MARY EARPS: England’s number one was reliable once again and dealt with everything that came her way including an important save from Katrine Veje’s dangerous effort in the second half. 8 (out of 10).
LUCY BRONZE: The Barcelona defender marshalled the right flank and battled high up the pitch to provide England’s attackers with dangerous crosses and passing options throughout. 8
MILLIE BRIGHT: It was a clean sheet and a composed performance from Bright, who often drove with the ball into midfield and showed her passing ability to start England’s attacks. 7
ALEX GREENWOOD: The centre-back impressed whenever she was called upon and often fizzed passes into the midfield with her preferred left boot. 6
RACHEL DALY: Pressed into the left-back position, Daly combined well with Lauren James down the left early in the game before being pegged back. Lost Danish substitute Amalie Vangsgaard for her late header against the post. 6
GEORGIA STANWAY: Stanway conducted the tempo well as England dominated the early stages, however she began to lose the midfield battle late on which saw Denmark grow in confidence. 6
KEIRA WALSH: Looked confident on the pitch as England dominated possession, before she was replaced in the first half with a serious-looking knee injury. 6
ELLA TOONE: The midfielder’s energy was a positive for England but she struggled to combine with Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly in crucial areas before she was replaced late on. 6
LAUREN JAMES : The Chelsea youngster’s sumptuous strike from outside the box in sixth minute gave England the victory. James went from strength to strength with a series of exciting runs which would have impressed Sarina Wiegman. 8
CHLOE KELLY: Kelly contributed defensively to cover for the attacking Bronze but also came alive with the ball at her feet to create chances for England. The Manchester City winger provided a series of testing corners but could have been more clinical in the second half when she failed to make the final pass. 7
ALESSIA RUSSO: It was a quiet performance from Arsenal’s new striker, who struggled for service up front. However, she pressed hard off the ball to ensure England took all three points. 5
SUBSTITUTES
LAURA COOMBS (for Walsh, 38): Coombs had big shoes to fill when she replaced Walsh in the first half and rarely put a foot wrong. 6
BETHANY ENGLAND (for Russo, 76): England came on when the momentum had shifted in favour of Denmark but had one opportunity with a header which she failed to put on target. 6
LAUREN HEMP (for Toone, 76) It was a strong cameo from Hemp, who showed her worth by running at the defence and putting in testing crosses. 7
Lauren James’ maiden World Cup goal was enough for England to maintain their 100 per cent record in Group D with a 1-0 victory over Denmark at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Chelsea forward struck the sixth-minute opener, but England suffered a major blow after 38 minutes when midfielder Keira Walsh was stretchered off with an apparent knee injury and later appeared on the touchline using crutches.
James’ goal was England’s first from open play since April’s Finalissima at Wembley, while Denmark came within inches of a last-gasp leveller when Amalie Vangsgaard’s header clipped the post.
England now have to wait for the result of China and Haiti in the late kick-off to learn if they have advanced to the knockouts with a match to spare.
Sarina Wiegman stuck with the same starting line-up for every game of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022-winning campaign, but she shook things up against Denmark with two changes from England’s 1-0 tournament opener against Haiti.
James, who came on as a substitute in that match for her World Cup debut, replaced Lauren Hemp on the left wing while Rachel Daly returned to a more familiar left-back where she started every match of the European Championships.
That pushed Alex Greenwood to centre back, leaving Jess Carter looking on from the bench after starting against Haiti.
Wiegman’s decisions were almost instantly justified when Daly slipped the ball to James, who curled past Denmark goalkeeper Lene Christensen.
Ella Toone nearly set up James for a second soon after, but this time the 21-year-old was only able to drill a low attempt into Christiansen’s arms.
With England largely dictating play, Denmark’s first real chance of an equaliser came when Rikke Madsen collected the ball and pivoted on the right edge of the penalty area but sent her effort across the face of goal.
Lars Sondergaard’s side were picking up the pace with Janni Thomsen firing over and ex-Chelsea forward and Denmark skipper Pernille Harder denied by Mary Earps, while at the other end Lucy Bronze nodded Chloe Kelly’s corner over.
Then came what could be a devastating blow to Wiegman’s side when Walsh slid to collect the ball and was in immediate pain when she stopped.
Walsh waved off help from her team-mates as she could clearly be seen telling the team’s medical staff: “I’ve done my knee.”
The Champions League winner, named player-of-the-match in the Euro 2022 final, was stretchered off and replaced by Manchester City’s Laura Coombs.
Harder rolled an effort wide to end the first half, while Kathrine Kuhl could not find the finishing touch for Denmark after the restart.
Alessia Russo came close to extending England’s advantage when she collected the ball in midfield and drove down the pitch before firing wide of the near post from 12 yards.
Earps, who made a vital save to deny Haiti a late leveller, was tested again when she parried Katrine Veje’s cross – which seemed destined to clip the crossbar – out of harm’s way.
Both Toone and Russo’s shifts came to an end after 77 minutes as Hemp came on for the former and Russo was replaced by Beth England, who was part of the Lionesses European Championship-winning squad but did not play a single minute.
The Spurs striker directed a header wide and Bronze missed from a late attempt from distance.
The Lionesses narrowly avoided late drama when a pair of Denmark substitutes nearly combined for an equaliser, but to their relief Vangsgaard’s header from Nicoline Sorensen’s cross came back off the right post, and a leaping save from Earps in four minutes of stoppage time sealed another too-close-for-comfort result.
Max Verstappen will not start Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix from pole position with the world champion set to serve a five-place grid penalty.
Verstappen, 110 points clear at the top of the standings, is due to take on his fifth gearbox, one more than he is permitted.
It means the 25-year-old will begin the grand prix on Sunday no higher than sixth in something of a boost to his forlorn rivals.
However, the Dutchman started the race from 14th last year owing to engine penalties and still took the win in his dominant Red Bull machine.
Verstappen has won the last seven races, nine of the 11 rounds staged so far this season, and is on course to wrap up a hat-trick of titles.
At last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen’s Red Bull team set a new F1 record of 12 consecutive wins.
Qualifying for Sunday’s race is due to take place at 5pm local time (4pm BST) on Friday. A sprint race will be staged at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, but Verstappen’s penalty will apply only to the main event.
Jamaica’s women remained undefeated during their preliminary round matches and have clinched a semifinal berth at the 2023 CAZOVA Championship being held in Suriname.
After defeating defending champions Trinidad and Tobago in their previous match, Jamaica blanked the Bahamas 3-0 [25-16, 25-21, 25-22] at the Anthony Nesty Sports Hall in Paramaribo. Outside hitter Mychael Vernon led with 14 points, joined by opposite and team captain Sashalee Thomas with 14 points.
On Wednesday, Jamaica outgunned the defending champions in a five-set thriller 3-2 (25-14, 25-23, 22-25, 15-25, 16-14).
The Jamaicans dominated the two opening sets but Trinidad and Tobago roared back to win the next two sets and force a decisive fifth set.
In a contest where both teams were equally matched, Jamaica capitalized on the unforced errors by Trinidad and Tobago to clinch victory. Outside hitter Mychael Vernon led with 24 points. Team captain Sashalee Thomas had 18 points.
Jamaica remains the only undefeated team in the Women’s championship.
Meanwhile, Jamaica's men progressed to the quarterfinals after defeating Bahamas, 3:2 [25-16, 25-19, 21-25, 27-25, 15-11] to end the preliminary round with two wins and a loss and will now face defending CAZOVA Men’s Champion and host Suriname in the quarterfinal.
Derby and King George winner Adayar has been retired from racing.
The Godolphin-owned son of Frankel provided trainer Charlie Appleby with a second Derby success at Epsom in 2021 when ridden by Adam Kirby before going on to beat his elders in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot the following month under William Buick.
He was subsequently beaten in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Champion Stakes though, and only made it to the track twice last season, albeit going close in the Champion Stakes when beaten just half a length by Bay Bridge.
Connections brought him back as a five-year-old in the hope of adding to his top-level tally – but while he made a successful comeback in the rescheduled Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket in May, he was beaten into third in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and was turned over at cramped odds by Israr in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket on his latest outing.
Appleby told www.godolphin.com: “Adayar provided the team with two outstanding days on the racecourse at Epsom and Ascot and has been a firm favourite in the yard for the past three seasons. He has been an absolute pleasure to train.
“He will be sorely missed at Moulton Paddocks but we look forward to watching him in his new career at stud and are quite sure he will be a huge success.”
In all Adayar won five of his 13 races and amassed almost £2million in win and place prize-money.
Great Britain’s track cyclists will debut the radical new bike they hope to ride to Olympic glory in Paris at next week’s UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.
From the Beijing Olympics onwards, British Cycling has invested heavily in technological development, with the early years of success powered by the famed research and development department once known as the Secret Squirrel Club, then Room X.
The latest machine, which continues the collaboration between Lotus, Hope and Renishaw, builds on the ideas behind the HB.T bike, which helped Britain once again top the medal tables in the velodrome at the Tokyo Games.
With unique handlebars and forks, the bike is seen as another big step forward in terms of aerodynamic efficiency.
World governing body the UCI requires nations to register and race their Olympic kit before the Games, and in total GB will be using 64 different bits of kit and equipment destined for Paris 2024 at the world championships, which begin in Glasgow on August 3.
British Cycling performance director Stephen Park said: “To continue to win medals year-on-year at the highest level, we need everything to come together at exactly the right time: the best riders, the best equipment, the best technology.
“We have been working with Lotus, Hope and Renishaw for the past two Olympic cycles as we believe that together we have the world-leading expertise needed to deliver what we believe to be the fastest track bike in the world.”
Shohei Ohtani came through with the best performance of his career on the day the Los Angeles Angels committed to not trading the two-way star in the last year of his contract.
Ohtani threw his first career shutout in the opening game of a doubleheader Thursday, then followed by hitting two home runs in the nightcap.
Ohtani allowed one hit and struck out eight in the Angels’ 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers, then extended his MLB lead by hitting his 37th and 38th home runs of the season as Los Angeles won the second game 11-4.
Only muscle cramps could stop Ohtani from doing further damage, and he was pulled from the night game after his second homer.
Ohtani’s latest jaw-dropping performance comes after the Angels doubled down on their attempts to keep baseball’s most exciting player long-term.
On Wednesday, the Angels traded touted prospects Ky Bush and Edgar Quero to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to help make a push towards the playoffs.
Before Thursday’s doubleheader, general manager Perry Minasian said that the Angels will not deal Ohtani at the trade deadline, despite the risk of losing him for nothing this winter in free agency.
The Angels have won nine of their last 11 games as they seek their first playoff berth since 2014. Ohtani, who joined MLB and the Angels in 2018, has never played in the postseason.
Cubs beat Cardinals after dustup, extend run to 6
Justin Steele tied the major league lead with his 11th win, Cody Bellinger stayed hot with three more hits and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-3 as tempers flared between the division rivals.
The victory extended the Cubs’ winning streak to a season-high six games and got them back to .500 for the first time since May 12.
In the first inning, the Cubs’ Ian Happ hit Cardinals catcher and former teammate Willson Contreras with the follow-through of his swing. St. Louis pitcher Miles Mikolas then hit Happ with a pitch and was ejected, along with Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.
Steele (11-3) pitched six innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out four.
Bellinger had three singles to improve his batting average in July to .425 and Yan Gomes drove in three runs.
Andrew Knizner hit two home runs for the Cardinals, who have lost four straight against the Cubs.
Josh Naylor leads Guardians past White Sox
Josh Naylor drove in three runs to back Tanner Bibee’s fifth straight win as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the reeling Chicago White Sox, 6-3.
Naylor had a two-run double and scored in a three-run third against Dylan Cease that gave Cleveland a 4-0 lead. He had a strange RBI double in the seventh when reliever Aaron Bummer deflected his soft comebacker into center field, and Andres Gimenez scored on the play.
Bibee allowed three runs and six hits over 6 2/3 innings to improve to 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA in his last seven starts.
Jake Burger hit two homers, but the White Sox dropped their sixth in a row.
Phase 1 Academy and Camperdown Giants were the only two teams to go unbeaten as the 2023 Jamaica Basketball Showcase got underway at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium at the University of Technology (UTECH) in Kingston on Thursday.
Defending champions, Phase 1 Academy, entered their first game with just five players but that didn’t seem to matter as they secured a comfortable 41-27 victory over Purple Power.
Derjean Royal led the way for Phase 1 with 20 points and five rebounds while Mordecai Clarke had 10 points and six rebounds for Purple Power.
Phase 1 Academy coach, Onecia Smellie, praised her team’s effort despite their lack of numbers.
“As you can see, we don’t really have numbers so the strategy was just to conserve on defense and push on offense. We have to play smarter because we don’t have numbers,” Smellie said before going into what they needed to address to be better in the coming games.
“We definitely have to brush up on defense. We gave away a lot of backdoor cuts. As we can see, my guys have been playing for a while but sometimes when the excitement of the game comes in, adrenaline kicks in and they just go. We definitely gave away some easy layups and we weren’t boxing out sometimes. If we work on those areas I think we should be fine,” she added.
Coach Orville Bennett from Purple Power was critical of his team’s ability to play together but says more experience will do them well.
“More games will solve that. It’s a mix of my younger players and my more senior Under-19s so they need to learn to play as a team and not individuals.”
“I guess it’s because of the bright lights of the tournament, everybody wants to show what they have so with more games under their belt, that will go away.”
“Our opponents will be bigger, stronger and more seasoned then my young team so we’ll go back to the drawing board and come better.”
The day’s second game was an absolute treat as the Hoop Factory Blues pull out a dramatic 44-41 win over Blue Mahoe Basketball.
Blue Mahoe played a solid first half to go into the halftime interval with a 14-12 lead before Hoop Factory turned the game on its head to lead 26-20 after the third quarter.
Blue Mahoe retook a 38-37 lead with 1:27 left in the game before, with the teams tied at 41 with 10 seconds left, Dakari Nicolson hit a game-winning three-point shot with two seconds left to secure the win for Hoop Factory.
Kymani Phillips had a solid all-round game for the Blues with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists and was supported well by Nathan Ricketts with 12 points, five steals and three assists. Hubert Rodney had 13 points and seven rebounds for Blue Mahoe.
Hoop Factory coach, Lennox Lindo, was happy with the win despite his team almost blowing a 10-point lead with very little time left in the contest.
“I was nervous a bit but also a bit disappointed too. We had a 10-point lead with about three minutes to go then we changed up our defense and it almost cost us the game but we got a really good shot in the last couple of seconds.”
Blue Mahoe coach, Lynford Brown, was proud of his team despite the defeat and pointed to an inability to hold on to the ball as his team’s downfall.
“To be honest, I’m really proud of my boys. They’re a fairly inexperienced and young team. There were some key moments for us where we committed some unforced turnovers which led to us losing. Nonetheless, I’m very proud.
The third game of the day saw the Camperdown Giants score an impressive 54-35 win over last year’s finalists, the Caribbean Basketball Academy (CBA).
The Giants produced an excellent defensive display to lead 30-15 at the start of the fourth quarter, including a third quarter where they held CBA to just four points.
Micah Swaine had 15 points, three steals and two assists and Mark McGowan had nine points and eight rebounds for the giants while Jaiden Brown had 12 points for CBA.
CBA coach Ludlow Barker, thought the Giants deserved to win.
“First I’d have to congratulate the Giants on getting their first win of the competition. It’s the first time they’re in it,” he said.
“I thought we played a very indiscipline game and fell behind and then we struggled throughout. I thought we were too relaxed before the game and they came out and wanted it more so they deserved to win,” he added.
Giants coach, Nylon Hurd, was happy with the win.
“Any coach would be happy with a win. Both defensively and offensively, it worked out well for us,” he said.
“Based on the start, we got ahead of them and stuck to it. We only got a bit indiscipline in the third quarter and that’s when they made a little run but then we got back disciplined and that was the game,” he added.
After a break, play returned with Phase 1 Academy facing Hoop Factory Blues, with each team searching for their second win of the day.
Phase 1, with six players this time, were able to come out 51-40 winners.
Derjean Royal had his second great game of day one with 26 points and eight rebounds for Phase 1 while Nathan Ricketts had 14 points for the Blues.
The day’s fifth game saw Blue Mahoe hand Caribbean Basketball Academy their second loss of the day by a score of 45-44.
Akeem Pusey and Hubert Rodney both had 14 points for Blue Mahoe while pulling down seven and eleven rebounds, respectively. Joel Ricketts had 13 points and five rebounds for CBA.
The day’s final game proved to be another nail-biter as Camperdown Giants beat Purple Power 34-29 for their second win of the day.
The Giants led 8-5 after a cagey first quarter before Power turned things around slightly to lead 18-16 at the half. It was a one-point game in favor of the Giants entering the final quarter where they held their nerve to pull out the win after the two teams exchanged the lead multiple times.
Micah Swaine scored 13 points while Mark McGowan had six points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Giants. Jacqwaine Freeman had 11 points for Purple Power.
The Miami Dolphins will have to play a portion of the season without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey after he was carted off the field at the end of Thursday’s practice.
According to reports, Ramsey will undergo surgery on his left knee and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. The good news is that Ramsey’s ACL is intact and the injury isn’t season-ending.
He collided with receiver Tyreek Hill during an 11-on-11 drill and went down grabbing his left knee. Ramsey was helped up but didn’t appear to put any weight on his leg and was carted back to the locker room as Miami’s second full-team practice of training camp closed.
“I’ll be back on that field stronger than ever… in due time!” Ramsey tweeted Thursday evening. “This SO minor for God’s child? I trust fully & know He got me! I’m forever grateful to worship his name!”
The Dolphins acquired Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams in March for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long.
Ramsey had a career-high 88 tackles and four interceptions in 17 games last season for the Rams. He is a six-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and Super Bowl LVI champion.
With the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation (CCCAN) championships beckoning, Jamaica's swimmers and officials are buzzing about the possibilities, as they gear up for tough competition in El Salvador.
The 17-member team to be headed by coach Kafia Rapley is currently very active in preparation and will have another week or two to put the final pieces in place ahead of their August 12 departure.
During that build up period, the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) will also be seeking to bridge the gap in $6.1 million budget to ease pressure off the parents in getting the team to the championships scheduled for August 14-18.
Though they have made some inroads, with other potential sponsors making commitments to come on board, ASAJ president Martin Lyn says they welcome those who would want to offer further assistance at this point.
“CCCAN is a parent supported event with a very big budget, we have gotten some of that money so far and we have other sponsors coming on board. But we certainly welcome if anybody else wants to come on board because that would only be good for us and the swimmers because the reality is that this is a very big championship for us,” Lyn told reporters during a press briefing at the National Aquatic Centre on Thursday.
While the administration oversees that aspect of things, Head coach Rapley is more focused on having the athletes mentally and physically prepared to showcase their prowess against the likes of Panama, Mexico, Puerto Rico, as well as Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Barbados, and of course, the host nation, among others.
A few of the country’s standout swimmers in last year’s team captain Zaneta Alvaranga, Sabrina Lyn, who recently competed at the World Aquatic Championships and Kito Campbell, who recently broke a national record, are noticeably absentees from the team.
“Preparation has been going well, we currently meet twice per week to do team building, bonding and also training. Not having some of the more senior swimmers is beyond our control and their presence will certainly be missed, but the swimmers that will travel are expected to be competitive,” Rapley told journalists.
Following a number of superb performances at the Carifta Swimming Championships earlier this year, Jamaica's contingent will no doubt embark on a quest to make further inroads on the regional rankings.
Though admitting that matching and, by extension, surpassing last year’s 25-medal haul, will take some doing with this small contingent, she believes a number of personal best times could certainly be rewritten when the Jamaicans take to the pool at this year's five-day championship.
Jamaica also placed fifth on the point standings last year, with 418.5 points, behind Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Bahamas, in that order.
“With a smaller team it's going to be very difficult to match or surpass last year's tally, but what I am looking forward to is our relay teams because those combinations will be very competitive. I don't see why we shouldn't come out with podium finishes there. Individually, the swimmers are doing well but again, to match last year's haul will be a stretch,” Rapley shared.
That said, Rianna Scott, the lone female in the 13-14 age group, overseas-based Carolyn Levy-Powell and 15-17 swimmers Leanna Wainwright and Devaughn Robe, who both qualified for the World Aquatic Junior Championships, are expected to lead the medal charge.
“Some of these swimmers are the future of Jamaica's Aquatics, they are coming from the Carifta Games and most if not all of them competed at the Goodwill Games last year, so they have literally been through every phase of competition representing the country,” Rapley said.
“You have swimmers like Jessica Denniston, who won gold at the Carifta Games, Kai Radcliffe, who has several regional medals and Waldon McIntosh, who has won several medals at this very championship. We also have a few first-timers for CCCAN and we are going to see how they do and what they are made of. So, I'm satisfied with what I have, I'm liaising with the overseas athletes and their coaches to ensure that they are in good health and good spirits,” she ended.
Team: Kia Alert, Jessica Denniston, Nolan Barrett, Cameron Brown, Adlaine Nixon, Rianna Scott, Kai Radcliffe, Waldon McIntosh, Nathan Wright, Zack-Andre Johnson, Carolyn Levy-Powell, Leanna Wainwright, Benjamin Davis, Charles McIntosh, Devaughn Robe, Lia Forrester, Kaheem Lozer
Sprinter Matthew Hudson-Smith says he endures daily injury pain but insists he will be ready for next month’s World Championships after leaving last weekend’s Diamond League meet in a wheelchair.
Great Britain’s squad for Budapest is due to be announced on Friday afternoon, with 400m runner Hudson-Smith seeking to better the bronze he won in Eugene last year.
The 28-year-old clocked a season’s best 44.72 seconds in finishing fourth in London on Sunday before raising concerns about his fitness by requiring mobility assistance at the end of the race.
He opted against revealing the specific location of an ongoing issue he termed as a “niggle” as he allayed fears about him being absent from the track in Hungary.
“I’m not at 100 per cent but I’ll be ready for the Worlds,” said Hudson-Smith.
“Listen, money is on the line, I’ve trained all year. I hope people understand how much work I have put into this year.
“I didn’t do all this work just to fall at the last hurdle. Whether I am good or bad, I’m gonna put my all in.
“At championships I always do my best and as you see when I get into finals I make medals. We’re loading for Worlds so we’ll be ready for when it matters.”
South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk clinched 400m glory at London Stadium in 44.36 secs.
American duo Bryce Deadmon and Vernon Norwood also crossed ahead of European champion Hudson-Smith.
“I couldn’t walk (after the race in London),” he said. “It was burning at the top bend so I had to push through.
“It aggravates on the bends and my event is two bends so it’s a matter of where it’s going to hurt.
“I’ve had an ongoing niggle since April. It’s been hard to manage. Sometimes it’s up, sometimes it’s down.”
Asked if he endures pain when lying in bed, he replied: “It’s every day, man, literally it’s bad. Christine (Ohuruogu, former 400m sprinter) has had similar issues as well and I’ve talked to her about it.
“I’ve got the best people in the world looking after me. It is just managing it and changing training so I’m fit and now we can put some speed into it and lean into it.”
Saffie Osborne’s love affair with the Racing League looks set to continue as she began this season’s competition with a fantastic opening night treble.
The 21-year-old was one of the stars of last year’s six-week event, scooping top honours thanks to an inspired three-timer at Newcastle on the final night of action and she picked up where she left off as the 2023 edition kicked off at Yarmouth.
Osborne’s efforts ensured that defending champions Wales and The West – managed by her father Jamie Osborne – ended the night in top spot holding a narrow 11-point advantage over Frankie Dettori’s team, The East.
Osborne’s evening started with a bang as although slightly reluctant to enter the stalls, Rod Millman’s Chinese Knot (11-2) showed plenty of guts to hold off Michael Dods’ Midnight Lir at the business end of the opening nursery.
“We’ve started the way we finished last year,” Jamie Osborne told Sky Sports Racing.
“I’ve got a great team of trainers and unlike some, mine are right behind this and behind their leader.”
Wales and The West quickly extended their advantage at the top of the table when winning race two with Ed Walker’s Dark Trooper (12-1), before The East’s player-manager Dettori was narrowly denied a winner with his first ride of the night aboard Shahbaz as the one-mile handicap went to Dean Ivory’s Achillea (9-2).
However, The East did not have to wait long to get on the scoreboard on home soil as George Margarson’s Farhh To Shy (100-30 joint-favourite) proved superior in the hands of Callum Shepherd in race four and the East were also on the scoresheet when Dettori closed the show in style with a fantastic front-running ride aboard Cumulonimbus (11-2), leading home a one-two for his region in the concluding £100,000 handicap.
Dettori said: “It’s great to win the big race of the day, it’s good for the team and good for (trainer) Charlie Fellowes. We were first and second so that’s good.
“It’s the third year of this so I hope it takes off.”
Despite Dettori’s heroics, the night belonged to Osborne who registered her second winner of the night aboard Michael Bell’s Stone Circle (17-2) in the five-furlong sprint, before bringing up the three-timer aboard Milton Harris’ Alnilam.
She needed every yard of the one-mile-six-furlong trip to hunt down fellow Wales and The West runner Haliphon, but Osborne had a willing partner in the 9-4 favourite who stuck his head down bravely for a half-length win.
She said: “He’s a lovely horse and hopefully he will have a nice future.
“He’s still quite big and ran around a little late on, but he has a willing attitude and did everything right eventually.”
Harry Brook insisted England were happy with their work after being bowled out for 283 on day one of the concluding Ashes Test.
The hosts were dismissed in less than 55 overs after being sent in at the Kia Oval, in a game they need to win to salvage a drawn series, but tackled bowler-friendly conditions with their usual aggression to score at more than five-an-over.
They lost wickets in clusters, with a sequence of three for 11 hampering their progress in the morning session and another mini-collapse of four 28 clearing out their middle-order engine room.
Australia chose a different method, grinding their way to 61 for one in 25 overs to take the upper hand by stumps, but Brook was content with how things finished.
He top-scored with 85, striking 11 fours and two audacious sixes along the way, and felt England had marginally over-achieved given the gloomy skies and green-tinged surface.
“We feel pretty happy. We’ve had decent day in the end,” he said.
“We were all talking about 250 being a decent score at lunch time and got 33 more than that. We were happy with the way we scored our runs. We ended up scoring at a decent rate but they bowled well.
“When you put a team in you want to bowl them out, especially in a day, but we definitely played well and got up to a respectable total.”
That may not have been the case had it not been for Brook’s headline innings, his fourth and highest half-century of the series, but he almost departed for just five.
A booming drive off Pat Cummins made it only as far as Alex Carey’s glove, but the chance popped out and allowed England’s number five to wreak some havoc before eventually falling to Mitchell Starc.
“I got that little bit of luck early on, which helped, but I was just trying to be positive like I always am,” he said.
“I try to put the pressure back on them and try to take them off their lengths. I know it looks madness when we are out there and scoring quick, but we have always had little moments where we have had to rein it in and soak up pressure. I do look to score. If I’m just trying to survive I am pretty useless!”
England’s prospects of pushing for a series-levelling victory were dented by an injury to lead spinner Moeen Ali, who injured his thigh during a century stand with Brook and did not take the field.
With seamers dominating the evening session he was not missed immediately, but that could change as things progress.
“I don’t think he’s too good at the minute, but I’m not a physio so I can’t tell you too much about his injury,” said Brook, who encouraged Moeen to hit out after he received treatment.
“He is one of the best power hitters in the world and we’ve seen that in white-ball cricket. There’s probably not any better man out there to go and smack it really. It’s a shame he didn’t last a bit longer but the way he went about it after getting injured was perfect I thought.
“Hopefully he can come out there and bowl some overs for us tomorrow or get some runs in the next innings.”
LeBron James took to social media for the first time since his oldest son, Bronny, went into cardiac arrest on Monday, saying his family is "safe and healthy."
"I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers," LeBron James wrote Thursday. "We feel you and I'm so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love. Will have more to say when we're ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us!"
The 18-year-old Bronny was hospitalised after going into cardiac arrest during a basketball practice at the University of Southern California on Monday.
A family spokesperson said on Tuesday that he was in stable condition and out of the intensive care unit.
His brief stay in the ICU is considered a positive sign in his road to recovery.
Few other details have been reported about Bronny's health after he collapsed on the basketball court.
Bronny, whose name is LeBron James Jr., was reportedly unconscious when the ambulance arrived at USC's Galen Center, and rushed to the hospital where he was treated by the medical staff.
Considered one of the top high school recruits in the United States, the younger James made the decision in May to stay close to his dad and family in Los Angeles and play college basketball at USC over Ohio State and Oregon.
The 38-year-old LeBron has said previously that he would like to play in the NBA along with Bronny, and announced two weeks ago that he will return for his 21st pro season and sixth with the Lakers.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer and four-time league MVP is coming off another stellar season in 2022-23, averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 55 games.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
