Frankie Dettori feels the decision to run Inspiral in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf rather than the Mile is the correct call.
John and Thady Gosden’s star will be running over 10 furlongs for the first time but Dettori believes that with the tight nature of the Santa Anita track, a longer trip is a safer choice as a horse’s chance is not as dependent on a good draw.
The Italian teamed up with the multiple Group One winner on Tuesday morning and said: “Inspiral took to the pony really well and was quiet by her standards.
“Sometimes the Mile turf race here is very draw dependent, so I think it was a good decision to go for the longer race. She doesn’t need any introduction, she was a champion at two and at three and is top drawer.”
Dettori will also team up with his Champion Stakes-winning partner King Of Steel in the Turf. It is, however, a short turnaround from Champions Day, which was two weeks ago.
“King Of Steel wouldn’t be running unless Roger felt he had taken his race well,” said Dettori.
“The atmosphere (at Ascot) was unreal and I thought the roof was going to come off the stand. He had to fight for it and had a hard race but he weighs 570 kilos, he has plenty of meat there and I’m sure Roger wouldn’t bring him unless he was happy.”
Of his other mounts, he added: “Zandon is drawn two in the Classic, he was third in the Kentucky Derby and stays well. He might be overpriced at 20-1.
“Unquestionably has rock-solid form in the Juvenile Turf. He’s fulfilled expectations and I’m looking forward to him.
“Starlust (Juvenile Turf Sprint) has a couple rated higher than him but he ran well in the Middle Park.”
Of course, Santa Anita is soon to become Dettori’s home and he is now on the hunt for a house.
“I’ve been here a week and I’m loving it. I’ve settled in as well as I could have hoped and have been house hunting with my wife Catherine,” he said.
“I’ve known since August that I was going to carry on and it was hard to keep it a secret, it was a weight off my shoulders when it came out.
“I’ve seen everyone I know here and refreshing connections ahead of the opening day.”
Pakistan are targeting a late push for the Cricket World Cup semi-finals after a convincing seven-wicket win over Bangladesh.
Faced with a target of 205 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Pakistan made light work of knocking it off, thanks in large part to opener Fakhar Zaman's 74-ball 81, which included seven sixes.
That victory moved Pakistan onto six points, with two pool matches - against third-placed New Zealand and lowly England - remaining.
Should they win both, then Babar Azam's side stand a strong chance of qualifying, though they will also rely on both the Black Caps and Australia, who both have a match in hand, slipping up.
"Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments," said captain Babar at the post-match presentation.
"We know how well Fakhar plays when he's going and it was good to see him do it.
"We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches."
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have been eliminated, with their captain Shakib Al Hasan saying: "Not enough runs.
"We lost an early wicket, then we had partnerships but not big ones that would allow us to go big in the last ten overs."
Shakib put on 43 to complement a 45 from Litton Das and Mahmudullah's 56, but Bangladesh were bowled out for 204 after only 45.1 overs.
Fakhar's superb knock and Abdullah Shafique's 68 swiftly paved the way for Mohammad Rizwan (26 not out) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17no) to seal victory for Pakistan in the 33rd over.
It was just the fourth time Pakistan had defeated a team with at least 100 balls remaining in an ODI, having last done so against West Indies in 2011. The big win boosted their net run rate, which may still prove decisive in the battle to reach the semis.
"I practiced a lot after the Asia Cup," said Fakhar, who after hitting three successive ODI centuries earlier this year, had failed to score above 33 in his 11 innings since the start of May and lost his place in the side.
"Thankfully, I was feeling very good in the camp. I was looking forward to scoring for my team, but it's cricket, Today I got a chance. I had worked hard for this and it paid off.
"It doesn’t matter how the wicket will play, I know I can hit sixes, so I was just looking to play out the first four overs.
"My role is always to make it easy for my partner. I know my role, it was to see off the first four overs and then go for the ball. We were just looking to finish the game before the 30 overs.
"After too many failures I was always looking just to score the first 30 runs and I was struggling to get that. I’m very happy – hopefully I'll make it big in the next games."
Shaheen Afridi, meanwhile, joined Australia spinner Adam Zampa at the top of the wicket-taking charts for the tournament with figures of 3-23.
David Moyes expects Declan Rice to be “welcomed with open arms” when he returns to West Ham with Arsenal on Wednesday.
England midfielder Rice will face his old club for the first time since joining the Gunners for £105million in the summer when the teams meet in the Carabao Cup.
The 24-year-old made 245 appearances for West Ham and captained them to victory in the Europa Conference League, the club’s first silverware in 43 years.
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The Hammers fans are not exactly renowned for giving former players a warm welcome upon their return with another club, but boss Moyes believes Rice will get the recognition he deserves when he runs out at the London Stadium.
“You’ve got to remember this is the man who lifted this club’s first European trophy in more than 50 years,” said Moyes.
“He should be welcomed back with open arms. We’re all looking forward to seeing him again.
“He was a brilliant member of the team. He led the team brilliantly well. He conducted himself impeccably as a West Ham captain and as a player.
“The most important thing was that he gave 100 per cent in every game, even though we sort of knew he probably wasn’t going to stay at West Ham. So all credit to him. He conducted himself brilliantly well and for that alone he deserves to be cheered.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing Dec again. I’ve not seen him since he left. I don’t know if I want him to play, but I hope he’s there.”
Moyes is likely to include Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez against Arsenal as both are suspended for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brentford after collecting five bookings.
Former Arsenal players Lukasz Fabianski and Konstantinos Mavropanos will also be involved along with Emerson Palmieri, who is back from a ban.
LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell feel the Los Angeles Lakers are "figuring it out" after they battled to a win over the Orlando Magic.
The Lakers improved to 2-2 with a 106-103 home win over the Magic on Monday, a night after they had suffered a gruelling overtime defeat on the road against the Sacramento Kings.
Coach Darvin Ham had considered resting James for the second half of their back-to-back, but he played for another 33 minutes despite ankle soreness, contributing 19 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter.
Anthony Davis impressed again with 26 points and 19 rebounds, while Russell scored 12 of his 28 points in the final 12 minutes to see off a determined Magic (1-2) team.
"What you guys see is a team figuring it out," Russell, who also had eight assists, said after the game, per ESPN.
"This isn’t the product that it will be in a month or two from now.
"Every game matters. Every clutch situation matters. Every practice matters. So we are figuring it out."
LeBron was similarly optimistic after the Lakers moved to 2-0 at home, with a big game against city rivals the Clippers – who are bringing in James Harden – up next.
"We’re going to continue to get better," said the 38-year-old. "I think we’re still a little trying to figure it out, which is OK.
"We’re four games in. We’re going to get a lot better throughout the season, but so far we like some of the things we see."
Davis was impressed to see the Lakers pull out the win even with tired legs after their loss to the Kings.
"It just shows a resiliency that we have as a team, but also knowing that if we get in those situations, we know what to do," Davis said.
"Guys are not rushing shots or making bad plays. Just doing what we need to do for our teammates."
Gary Harris Jr. scored 17 points and hit all five of his 3-point attempts for the Magic, who will have the chance to gain revenge when these two teams play each other again in Orlando on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the NBA, Kings guard De'Aaron Fox – who impressed with 37 points against the Lakers – has been ruled out of Wednesday night's game at the Golden State Warriors with an ankle sprain.
And Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo was forced to miss his team’s 122-114 defeat at the Milwaukee Bucks due to a bruised hip.
Mauricio Pochettino called for Chelsea’s fans to believe and show trust in his side after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford left them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The Stamford Bridge crowd booed Chelsea off at full-time against the Bees after a third home defeat piled pressure on Pochettino.
The Chelsea boss understands the supporters’ frustration and suggested other reasons behind their inconsistent performances.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup last-16 clash against Blackburn on Wednesday, Pochettino said: “I think they need to be with us and I know it’s difficult to keep your feelings and it’s normal.
“The fans want to win and are frustrated and they show emotion but the message is to believe and to show trust in us and for sure it’s about the process of trusting and believing.
“There are so many details, what has happened (which contributed to Chelsea’s form) and you always need some luck.
“One of the situations that happened is the injury of Christopher Nkunku – he is a player we signed with an objective to provide the team and to help put us in a different position.
“In some games we created chances and did not score, we did not get what we deserved. I think we deserve more if we talk about our performance. We need to be more aggressive.
“In the last game we created chances and we were better than Brentford who blocked very low.
“It’s not enough and we need to criticise ourselves at the moment.”
A Carabao Cup trophy would soften the blow of Chelsea’s poor start to the 2023-24 campaign.
Pochettino highlighted the importance of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and insisted that he will field a strong team in a bid to advance to the quarter-finals.
He added: “It’s really important. The FA Cup and the Carabao Cup are really important for us and tomorrow (against Blackburn) we will play with our best team, some players need a rest after Saturday’s game so we cannot take risks.”
Reece James has come off the bench in recent weeks as part of his recovery from a hamstring injury he sustained in August.
And Pochettino confirmed the Blues skipper will start at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
He said: “I can confirm he is going to start. The captain is ready, which is good for the team and good for him to start from the beginning of the game and we will check on him and see how he’ll perform.”
Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has agreed a new contract extension with Real Madrid until the summer of 2027.
Vinicius’ previous contract was set to expire in 2024, and it has been reported an updated deal – said to include a 1billion euro (£873,500m) release clause – had been agreed for some time before being made public.
In a video clip on Real’s social media, Vinicius said: “Hello Madrid fans, I am very happy to renew my contract. It is a dream for me.
“I hope I can continue here for many years, scoring many goals and winning many titles. Thank you very much for the love. Hala Madrid!”
A short statement on the club’s official website read: “Real Madrid and Vini Jr have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which remains linked to the club until June 30, 2027.”
After starting his career with Flamengo, Vinicius, 23, joined Real as an 18-year-old and has gone on to make 235 first-team appearances, scoring 63 goals.
Vinicius has won the LaLiga title twice as well as the Champions League in 2022, with his goal securing a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris.
At Monday night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Vinicius was presented with the Socrates Award for his work to fight social inequality in Brazil and the ongoing battle against racism.
Following defeat in El Clasico, reports emerged some Barcelona supporters had directed racist abuse towards the Real forward.
Speaking about the ongoing issues when accepting his award, Vinicius said: “It’s boring to have to talk about racism all the time, but it’s an important thing and I will talk about it as often as I have to.
“To have people abuse me at different stadiums is sad. I hope things can change, they are getting better.
“(But) LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA can do more to make sure these people are not here among us.”
Captain Siya Kolisi dedicated Rugby World Cup glory to “every South African” during a triumphant homecoming in Johannesburg.
The Springboks received a rapturous welcome on Tuesday as they were greeted by thousands of fans at a packed OR Tambo International Airport.
South Africa retained the Webb Ellis Cup thanks to Saturday evening’s 12-11 success over New Zealand in Paris to become the first nation to win the men’s competition four times.
Flanker Kolisi, who also led his country to victory against England in the 2019 final in Japan, paraded the trophy through the huge crowd.
“Today, South Africa showed us exactly who we did it for,” he said, according to a press release from the South African Rugby Union.
“On behalf of the team, we’d like to thank the people of South Africa. It was a tough 20 weeks, but there was four years of planning behind that.
“When we won the World Cup in 2019, people didn’t think we would do it – instead, they were hopeful because the plan was always for 2023, but things changed and we won in 2019, and this time our people expected us to win.
“This was not about us as players. This victory was for every South African, and we showed what is possible with this diverse team.”
Kolisi, South Africa’s first black captain, overcame childhood poverty to become a two-time world champion.
The 32-year-old has repeatedly spoken of the Springboks being motivated by the everyday struggles endured by millions of their compatriots.
“As a team, we want to be a reference point for our people, to show them how we can do it, and hopefully they’ll get hope from this team,” he continued.
“Another important thing for us was to transform while winning. But we’d also like this to extend beyond sport and what is happening in South Africa, and how people see things going forward.
“We may not be able to change people’s circumstances, but we can give hope we can inspire people.”
The Springboks won the World Cup for the first time in 1995 following a 15-12 victory over the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s sports minister Zizi Kodwa referenced former president Nelson Mandela, who presented the trophy to skipper Francois Pienaar following that victory 28 years ago, as he lauded the achievement of the current side.
“The team’s performances on and off the field was an expression of former president Nelson Mandela’s saying that ‘sport has the power to change the world, sport can create hope where once there was only despair’,” Kodwa said.
“This victory pays homage to his vision, and it’s a dream to see the nation so united.”
Minella Drama is unlikely to take up his option in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, with trainer Donald McCain instead looking at graded races.
The eight-year-old performed with great credit on his comeback at Aintree on Sunday when beating all bar shock winner Jetoile in the Old Roan Chase under a big weight.
McCain was one of many who felt the race lost some of its lustre with all the fences in the home straight being omitted due to low sun – especially as his horse was in front a long way out.
“He ran an absolute screamer and a lot of people have said some very nice things about him,” said McCain.
“I think everybody who watched the race kind of had the same view – it doesn’t matter now of course – but given he’s such a good jumper, it’s just a shame they took all the fences out because it’s a long way home for his first run of the year.
“But it is what it is, we’ve always had a lot of faith in him, he’s a good horse and I’d just love him to have his big day somewhere.
“The Paddy Power wouldn’t be my go-to, to be honest. He was put in it in case we couldn’t get started somewhere but it’s not the obvious race, I don’t think.
“We’ve got races like the Peterborough Chase (Huntingdon, December 10), the Ascot one (1965 Chase, November 25) and I even put him in the Betfair Chase (Haydock, November 25) in case certain things didn’t turn up, because what he does do is turn up, every day. He runs up to his mark every day.”
Dawid Malan believes it would be unfair for England’s head coach Matthew Mott to take the blame for a dire World Cup campaign, suggesting the players themselves “need to take responsibility”.
England arrived in India as reigning champions and among the favourites but have unravelled in dramatic fashion over the past month.
After six games they sit bottom of the table in 10th place, with a solitary win against fellow strugglers Bangladesh, leaving Mott’s white-ball role under scrutiny.
Speculation over the Australian’s position increased when Eoin Morgan, the side’s World Cup-winning former captain, claimed the squad seemed “unsettled” and later suggested England “take a leaf out of Baz’s book” – a direct reference to Test coach Brendon McCullum.
Malan, the top run-scorer and solitary centurion in an underperforming lineup, told BBC Sport: “Motty is not the one walking out on the field.
“We are being given everything we need to perform. The facilities and work, everything is being done as it always has been, we just haven’t been able to find a way to get wins on the board. It has been frustrating from a players’ point of view because we know we’re better than that.
“I’m not involved in selection or any of those things, so I don’t know how that works or who is in charge of all that, but as players we need to take responsibility when we cross that rope.”
Malan broadened the focus away from Mott’s future, insisting that everyone involved in the campaign would be feeling the same heat.
“When you don’t perform well enough as a team there will be questions asked of certain people, whether that is the players, captain, selectors, coach, whoever it is,” he said.
“There is always going to be questions asked, that just comes with it. The only way to change that narrative is to put runs on the board.
“But the mood is still extremely good in the camp. It still feels like all the boys are together.
“I know people say that a lot when their backs are against the wall but genuinely, we still back each other and we’re still here for each other. We just haven’t been able to put those performances out on the pitch.”
Gerri Colombe will lead a strong team for Gordon Elliott in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal.
While the seven-year-old lost his unbeaten record at the Cheltenham Festival in March when beaten a short head by The Real Whacker, he gained some compensation in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree.
That victory took his record under rules to eight wins from nine outings, with three victories at the top level already.
Elliott has already stated this season is all about the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he feels this is the perfect starting point.
Stablemates Conflated and Delta Work are also likely to take their chance, with only six left in contention at Tuesday’s confirmation stage.
“We’ll definitely run two or three in it. It’s a Grade One race and you’ve got to support these races,” Elliott told the track.
“We’ll run Conflated, a Grade One winner last year, Gerri Colombe who did nothing wrong last year and we’ll probably run maybe Delta Work as well.
“It’s Gerri’s first run of the season, Cheltenham is the plan and we’re planning on maybe two runs before it. This looks the ideal one to start off in.”
Elliott also Galway Plate winner Ash Tree Meadow in contention.
A former Elliott inmate, Envoi Allen, now with Henry de Bromhead is a possible as is his stablemate, the 2021 Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.
He made a winning return to action at Punchestown recently where he had Delta Work and Conflated behind him.
Warren Gatland has backed Andy Farrell to be the next British and Irish Lions head coach after ruling himself out of the running for the 2025 tour of Australia.
New Zealander Gatland, who late last year returned for a second spell as Wales boss, has overseen the last three Lions tours.
Farrell was on Sunday named World Rugby coach of the year after leading Ireland to a Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam amid a 17-match winning run.
“A few weeks ago, I was asked by Nigel Walker, Wales’ director of rugby, if I was interested in putting my name forward to be head coach for the next tour in Australia in 2025,” Gatland wrote in his column for the Telegraph.
“It did not take long to get back to him.
“I told him I was not going to put my name forward. I told Nigel that I would have no problem if any of my support staff were to be asked to be involved as I would see it as a great experience for them.
“But I think it is the opportunity now for someone else to be head coach and Andy Farrell would have my backing for the job.
“You cannot deny what Ireland have achieved as a nation over the last few years. There is no doubt that Andy has done a fantastic job.”
Gatland led the Lions to a 2-1 win in Australia in 2013, a drawn series in New Zealand in 2017 and a 2-1 defeat in South Africa in 2021.
Farrell was part of the 60-year-old’s coaching staff for the first two of those three tours.
The 48-year-old Englishman’s stock has risen significantly over the past couple of years, albeit Ireland suffered a quarter-final exit at the Rugby World Cup in France following a 28-24 defeat to runners-up New Zealand.
Gatland, who also assisted Sir Ian McGeechan on the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa, offered to support his successor in an advisory capacity.
“If the next head coach wants to tap into my experiences from the last four tours, then I would still love to be involved in some way by passing on the knowledge and experience I have gained in trying to create harmony within a group of players from different backgrounds,” he continued.
“For the Lions, it is the least I can do.”
Jan Vertonghen does not believe there will be two players who dominate the Ballon d'Or during the next decade in the way Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have done.
Messi scooped his record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or on Monday in Paris.
The 36-year-old led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year, and also enjoyed a fine individual season with Paris Saint-Germain.
This Ballon d'Or will almost certainly be Messi's last. Since 2008, he or Ronaldo have won every edition of the award bar two, with Luka Modric taking it in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022.
Messi finished ahead of Erling Haaland – who scored 52 goals in his first season at Manchester City – and his former club-mate Kylian Mbappe, who played a direct part in 50 goals in all competitions for PSG and was the World Cup's leading scorer.
While Haaland and Mbappe have been tipped to fight it out for the award over the next decade, former Tottenham and Ajax defender Vertonghen thinks the days of two players dominating are over.
"I don't think it's going to be two guys dominating for the next 15 years," Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform.
"There are a lot of massive talents. Obviously, you've got Haaland and Mbappe already there for a couple of years, but then if you look at [Jude] Bellingham, what he's doing now, [Jamal] Musiala, I love him, Phil Foden, Vinicius [Junior].
"Those are the young guys. I hope one day a defender or even a goalkeeper [can win]. Thibaut Courtois was very close the year [Real Madrid] won the Champions League.
"I'm probably forgetting 10 or 15 more names. With Belgium, we have a great couple of young guys. There's so many, and I hope one day it could go to a Belgian one."
Bellingham enjoyed a strong season with Borussia Dortmund, though has taken his play up to an elite level since his move to Real Madrid.
The England midfielder finished 18th in the overall voting, with Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala coming in 26th, 20 places behind Vinicius.
Kevin De Bruyne came fourth in the vote, and Vertonghen enthused over his compatriot's quality.
"Kevin, his passing ability is the one that stands out - you know that he is known for his assists and his vision, but he understands the game so well," he said.
"He knows how to use the space, where to run, he is very, very good in pressing which is something you don't really think of when you think of him, you think of assists, vision, scoring goals, but the way he is able to understand how a team builds up, he's just a genius of the pitch.
"Whenever I played against him with Tottenham, we would always try to build up on the other side because he's the one that will get the team going."
England wing Jonny May has announced his retirement from Test rugby.
The 33-year-old Gloucester player made his debut against Argentina in 2013 and scored 36 tries in 78 international appearances.
He sits second behind Rory Underwood (49) on his country’s list of all-time leading try scorers.
May’s final Test outing came in England’s 16-15 Rugby World Cup semi-final loss to eventual winners South Africa on October 21.
“Words can’t describe the journey that I’ve been on so I won’t try to put it into words,” he said in a statement on englandrugby.com.
“At this point in time all I want to say from the bottom of my heart is a huge thank you to everybody who has been a part of this journey with me.
“It’s an honour and a dream to represent my country and although I won’t be out there on the pitch anymore physically, I will always feel connected to this team in spirit.”
Ahoy Senor and Dashel Drasher appear unlikely to clash at Wetherby on Saturday, with the former being readied for the Charlie Hall Chase and the latter instead set to run over hurdles on the undercard.
Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor disappointed as a hot favourite for last year’s Charlie Hall, trailing home last of five runners behind Bravemansgame.
The eight-year-old did, though, show his true colours in the second half of the season – winning the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January before rounding off his campaign with a runner-up finish behind Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl.
Ahoy Senor is entered in both the bet365 Charlie Hall and the bet365 Hurdle in West Yorkshire this weekend, but Russell’s partner and assistant Peter Scudamore said on Tuesday morning: “I’m almost certain that Ahoy Senor will go for the chase.
“He seems OK, we’re happy enough with him.”
Ahoy Senor could again clash with Bravemansgame in Wetherby’s feature event, although the latter’s trainer Paul Nicholls will not make a final decision on his participation until later in the week.
Dashel Drasher also holds a Charlie Hall engagement, but his trainer Jeremy Scott is leaning towards running over the smaller obstacles at this stage.
He said: “On the face of it, the hurdle looks an easier race, but we’ll see which way Ahoy Senor goes and if Bravemansgame runs at Haydock (Betfair Chase) instead.
“We’ve just been discussing it; are we better over fences or over hurdles? It’s an interesting question really.
“I think we’ll bide our time and see what everybody else is doing and try to work it out, but I think in principle the most likely race, I would imagine, would be the hurdle.”
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