Valvano followed in some illustrious hoofprints as he made an impressive start to his career in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Nottingham.
The top-class King Of Steel made a successful debut in a division of the the extended one-mile contest 12 months ago, while his St Leger-winning stablemate Eldar Eldarov was in the winner’s circle in 2021.
And while Valvano has a long way to go to scale those heights, the son of Night Of Thunder looks certain to go on to better things judged on this facile success in the hands of Hector Crouch.
Plenty was expected of the Ralph Beckett-trained youngster as an 8-11 favourite, but those who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns as after moving to the lead entering the final furlong, Valvano fairly sprinted clear in the testing conditions to pull six lengths clear of his toiling rivals.
Beckett, who won a division of the race with subsequent Derby participant Artistic Star last year, said of his latest victor: “He’s a nice horse who loved the ground and it was a good effort.”
On whether he could run again this season, the trainer added: “We’ll see what happens next, he could.”
Crouch was clearly impressed by the performance, telling Racing TV: “He’s very raw. He made it look straightforward because he’s got a lot of natural ability, but he took a bit of managing and organising and he’s keen to get on with things.
“He ran a little bit green, but once we straightened up he’s very talented. Amongst all the greenness he’s very responsive and he’s keen to learn.
“I think he’s got a bit of a fiery streak in him and is not short of speed, so I wouldn’t be in a rush to step him up to a mile and a quarter in his immediate future, but I’m sure he will stay that far.”
Beckett completed a quickfire double with another newcomer in the following EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, with Treasure carrying the King and Queen’s colours to a clear-cut win under Ben Curtis.
“She was immaculately behaved and has a great mind. She was a little bit behind the bridle, it’s tough going out there, but she learnt as we went around,” said the jockey.
“She loved the ground and the further she went, the better she went.”
George Boughey’s Mr Alan (3-1 joint-favourite) landed the Watch Irish Racing On Racing TV Handicap for the second year in succession, pipping Belhaven by a nose under William Buick.
Hollie Doyle enjoyed a double on the card, booting home William Stone’s Tipsy Tiger (15-2) in the Join Racing TV Now Nursery and the Jack Channon-trained Desperate Hero in the Watch On Racing TV Handicap.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed Wednesday that rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder.
Irsay told ESPN earlier this week that the team was leaning in that direction with the 2023 No. 4 overall pick, who suffered a Grade 3 sprain of his AC joint in Indianapolis' 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 8.
"After consultation with our medical staff, Anthony, and those close to him, it has been determined that he will undergo surgery to repair his injured shoulder, which will end his season," Irsay wrote on the social media platform X. "Anthony is a competitor, and we know how difficult and disappointing this is for him and our team."
Richardson had been placed on injured reserve last week, and the Colts were mulling whether to have him rehab the shoulder without surgery for a chance to return within four-to-eight weeks.
"We collected several medical opinions and we felt this was the best course of action for his long-term health," Irsay said. "We anticipate a full recovery and there is no doubt Anthony has a promising future.
"In the meantime, I love the fight of this team and I'm excited for the opportunity we have ahead of us."
Veteran Gardner Minshew will start at quarterback for the remainder of the season for Indianapolis, which currently sits one game back of the first-place Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South with a 3-3 record.
Minshew led the Colts to a 22-19 overtime win at Baltimore in Week 3 with Richardson then sidelined with a concussion, but threw three interceptions in last week's 37-20 loss to the Jaguars.
The fifth-year pro has completed 65.2 per cent of his passes for 882 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
Richardson went 2-2 in his first four NFL starts while flashing the promise the Colts envisioned for the 21-year-old. He threw for 577 yards with three touchdowns and just one interception while adding another dimension to the offence with his scrambling ability. Richardson rushed for four touchdowns in his first three games and compiled 136 yards on 25 total attempts.
The former University of Florida standout has also had a proclivity for injuries during his brief time in the NFL, however.
Richardson bruised his knee near the end of his NFL debut and was forced out of the Colts' Week 2 win over the Houston Texans after being concussed on a scrambling play. After missing one game while in the league protocol, he injured his shoulder in his second game back when tackled on a short run late in the first half against Tennessee.
The Premier League will make around 270 matches available for live broadcast in the next domestic television cycle, in what is set to be football’s most lucrative rights sale in history.
The current cycle includes 200 matches across seven packages, but the league is looking to offer more games across just five packages in its next sale.
The Premier League is also breaking from tradition by looking to secure a four-year deal from 2025-26 and 2028-29, instead of the usual three-year deal.
The league’s Invitation To Tender (ITT) on Wednesday evening confirmed the 3pm Saturday afternoon blackout will stay in place, but that every 2pm Sunday kick-off, including those displaced because of clubs being involved in European competition, will now be televised.
Five midweek rounds will be available in the package instead of the current four (including the Boxing Day round), while the Saturday 12.30pm and 5.30pm and the Sunday 2pm and 4.30pm stay in place, along with the 8pm Monday or Friday slot.
The ITT states that a minimum two broadcasters will be able to hold the live rights.
French club Nice have suspended defender Youcef Atal after the Algeria defender allegedly posted a video on social media relating to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The Ligue 1 side say Atal, 27, has since deleted the post and apologised, with the Nice public prosecutor’s office and the French Football Federation set to investigate.
A statement on Nice’s website read: “As soon as he returned from Algeria national team duty, where he had been since October 9, Youcef Atal was contacted by the directors of OGC Nice for a conversation.
“OGC Nice understands that the player has acknowledged his error by quickly withdrawing the sharing of the publication and has offered a public apology in writing.
“Nevertheless, given the nature of the publication shared, and its seriousness, the club has taken the decision to take immediate disciplinary action against the player, prior to any action that may be taken by sporting and legal authorities.
“As such, the club has decided to suspend Youcef Atal until further notice.
“We would like to emphasise that OGC Nice’s reputation and unity are the result of the behaviour of all its employees, which must be in line with the values promoted by the institution.
“As OGC Nice expressed in its message last Friday, the reiterates its firm commitment to ensuring that peace prevails over all other considerations.”
Former Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi was suspended by German club Mainz on Tuesday after also posting about the conflict.
Hollie Doyle’s appeal against a seven-day suspension will be heard by a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel next week and is set to determine if she can ride at the Breeders’ Cup.
Doyle incurred the ban aboard the Jonathan Portman-trained Rose Light in the Unibet More Boosts In More Races Fillies’ Handicap at Kempton on Monday evening, with the rider found to have cut across a number of rivals in the early stages of the 11-furlong contest.
The stewards report on the night read: “Doyle was suspended for seven days for careless riding as she allowed her mount to shift right-handed when insufficiently clear of Flying Circus on her inside, causing (Neil) Callan to take a significant check to avoid clipping heels which resulted in Sindri, Page Three and Typical Woman to all be tightened for room and lose their respective racing positions on the inside.”
Doyle’s ban is currently due to run from October 30 to November 4, plus November 6 as there is no Flat racing in Britain on November 5.
If she is successful in having the punishment reduced to five days or less, she would then be free to ride Bradsell in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on November 4.
Llori Sharpe, the lone Jamaican cyclist that journeyed to the Caribbean Road Cycling Championships, had much to celebrate as she returned to the island with a silver medal for her efforts.
Sharpe contested the 20km individual Time Trial, as well as the 70km at the two-day Championships in Guadeloupe where she placed sixth and second respectively.
Through an extremely hilly terrain, and the mid-afternoon temperatures, Sharpe was able to take advantage of the climbs and led a breakaway away from the pack halfway through lap number two. She was joined by one of the four home cyclists in the race and cyclist from Martinique.
The three held the pace for 5km, after which the Martinique cyclist was left behind. Both Sharpe and Clemence Briche from Guadeloupe kept widening the gap from the chasing pack from an initial 45 seconds to 90 seconds.
At the end of the three-lap event, both cyclists were comfortably ahead by 4 minutes. Sharpe completed the 70 km in 2 hours 8 minutes and 29.66 seconds, for the silver medal, just under 5 seconds behind Guadeloupe’s Briche, who won in 2 hours 8 minutes 23.89 seconds. Martinique’s Kellieanne Julus was next in 2 hours 12 minutes 42 seconds to complete the top three.
Though no Jamaican males participated in the championships, from a field of 50 male cyclists at the start of the six-lap 140km road race only 19 finished. Some faded from exhaustion, while others were pulled after being lapped.
The Jamaica Cycling Federation said it intended to have more cyclists participate at the event. However, the logistics and visa requirements for travel to Guadeloupe made things difficult.
Connections of Bay Bridge are unconcerned about conditions at Ascot ahead of the defence of his Qipco Champion Stakes crown on Saturday.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the five-year-old produced a career best to end the unbeaten run of Baaeed in the Group One feature last season and returns to British Champions Day looking for a repeat of that half-length victory which came in the hands of Richard Kingscote.
That success came on ground described as good to soft, but having also finished second at Royal Ascot on good to firm ground last year, Bay Bridge appears to have few going concerns ahead of a race which may be switched to the Berkshire venue’s inner track if forecast rain turns conditions heavy on the round course.
“If he can go back and defend his crown, that would be wonderful,” said John O’Connor of Ballylinch Stud, who own the horse in partnership with James Wigan.
“At the moment the intention is to run as far as I know, but all of those final decisions will come down to Sir Michael Stoute. All I know is he was happy with him when I last spoke to him and the intention is to go to Ascot on Saturday.
“He has good form on varying ground at Ascot. He’s run well there on summer ground as well and he was maybe a little bit unlucky when touched off in the Prince of Wales’s last year.
“I don’t know myself which track they will race on, but we will just turn up on whatever track we’re told to turn up on I guess.”
A proven performer at the highest level, Bay Bridge has been a regular in some of the hottest 10-furlong contests but made a brief foray up to a mile and a half for a crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
The son of New Bay finished a creditable sixth behind Ace Impact in Europe’s richest middle-distance contest, with an urge to hold an early position taking its toll in the closing stages of that contest.
However, he is reported to have returned from the French capital in fine shape and now returns to his optimum distance for this Champions Day appearance.
“He appears to have come out of the Arc well and he ran very well there. For the moment we’re heading directly to Ascot, hopefully still in good form,” added O’Connor.
“In terms of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, he probably did a little too much too early. You obviously need to hold your position in a race with that many runners, but he probably did a little bit too much and it probably cost him a little bit in the straight. Nonetheless he ran a really good race.”
On returning to 10 furlongs, O’Connor said: “It looks like that (is his best distance) and his highest ratings are at that trip, so hopefully dropping him back will be beneficial to him.”
Warren Gatland is to remain as Wales head coach and lead them to the 2027 World Cup.
Gatland placed his future in the hands of the Welsh Rugby Union following his side’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina on Saturday.
The 60-year-old New Zealander, pointing to a break-up clause in his contract, said: “If the union want to get rid of me, that’s up to them.”
But asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether he will stay through to the next World Cup in Australia, Gatland said: “Absolutely. That’s the plan.
“I had a joke with Nigel (Walker, interim WRU chief executive) before and said ‘You can’t get rid of me’.
“I think my contract said if we didn’t get out of the pool they had a clause that said they could get rid of me. I said: ‘If you do want to pay me off that’s up to you’. But I’m excited what we can do as a group.”
Gatland was joined at the press conference by Walker, the former Wales wing who has stood in as WRU interim CEO since the end of January and will become the executive director of rugby at the start of next year.
Walker said: “To be successful in international sport you have to have good coaches and good players.
“To be a good coach you need experience, miles on the clock, understand your craft, get your message across to players, and players have to trust you.
“You’ve seen the growth in the squad in a relatively small period of time and, like Warren, I’m really excited what the next four years can bring.
“We’ve got something to build on and we know we can grow the standard of the squad to an even greater level we saw over the last four or five weeks.”
Wales were written off by many before the World Cup after a difficult 12 months, which saw them suffer an embarrassing defeat to Georgia and head coach Wayne Pivac sacked in December.
Gatland, who coached Wales between 2007 and 2019, returned to oversee a Six Nations campaign that produced only one victory after the players had threatened to take strike action over contractual issues.
Ken Owens, captain in that campaign, described Wales as the “laughing stock” of world rugby, but Gatland believes Wales will move forward after topping their World Cup pool with wins over Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal.
“We’ve got an opportunity to bring some youngsters in and build on the cycle to 2027 with players having 50, 60, 70 caps behind them,” said Gatland, who became the first coach in France to lead a team to four World Cup quarter-finals.
“There’s also an opportunity for us to build some closer relationships with the regions and some of the changes with coaches and personnel there, and that hasn’t always been the case in the past.
“Often those relationships have been quite fractured because of things that were going on between the regions and the unions, and we got dragged into it.”
Wales play the Barbarians in Cardiff on November 4 as a tribute to their former captain Alun Wyn Jones, who retired from international rugby in May.
Players based in France and England will not be selected as the game falls outside the international window.
Gatland confirmed five players – Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies, Josh Adams, Liam Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit – are injured and would have missed out on a World Cup semi-final against New Zealand this Friday had they beaten Argentina.
Biggar has retired from international rugby and played his last game for Wales, while Taulupe Faletau’s future will become clearer next year.
The 32-year-old British and Irish Lions number eight broke his arm against Georgia and missed the Argentina defeat.
Gatland said: “I spoke to Taulupe before he left France and said ‘get that arm fixed’. We’ll sit down then and talk about what he wants to do over the next few years in terms of playing.”
Daniel Ricciardo is “ready to go” as he prepares to return from injury for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old Australian has missed the past five races after he broke his left hand in practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25.
Ricciardo, who took part in a Red Bull demonstration run in Nashville last weekend, will be back in his AlphaTauri cockpit for practice at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas on Friday.
New Zealander Liam Lawson, who has impressed as Ricciardo’s stand-in, will make way.
He said: “It’s good to be back! My hand is much better and the simulator was a useful way of assessing it.
“I tried it out in the week before Qatar, but I didn’t feel it was at full potential, so I spent the rest of that week in the UK, spending more time in the sim, and got to a point where I felt ready to go.
“My overall fitness is fine as I kept training as much as I could, although I obviously couldn’t do much with my left hand or arm for a while.
“It was definitely frustrating watching the past few races, especially as I’d gotten myself to a place where I was so ready to go again and race, and then I did two events and had to hit pause again, but actually, the time without racing went quite quickly.”
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Ricciardo was due to take part in only his third comeback race when he crashed in Zandvoort. He was immediately taken to the medical centre before he was transported to a nearby hospital with his left arm in a sling.
A subsequent X-ray confirmed Ricciardo had sustained a break to the metacarpal on his left hand.
Ricciardo was ruled out of the race in Holland and the following rounds in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Qatar.
Ricciardo was handed a second chance by Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri following his dismissal by McLaren at the end of last season.
Despite his injury, AlphaTauri announced last month that they have retained the eight-time grand prix winner winner for 2024 alongside Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Newcastle have confirmed midfielder Sandro Tonali is being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation for breaching betting rules.
The 23-year-old Italy international was withdrawn from his country’s squad prior to the Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to England at Wembley on Tuesday night and his club have released a statement to say he is co-operating with the enquiry.
The Premier League club said: “Newcastle United can confirm that Sandro Tonali is subject to investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in relation to illegal betting activity.
“Sandro is fully engaging with the investigation and will continue to cooperate with all relevant authorities.
“He and his family will continue to receive the club’s full support.
“Due to this ongoing process, Sandro and Newcastle United are unable to offer further comment at this time.”
England’s impressive victory over Italy at Wembley on Tuesday night confirmed their qualification for Euro 2024.
While there are still two qualifiers still to play in November, attention will already be shifting to how England end a 58-year wait for a major men’s trophy in Germany next summer.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key questions Gareth Southgate will need to answer between now and the start of the finals as he prepares to lead England into a fourth tournament as manager.
Faith no more?
Southgate has always remained loyal to players he feels he can trust and who have not let him down when they have turned out for England.
Among the current crop, former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips started the win over the Azzurri despite playing a combined total of 186 Premier League minutes so far this season.
Whether their places in Southgate’s plans are sustainable if such a dearth of club football remains is something only the England manager will know – likewise with Jordan Henderson plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League and whether the competition there is enough to keep the former Liverpool man competitive.
The last dance?
There was plenty of speculation that Southgate would leave his position after the World Cup in Qatar.
England were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by France but that did not deter Southgate’s belief that he could achieve something special with the players at his disposal.
His contract, however, expires next year and, having been at the helm since 2016, he may be tempted to seek a new challenge regardless of how England do in Germany and that may be something that will weigh on his mind leading into the finals.
Spring break opponents?
The March international break is expected to see England host two Wembley friendlies in what will be the last chance Southgate has to work with his players in the run-up to Euro 2024.
He will be keen to work closely with the Football Association to make sure the right opponents are found to aid that preparation – especially as, by that stage, England will know who they will face in the group stages.
While morale-boosting wins will be welcomed, Southgate and his coaching staff will also want to test the players against the highest-calibre rivals and striking a balance there could be key.
Who is most able to support Kane?
Captain Harry Kane moved onto an unmatched 61 England goals with his brace in the win over Italy.
The Bayern Munich striker shows no signs of slowing down and will no doubt lead from the front if he is fit and raring to go next summer.
The question remains who will fill the unenviable position as Kane’s deputy within Southgate’s 23-man squad and the boss will be taking a close look at the form of players such as Ollie Watkins, Callum Wilson, Eddie Nketiah and Ivan Toney in the coming months.
Starting positions?
A number of players are seemingly all but assured of inclusion – fitness-permitting – in England’s starting XI for their opener next June, but Southgate does have a couple of issues at both left-back and in central midfield.
Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell are natural left-backs but both are injured and have history of fitness concerns, meaning Kieran Trippier could be asked to deputise, while Levi Colwill made his debut there against Australia having risen up through the ranks as a central defender.
In midfield, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice have been superb for club and country this year but the third berth is a more difficult conundrum. With Phillips not playing regularly and Henderson now in Saudi Arabia, the door could be open to someone like Conor Gallagher or Trent Alexander-Arnold, who the FA now lists as a midfielder, getting a chance to impress before the tournament.
Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto is set for a spell on the sidelines with a calf injury.
No time frame has been put on the 31-year-old’s recovery as the LaLiga outfit’s injury problems continue to mount up.
Barca boss Xavi has been without injured players Jules Kounde, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski since before the international break.
A statement from the club’s official website read: “First-team player Sergi Roberto has a soleus muscle injury in his right leg and will be unable to play until the problem goes away.”
However, Spain internationals Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal returned to training on Wednesday following their recent issues.
Balde sustained an adductor injury while on international duty that forced him to miss Spain’s victory in Norway which clinched qualification for Euro 2024, while 16-year-old Yamal – Spain and Barcelona’s youngest ever goalscorer – has recovered from a hip flexor problem that ruled him out of selection.
Migration will aim to land his second major handicap of the season off top weight when he runs in the Balmoral at Ascot on Champions Day.
Trained by David Menuisier, the seven-year-old won the Lincoln at Doncaster on the opening weekend of the season and is aiming to bookend his campaign in fine style.
He has only run once since, when failing to get involved in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown, but Menuisier hopes the return to testing ground and, more importantly, a big field will see him recapture his best.
“We gave him a break in the summer to try to run him in this race. We know he loves the big fields and it looks like he will have his ground, so we are looking forward to it,” said Menuisier.
“We know he can carry big weights and the hustle and bustle of the big handicaps suit him, so we’ve aimed at it.
“Look, off his weight I’m not saying he’s going to go and win, but I know he’ll give his best and we’ll see where he ends up. I’m not a statistician but I assume winning handicaps off 113 has not been done very often. Hopefully class rises to the top.”
It could be a big weekend for Menuisier who is sending Champagne Stakes second Sunway to France for a Group One, though whether he runs in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 10 furlongs or the Criterium International over a mile is not quite decided.
He said: “The plan is for Sunway to run I’m just not sure which race yet. I’ve left him in both races to have a look but sadly it looks as if all the other trainers did the same!
“It’s pretty much the same horses in both races. I think our preference is to run him over a mile but I have little doubt he would stay 10 furlongs.
“I’ll have a chat with the owner but at this stage we’re favouring the mile. His Doncaster run was good and the form, with Rosallion winning the Lagardere and Mountain Bear winning a black type race in Ireland, has worked out.”
A decision on whether Matilda Picotte will race on next season or be sold next month has yet to be made, her trainer Kieran Cotter has revealed.
Third behind Mawj and Tahiyra in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in the spring, the three-year-old made a successful return to the Rowley Mile in last week’s Group Two Challenge Stakes.
Given she has also won a Listed race and a Group Three, the daughter of Sioux Nation is clearly a valuable broodmare prospect and she holds an entry in next month’s Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale at Kildare Paddocks.
However, Cotter has not given up hope of seeing her return to training as a four-year-old next term, when he believes she is capable of striking gold at Group One level.
“She’s come out of Newmarket super, as she always does. She goes and gets the job done and comes home and relaxes – she’s a a super horse,” he said.
“She’s definitely finished for this year and the owners are still mulling it over. She is in the Goffs Breeding Stock Sale, so do they keep or do they sell her?
“I suppose where the lads are coming from, there’s 10 of them involved with her and by the time you’ve paid commissions and split it down 10 ways, it’s not going to be a life-changing amount of money.
“They know they’re not going to find another one like her – she’s brought them to places they couldn’t dream of going, so there is that to be factored in as well.”
While Matilda Picotte’s back-to-back Pattern race wins have been achieved over seven furlongs, Cotter is confident his stable star would be capable of contesting top-level sprints in 2024.
He added: “There’ll be a lot of options open to her next year as a four-year-old. If she is here, I’d say we’d look at dropping her back to six furlongs as there aren’t many seven-furlong races open to her at Group One level.
“She showed a lot of pace on Friday – her second and third furlongs were sub 11 seconds, so that’s very, very fast over that trip.
“We’ll keep minding her anyway and see what happens. We’ll enjoy her while she’s here.”
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