Kerry native Oisin Murphy bagged a first winner in his home county after a thrilling climax to the Kelleher Feeds & Agri Suppliers Ballymullen, Tralee Handicap at Listowel.

Born and raised in nearby Killarney, the three-time British champion jockey had never previously ridden in County Kerry but did not take long to open his account.

Having been narrowly denied on his first ride aboard Zephron, Murphy went one better in the following race as he and Pat O’Donnell’s 100-30 favourite Dragon Of Malta got up in the final stride to win a pulsating three-way finish by a nose and the same from Mercurial and Brave Troop.

Murphy, whose previous competitive rides in Ireland have been at the Curragh, Leopardstown and Dundalk, said: “I have lots of family here today and they’ll be over the moon. The horse is also trained by an old family friend of ours so it is a brilliant day.

“He had won well at Galway and while he didn’t run so well at Roscommon, today he was perfect and I had a willing partner up the straight.

“The O’Donnell family are from County Limerick and not too far from here and I’ve known them for years so it is great to ride a winner for them.”

He added: “It’s great to be here. I spent lots of time as a child hanging around the weighing room, trying to get goggles off Ruby Walsh and Davy Russell and wanting to be a jockey.

“To ride a winner here is a big relief.”

There was a huge shock in the feature event on day three of the Harvest Festival as Jessica Harrington’s 80-1 shot Maud Gonne Spirit lunged late to secure Listed honours Edmund & Josie Whelan Memorial Listowel Stakes, with Nathan Crosse the winning rider.

“She loves soft ground, Jessie and all the team have done a great job getting her ready for today as she hasn’t had a whole pile of runs this year. It’s very important for her to get a black-type win today,” Crosse said.

“We went a good gallop, her fitness was good and she is a good, honest filly. Everything worked out perfectly.”

Carlo Ancelotti has conferred the Champions League favourites tag upon Manchester City but the Real Madrid head coach insisted there may be some “surprises at the end”.

The most successful side in Europe’s premier club competition with 14 wins, including lifting the trophy five times in the last decade, Madrid are often tipped to progress into the latter stages at the outset.

But Real, who open their Group C campaign on Wednesday against Union Berlin at the Bernabeu, were eliminated in ruthless fashion at the semi-final stage by Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning City side in May.

It is the Premier League giants that have a target on their backs, according to Ancelotti, who nevertheless intimated no team can ever take anything for granted.

“City are favourites because they have a squad that saw them win it last season and they haven’t changed much,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“However, in the Champions League, like always, there are surprises at the end.

“Real Madrid are a team that are going to fight until the end. We never think of ourselves as favourites, just as I think City don’t.

“But they won it last year, they can win the Champions League. You could say they are the favourites.”

Luka Modric has started only once in this campaign and Toni Kroos just twice, with Ancelotti favouring younger options such as Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park.

Ancelotti acknowledged Modric, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his era, is adjusting to less playing time but the Croatian will feature on Wednesday.

“He’s fine, I speak to him every day like I do with all the players,” Ancelotti said. “It’s a personal relationship that we have.

“The fact that he is not playing as much as he used to can sometimes affect him a bit. But that doesn’t affect the personal relationship, which is still fantastic and will continue to be fantastic. He’s going to play (against Union).”

Lucas Vazquez will replace the injured Dani Carvajal at full-back for Madrid, who face an unknown quantity having never before played against Union.

The Bundesliga side, who finished fourth in the division last season, are the dark horses in a group also containing Serie A champions Napoli and Portuguese outfit Braga.

A trip to the Spanish capital to take on the Champions League’s most prolific side represents a daunting challenge for Union, who are in the competition for the first time in their history.

“They’re a new team in the Champions League but the fact they’re here means they’ve done very well,” Ancelotti added.

“They’re well-organised defensively, they’re solid and they play with intensity. We’ve studied them carefully and hopefully we can put in a good performance. We will need to play at a high intensity.

“We’re ready, like last year. The Champions League is a special competition for us. We’re going to treat the game as something special. We want to get off to a good start.”

Alan King is keen to see Trueshan bid for a second win in the Qatar Prix du Cadran next week following his return to winning ways in the Doncaster Cup.

The seven-year-old had looked a shadow of his former self after being beaten in his first two starts of the campaign, but a mid-season wind operation appears to have done the trick judged on his resurgent performance under Hollie Doyle last Friday.

King said: “He did quite a lot wrong because he was so fresh. Surprised (by the win) I’m not so sure, but it was a certainly a relief more than anything.

“Obviously the wind op has helped big time. In his previous two races he hadn’t finished off at all so we were hoping it would make a difference, but you always want to see them go and do it on the track.

“We were delighted with him, I don’t know how strong the piece of form was but it certainly was a huge step to getting back towards his best.”

King has the option of waiting for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot on October 21, a race Trueshan has won each of the past three seasons.

However, the Barbury Castle handler is first aiming to send his seven-year-old back to Paris for a Group One contest in which he memorably defeated Stradivarius in 2021.

He added: “I’m going to try to get him to the Cadran. I’m away this week, but the boys at home seem pretty happy with him. He’s had two or three days on the water treadmill, which he loves.

“He will be back cantering at the end of the week, we’ll be doing a bit of work early next week and if everyone is happy, he’ll head to France.

“We did do the Cadran and Ascot a couple of years ago when there was only a fortnight between them and there’s three weeks this time, which gives me a bit more of a chance.

“We’ll go one stage at a time, but if I’m happy with him he’ll head to Longchamp.”

King raised the intriguing possibility of Trueshan pursuing a career over hurdles following his defeats at Nottingham and Ascot in the spring, but those plans have been shelved for the time being.

He said: “I would hope that if he runs well at Longchamp or Ascot or both then he won’t be going jumping.”

Harry Kane defended Harry Maguire as the England captain hit out at the way the defender has been “scapegoated” amid “really unnecessary scrutiny”.

Little more than two years on from being named in the European Championship team of the tournament, the 30-year-old is now the butt of jokes to many.

Maguire’s struggle for form and game-time at Manchester United have increased the spotlight on a player that has remained an integral part of the England squad.

Boss Gareth Southgate said the treatment of the centre-back was “ridiculous”, “a joke” and “beyond anything I’ve ever seen” after he was mocked mercilessly against Scotland at Hampden Park.

Kane wrapped up that 3-1 friendly win following an own goal by half-time introduction Maguire, who the England skipper believes faces unwarranted attention and ridicule.

“I think H has come under some really unnecessary scrutiny,” the Bayern Munich striker said.

“Probably been scapegoated a little bit in terms of the way the team has gone over recent times.

“He is a really good friend of mine, he’s a great guy, a really hard working professional.

“From an England point of view, he has been one of our best defenders and one of the best defenders in the history of our country in an England shirt.

“It’s part of our game now, it’s part of football. You get scrutinised all over social media but knowing him, all he will want to do is work harder and improve and stay focused.

“We’re fully behind him in the national team. I know the coach has come out and backed him fully.

“There’s always going to be noise around players but the most important thing is that we have a really strong core with England and that’s the most important thing going into big games and big tournaments.”

Kane and Maguire go from team-mates to opponents as Bayern host out-of-sorts United in Wednesday’s Champions League Group A opener.

Put to sharpshooter Kane he could make matters worse for the defender, he said: “Yeah, but this is football. I’ve come up against friends or England team-mates before.

“Once you get on to the pitch, your competitiveness comes out and you want to do your best for your team and nothing else really enters your mind. That’s not something I think about.

“But Harry is a great guy, a great professional. A lot of young players can look at him and his journey to hopefully motivate them to be footballers as well.

“But, yeah, if he plays (on Wednesday night) that friendship goes away for 90 minutes and I do my best for Bayern Munich.”

Mister Sketch will be sporting the colours of Wathnan Racing when he returns to Newbury for the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes.

The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained youngster – who is one of 14 confirmed for the Group Two event – was narrowly beaten at the Berkshire track on debut in July before setting the record straight in style at Salisbury last month.

There the strapping son of Territories romped to an emphatic nine-and-a-half-length success which alerted his new ownership team to his potential and they are excited to see him take the leap into deeper waters when he wears their silks for the first time on Saturday afternoon.

“The team is very excited to have one with Eve,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser to the owners.

“He’s a lovely, big horse and I was really taken with him when I went to see him and we’re looking forward to seeing him run in the Mill Reef.

“He’s a big lad and whatever he does this year, I’ll be really surprised if he doesn’t do better next year.”

The Qatar-based ownership enterprise have another smart two-year-old on their hands in Richard Fahey’s Native American, who has impressed in two unbeaten performances so far, and was last seen scooping a valuable sales race at the Curragh earlier this month.

He has a plethora of big-race options both at home and abroad for the autumn with connections keen to test the son of Sioux Nation in Pattern company in his next start.

But with the feedback from jockey Colin Keane indicating Native American would prefer a sounder surface, all options remain on the table for now, with his next outing set to be determined by the weather forecast.

“Richard was keen to take him over there for the experience – travelling overnight and all those things that go with it,” continued Brown, reflecting on Native American’s successful raid to Ireland.

“We were delighted he won and hopefully we can build from here, but Colin said he did not enjoy the ground and I think we’ll be avoiding soft and/or tacky ground, from now on.

“I suppose we just we have to be on weather watch now for the autumn targets and we would be keen to avoid soft ground.

“He’s a big horse and he’s got all the scope to be a better horse next year. We’re obviously keen to run him again, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he didn’t run until next year.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to find somewhere with decent ground before the end of the season to drop him in at stakes level.”

Chris Billam-Smith believes broadcasters would struggle to sell a rematch against “not the most entertaining” Lawrence Okolie but insisted he would stop his rival inside 12 rounds if the pair were to meet again.

Billam-Smith won the WBO cruiserweight title after beating reigning champion Okolie by majority decision during their May showdown at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, taking the 33-year-old’s record to 18 wins in 19 fights.

Okolie has activated the rematch clause in his contract but Billam-Smith believes the Londoner’s clinch-heavy fighting style which saw him deducted two points in their first meeting may put off television companies.

Billam-Smith, who also has experienced Pole Mateusz Masternak in his sights for his first title defence, told the PA news agency: “Lawrence has activated his rematch clause so we’re trying to sort that fight out, so it would be Lawrence or Mateusz Masternak next.

“It comes down to the broadcasters because they might not want to show Lawrence because he’s not the most entertaining.

“It’s hard for the broadcasters to sell that fight because it’s an entertainment business.

“People pay their hard earned money for TV subscriptions and unfortunately he (Okolie) has not had the most entertaining fights even though the majority of the time he gets the win.

“He’s had criticism his whole career and gets a lot of complaints online so that’s why we knew he’d hold and clinch during the fight so I think the criticism is fair and I think he knows that as well.

“I think I would stop him second time round. It’s been well documented that I was ill on fight week and there were so many things I could of done better.”

The 30-year-old Okolie, who had won all 19 of his fights before the defeat in May, used to train at Shane McGuigan’s gym alongside Billam-Smith before he left to join new coach SugarHill Steward.

And Bournemouth fighter Billam-Smith credited his experience of sparring against Okolie alongside McGuigan’s tactics as to why he knocked his former stablemate down three times before being crowned champion.

“Any other cruiserweight in the world has not got the experience of sparring him and that’s what gave me the edge and that’s why he never got beat before,” he added.

“We knew Lawrence would hold, we knew he’d tire and fall apart at times so it was about staying safe for the first three rounds. I knocked him down in the fourth and from then on I was very much in control of the fight. It felt like he was fighting out of himself and getting desperate to land a big shot.

“We were in the gym together for a few years and I think that gave me an edge because his other opponents haven’t had to deal with him in sparring.

“My coach (Shane McGuigan) knows him very well and that was a determining factor in the fight and that massively helped me to overcome him.

“With mine and Shane’s experience we can figure him out.”

Asked whether the previously-undefeated Okolie had underestimated him, Billam-Smith said: “Possibly, yes, he might have done. I think he thought he was going to catch me in the 10 ounce gloves.

“He lost his way in there because he’s used to hitting people and them going down so when that didn’t happen he reverted back to type which is a lot of clinching and holding.”

The lifelong Bournemouth fan admitted it was a dream to fight at the Vitality Stadium in front of his supporters.

He said: “It was phenomenal and fighting there one day is something I’ve dreamt of since I turned professional.”

Eydon is out to prove the fire still burns brightly when he returns from a long absence in the Chasemore Farm Fortune Stakes at Sandown.

The one-time Derby hope created a real impression when winning the Feilden Stakes in the spring of 2022, but has not been seen on a racecourse since finishing fourth in last year’s 2000 Guineas, with a series of injury setbacks keeping him on the sidelines.

Switched from Roger Varian to Andrew Balding prior to the 2023 season, another issue arose in the spring to extend his layoff, but the son of Olden Times is finally ready to make his eagerly-awaited reappearance after 508 days out of action.

Connections had been weighing up a run at Sandown with a trip to Ayr for the four-year-old’s comeback outing, but it is the Esher track that will be graced with the presence of Prince Faisal’s colt on Wednesday afternoon.

“I think Andrew felt that, on reflection, going up to Ayr after such a long lay-off, it was easier to go just down the road to Sandown,” said Ted Voute, racing adviser to Eydon’s owner.

“Andrew seems quite optimistic, Oisin (Murphy, jockey) has ridden him at home and in his work he seems to have stayed in one piece this time.

“I think everyone feels he might be a little bit ring rusty and he is running over a mile rather than a little bit further, but it is a great place to start and it will give us a good indication of whether he progresses to something major this year or stays in training and we tackle it next year.”

Eydon holds an entry for the Qipco Champion Stakes on October 21 with the Ascot contest seen as the perfect spot for the colt to return to Group One competition if passing his Fortune Stakes test.

However, connections are well aware it would take a mammoth effort following such a long layoff and they will simply be satisfied with a run full of encouragement at Sandown.

“Ascot would be the dream, but in reality it is one step at a time and let’s see what happens in the aftermath of this race,” continued Voute.

“We are hopeful, but we are all well aware it is a big ask following the amount of time he has had off.

“While we have that target (Ascot) sitting there, it is not the be-all and end-all, and as long as he came back in one piece and showed he had that brilliance of the Feilden and fourth in the Guineas, then he can build on that in the forthcoming year.

“It’s a credit to Prince Faisal who has kept faith and it means quite a bit to him that he is by Olden Times, who he also raced. It’s a lot of his own breeding on both the female side and the sire which is rare nowadays and I think it is a credit to him as an owner to keep persevering.”

Also on the comeback trail is William Knight’s Sir Busker, who has been off the track since finishing down the field in the Dubai Turf in March.

The evergreen seven-year-old suffered an eye infection while in Dubai and his owners Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds are delighted to see him return in a race which could determine future aspirations.

“We are thrilled to see him back, that will be great and we’re really looking forward to it,” said Sam Hoskins, racing manager for the owners.

“He got an eye infection in Dubai, but he is ready to resume which is brilliant.

“I think Sandown should suit him well, but he’ll improve for the run whatever he does. It’s not all about winning on Wednesday, we just hope he runs a nice race and shapes well for the future.

“If all goes well then he will be kept on the go. There’s races for him at Newmarket and we could consider the all-weather or the Middle East as well, depending on how he gets on.

“We don’t have any grand future entries, but there are plenty of options and it will just be great to see him back and he owes his syndicate members nothing.”

Richard Hannon’s Chindit makes a swift return to action having claimed a Group Three at Haydock recently, while Simon and Ed Crisford’s Celebration Mile runner-up Knight will sport first-time cheekpieces when he lines up at the Esher track.

Roger Varian claimed the Listed event with subsequent Queen Elizabeth II Stakes scorer Bayside Boy 12 months ago and it is somewhat interesting he saddles the half-brother Lord Of Biscay in a bid to do the double.

A total of 10 will go to post including Dylan Cunha’s improving Silver Sword who will compete in Pattern company for the first time.

Crystal Palace have announced manager Roy Hodgson will be back in the dugout this weekend after missing the 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa because of illness.

Hodgson was feeling unwell on Saturday morning and, as a result, he did not travel to Villa Park, where his side led through Odsonne Edouard before conceding three times late on, twice in added-on time.

Palace said the 76-year-old former England boss oversaw the club’s training session on Tuesday and he is now expected to be at Selhurst Park on Saturday as the Eagles take on Fulham.

“We are delighted to confirm Roy Hodgson led Crystal Palace training today,” said a brief statement on the club’s website on Tuesday.

“The manager was absent from Saturday’s match at Villa Park but will return to the dugout for Saturday’s match against Fulham at Selhurst Park.”

Palace did not say how poorly their manager was ahead of the Villa fixture but did confirm he was in touch with first-team coaches Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington throughout the encounter.

Sense Of Duty is “ready to roll” ahead of her eagerly-anticipated return at Newbury on Saturday.

William Haggas’ filly climbed the sprinting ranks rapidly and brought up a fourth straight victory when claiming Newcastle’s Chipchase Stakes in June last year.

However, injury curtailed her progress shortly after impressing at Gosforth Park and she has spent over 450 days on the sidelines, as connections opted for a cautious approach with their talented speedster.

Having now shown all the signs she is ready for a return to the racecourse, she is booked to reappear in the Dubai International Airport World Trophy Stakes which her handler won with Hurricane Ivor two years ago.

“She’s obviously had a few little niggles – nothing too serious – and we’ve just been very patient with her,” said Richard Brown, racing manager for owners St Albans Bloodstock.

“We think she’s very good and we’ve just given her all the time she’s needed until William is 100 per cent happy with her, which he is.

“Her work has been very good and it looks like she retains all of her ability. She’s ready to roll and is in great shape, working well and bouncing, and we’re very much looking forward to getting her back on track.”

Sense Of Duty will run over the minimum distance for the first time at Newbury where a bold showing could tee-up a return to further and a first shot at Group One glory in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on October 21.

Brown added: “We’re not sure if she is going to be ready to win over that trip, but the idea is to run her with Ascot in the back of our mind.”

St Albans Bloodstock look to have a strong hand in the Group Three contest and as well as the returning Sense Of Duty, they are also poised to be represented by Nymphadora.

Trained by Andrew Balding, the four-year-old claimed the City Walls Stakes at York earlier in the season and, often seen at her best when the mud flies, will head to the Prix de l’Abbaye for one final career outing after her trip to Berkshire at the weekend.

“They will probably both take their chance,” said Brown.

“Nymphadora will almost certainly run and then she will have a swansong in the Abbaye before heading to the paddocks.”

Zak Crawley admits he was “shocked” to be named England captain for the one-day series against Ireland, more than two years after his only previous appearances in the format.

With England’s World Cup squad preparing to head for India, the selectors have cast their net far and wide for their three Metro Bank ODIs, but Crawley was still an unexpected pick as leader.

Despite being an ever-present in the Test side in recent times – and an Ashes star this summer – he has played only three 50-over games. They all came in the 2021 season, when Covid withdrawals left England scrambling for late replacements.

Speaking at Headingley on the eve of his first outing in charge, the 25-year-old said: “Yeah, I was shocked. I was just hoping to get into the team and play more for England. But they told me I was captain and it’s a great opportunity for me.

“It was Motty (head coach Matthew Mott) who gave me the call to say I’d be in the squad and captaining. It was as simple as that. He was doing the rounds phoning everyone else so it was a pretty brief phone call but a pretty good call.”

While Crawley will be leading an inexperienced squad, including four uncapped players and seven more with six caps or fewer, the vastly experienced Joe Root will be on hand on Wednesday to help out.

Like the rest of the first-choice squad he was not due to feature but asked to play at his home ground in a bid to find some form after a lean series against New Zealand.

And for Crawley, having his first Test skipper there is a major boost.

“Obviously having Joe in the team makes it stronger, no matter what team you’re in. It’s great having him,” said Crawley.

“Especially so for me as captain because I can lean on him for that kind of stuff. It’s awesome and hopefully he gets what he wants from it.”

Newcastle have said they are “deeply concerned” by reports that a fan was stabbed in Milan on Monday night.

A 58-year-old was apparently attacked by a group of men in the city centre ahead of the Magpies’ Champions League clash with AC Milan on Tuesday.

Pictures posted online showed a man with a bloodied torso lying on the ground.

A Newcastle spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by reports that a supporter was seriously assaulted in Milan on Monday evening and we are liaising with local authorities to understand the circumstances.

“Our thoughts are with the supporter and their family and we hope for a full and speedy recovery.”

Milano Today reported that the man had been stabbed twice in the arm and once in the back and was taken to hospital, where his condition was improving.

Royal Ascot disappointment Al Asifah bids to get her season back on track in an intriguing renewal of the EBF Stallions John Musker Fillies’ Stakes at Yarmouth on Wednesday.

Following an emphatic victory on her racecourse debut at Haydock in May, the daughter of Frankel made a huge impression in a Listed event at Goodwood the following month, prompting connections to stump up the supplementary fee to add her to the Ribblesdale Stakes just 11 days later.

The gamble failed to pay off, though, with John and Thady Gosden’s youngster finishing a well beaten sixth behind subsequent Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille heroine Warm Heart and she has since been given an extended break to recover from her exertions.

Angus Gold, racing manager for owner-breeders Shadwell, said: “We gave her a nice break after Ascot and she seems in good form, so it will be very interesting to get her back on the track.

“Until she disappoints again, I would say it all just came a bit quick for her in the Ribblesdale. Lots of clever people said she didn’t stay the mile and a half, but for me that wasn’t what got her beaten as she wouldn’t have won at a mile and a quarter either.

“I just think she was very flat on the day. She’s a big, immature filly and while she’s not temperamentally unsound, I think everything just got on top of her a little bit (at Ascot).

“I’m sure she’ll be better in time and we hope she does well enough that we can keep her in training next year.”

Al Asifah faces a far from straightforward task, with Sir Michael Stoute’s Infinite Cosmos making her first competitive appearance since finishing third in the Musidora at York in the spring, while Sapphire Seas is stepped up in class by Charlie Appleby having won her last three starts.

Gold added: “It always is a good race this and a great race to have on the calendar. You have fillies coming back from little niggles and different things, so it will be a good test for her.”

The Shadwell colours will also be carried by Roger Varian’s Mukaddamah, who has been placed in Listed company before – but Gold acknowledges this is a tough assignment for the grade.

He said: “She’s a nice, solid filly and we’ve been trying to win a Listed race with her.

“With the other filly in here I wouldn’t expect her to win this, but we don’t have many options as she doesn’t really like soft ground, so I think they just felt this was the obvious race for her.”