Believing and Mill Stream have been supplemented to take on Shaquille in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.

A total of 23 speedsters are in contention for the six-furlong Group One, with the Julie Camacho-trained Shaquille very much the star attraction as he looks to add to his previous top-level wins this summer in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket.

The George Boughey-trained Believing and Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Mill Stream are two interesting contenders after their respective connections paid the £20,000 required to add them to the field.

Believing has won two Listed races and a Group Three this season and is one of two potential runners for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing team along with Karl Burke’s Spycatcher, who was beaten a short head by King Gold in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last month.

However, the latter appears unlikely to make the trip to Merseyside.

Harry Herbert, Highclere’s managing director, said: “Believing was impressive winning last time and the way she has been since leads George to think she’s improving rapidly.

“Certainly looking at her physically that is exactly what she’s doing, so we looked at all the options for her and felt this was an opportunity to have a crack at a Group One race.

“With ground conditions quickening up it’s possible the field will reduce, but it’s more the way she’s coming into the race and the opinion the trainer has of her.

“She’s very smart and with a filly like this that’s improving, the shareholders were keen to give it a go and it’s very exciting.”

Of Spycatcher, Herbert added: “He’s in great form the horse, but we definitely wouldn’t risk him on quick ground.

“This has been the target for a while now, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll run looking at the forecast. You never know, if a thunderstorm hits or something happens before declaration time then we may reconsider, but we need to protect him.

“He’s in at Ascot on Champions Day and we’ve got to be patient. He’s a wonderful horse who is improving all the time, but at this stage I’d say we’d struggle to run him on Saturday unless something out of the ordinary happened with regards to the weather forecast.”

Mill Stream won a Listed race and a Group Three at the French track in August and fully merits his place in Group One company.

“Mill Stream has come out of his Deauville race in good order, so we have decided to take the opportunity to run him again while he is good form as there are no other options for him until Champions Day,” said Chapple-Hyam.

Ralph Beckett has left in both Kinross and Lezoo after on Sunday suggesting he is likely to rely upon the latter, while Aidan O’Brien could saddle one or both of Aesop’s Fables and The Antarctic.

Other hopefuls include Ed Bethell’s Regional, the William Haggas-trained Sacred and July Cup runner-up Run To Freedom from Henry Candy’s yard.

Ancient Rome could be set for further adventures overseas having scooped almost £1million when victorious at Kentucky Downs on Saturday.

A four-time winner and fourth behind Modern Games in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains when trained in France by Andre Fabre, the son of War Front is two from two since switched to Charlie Hills for new owner Fitri Hay.

His class came to the fore when landing the Chesterfield Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and he further advertised his qualities when making a successful raid on the Grade Three Mint Millions Stakes.

“It was fantastic and he’s done very little wrong since he has joined us,” said Hills.

“He’s got his good form back again and he had such good form as a two-and three-year-old. He seems to be enjoying himself and travelled over there great.

“It’s great when you have a horse who you know can travel well and it hopefully gives us a few nice races to go for in the future.”

Ancient Rome could now go in search of further riches Stateside, with international outings in both France and Bahrain also possibly on the agenda.

Hills continued: “You have to give full credit to Fitri Hay and her team for finding that race over there and he’s Kentucky-bred so it made sense with that amount of prize-money for a Grade Three to go for it.

“We’ve had a brief chat this morning and we really need to get him home first, but there should be some nice races to go for.

“We could look at the Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland or we could go to France for the Prix Dollar and maybe the Bahrain Trophy a little bit later on.

“I’m sure he will get a bit further as well. I don’t see a mile and a quarter being a problem and he’s a really exciting horse to have in the yard, it’s great.”

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis says his club are on a path to becoming a “dominant force in English football”.

After securing survival in their first Premier League season in 23 years last term, Forest are looking to kick on and have made a decent start, winning two of their four opening games, including a 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday.

Marinakis has again invested heavily, with a splurge of signings on transfer deadline day as seven players arrived at the City Ground.

Divock Origi, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Dominguez were among those and Forest now look to have a much stronger squad than last year.

And Marinakis, who has also made a significant investment in the club’s infrastructure, wants to see his club back at the top table of English football.

“Our vision for the club is clear and unwavering: we are on a path to re-establish Nottingham Forest as a dominant force in English football,” he said in a letter to fans.

“This journey is not just about the short-term, it’s about building a sustainable future. We are investing in youth development, nurturing young talent, and building a squad that can compete at the highest level for years to come.

“The players we have brought in are fighters and winners who understand and believe in our vision for the future of this great club.

“When players of the talents of those we have brought in this summer choose Nottingham Forest over the other dominant European clubs chasing their signatures, you should know that they choose us because we have shared with them our vision and they have fully invested in what it is we want to achieve.”

Forest were able to recoup over £45million on Brennan Johnson, who was sold to Tottenham, and Marinakis paid tribute to a player who came through the City Ground ranks.

“He is the ultimate young professional and his contributions to the club he loves have been enormous – helping us achieve promotion back to the Premier League and instrumental in helping us retain that status on the final home game of last season,” the owner added.

“In moving to Tottenham Hotspur he has also provided his boyhood club with the financial means to reinvest and continue to grow.

“We thank him for being part of our family and giving so much of himself to us. Go well, Brennan, be strong and healthy and we wish you every success.”

Only near perfection between now and Christmas can rescue Michael Beale’s Rangers project, according to former Ibrox captain Craig Moore.

Beale incurred the wrath of many Rangers fans inside Ibrox on Sunday after they watched their team follow a 5-1 Champions League play-off thrashing by PSV Eindhoven with a 1-0 defeat by Celtic.

Beale only took charge in November last year but his summer recruitment has come under scrutiny after the European disappointment and a slow start to the cinch Premiership season, which has seen Rangers lose two of their first four matches.

Beale’s only win in six games against Celtic came after the Hoops clinched the title last season and Moore believes it could take a major effort for him to get another derby chance.

The former Australia defender felt Rangers did not create enough chances or use the energy of the home crowd as Celtic dominated the first half before defending the lead that Kyogo Furuhashi gave them just before the interval.

Moore told Sky Sports: “The concerning thing was Celtic were nowhere near full strength and Rangers were virtually at full strength at home. It wasn’t good enough.

“What the supporters want to see is when you see sign nine new players and talk about improving the starting 11, and only three start this particular match, there’s concerns in terms of the mixed messaging.

“It’s a tough situation because, once you get the swell of support against you here, then it could be very, very difficult to come back from.

“I was at the game and coming out of the stadium there was a lot of supporters who were really unhappy with the performance, his selection, the situation.

“He needs a near-perfect run to be able to turn this around.

“Look, Michael Beale is a smart enough man, he’s a good man, but he knows the expectation and what he needs to achieve

“That’s also on the manager, not the players. It’s something that has to be rectified.

“His run now between now and Christmas will have to be near perfect.”

A 42-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after football pundit Roy Keane was reportedly headbutted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Footage was posted on social media of fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards pinning a man against a wall in the moments after the alleged assault on Sunday.

The Metropolitan Police refused to identify anyone involved in the incident, but issued a statement that said: “Police are investigating an incident at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 3, during which a man was assaulted.

“On Monday, September 4, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault (ABH). The man has been taken into police custody.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”

Sky confirmed that Richards had attempted to “defuse” the situation after the alleged assault following Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United.

A spokeswoman said: “We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.

“In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.”

Any witnesses or those with information can contact the Metropolitan Police on 101 quoting the reference CAD 6961/3 Sept.

England go into the season’s first international break with cause to worry once more about the lack of homegrown players in the Premier League.

Less than 30 per cent of playing time in the early stages of the campaign has gone to players eligible for England, continuing a running concern for national team boss Gareth Southgate.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what the data can tell us.

Struggle for playing time

Of 86,710 minutes played by Premier League players this season, 25,399 have gone to players eligible for England.

That equates to 29.3 per cent of the available playing time, a slight decline on recent seasons as a peak to nearly 40 per cent in the 2020-21 season was not sustained.

Southgate said during March’s international window: “It has been around 32 per cent (in 2022-23) but that’s down from 35 per cent when I took over and 38 per cent in the years before, so the graph is clear.”

The issue has been part of the ongoing ‘New Deal For Football’ discussions between the FA, Premier League and EFL, which covers the post-Brexit system of Governing Body Endorsements (GBEs) for overseas players, as well as financial distribution, cost controls and the domestic calendar.

There have been 161 England-qualified players (EQPs) used in the 39 games so far, with 20 of those playing over 400 minutes including stoppage time. Eight of those 20 made Southgate’s squad for the upcoming games against Ukraine and Scotland, including Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, who joined Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah in earning a first senior call-up.

Leading clubs

Six clubs have so far given over 40 per cent of playing time to EQPs, a list headed by Everton at 49.4 per cent.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been ever-present for the Toffees along with veteran compatriot Ashley Young, with James Tarkowski just seven minutes behind. James Garner has been a mainstay in midfield, while defender Michael Keane was replaced after two games by fellow Englishman Jarrad Branthwaite.

Newcastle have three English ever-presents in Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn. Trippier is in this month’s England squad though Pope was surprisingly left out.

Anthony Gordon is another regular, with significant playing time too for Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and Sean Longstaff. Newcastle’s total includes just under 90 minutes for Elliot Anderson, the midfielder selected by Scotland for this window but who remains eligible for England until he makes a competitive debut – potentially against the Three Lions next Tuesday.

Crystal Palace have three players in Southgate’s latest squad – Pope’s replacement Sam Johnstone, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze – after giving over 45 per cent of playing time to EQPs. Arsenal are at 43 per cent, Luton 42 and Chelsea 40.

Fulham lagging behind

At the other end of the scale, Fulham have used only two EQPs so far this season and one of those, Tosin Adarabioyo, has played only 12 minutes.

That leaves Harrison Reed carrying the load in a paltry total of just over seven per cent, the only single-figure mark in the top flight.

Tottenham have fared little better at 11 per cent following the departure of Southgate’s captain Harry Kane for German side Bayern Munich – one of four members of the England squad playing his football overseas, along with Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan and Jordan Henderson following his controversial move to Al-Ettifaq.

Brentford are at 13 per cent without suspended England striker Ivan Toney, with the ever-present Rico Henry instead leading the way.

Burnley are next lowest at 15 per cent with Wolves, Aston Villa and Henderson’s former club Liverpool all giving between 17.5 and 18.5 per cent of playing time to EQPs.

Michael Dods will target Qipco British Champions Day with his star filly Azure Blue after ruling her out of a potential outing this weekend.

The four-year-old made a flying start to her campaign, with a comeback victory in Listed company at Newmarket followed by a narrow defeat of Highfield Princess in the Duke of York Stakes.

She was sixth when stepped up to Group One level for the July Cup and subsequently missed an intended tilt at the Nunthorpe at York after suffering a minor foot problem.

Azure Blue could have returned this weekend in either Saturday’s Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock or the Flying Five at the Curragh on Sunday, but Dods has again had to put plans on hold.

“We’ve had a bit of an issue. She seems all right now, but we just didn’t think she’d be ready,” said the Darlington-based trainer.

“She had the foot problem before York and then she had a bit of an ulcer problem and we just had to deal with it.

“We’re happy enough with her, she just wouldn’t have been ready to run this weekend.”

Azure Blue will now either contest the British Champions Sprint on October 21 or be roughed off until next season.

Dods added: “If we didn’t have her for Ascot we probably wouldn’t be bothering, I’d probably leave her and have her ready for the start of next season. That would be the plan.

“It’s disappointing, but there’s always another day and we’ll just have to wait until we see her at 100 per cent.”

Europe captain Luke Donald admitted he had been “blown away” by the ability of Ludvig Aberg after handing the rising star one of his six wild cards for the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome.

Former world number one amateur Aberg only turned professional in June, but won the final qualifying event in Switzerland on Sunday with a final round of 64 at Crans-sur-Sierre.

The 23-year-old Swede has made the quickest transition from the amateur ranks to the Ryder Cup in the contest’s history, eclipsing the previous record set by Sergio Garcia, who made his debut in 1999 after turning professional following April’s Masters.

Aberg was selected along with Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard, with Poland’s Adrian Meronk missing out despite winning the Italian Open at the host venue in May.

The six wild cards join automatic qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre in Donald’s team, which will attempt to regain the trophy at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from September 29 to October 1.

Speaking about Aberg, Donald said: “We obviously knew what he was doing in the college scene. You look at what he did in those four years and the only comparables really were Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm. He is that good.

“I played with him in Detroit and was blown away by his game. He continued to impress and I challenged him to come over to Europe and play a couple (of events).

“He was fifth (tied fourth) in the Czech Masters and you know what he did yesterday. It was like a walk in the park for him and for someone that is so inexperienced it was just so, so impressive.”

Hooker Ronan Kelleher insisted his “body feels unbelievably healthy” as he declared himself fit for Ireland’s Rugby World Cup opener.

The 25-year-old has endured a series of injury setbacks during the past 18 months and missed each of his country’s warm-up matches amid a hamstring issue.

Ireland flew to France on Thursday with potential problems in the middle of their front row as first-choice number two Dan Sheehan sustained a foot injury in last month’s win over England.

Scrum coach John Fogarty said on Monday that none of Ireland’s 33-man squad have been ruled out of Saturday’s Pool B clash with Romania in Bordeaux, while Kelleher was extremely positive about his own condition.

“I’m fighting fit and ready to go,” he said. “I’ve been training fully and I’m just raring to get going now. I had a few little niggles there over the last couple of weeks.

“There’s obviously two ways of looking at it. You’d be thinking ‘maybe I haven’t got a couple of games under the belt, which I would have liked’, but at the same time my body feels unbelievably healthy, so it’s great.

“You very rarely go into matches feeling 100 per cent healthy. For me personally, first World Cup, really looking forward to it.

“It’s been unfortunate really, just unlucky, but the medics have done some job getting us all back fit and it’s just about staying on top of it now that we’re out here.”

In addition to Kelleher and Sheehan, prop Dave Kilcoyne and back-rower Jack Conan were sidelined during the build-up to the tournament.

Ireland boss Andy Farrell, who also has Ulster hooker Rob Herring at his disposal, has remained upbeat amid the fitness doubts, an assessment echoed by coach Fogarty.

“No one is ruled out and we’ll see how things go over the next couple of days,” he said.

“We’ve got some brilliant people assisting the fellas through their programmes and we’ve got a healthy group.

“We’re so lucky to have such talented hookers. They’re aware that they’re in a competition with each other. It’s always been that way.”

Kelleher initially stole a march in the quest to become Rory Best’s long-term successor courtesy of some standout displays across 2021, which led to training with the British and Irish Lions.

However, he concedes he is now playing catch-up in the battle to be Ireland’s preferred starter after a shoulder injury sustained during defeat to France in last year’s Six Nations opened the door for Leinster team-mate Sheehan.

“Maybe a little bit, yes,” said Kelleher.

“But we know it’s an 80-minute game. You’re going to have to do a job. You know there’s plenty of game time to go around.

“It’s about making sure you’re ready no matter if you’re selected to start or if you’re selected to come off the bench to finish strong. Everyone has a role to do in those 80 minutes.

“It can only be a positive thing for Irish rugby and us two as well that we’re constantly driving each other on and competing for that number two jersey.”

Owen Farrell admits the tackle that resulted in his suspension for Saturday’s World Cup opener against Argentina was a mistake.

England’s captain is “gutted” to be unavailable for the pivotal Marseille showdown after his dangerous hit on Wales’ Taine Basham last month resulted in a four-match suspension that ends after the Pool D clash with Japan.

Farrell initially had his red card downgraded to a yellow by a disciplinary hearing, only for World Rugby to appeal the decision, which was upheld.

“Obviously you don’t want to go back too far and I don’t want to be sat here talking about this now. I want to be talking about the weekend,” said Farrell, speaking about the incident for the first time.

“I made a mistake and I got banned for it in the end. I’m not going to sit here and moan about it now.

“I’m excited for this World Cup to start. I’m excited to see what this team can do and I look forward to being available again.

“I’m gutted not to be playing and I’m gutted not to be available. Especially a big game like this at the weekend.

“I’ve even always wanted to play at Stade Velodrome, ever since watching the quarter-final in 2007.

“I’m excited for the team now. There’s a real good feeling about the World Cup starting in France now. I’m excited to play my role in that.”

When asked if he immediately realised his shoulder-led challenge on Basham at Twickenham on September was a red card offence, Farrell replied: “I didn’t know at the time. I knew when it came on the big screen.

“It is what it is. I’ve been banned, I accept that I’ve been banned. I’m gutted not to be playing but I’m trying to do everything I can for this team.”

World Rugby vice-chairman John Jeffrey believes Scotland have arrived at the Rugby World Cup with their strongest team of all time and are now operating at a level that will strike fear into the top nations on the planet.

The 64-year-old, who won 40 caps in dark blue and was a star of the 1990 Grand Slam-winning team, was at the Scots’ lavish welcome ceremony just off the waterfront in Nice where he addressed the squad and told them he views them as the best group of players the nation has ever assembled.

“I think this is the best Scotland team ever,” he told the PA news agency afterwards. “If you look at where we’re ranked, fifth in the world, that’s the highest we’ve ever been ranked.

“And also if you look at the way we play, we’ve got back to the way that is traditionally Scottish. We play a game that suits us.

“And there’s no reason why, despite being in the supposed group of death, we can’t qualify from the group.”

Scotland share a World Cup pool with Ireland and South Africa, the two highest-ranked teams in the world, but Jeffrey believes Gregor Townsend’s side will be viewed with some trepidation by anyone they come up against.

“Gregor’s been there seven years and implemented the style of play and taken it on to a different level,” he said. “Everybody you speak to compliments the style of rugby we’re trying to play. It’s just a matter of executing it when you play the number one and number two teams in the world in your group.

“It’s a great challenge but historically Scotland play better when they’re underdogs. 

“On our day, every one of the top teams in the world will be scared of us. Speaking to people 12 months ago, everyone would say Ireland and South Africa are going to qualify. Speak to people now and they’ll say it’s between three teams. The chance is there, let’s take it.”

Scotland lock Scott Cummings admitted it was an honour to hear his team described in such glowing terms by such a highly-regarded former player.

“Comments like that obviously mean a lot,” said Cummings. “To be involved in a squad that’s getting talked about like that from a legend of the game like John Jeffrey is a huge deal to all of us.”

Brian Meehan has his eye on the Breeders’ Cup for Inishfallen after his brave second in the Solaria Stakes at Sandown.

The son of Exceed and Excel had won just one of his previous four starts and was sent off at 22-1 for the seven-furlong Group Three event.

However, he took his form to another level under a fine ride from Sean Levey, with the colt enjoying himself on the front-end and then knuckling down to force Charlie Appleby’s Aablan to pull out all the stops when prevailing by a neck.

Encouraged by the career-best performance, his handler is keen to take the youngster to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in early November, but before that he could appear at Newmarket in the Tattersalls Stakes (September 28) won by Modern Games and Nostrum in the past two seasons.

“I was delighted with him and I thought Sean gave him a great, intelligent ride,” said Meehan.

“He reported after that the ground was dead and that was the beating of him – if the ground had been faster he would have won.

“We might look at the Somerville or ultimately I would say the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. That’s the thoughts at the moment.

“He’s looking good after not too many runs and has a nice profile.”

The first international break of the season provides an opportunity to assess each club’s start to the Premier League campaign.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at who is top of the class and who has to pick up the slack.

Star pupils

Manchester City – A 100 percent record of four wins, 11 goals scored, two conceded, top of the table and six-goal Erling Haaland already well into his stride. Did we expect anything else?

Tottenham – So far there have been no adverse effects from the sale of Harry Kane. The squad have bought into Ange Postecoglou’s brand of football and the goals are being shared around. New signing James Maddison’s form has been a huge boost.

Liverpool – The overhaul of their entire midfield has rejuvenated Jurgen Klopp’s side. Darwin Nunez is starting to look a consistent threat and while defensively there are still issues to iron out, things have begun positively.

West Ham – No Declan Rice? No problem. Another team who are so far thriving without their talisman. The Europa Conference League and some shrewd transfer business have contributed to deserved wins over Chelsea and Brighton.

Promising start

Arsenal – Late goals against Manchester United have given the club a much-needed lift after less-than-convincing performances against Crystal Palace and Fulham. Fixtures have been kind but the Gunners now need to build momentum.

Brighton – The aberration against West Ham aside Roberto de Zerbi’s side continue to impress, scoring 11 times in their other three games. Evan Ferguson’s hat-trick in the win over Newcastle was an added boost.

Crystal Palace – Another team to whom the fixture list has been kind, with their only defeat to Arsenal, but still currently exceeding expectations.

Nottingham Forest – Six points from a start which included Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea is probably more than they could have hoped for. Beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge hugely important for a team which won just once away from home last season.

In line with expectations

Brentford – Yet to be beaten but will have been frustrated by draws against Bournemouth and Palace. Eight goals, scoring in every game, with four for Bryan Mbeumo, shows they are managing without the banned Ivan Toney.

Aston Villa – A seventh-placed finish last season has set the benchmark and wins over Everton and Burnley and defeats to Newcastle and Liverpool are in line with that.

Fulham – Losing Aleksandar Mitrovic was a blow and they have been unlucky with some decisions; a draw with Arsenal was encouraging but losing 3-0 at home to Brentford, albeit with 10 men, was not.

Wolves – After a late change of manager hopes were not particularly high but beating fellow strugglers Everton was massive after two opening defeats to Manchester United and Brighton.

Sheffield United – The newly-promoted club may have only one point, taken at home to Everton, but put up a good show against City.

Luton – Tipped to return the Premier League’s lowest points tally, the club’s return to the top flight after 31 years has so far followed that trajectory but it was always expected to be a struggle.

Must to do better

Manchester United – £180million spent in the summer but two defeats – and fortunate to escape with a win at home to Wolves – suggest things have not clicked. Scoring more than one goal in a game only once shows where the issue lies but the hope is new striker Rasmus Hojland will fix that.

Bournemouth – After replacing Gary O’Neil, the man who guided them to safety relatively comfortably last season, Andoni Iraola has to justify that decision and the early indications are he still has a lot of work to do.

Bottom of the class

Chelsea – £1billion spent in a year and yet the club are still to show signs of moving forward under new boss Mauricio Pochettino. A 3-0 win over Luton is no real gauge but defeats at West Ham and at home to Forest show a successful formula has not been landed upon and goals remain a problem.

Newcastle – Hopes were high after a top-four finish but contriving to lose against 10-man Liverpool and then at Brighton have put them on a three-match losing run – and the Champions League has not even started yet.

Burnley – After running away with the Championship to book an immediate return, hopes were high Vincent Kompany’s brand of football could be transferred to the top flight but they have shipped 11 goals in three games and were torn apart by Spurs.

Everton – Entirely predictable the Toffees would find themselves in the bottom three after a financially-restricted summer saw more departures than arrivals. The signing of Beto offers some hope of goals but after home defeats to Fulham and Wolves the season has all the hallmarks of the last two relegation-threatened campaigns.