a few more doors for the year-older brother to the brilliant Baaeed. Hukum had won over a mile and three-quarters in the past, although he has predominately raced over a mile and a half.
Burrows added: “He is trip versatile. We are just going to be in the lap of the gods to see what sort of summer we have this year.
“He doesn’t need it soft, but he does need it safe, good ground.
“Jim has always made that point and I’m in agreement. Talking to (Shadwell owner) Sheikha Hissa the following day, she was in agreement as well.
“I’ve not got him in the Prince of Wales’s or an Eclipse, but as you know well with the British summertime, if the forecast is a bit wet, we might just have to have a conversation.”
Should ground conditions be favourable, there is the fascinating prospect of a clash with stablemate Anmaat, who won Monday’s Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp.
“We have Anmaat in both the Prince Of Wales’s and the Eclipse, so it would be a nice problem to have,” he added.
“We will be watching the weather with Hukum and I always said the Brigadier Gerard would be a prep for the Hardwicke, but if the Hardwicke turned up good to firm, we might have to wait.
“There is the Eclipse at the beginning of July and a race in France in early July over a mile and a half. There is the King George at the end of July, but we will be on a constant weather watch.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman names her squad for this summer’s World Cup on Wednesday with injuries having been the major talking point in the build-up to the announcement.
Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has been ruled out of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way on July 20 after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last month.
Fellow Euro 2022 winner Fran Kirby will also be absent due to a knee problem and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament for that competition, is a serious doubt as she recovers from an ACL injury sustained in November.
Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze (both knee) have been sidelined of late as well to add to Wiegman’s worries, while one-cap goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has made herself unavailable for selection as she focuses on recovering from a groin issue.
The injury to Williamson has prompted speculation over whether her fellow defender and predecessor as skipper Steph Houghton, who is yet to play under Wiegman, might be recalled.
The 35-year-old was included in the provisional Euros squad last summer as she worked her way back from an Achilles operation but did not make the final cut and, while featuring regularly for Manchester City of late, she has not had further involvement with England.
Speaking shortly before Williamson’s injury, Wiegman said the chances of Houghton making the World Cup squad were “not that high” while stressing she would “never close the door”.
In attack, there could be a return for Bethany England, a member of the Euros-winning squad who was last called up by Wiegman for matches in September.
The forward has scored 12 Women’s Super League goals since moving from Chelsea to Tottenham in January.
England kick off their World Cup campaign by facing Haiti in Brisbane on July 22 and will also play Denmark and China in Group D.
Their 30-game unbeaten run under Wiegman that included last summer’s Euros triumph on home soil, the first major trophy in the team’s history, ended in their most recent outing, when they were beaten 2-0 by Australia in Brentford last month.
Wiegman, a runner-up at the 2019 World Cup in France with her native Netherlands, will be at a grassroots club in Birmingham for the announcement of her 23-player squad on Wednesday afternoon.
Sutton Coldfield’s Boldmere St Michaels FC, formed in 1883, is home to 70 teams covering 18 different age groups across women’s, men’s, girls’ and boys’ football. Around 60 girls and boys are set to be taking part in half-term sessions there on Wednesday.
The Football Association said in a statement that the location decision “follows the Lionesses’ equal access success and has been made to highlight the strong connection between the grassroots game and England teams”.
It added: “This will reinforce the squad’s determination to positively impact participation levels, inspire future generations and also the crucial role grassroots clubs have played in the players’ development.”
Earlier this year the Government announced a package to boost school sport and equal access to it, which followed the England squad calling for change in an open letter published just after they won the Euros last summer.
The FA said that while that had been achieved, it remained its “strategic objective for girls to have equal access to football in the community through growing the number of girls teams within grassroots clubs and ensuring Weetabix Wildcats and Squad sessions are easily accessible”.
Captain Ryan Edwards will lead the exodus from Dundee United in the wake of their relegation from the cinch Premiership after the Tannadice club confirmed the names of six players departing this summer.
Demotion to the Championship was confirmed on Sunday, ensuring a rebuild will be required as manager Jim Goodwin – who was handed a two-year contract on Saturday – bids to shape his team for a tilt at instant promotion.
Skipper Edwards, who joined three years ago, will leave under freedom of contract, along with Liam Smith, who had four seasons at Tannadice, Ian Harkes and Peter Pawlett, both of whom arrived at the club in January 2019.
On-loan pair Jamie McGrath and Loick Ayina will return to their respective parent clubs, Wigan and Huddersfield.
“Dundee United wish to thank all six players departing for their efforts in Tangerine and wishes them all the best for the future,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.
Caernarfon is reminding Jack Channon of some of the great fillies of his past ahead of her tilt at the Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday.
The daughter of Cityscape provided Channon’s father Mick with success in the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes last autumn and it would be somewhat fitting if she was to build on her 1000 Guineas fourth and provide the younger Channon with a Classic victory in his first season since taking over the training licence at West Ilsley.
As well as assisting his father, Channon has previously spent time working for Clive Brittain, and having been encouraged by what he has seen from Caernarfon since Newmarket, is now looking forward to her next big-race assignment, believing she compares favourably with some former top-class fillies.
“We’re really excited and she ran an absolute belter in the 1000 Guineas,” said Channon.
“I’ve been very lucky to have been around some very good fillies in the shape of Rizeena and obviously some of dad’s very good fillies – Samitar, Queen’s Logic, Music Show, Nahoodh and all those – and it’s very exciting to have one again. They are very hard to come by, but she gives me a similar feel to some of those good ones.”
Caernarfon was staying on strongly in the closing stages of the 1000 Guineas but will now have to prove her stamina as she takes the leap up to a mile and a half on the Downs.
However, Channon has always felt she would benefit from tackling further than a mile and is quietly confident she will take the challenge of the Oaks in her stride.
He continued: “Her work has taken a step up since Newmarket and she did a wonderful piece of work on Friday that has got everyone very excited. We’re quietly hopeful she stays.
“We felt going into the Guineas she would benefit from going up to a mile and a quarter. It’s one of those where we don’t know if she will stay a mile and a half but she has all the assets to and she looks a stayer physically, even if her pedigree doesn’t reflect that.
“The way she runs and the way she races will say there is a chance and she looks to have improved a bundle since the Guineas.
“Her work has improved immeasurably and her well-being and her coat and everything else, I couldn’t be happier with. We’re excited to give it a whirl.”
Willian understands the frustration Arsenal will have after their failure to push on for the Premier League title, but believes the Gunners can challenge again next season.
Arsenal came close to ending a 19-year wait for a top-flight title before a late-season collapse saw incumbent holders Manchester City seize another crown.
The manner of Arsenal's faltering finale represented a dramatic downturn after they had led the Premier League table for 248 days of the season.
Willian, who spent a single campaign at Emirates Stadium during the 2020-21 season, has backed his former club to be challengers again soon enough.
"When I was there, I could see that Arsenal had a bright future ahead of them very close because of the way [Mikel] Arteta was working," the Fulham attacker told Stats Perform.
"The way I saw him working the team, I had no doubt that Arsenal would be back fighting for the top in the next few years.
"Unfortunately, they were fighting with a team that [is on] another level. It's an outstanding team. It's not easy to fight for the title with Manchester City.
"They must have a sense of frustration. They were fighting for the title the whole [season], and they let the title slip away practically.
"But they are back in the Champions League. Of course, there must be a bit of frustration, but they have to be happy with what they did.
"Without a doubt, Arsenal [had] an excellent year, and they have everything to fight for the title again next season."
City's latest title is their fifth Premier League crown in six seasons under Guardiola and looks poised to form part of a generation-defining treble with the FA Cup and Champions League finals to come.
The latter in particular remains the chief honour left for the club to win, and Willian believes that it is Guardiola's intelligent grasp of his squad that makes them such a threat.
"I think Guardiola, with his ideas, [is key]," he added. "He converges that with the execution of the players, which are, as they say here, "top class" players.
"I heard Guardiola once say that he gives the ideas, he tells them what to do, but they also have to have quality on the pitch. Otherwise, it's no use.
"He is a great manager, I think the best in the world in years, and together with the quality of the players on the field, City is very strong and hard to be beat."
Jayson Tatum lamented an untimely injury while Grant Williams bluntly said the Boston Celtics "got punked" after their defeat to the Miami Heat.
The Celtics fell short of becoming the first team in NBA history to win a seven-game series after going 3-0 down, as the Heat ended their season with a 103-84 win in Boston.
With talisman Tatum hampered by an ankle injury that he sustained on the first play of Monday's game, the Celtics could not get going as Jimmy Butler led the Heat to the NBA Finals.
Tatum finished with 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting, and was left to reflect on a missed opportunity.
"It was just frustrating that I was a shell of myself," Tatum said.
"It was tough to move. Just frustrating, with it happening on the first play."
Williams' assessment was a blunt one.
"We got punked," the Celtics forward told ESPN.
"We didn't play our game from start to finish. Defensively, we just lost it all, and then offensively we were scrambled and trying to do everything ourselves and just didn't go our way.
"You hate to have that be the end of your season, especially with the fight that we've shown. But shots didn't fall either, so that didn't help. It's just tough."
"[We were] missing shots, and then they're coming down and hitting shots," added Marcus Smart.
"It puts a lot of pressure on our defense to get stops. They were hitting some shots and they got in a rhythm and we weren't making ours."
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