French club Racing 92 have confirmed England fly-half Owen Farrell will join them next season.

The 32-year-old will leave Saracens after 15 seasons to move across the Channel after agreeing a two-year contract.

Farrell, who is to miss the Six Nations in order to prioritise his mental well-being, will become ineligible for international selection due to Rugby Football Union rules.

The RFU does not allow players who are plying their trade abroad to be selected for England.

Racing are coached by Stuart Lancaster, who gave Farrell his Test debut in 2012 when he was England boss.

A statement from the Paris club said: “Racing 92 formalises the signing of Owen Farrell within its professional men’s team.

“The English international player is committed to two sporting seasons and will join the Ciel et Blanc squad from July 1, 2024.”

Jamie George has been named England captain for the Six Nations.

Mohamed Salah’s muscle injury is “more serious than first thought” and could keep the Liverpool forward out of action for nearly a month, according to his agent.

On Sunday, Liverpool announced the 31-year-old would be returning from the Ivory Coast, where he was representing Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, to undergo treatment with the aim of returning to the Pharaohs if they progressed to the knockout stages of the competition.

That optimistic plan, at least according to Ramy Abbas Issa, now looks to have suffered a significant setback.

Posting to his personal account on X (formerly Twitter), the agent wrote: “Mohamed’s injury is more serious than first thought and he will be out for 21-28 days, and not two games.

“His best chance at participating in the current AFCON is by undergoing intensive rehabilitation in the UK and rejoining the team as soon as he is fit.”

The PA news agency has contacted Liverpool for comment.

An Egyptian FA statement, posted on Liverpool’s official website on Sunday evening, read: “After additional examinations were conducted on Mohamed Salah during the last hours, and after communication between the national team’s medical staff and his counterpart at Liverpool FC, it was decided that the player will return to England after the Cape Verde match tomorrow to complete his treatment, with the hope that he will join the national team in the semi-final of the AFCON if we qualify.”

Premier League leaders Liverpool initially struggled to create in the absence of their talisman during Sunday’s game at Bournemouth, but moved five points clear at the top thanks to a crushing 4-0 win earned by second-half doubles from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.

Speaking after the victory at the Vitality Stadium, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said it “makes sense” for Salah to fly back to Merseyside from the tournament.

“That’s the plan,” the German said before the news was confirmed. “If that’s already decided 100 per cent, I don’t know. But that’s the plan.

“However long he’s out, probably everybody sees it like this, it makes sense that he’s doing the rehab with us or with our people. If that’s written in stone already, I don’t know.

“I spoke with him directly after, the night when it happened. Since then he’s in contact with our doctor. I think he will be back.”

Opa Sangante’s own goal earned Nigeria a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau as they sealed their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16.

The Super Eagles went ahead after 36 minutes when Sangante put through his own net but were unable to capitalise on a series of good chances to extend their lead, with Victor Osimhen going close multiple times.

With Equatorial Guinea thumping Ivory Coast in the other game in the group, Nigeria finished second in Group A to set up a meeting with the runners-up in Group C on Saturday.

The loss capped off a miserable campaign for already-eliminated Guinea-Bissau, who threatened Nigeria in the final stages but finished with three defeats.

Nigeria’s Stanley Nwabali made the first save of the game from Nito Gomes’ ambitious long-range effort, but the Super Eagles grew into the game, Joe Aribo’s powerful strike taking a deflection and giving Jonas Mendes a routine stop.

Nigeria went in front when Moses Simon whipped in a dangerous cross intended for Osimhen and Sangante smashed the ball into the roof of his own net.

They had a great chance to double the lead just before half-time as an unmarked Osimhen headed wide and threatened again two minutes into the second half when Mendes smothered Simon’s shot.

An action-packed start saw Osimhen’s headed effort loop wide and Dalcio had his low strike saved at the other end before Osimhen had an effort ruled out for offside.

Guinea-Bissau threatened in the final 10 minutes when Fali Cande’s free-kick took an awkward bounce, but Nwabali managed to push it wide before Gomes headed wide from the resulting corner.

The late pressure almost paid off as a ferocious strike from Franculino Dju was ruled out for offside and Nigeria managed to see the game out.

Africa Cup of Nations hosts Ivory Coast are on the brink of a humiliating exit from their own tournament after a shock 4-0 defeat by Equatorial Guinea.

Two more goals from Emilio Nsue, the hat-trick hero from the win against Guinea-Bissau, and strikes from Pablo Ganet and substitute Jannick Buyla left the Elephants with only a slim chance of qualifying after finishing third in Group A.

Three points means they are unlikely to be one of the four third-placed teams to get through, although agonisingly they might not know their fate until Wednesday evening when the group stage is completed.

Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, were confirmed as surprise group winners ahead of Nigeria in second.

Ivory Coast had two goals disallowed for offside and snatched at a host of presentable chances, and they were made to pay.

They could have had a penalty when Nicolas Pepe burst into the area after a long ball over the top fell at his feet and was clearly fouled by Saul Coco.

Pepe opted to stay on his feet, however, but he was unable to round Equatorial Guinea keeper Jesus Owono and the opportunity went begging.

And Ivory Coast were stunned three minutes before half-time when Akapo surged past four non-existent tackles into the area and squared the ball for Nsue.

The former Birmingham and Middlesbrough full-back, now 34 and captaining his country, swept the ball home first time.

The host nation thought they had hit back immediately when Ibrahim Sangare bundled the ball into the net from Pepe’s cross but VAR confirmed the Nottingham Forest midfielder was offside.

Sangare should have equalised moments into the second half only to blaze wastefully over at the far post and Owono somehow denied Christian Kouame from point-blank range.

In the 67th minute Jean-Philippe Krasso took Seko Fofana’s pass in his stride and curled the ball past Owono, but once again VAR stepped in where an offside flag had not and the goal was chalked off.

Instead, six minutes later Ganet silenced the Alassane Ouattara Stadium with a curling free-kick which flew into the top corner.

The hosts’ fate was all but sealed when, in the 75th minute, Jose Machin led a counter-attack and teed up Nsue for a simple finish.

And arguably the biggest upset in AFCON history was complete two minutes from time when Buyla lashed home the fourth.

Udinese have banned for life a supporter found to have used discriminatory behaviour towards AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The Serie A club, which are working to track down further offenders, said the sanction against the individual identified by staff and police using security cameras at the Bluenergy Stadium would take immediate effect.

An investigation was launched after France international Maignan left the pitch during the first half of Saturday’s 3-2 win in Udine, having apparently indicated to referee Fabio Maresca that he had heard racist abuse from the crowd.

A statement from Udinese said: “In a joint effort with the local police authorities and utilising the Bluenergy Stadium security cameras, Udinese Calcio has identified the first individual responsible for discriminatory behaviour towards AC Milan player Mike Maignan.

“This person will face a lifetime ban from attending any Udinese Calcio matches. This ban is effective immediately.

“We believe that such strong measures are necessary to send a clear message that racism has no place in football or society. Udinese Calcio stands firmly against any form of discrimination and we are determined to create an inclusive and respectful environment within our football community.

“We thank the authorities for their cooperation and together we will continue to work tirelessly in order to identify and punish other individuals who were involved in this incident and that tarnish the sporting ethics of the club, the region, the city of Udine and a fan base that has always been a model of integration and respect.

“We want to ensure that our stadium remains a space where everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, background, culture, and language is able to enjoy the beautiful game without fear of discrimination.

“Udinese Calcio calls on all football stakeholders to unite in the fight against racism and discrimination, fostering an environment that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusion.”

Speaking after the game, which restarted after a delay of around 10 minutes, Maignan told Milan TV: “I heard them making monkey noises. After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence. We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

The incident in Italy came on the same day that Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer reported he had been abused by Sheffield Wednesday supporters in his team’s Championship fixture at Hillsborough, prompting claims from Professional Footballers’ Association chair Omar Beckles that players do not believe the football authorities have put in place strong enough deterrents to combat racism.

Beckles said: “Our members want to see real, consistent and significant consequences for racist abuse, both for the individuals who are responsible and for clubs who fail to get a grip of the issue within their stadiums.

“The reality is that players don’t believe this is happening. The responsibility for what happens next lies with the authorities.”

Beckles said the PFA had been working closely with referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to give insights from a player’s perspective on protocols for dealing with racist incidents.

He added: “We’ve encouraged players, when they are aware of racial abuse, to take control of the situation by delaying restarts, free-kicks, and throw-ins.

“A stoppage in play – however long it takes – forces a response. It creates a window to alert match officials and gives the best chance of identifying those responsible.

“However, without action, the protocols are useless.”

Speaking specifically about Palmer’s experience, Beckles said: “Kasey Palmer deserves to be commended for his exemplary behaviour and measured response in an extremely challenging situation.

“Those responsible for this incident were recorded and they must be identified. They should face criminal charges and a ban from football.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has suggested clubs whose fans are guilty of such abuse be subject to automatic forfeits.

Gregor Townsend expects Jamie Ritchie to respond positively to losing the Scotland captaincy as he challenged the Edinburgh flanker to get back to “his top level” and book himself a starting berth for the opening Guinness Six Nations match away to Wales.

The 27-year-old replaced Stuart Hogg as skipper for the 2022 autumn Tests and also led the Scots in last year’s Six Nations and at the World Cup in France.

However, with Ritchie no longer guaranteed a starting place amid intense competition in the back-row, it was revealed on Sunday that Townsend had appointed Bath stand-off Finn Russell and Glasgow flanker Rory Darge as his new co-captains ahead of the upcoming championship.

“He’s reacted really well,” said Townsend, when asked on Monday at the Six Nations launch in Dublin how Ritchie had taken the news. “I’ve been in communication for a few weeks now around his game and also the captaincy.

“He was well aware that we were going to leave this decision until the weekend. The focus for him is about getting into the team that plays Wales and he’s really determined to do that. That will be tough because the competition we have in the back-row right now is at a high level.

“We’re all optimistic that this (relinquishing the captaincy) will bring out the best in Jamie and he can be one of our best players, back at his top level.

“We saw on Friday night when he came off the bench against Scarlets, there was a real hunger and intent about how he went through his game. The competition in the back-row and the ability to just focus on that at training should be a positive for him leading into the Wales game.”

“He can be one of our best players but he is competing with some guys who are in really good form at openside and blindside. Jamie will be a key leader for us if he’s in the 23 or the XV.”

Glasgow back-rower Darge is hopeful of being fit for the start of the tournament despite concerns he might be out until late February with a knee injury sustained against Edinburgh at the end of December. The 23-year-old declared on Monday “I’m aiming for one of the first two games.”

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“We got good news on Rory on Friday that he’s able to start that rehab process and we’ll assess how he goes after a week’s rehab,” said Townsend.

The prognosis is not so promising for free-scoring Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham, who will miss at least the first two games against Wales and France with a quad issue.

“He’s obviously very disappointed,” said Townsend.

“He played against Gloucester (on January 13) and was tight around the quad area so we thought it would be worth getting a scan, hoping it would be a week to two-week injury at most because that’s what happened when he had the same problem during the World Cup warm-up games.

“But it was actually more significant. We’re hopeful he’ll be available for round three (at home to England on February 24) but it all just depends how it reacts when he starts rehab again.”

Warren Gatland has paid new Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins a major compliment by saying he expects to see him “in the mould of Alun Wyn Jones”.

Jenkins has won many admirers through his captaincy of Exeter Chiefs, with the Gallagher Premiership club in title contention and progressing to the Investec Champions Cup knockout phase.

The 21-year-old will take charge for Wales’ Guinness Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 3, with Gatland enthused by his potential.

“We’ve got a young captain who I think will be an outstanding professional,” Gatland said.

“I expect to see him in the mould of Alun Wyn Jones. He doesn’t say a lot, but he leads by example.

“He is last out of the gym, he does his analysis and he has got an edge to him. I don’t mind that. He’s got a group of good men that will be there to support him too.”

Jones made a world record 170 Test match appearances for Wales and the British and Irish Lions, ticking every box as a true great of the game.

He retired from Test rugby in May last year and, with the likes of fellow Welsh Lions Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny also exiting the international game, Jenkins now heads up a new generation.

“The edge is about someone who doesn’t back down,” Gatland added.

“You are looking for someone who doesn’t back down from anyone, someone who gets excited by challenges.

“When I look back on my time in rugby, the best player I coached in that was Lawrence Dallaglio. The bigger the occasion, the more excited he got.

“He absolutely loved it. He would get pumped up for a challenge.

“I think Daf will be like that, going forward. Whatever he is up against, he is not going to fear anything.

“I think with captains, you get different personalities and people. I suppose that is the beauty of it.

“With someone like Daf who has come into that role, it is about how much we support him from a coaching perspective as staff and also the experienced players, like Gareth (Davies) and George North.

“I think we’ve got some quality men in the team and that makes a big difference to me. What I like about this group of people is they are good people.

“If you galvanise them and bring them together, work hard and they will play for each other.”

Jamie George insists he is ready for the pressure that accompanies the England captaincy despite seeing the toll it took on his close friend Owen Farrell.

George will lead England into the Guinness Six Nations in what he describes as the “greatest achievement of my life”, starting against Italy in Rome on February 3.

When first offered the role by Steve Borthwick earlier this month, the 33-year-old Lions hooker was told to take a weekend to make his decision in a nod to recent events that have seen Farrell take a break from Test rugby that could yet be permanent.

It was the fierce online scrutiny of Farrell leading into the World Cup and his booing by fans in France that compelled him to rule himself out of the Six Nations in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being.

Borthwick turned to one of England’s most influential figures to take over and having considered all aspects of the captaincy, George knew he only had one choice.

“When you’re given the weekend to go and think about things, the obvious thing to do is to go and look at both sides of the coin,” George said.

“And for me, there are so many positives that come with this. This is the greatest achievement of my life. Stepping out on the field in Rome is going to be one of the best moments that I will ever experience.

“And I felt like it was a decision that if I had turned down for other reasons I would have absolutely regretted because I’m at a good stage of my career to step up and take this on.

“I have a good understanding of what might be out there to come, but at the same time I’m also hopeful that we’ve learned a lot of lessons from the Owen situation.

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“A lot of people out there have a better understanding of the reality of life, the reality of professional rugby players, that we are all human beings. So I’m hopeful for a much more positive environment to be able to work in.

“I’m not hiding away from the fact there is additional pressure and responsibility.

“I personally think that pressure is a privilege.

“I spoke to Owen about it. He was probably one of the first people I told when Steve asked me. That was the natural thing to do because Owen and I are very, very close.

“The only thing he said to me was that if I needed anything, he is the first person I should call and that he would always be there to have a conversation. That is invaluable to me.”

Even when offering the ultimate position in English rugby, Borthwick made it clear that it comes with challenges.

“We sort of tip-toed our way around the captaincy conversation, but we also laid the foundations for it,” George said.

“We spoke a bit about what it might look like and then Steve was amazing and said ‘take the weekend to have a think about it because it can have a big impact on you, as we’ve seen’.

“It was a bit like a proposal! At the time I wanted to snap his hand off and say yes, but it was good to be able to speak to my family over the weekend and get their thoughts on it all. I phoned him first thing on the Monday to accept.”

The Betfair Ascot Chase is seen as the perfect stepping stone to the “greatest race of the season” by connections of L’Homme Presse, as they plot a course to the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

There were emotional scenes in the Lingfield winner’s enclosure on Sunday, after Venetia Williams’ nine-year-old defied a 391-day absence with a victorious return to action in the Fleur De Lys Chase to put himself firmly in the Gold Cup picture.

But before the blue riband, L’Homme Presse could drop back to two miles and five furlongs at Ascot and seek a third Grade One triumph on February 17.

“He’s won at Ascot before, he won the graduation chase there, so we know he likes it there,” said Andy Edwards, who owns L’Homme Presse in partnership with Peter Pink

“It’s a lovely, big galloping track and the fences take proper jumping and he’s a good jumper.

“The timing is almost exactly four weeks to Ascot and then the same to the Gold Cup, so everything is right for him and that is where we would like to go really.”

Having successfully blown any cobwebs away on his eagerly-awaited return in the Winter Million Festival feature, the L’Homme Presse team are determined to leave no stone unturned in their quest to have their charge arrive at the Gold Cup primed to perfection on March 15.

“When we discussed this with Venetia and the other owners Pat and Peter (Pink) and Pam (Edwards, wife), they are racehorses and they love their racing and are ready to race,” continued Edwards.

“If we had one or two runs before Christmas, we might be saying we will wait for the Gold Cup, but this was our first run of the season and a stepping stone, and Ascot will be another stepping stone to what is the greatest race of the season, the Gold Cup.

“There’s nowhere to hide and you can’t be ring-rusty when you go to the Gold Cup, you have to be spot on.

“Yes there’s an element of taking your opportunities when they arise because as we found last year something small can upturn the apple cart, but it is another stepping stone and we felt along with Venetia that this is the right way to go.”

The Fleur De Lys showdown between L’Homme Presse and Dan Skelton’s Protektorat lived up to its top billing as the focal point of Sunday’s Winter Million card, with the duo embroiled in a titanic tussle all the way up the Lingfield home straight.

The winner is reported to have bounced sprightly out of his return to action, while Edwards is also keen to point out it takes two to make a great race, with the sportsmanship of the Protektorat team coming to the fore post-race.

“I went down to see him first thing this morning and he’s tip-top, everything is fine he has come out of the race for well,” he added.

“The best horse on the day won and it could easily have been Protektorat. He had race-fitness on his side and he gave us 4lb for that race fitness. It was a great spectacle for everyone and for the sport.

“As the horses were going out I went over to Dan Skelton and we both had these big silly grins on and wished each other the best of luck and hoped it would be a great spectacle and everyone comes home happy.

“He was then one of the first people to come up to me and congratulate me in the winner’s enclosure afterwards and that speaks volumes of him. His horse was marvellous, Protektorat jumped like a stag and I imagine all his connections and the staff at Dan’s yard are really proud of him, as they should be, and as we are of L’Homme Presse.

“It was a proper horse race from two excellent racehorses.”

It had been a long and anxious 13-month wait to see L’Homme Presse back on the track since an injury discovered shortly after his run in the 2022 King George VI Chase crushed dreams of competing in last year’s Gold Cup.

His comeback triumph was met with rapturous applause by those in attendance at Lingfield and L’Homme Presse’s journey back to racecourse action was credited as the cause for the emotional post-race scenes as Edwards reflected on an unforgettable afternoon at the Surrey venue.

Edwards added: “You’ve all seen me in tears (on television) – sometimes you don’t need words, the emotions speak volumes in their own way.

“Thirteen months has been a long time, and the King George and Boxing Day was a horrible day for all of us. You can only dream of having a runner in the King George and for it to end in such a sad way that day, from there until now has been a long road and a long journey. I think if we weren’t emotional, I don’t think we should be in it (racing).

“The cameras never showed everyone else in tears outside of the winner’s enclosure – people who knew me or may have had dealings with me – but a lot of people were in tears because what a great emotion it is when you see a story or journey like that. It should be emotional.

“The amount of well-wishes and warmth I received from people wanting him to run well was fantastic and Martin Cruddace (CEO of Arena Racing Company) said to me the roar he got when he won and came back to the winner’s enclosure, it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. You could really feel the love for the horse.”

Rigobert Song is unconcerned about speculation over his position as Cameroon boss heading into their crucial Africa Cup of Nations clash against the Gambia.

The five-time champions started their campaign with an underwhelming draw against Guinea before losing to Senegal and almost certainly need to beat the Gambia to have a chance of progressing from Group C.

Victory at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Tuesday would leave them poised to be one of the top four third-placed sides, which would go a long way to taking some pressure off Song.

“I’ve experienced pressure since I was very young, I’ve known it, pressure, as a player,” Song, the ex-Liverpool and West Ham defender who is Cameroon’s most capped player ever, told a press conference.

“It’s part of the game; you win, you’re strong but you lose, you’re bad. I’m not getting into this game.

“I don’t panic, I don’t stress. I listen, I understand the criticism, I know what I have to do, I stay calm. My players know me, I simply tell them: ‘Do your job’. I trust my players, we’ll get there.”

Cameroon will once again be without captain and star striker Vincent Aboubakar, who suffered a thigh injury on the eve of the tournament and has not regained full fitness.

“I don’t think Abou will be ready to play,” Song added. “We are counting on him for after these three matches.”

The Gambia sit bottom of the group after back-to-back defeats but boss Tom Saintfiet remains upbeat.

“We’re still alive, the situation just got more complicated,” Saintfiet said after his side’s loss to Guinea on Friday. “We can still qualify with three points in our next game.”

Michael Carrick has urged Middlesbrough supporters to dream of Carabao Cup glory even if he is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

Head coach Carrick, 42, will send his Sky Bet Championship side into semi-final, second-leg battle with Premier League Chelsea on Tuesday evening knowing they could be just 90 minutes away from Wembley and in with a chance of repeating their 2004 triumph.

Carrick, who enjoyed a glittering playing career during which he won 12 major trophies with Manchester United, insists he and his players must treat the occasion like any other match, but can understand the excitement of the club’s supporters.

He said: “Part of football is creating hopes and dreams and the passion and excitement, the dream, the fairy tale. I was exactly the same when I was purely a supporter. That is what it should be.

“It is very different when you are in it. You have to be concentrated and a bit more business-like. But that doesn’t take away the buzz and excitement and the passion to do well. It is just slightly different.

“But certainly the supporters should be dreaming and making the most of it and wanting to play the very best because that is the beauty of football.”

Boro’s Carling Cup success 20 years ago was their first and last major honour, but they head into the game at Chelsea holding a narrow, but deserved, 1-0 lead courtesy of Hayden Hackney’s strike at the Riverside Stadium.

Carrick is well aware of the degree of difficulty they will face against Mauricio Pochettino’s misfiring but talented team and knows his own side remains at the development stage, despite encouraging performances against the Blues and FA Cup opponents Aston Villa in recent weeks.

He said: “We know what it would mean to get through and have some success – I’m not playing that down at all – but I don’t know what will happen going into this game where it could swing both ways.

“Hopefully there is more to come after this and we can also achieve success in different ways. It’s great, it’s a fantastic experience and to sample it and have that sense of opportunity more than anything and seeing how we all deal with it.”

Carrick, who has fitness doubts over wing-back Isaiah Jones and midfielder Jonny Howson but is expected to include Villa target Morgan Rogers in his squad, is a veteran of the fierce rivalry between his former club United and Chelsea and has both medals and scars to show for it.

Asked about his memories, he said: “Some good, some not so good. The FA Cup stands out – I lost the FA Cup to them – managed to beat them in the Champions League final. The league has gone both ways, so there have been some big ones.

“I’ve had some good nights at Stamford Bridge, had some setbacks, so a bit of mixed feelings, really.”

Ground conditions at Doncaster are likely to dictate whether Famous Bridge is rerouted to Saturday’s Great Yorkshire Chase after the weather scuppered his planned return to Haydock last weekend.

The eight-year-old, who runs in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, has won his last two starts over fences at the latter venue, most recently landing the Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase pre-Christmas.

He was due to bid for a hat-trick on Merseyside in Saturday’s Peter Marsh Chase, but the abandonment of Haydock’s card has forced trainer Nicky Richards back to the drawing board.

When asked whether it was the plan to run Famous Bridge in the Great Yorkshire Chase, the Greystoke handler said: “It is and it isn’t. Mick (Meagher, racing manager) said to put him in, so we confirmed him, but we’ll just be keeping an eye on the ground. If it’s windy and dry all week and it’s edging towards good ground, I’m not quite sure what we’ll be thinking.

“He’s in grand form and it’s a shame Saturday was off (at Haydock). I don’t know why they couldn’t reschedule for Sunday, but I suppose in the circumstances that wouldn’t have been very pleasant either.

“A bit of good to soft ground wouldn’t bother him. I wouldn’t like to pigeon-hole him and say he’s just a Haydock horse or anything like that. He’s won two around Wetherby, he’s won at Kelso and Ayr – this horse would go around anywhere.

“He’s just a proper National Hunt horse, a fairly big boy and a strong horse, so we’ll just keep an eye on the weather and the ground and see where we are later in the week.”

Richards – whose yard was feeling the effects of Storm Isha on Monday, being without power for large parts of the day – has also confirmed Universal Folly, who has won three times and finished second on four occasions from only eight chase starts, and the trainer feels a sound surface may bring him into the equation off a light weight.

He added: “His owner is away on holiday, he’s in Barbados, I think, and I think I woke him up this morning when I gave him a call and asked him what he thought about entering for Doncaster.

“There is also the Edinburgh Grand National at Musselburgh for him and if it’s softer ground at Doncaster, the Musselburgh race might not be as strong, so we’ll just see what the weather does.

“If it’s a windy, dry week, I know it will take a lot of winning the Great Yorkshire, but it might take a bit less winning if it’s on good ground as a lot of other trainers might be thinking like we’re thinking with Famous Bridge.

“We’ll just see how the week pans out, but he’s in grand form as well and is ready to run somewhere.”

The Richards pair are among 27 horses still in the mix for the £100,000 contest, with the weights headed by Jamie Snowden’s Ga Law, who looked the likely winner when falling at the final fence 12 months ago.

Snowden could also saddle Git Maker, while ante-post favourite Victtorino is set to represent Ventia Williams following back-to-back wins at Ascot.

Other hopefuls include Anthony Honeyball’s Forward Plan and the Nicky Henderson-trained Mister Coffey, who finished first and second over the course and distance last month, and the improving Surrey Quest from Toby Lawes’ stable.

The only remaining Irish contender is the Emmet Mullins-trained Sweet Will.