Henry Candy’s Araminta took her record to three wins from just four outings when successful in the Prix Chloe at Chantilly.
Out of the Roger Charlton-trained sprinter Mince and by Gleneagles, she was beaten a length in a Listed race at Goodwood over a mile on just her second start and returned to the Sussex venue to win the Height Of Fashion Stakes last time out.
Upped to Group Three company in France, she took it in her stride. Settled in just behind the leaders by the veteran Gerald Mosse, she was pulled out to challenge two furlongs from home.
While she did not immediately put the race to bed and briefly looked vulnerable, the longer the race went on, the more her stride lengthened and she pulled away to beat Excellent Truth by a length and a quarter.
Candy said: “She just keeps improving. She’s a lovely, big, scopey animal and she won really nicely today and she was very relaxed which was nice.
“Gerald asked me this morning ‘does she lengthen or does she quicken’ and I replied that she does both. She does lengthen but she does have a kick.
“She’s a little unlucky to not be unbeaten.
“I think the Nassau will come a bit too quick but the entry is there. It does look a very good race this year and the best she could hope for would maybe be third or fourth.
“It might be best to give it a miss but I’ll see what the boys want to do – I sound like Aidan O’Brien saying that but that is as close as I’ll get to him!
“Looking at her pedigree, I can’t see her getting an inch beyond 10 furlongs really – luckily she’s very good at that, she’s very exciting.”
John and Thady Gosden will take things gently with Lion’s Pride, who they see as the best of the Roaring Lion progeny they have trained.
Roaring Lion was a four-time Group One winner for John Gosden as a three-year-old. A son of Kitten’s Joy, he also won the Dante and was third in Masar’s 2018 Derby.
He won the Coral-Eclipse, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes, before dropping back to a mile to take the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot in a sensational three-year-old campaign.
Lion’s Pride, owned by Anthony Oppenheimer, could similarly become a late bloomer. He was narrowly beaten by Crystal Mariner on his Newcastle all-weather debut over 10 furlongs in early May.
He was not seen again until upped an additional furlong on the all-weather at Kempton last week, where he justified odds-on favouritism with a cosy three-length success under Robert Havlin.
Gosden senior has no immediate plans for the colt – who is a half-brother to Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami – although he hinted that bigger things could soon be on the horizon.
He said: “He’s always been a very talented horse and he couldn’t run last year.
“He’d run the once this year and was green – he’s still learning. But he has got a lot of potential and we’ve always liked him.
“Of the Roaring Lions, he’s always been the best one, I think. They invariably do better with age.
“We will stay at a mile and a quarter right now, probably go for a novice and kick on from there.”
Rory McIlroy completed the ideal preparation for the 151st Open as he produced a stunning finish to deny home favourite Robert MacIntyre in dramatic circumstances in the Genesis Scottish Open.
MacIntyre had set a daunting target of 14 under par thanks to a sensational birdie on the 18th, just the second of the day on the closing hole at the Renaissance Club as strong winds made for testing scoring conditions.
However, overnight leader McIlroy birdied the par-three 17th to get on level terms and then hit a stunning 2-iron approach into the last before holing from 10 feet to complete a closing 68 and win his second Rolex Series title of the year.
McIlroy, who will head into next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, scene of his 2014 triumph, on the back of his first win on Scottish soil, said: “I’m really proud.
“That was such a tough day, especially the back nine. To play that in four under par to win the tournament I’m really proud of how I stuck in there, hit some amazing shots down the stretch and was able to finish it off.
“It feels incredible. It’s been a sort of long six months I feel since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tonnes of chances and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going in to next week as well.
“It’s nice to have the validation. It’s great racking up top fives and top 10s, but it’s much nicer heading away with a trophy on a Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a great shot of confidence and helps having something fresh in my memory. If I hopefully find myself in a similar position next week where I have a chance to win with nine holes to go, I can certainly draw on what I did here.
“I haven’t seen Hoylake since 2014 so I’ll get out on the course on Monday and try to figure it out and make sure I’m ready.”
MacIntyre began the final round five shots behind McIlroy but made good on his promise to relish “absolutely brutal” weather as he followed birdies on the third and sixth with an eagle on the par-five 10th.
A birdie on the 14th moved the left-hander into the outright lead for the first time as pacesetter Tyrrell Hatton began to falter – and he immediately doubled his advantage after a superb approach to the next finished inches from the hole.
McIlroy kept himself in contention with a birdie on the 11th and, after MacIntyre bogeyed the par-five 16th, the Northern Irishman holed from almost 40 feet on the 14th to share the lead.
MacIntyre was fortunate to find the spectator walkway following a wild drive on the 18th, but took full advantage by hitting a stunning approach with a fairway wood to within four feet of the hole.
The resulting birdie completed a superb 64 but, having gone to the turn in 37, McIlroy came home in 31 – despite failing to birdie either par five – to snatch an unlikely victory.
“It was a poor tee-shot on the 18th, but then probably the best shot I have ever hit in my life,” MacIntyre said.
“I thought it might be enough, but that’s what happens when you are playing against the best in the world. I’ve grown up watching Scottish Opens and my dream was always to win one.
“I thought today might have been the day, but it wasn’t to be. I’m absolutely gutted just now, but I take my hat off to Rory. What a finish.”
MacIntyre had fought back tears as he walked off the 18th green contemplating what looked like being a third DP World Tour title worth £1.2million and a two-year PGA Tour exemption.
“I have never had support like that in my life,” he added. “Having the support of family and friends is massive. But it felt like everyone out there was willing me to do it.
“I was struggling for a wee bit there, I didn’t have the love for the game, I didn’t have the buzz, I was never in contention, I was pottering about middle of the table.
“The last wee while I have been in contention, I have got the buzz back. It would have been one hell of a celebration but it wasn’t to be just now.”
The runners-up finish is still a massive boost to MacIntyre’s chances of securing a Ryder Cup debut in Rome and McIlroy was full of praise for the 26-year-old.
“If he can shoot 64 on a day like today he can do anything,” McIlroy said. “That was an unbelievable round of golf. It’s great to see him back in form.”
South Korea’s Ben An and Sweden’s David Lingmerth secured places in the Open after finishing in a tie for third with world number one Scottie Scheffler, with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard taking the last berth thanks to a closing 67.
Eve Johnson Houghton is preparing a strong assault on the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes with her talented youngsters Bobsleigh and Juniper Berries.
Bobsleigh collected the Woodcote at Epsom in the process of winning his first two starts and was not disgraced when beaten three lengths in sixth behind River Tiber in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Juniper Berries also showed a good level of form in her early outings and was another to perform with real credit at the summer showpiece when finishing fourth in the Queen Mary Stakes.
Both were given time off to recover from their Ascot exertions, but now the Oxfordshire-based handler has her eye on Newbury’s valuable five-furlong sprint for her pair of precocious two-year-olds, who could be tasked with trying to pick up the £122,925 cheque on offer to the winner.
“I think they are both going to run in the Super Sprint at Newbury,” said Johnson Houghton.
“I gave them both a bit of a break after Ascot because it’s tough going there and it’s a tough old track. They’ve had a nice break and are back doing really well.”
Christopher Head is eagerly looking forward to taking on Nashwa with his dual French Classic winner Blue Rose Cen at Goodwood.
The daughter of Churchill has been a revelation for Head, winning the Prix Marcel Boussac last season before carrying all before her this term.
She landed the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches by a length and three-quarters before thriving for the step up to 10 furlongs in the Prix de Diane, winning by four lengths.
With Nashwa bursting back on to the scene with her thrilling win in the Falmouth on Friday, she will be lying in wait for the French challenger, hoping to defend her title in the Qatar Nassau Stakes.
“We’ll stay on the plan, the Nassau Stakes and of course the fight with Nashwa – I can’t wait to see that like all the racegoers and lovers of races,” Head told Sky Sports Racing.
“She had a little bit of time out but I want to be competitive in the next race, so I’m not going to wait.
“She’s pretty much shown she can go on any ground – she’s been on firmer ground, she’s been on heavy ground and is possibly better on softer ground – I just can’t wait to see her run.
“There will be a lot of discussion with the owner because she will either run in the Prix de l’Opera or the Arc de Triomphe, we will see after the Nassau so it is a bit early to discuss about it.”
The Tyler Mason renaissance continued in Poland Sunday when he took third-place in a close finish in the 110m hurdles at the Silesia Diamond League meeting.
Mason, who was fourth at the Jamaica national championships last weekend, in 13.22 to just miss out on making Jamaica’s team to the 2023 World Athletic Championships, clocked 13.29, narrowly losing out to Cuba’s Roger Iribarne, who won the event in 13.25 and Frenchman Just Kwaou-Mathey, 13.27.
In finishing third, Mason placed better than former NCAA champion Trey Cunningham and Daniel Roberts, who ran times of 13.36 and 13.90 for fourth and seventh, respectively.
Henry Searle became the first British boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon since 1962.
The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton beat fifth seed Yaroslav Demin 6-4 6-4 on Court One to emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed 61 years ago.
He is Britain’s first junior champion since Laura Robson won the girls’ event in 2008 and ensured more home success at this year’s tournament after Neal Skupski won the men’s doubles on Saturday.
It will be a life-changing experience for Searle but he looks like he has the temperament and the ability to succeed in the men’s game after a brilliant campaign where he did not drop a set, highlighted by him sending down a 134mph during the final.
He never looked back after beating the top seed in the first round and the teenager succeeded where Jack Draper and Liam Broady have failed in recent years by winning the final.
On the prospect of what might be to come, he said on court: “I’ll definitely try and prepare myself for it, I’ll keep working hard and see what happens.”
He added: “It is amazing to play on Court One with such a special crowd and manage to get the job done.
“It’s a pretty special feeling and it is not going to come too often and I am going to try and enjoy it. It was amazing in front of this crowd today.”
He was backed by an army of fans on Court One, all decked out in matching t-shirts, and Searle was not overawed by his surroundings and the prospect of what he could achieve.
An even opening to the first set was punctuated by a small rain delay after which a key passage of play occurred.
Searle’s serve came under pressure for the first time in the match and he did brilliantly to fend off three break points.
As often is the case, he had the momentum and then broke Demin, a Russian with a powerful forehand, to lead 5-4.
With the pressure on serving for the set at 30-30 Searle fired a 132mph bullet serve that was an ace and then won the set with a booming forehand winner.
Everything was going Searle’s way and a break in the first game of the second set put him in even further control.
He then showed confidence and composure to hold Demin at bay and sealed the title when the Russian went long on his first championship point.
There was another British victory in the boys’ under-14s as Mark Ceban beat Svit Suljic 7-6 (5) 6-3, but Hollie Smart was beaten in the girls’ under-14s, going down 6-3 6-1 to Luna Vujovic.
Rory McIlroy produced a stunning finish to deny home favourite Robert MacIntyre the biggest win of his career in amazing fashion in the £7million Genesis Scottish Open.
MacIntyre had set a daunting target of 14 under par thanks to a sensational birdie on the 18th, just the second of the day on the closing hole as winds gusting up to 40mph made for testing scoring conditions.
However, overnight leader McIlroy birdied the par-three 17th to get on level terms and then hit a stunning 2-iron approach into the last before holing from 10 feet to secure his second Rolex Series title of the year.
“I’m really proud,” said McIlroy, who will head to next week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, scene of his 2014 triumph, on the back of his first win on Scottish soil.
“That was such a tough day, especially the back nine. To play that in four under par to win the tournament I’m really proud of how I stuck in there, hit some amazing shots down the stretch and was able to finish it off.
“It feels incredible. It’s been a sort of long six months I feel since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tonnes of chances and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going in to next week as well.”
MacIntyre had been fortunate to find the spectator walkway following a wild drive on the 18th, but took full advantage by hitting a stunning approach with a fairway wood to within four feet of the hole.
The left-hander began the final round five shots behind McIlroy, but made good on his promise to relish “absolutely brutal” weather as he followed birdies on the third and sixth with an eagle on the par-five 10th.
A birdie on the 14th moved MacIntyre into the outright lead for the first time and he immediately doubled his advantage after a stunning approach to the next finished inches from the hole.
McIlroy kept himself in contention with a birdie on the 11th and a vital par save on the 12th, the world number three thinking his putt had missed before it caught the edge of the hole and dropped.
And, after MacIntyre bogeyed the par-five 16th, McIlroy holed from almost 40 feet on the 14th to share the lead.
MacIntyre’s amazing birdie on the 18th completed a stunning 64 and edged him back in front, but, after missing from eight feet on the par-five 16th, McIlroy conjured up a magical finish to seal a brilliant fightback.
Aidan O’Brien has not ruled out Adelaide River joining stablemate and dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.
Adelaide River produced a fine runner-up effort when beaten a length by Feed The Flame in the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Friday evening.
The son of Australia, who was eighth in the Derby and then runner-up in the Irish Derby to Auguste Rodin, stuck to his guns admirably having kicked under Ryan Moore a furlong and a half out in the mile-and-a-half contest. John and Thady Gosden’s Oaks winner Soul Sister was a neck behind in third.
O’Brien said: “He ran a fine race. We were very pleased with that. He stayed on well and Ryan was very happy with him, so we’re delighted.
“We’ll see how he comes out of it, but he is still in the King George. We will see how things go over the next few days, but he ran well and we’re very happy with him.”
Auguste Rodin remains the 9-4 favourite with Coral for the all-aged middle-distance event, with Adelaide River unchanged at 25-1.
Lois Toulson and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix have made history by winning Great Britain’s first ever World Championship diving medal in a women’s event.
The pair took silver in the 10 metres synchro in Fukuoka, Japan.
The medal marks another notable achievement for the duo after they won European gold in Rome last year.
Toulson and Spendolini-Sirieix’s third-round score of 70.20 put them in a healthy position for a medal and another 70-point plus score in round four put them on the brink of history. The pair then finished with their highest score of 74.88, giving them a final tally of 311.76.
Their score was second to China’s Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan, who took the gold, with the American pair of Delaney Schnell and Jessica Parratto with bronze.
Toulson told British Swimming: “I think I can speak for both of us that we are over the moon. Coming into this competition, we both knew that we could do it, but that sometimes makes it worse.
“But we put in a good performance and we’re over the moon! I can’t really believe that, I had no idea (about becoming the first British female divers to win a World Championship medal).
“I’ve been after a world medal for a while now, so to finally come away with one, and next to Andrea with a good performance, it makes all the hard work feel worth it.
Spendolini-Sirieix, the daughter of TV personality Fred Sirieix, added: “It’s incredible. I’m so proud of us, and to see women in sport excelling, proving we can do everything.
“It didn’t cross my mind when we were competing, I just knew that we had a goal to achieve. We have achieved so many goals – we got the Paris (Olympics) spot, we got more than 300 points, we improved on the prelims and then adding to history is a beautiful moment.”
Starlore could be a name to note for owners Juddmonte following his impressive winning debut at Sandown last week.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained youngster was sent off the 9-2 joint second-favourite for what looked a hot seven-furlong maiden at the Esher track and looks to have a bright future following his professional display in the hands of Ryan Moore
The son of Kingman travelled like a classy operator throughout and once hitting the front, defied his inexperience to hold off the fast-finishing pair of Maximum Dividend and the well-regarded Arabian Crown, who is trained by Charlie Appleby.
“He’s a nice horse and I would say that was a very nice maiden,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“Sir Michael and the team were very happy with him going into the race and obviously Ryan (Moore) wanted to ride him which was a positive sign.
“I thought he did it well to be fair, I know the Charlie Appleby horse was very well fancied and I would say it was a strong maiden.
“He’s a big, immature horse and I imagine he has a lot of strengthening and maturing to do and hopefully he can develop into a nice colt.”
Last season the Stoute-trained Nostrum started out at Sandown for Juddmonte before going on to compete in Group company at the back-end of the season, and Mahon hopes Starlore could be seen at a similar level having become the first juvenile winner of the campaign for Freemason Lodge.
He continued: “I would say Sir Michael will take his time and won’t rush him because he is an immature horse and I think he will let him mature now and hopefully he will develop into a Group-race performer.
“Sir Michael is a master of finding improvement, so you would hope he will be able to keep finding improvement in him.”
Ramatuelle looks another high-class performer for Christopher Head after the filly became the first French-trained winner of the Prix Robert Papin for 10 years.
The Group Two at Chantilly has been dominated by overseas raiders in recent years, with the likes of Tis Marvellous, Signora Cabello and Blackbeard all on the roll of honour.
This time though, it was all about Head’s hugely-promising filly, who has won three of her four starts.
Her only defeat came on her second outing when beaten by Beauvatier, a subsequent Listed winner who is now unbeaten in three.
She was always travelling very kindly in the hands of Aurelien Lemaitre and once asked to put the race to bed, there was never a question she was going to quicken away.
Amy Murphy’s Myconian briefly threatened to get involved but it was Aidan O’Brien’s His Majesty who stayed on for second, beaten four lengths.
It continues a great season for Head, who has enjoyed plenty of success with Blue Rose Cen and Big Rock already.
The winning filly is owned by a syndicate which includes former NBA star Tony Parker, who told Sky Sports Racing: “It was a great win and I’m very happy for the team.
“The coach has a plan and now it’s on for the (Prix) Morny next month.
“She’s at home here, that’s her third win here and she’s clearly comfortable here at Chantilly, hopefully it will be the same next month.
“She’s super calm, it looks like she knows what she wants to do and she’s loving it. Her number one quality is her calmness. She has a huge heart and huge talent.
“I just like to share everything with our team, we share the same passion.”
Head said: “She was incredible, she loves the speed and she’ll be going to the Morny for sure. I just can’t wait to get to that race.
“I was not concerned about her being keen as there was nobody who wanted to go in front of her, she’s capable of doing better than that, of course.
“She’s pretty much like an older horse, it’s a pleasure to see her in races behave this way.”
Jamaica's Reggae Girlz defeated Morocco 1-0 in a friendly match at Galvin Park in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday, but the victory came at a cost as star forward Jody Brown suffered an injury that could keep her out for a few days ahead of their opening match against France in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Jamaicans were dominant for most of the match and should have gone ahead early after Khadija Shaw was fouled inside the box and was awarded a penalty. However, the Reggae Girlz leading striker fluffed her lines.
Jamaica made amends shortly after when Atlanta Primus scored in the 18th minute to give her team a 1-0 lead. The Jamaicans continued to create chances, but they were unable to add to their lead.
In the second half, Morocco came out with more urgency and put the Jamaican defense under pressure. However, the Reggae Girlz held firm and were able to see out the victory. After the match, Reggae Girlz head coach Lorne Donaldson was pleased with the team's performance, but he expressed concern about Brown's injury.
"Jody picked up a good knock," Donaldson said. "I thought she was done for the game, but she wanted to go on. I'm sure she's going to be out for a few days because it looked like it's a deep contusion. So we don't know yet. I'm not a doctor, but she might be hobbling around for the next couple days."
Despite the injury, Donaldson was encouraged by the team's performance overall.
"We did some good stuff," Donaldson said. "We moved the ball around well and we connected a lot more passes than I really expected. I thought we defended very well in the last 15 minutes, and that's something we've been working on. Overall, it was a good warm-up game."
The Reggae Girlz will now turn their attention to their opening match against France, which will be played on July 20. Donaldson is confident that his team will be ready for the challenge.
The victory over Morocco is a good confidence boost for the Reggae Girlz as they prepare for the World Cup but they will need to be at their best if they want to upset France on Sunday.
Hukum remains on target for what looks set to be a mouthwatering edition of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot on July 29.
Owen Burrows’ stable star was forced to miss the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot due to the prevailing quick ground given he had only recently come back from a serious injury.
He clearly retains all his ability, though, as on his first outing for 356 days he toppled the hitherto unbeaten Desert Crown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.
The Hardwicke was ultimately won by William Muir and Chris Grassick’s Pyledriver, last year’s King George victor, and he will be lying in wait again. Hukum already has one verdict over him in last year’s Coronation Cup.
Also on course for the King George at present are this year’s Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, plus Coronation Cup winner Emily Upjohn, with the possibility of Desert Crown, Luxembourg and Westover running, too.
“Touch wood, everything is going well and he’ll be running in the King George,” said Burrows.
“We’d like to see some rain, of course, we’d never want to go on rattling quick.
“It was frustrating to miss the Hardwicke with him, but the King George is the big one for him.
“The King George has always been about the clash of the generations and this year that looks especially the case. We’ll see what turns up, but it looks like this year it is going to be a proper race.
“We were really pleased with him at Sandown, we’ve been happy with how he’s been since, so we’re really looking forward to running him.”
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
