Emily Upjohn is set to go back up to a mile and a half following her brave effort in defeat when chasing home Paddington in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

The Coronation Cup winner was beaten by half a length by Aidan O’Brien’s year younger rival, who was in receipt of 7lb, over 10 furlongs at the Esher venue.

John Gosden, who trains Emily Upjohn in partnership with his son Thady, felt the filly had lost little in defeat racing over a shorter trip in a four-runner contest.

He said: “It is disappointing when you only get four runners in a race of this class and nature. She has run great, a little slow out the gate, so she settled into third but had every opportunity up the straight and obviously had to take the length and a bit to get to him, but it was a superb race and we are thrilled with her.

“Back to a mile and a quarter – she hasn’t run a mile and a quarter since the Musidora (last year) – so obviously it was a super run and she is a mile-and-a-half filly.

“But full marks to the winner, he is a very laid-back, good-looking horse and he did it well.

“But of course, we are giving 7lb and that tells. But it would tell, it is a four-year-old to a three-year-old.

“I remember what Lester (Piggott) said, the three-year-old has the edge in the Eclipse and the four-year-old in the King George.”

Gosden would not shy away from taking the winner on again, but feels it is unlikely.

“I wouldn’t mind a crack at the winner again, but we’re going back to a mile and a half. I don’t think you’ll see him ever run a mile and a half – I would be very surprised,” he added.

“His pedigree, obviously, the dam stayed well, but I don’t know – Aidan (O’Brien) is capable of doing anything!

“You are more likely to see Aidan’s Derby winner (Auguste Rodin) in the King George. The races are the King George, Yorkshire Oaks and Arc – those are the three big races. We don’t have to run in the King George and you wouldn’t want to run in the Yorkshire Oaks as a prep.

“Enable was second in it (Eclipse) and she won it (King George), so older fillies can do it, but I would be very happy with her run.

“Great run and William Buick rode her perfectly. Jamie (Spencer on West Wind Blows) wisely stayed off the rail to get fresh ground on the outside and by staying off the rail it is going to mean no-one getting boxed in. It makes a big difference.”

Ed Crisford, who trains along with his father Simon, will be looking further afield with West Wind Blows, who was beaten six lengths in third.

He said: “He ran super and I’m really pleased with him. Jamie set nice, honest fractions and he ran his heart out. I’m very pleased he finished third and it was probably a career best for him.

“I think we will definitely be looking at international races with him. I think he could be very competitive in Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong. He has got lots of options over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half and we will take it from there really.”

Mark Cavendish’s bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win is over after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours after he came within a few metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux, Cavendish left what he has said will be his final Tour in the back of an ambulance, on his way to hospital in Perigueux with a suspected broken collarbone.

A seemingly innocuous touch of wheels brought an early end to his last appearance in the race he loves, with Cavendish braking to avoid an incident in front but hitting the deck around 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges, unable to get up as he held his shoulder in agony.

Mads Pedersen took the stage win, powering up the slight rise to the line and holding on to deny the hard-charging Jasper Philipsen a fourth victory of this Tour, but there was only a muted sense of celebration afterwards, with Philipsen paying an eloquent tribute to the master sprinter.

“For me it was a pleasure to be able to race with Mark,” the former world champion said. “I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton. It’s so sad that such a legend has to finish the Tour like this…

“I wish all the best for Mark. Hopefully I can do the last race he’s going to do to honour a legend who stops in cycling.”

Cavendish’s former team-mate Mark Renshaw, brought in by the Astana-Qazaqstan team as a consultant to help a team with little sprinting pedigree prior to Cavendish’s arrival this year, admitted to crying in the team car when he realised it was over for his friend.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said: “It is an emotional day. He was so sad just after the fall. He is the best sprinter in the history of the Tour de France and he wanted to try to win the 35th stage.

“He was second yesterday and for two or three seconds we thought he would succeed in his goal, and today it’s over. He is sad, we are sad, the Tour de France is sad.”

It means Cavendish, who announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season, will finish his career level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins – barring a decision to keep racing.

Cavendish was agonisingly close to breaking the record on Friday, getting the jump on Philipsen on the sprint to the line in Bordeaux, only for his gears to skip when he was trying to apply full power.

While hugely disappointed, Cavendish afterwards spoke optimistically regarding his form and that of his team, saying “I think so” when asked if he had the shape to win.

It is not just the opportunity of the record that Cavendish – who moved level with Merckx in 2021 – has lost with Saturday’s crash.

His love affair with the Tour began before he won his first stage back in 2008 and he could be seen throughout the opening week taking the opportunity to soak up the admiration of fans at the roadside.

In recent years when it came to finding new teams, and battling illness and depression, Cavendish fought to end his storied career on his terms, and the timing of his retirement announcement in May was made with the Tour in mind.

Whether he had taken a stage win or not, Cavendish would have loved to have ridden into Paris one final time, but that moment is now gone.

As Pedersen celebrated the win, Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Jai Hindley all finished in the front group to ensure no change at the top of the general classification before Sunday’s stage on the Puy de Dome, but Simon Yates lost 47 seconds after a late crash.

That saw the Lancastrian drop from fourth to sixth overall, with brother Adam up to fifth.

Westover made the trip to France worthwhile by winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud for Ralph Beckett and Rob Hornby.

Winner of the Irish Derby last season, he had run two fine races in defeat this year behind Equinox in Dubai and Emily Upjohn at Epsom.

Sent off favourite to add a second Group One to his tally, he raced in third as Tunnes and Malabu Drive, Westover’s pacemaker, ensured a stiff gallop.

Hornby was keen to put the Juddmonte-owned colt’s stamina to good use and took over at the head of affairs with fully two furlongs to run, but was made to work hard as Christophe Soumillon appeared to be travelling the better on Zagrey, who was one place behind Westover in Dubai and having his first run since.

Westover, to his credit, galloped strongly to the line and ultimately ran out a clear-cut winner by two lengths.

Betfair cut the winner to 6-1 from 10s for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot later this month.

Hornby told Sky Sports Racing: “Winning a Group One in these colours is the stuff of dreams.

“I was brought up watching these colours win prestigious races and to be able to do it at Group One level is the highest honour and I’m grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way.

“Ralph has trained this horse so well from two to three and three to four, so to win a Group One at four is so important. These are things you dream of, so when they come true you don’t know how to think.”

Of the race, he added: “The pace was really good early on, Dougie (Costello on Malabu Drive) was able to keep it honest the whole way.

“When he dropped the bit he was able to work into it but funnily enough, once he shut down he took some stoking up again, so I was keen to get on my bike early. He hit the line strong and the time matches that.

“This is my third Group One for Ralph and fourth overall but it’s nearly a year since my last one and they are so important for a jockey.”

Beckett said: “Inevitably there was pressure as it was a long time since he won, over a year, and the longer that goes on the harder it gets.

“There was nothing wrong with his two runs this year, he’s only had the one blip in the King George. He was great today and it was a very fast time.

“For so long we had a reputation for training long distance fillies, so it’s important to change the dial, as Angel Bleu has done as well.

“I think we’ll either stay at a mile and a half or even have a conversation about going up in trip, because the peloton came to him but he stretched away in the last half a furlong.

“We’ll enjoy today and see what comes next, this was important.

“We’ll certainly consider the King George and see how he is closer to the time. There will be a bit of a monkey on the shoulder saying is this a good idea after what happened last year but we’ll see.

“The Arc will be under consideration too, he ran a great race in it last year (sixth) but got stuck in the ground.”

Max Verstappen dented Lando Norris’ dream of a shock pole position at the British Grand Prix by taking top spot in the closing seconds of a dramatic qualifying session.

Norris surged to the summit of the order to the delight of the Silverstone crowd, only to see Verstappen snatch pole by 0.241 seconds as the last driver over the line.

Norris starts alongside Verstappen, who took his fifth consecutive pole, with Oscar Piastri third on an excellent day for McLaren at the British team’s home race.

Lewis Hamilton could manage only seventh, one place behind George Russell in the other Mercedes.

Verstappen, a winner at seven of the opening nine rounds of a one-sided campaign, has already established a commanding 81-point lead in his pursuit of a hat-trick of world championships

The Dutch driver cruised to the chequered flag a week ago at Red Bull’s home race in Austria and he will head into Sunday’s race favourite to extend his lead, particularly after Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez failed to make it out of Q1. He lines up a lowly 16th.

No driver has won the British Grand Prix on more occasions than Hamilton, with the 38-year-old winning seven of the last 10 races staged here.

But the Mercedes man will be disappointed to start only seventh, half-a-second off the pace, in front of his home fans.

Perez’s dismal run of form continued after he was eliminated from the opening phase of qualifying.

The Mexican was first out of the pits when the action resumed following a red flag to clear Kevin Magnussen’s Haas.

Perez momentarily headed to the top of the order, but the evolution of the track saw him tumble all the way down to 16th when Q1 came to an end.

It marked the fifth consecutive race in which Perez has failed to make it into Q3 in a machine Hamilton described as the fastest Formula One has ever seen.

Perez’s early exit capped a frantic few minutes which saw Verstappen and Hamilton dice for position on a piece of asphalt now named after Britain’s seven-time world champion.

Verstappen fought his way ahead of Hamilton, with the latter almost colliding with the Alpine of Pierre Gasly in the mad scramble to post a lap before the chequered flag fell.

Prior to that, Verstappen required a new front wing after he grazed the wall along the pits just moments after he left his garage.

And even earlier Hamilton survived a spin through the gravel when he lost his control of his Mercedes on the entry to Stowe.

Despite the threat of action from Just Stop Oil protesters, qualifying passed off without incident.

However, F1 bosses, Silverstone and Northamptonshire Police remain on high alert that a protest could yet disrupt Sunday’s 52-lap race where 150,000 spectators are expected to attend.

Security has been beefed up, with facial recognition cameras posted around the 3.66 mile track in a move to foil a potential plot.

Paddington saw off the tenacious challenge of Emily Upjohn in a thrilling renewal of the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old began the season in handicap company, but he had already successfully stepped up to win both the Irish Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes subsequently.

Upped in trip to 10 furlongs for the first time, Ryan Moore rode him as if there were no doubts about his stamina and so it proved.

His solid temperament allowed Moore to put him where he wanted in the race and having broken smartly, he found himself in front on leaving the stalls.

The field then raced in single file, with West Wind Blows and Jamie Spencer leading Paddington, Emily Upjohn and Dubai Honour.

Spencer tried to steal a march turning into the straight and took two lengths out of the others.

However, Moore breezed up on Paddington and went into the lead, although Emily Upjohn would not leave him alone.

With half a furlong to run it briefly appeared that the greater stamina of Emily Upjohn may prevail, but she could not quite get on terms with her younger rival, who was getting 7lb.

Paddington’s half-length verdict was O’Brien’s seventh triumph in the race, making him the most successful trainer in the contest’s history.

Wootton’Sun only got into the bet365 Old Newton Cup at Haydock as a reserve, but he took full advantage to provide Richard Fahey with his first win in the race.

The four-year-old was declared as the second reserve but, thankfully for his connections, his place in the race was confirmed by Friday afternoon and he gamely came out on top to claim the almost £80,000 first prize.

Ridden by 52-year-old Joe Fanning, who is enjoying an excellent season, the 15-2 chance first had to see off Cumulonimbus and then hang tough to repel the late run of Scampi.

Fanning and Fahey have not teamed up together that often in their illustrious careers, but they were the perfect combination on this occasion.

Fahey said: “To be very honest, when we were second reserve, Steve (Bradley, owner) rang me and wanted to book a jockey and I said ‘Steve, we’ve no chance of getting in’!

“It couldn’t have worked out better in the end as Joe was available, he had a light weight and to win feels like a ‘Brucey bonus’.

“It was a race we had in mind at the beginning of the season and I felt he should have won before now and he’d definitely have got in.

“He’s been running very well and if he had won before today he’d have gone up three or four pounds. For him to sneak in and win is fantastic.

“That was his Derby so it’s great it worked out.”

Poptronic finally enjoyed her moment in the spotlight when gamely holding off Sea Silk Road to win the bet365 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock.

Since winning the Hoppings Stakes at Newcastle last season, Karl Burke’s filly had come up just short in several big races.

In two runs previous runs this season, she had done herself no favours by racing keenly, but on this occasion she was far more tractable in the hands of Sam James.

Happy to take a lead off Peripatetic until the two-furlong marker, Poptronic (12-1) still looked a bit of a sitting duck as the three big guns, Mimikyu, Time Lock and finally Sea Silk Road all laid down a challenge.

After seeing off the first two it looked like she may have to give best to William Haggas’ Sea Silk Road, who had beaten Poptronic last time out in the Lester Piggott Stakes, but Burke’s four-year-old was not to be denied.

In the last 50 yards, the run of the 7-4 favourite just flattened out and Poptronic won by a neck.

Kelly Burke, daughter of the winning trainer who rides Poptronic every day at home, said: “I was delighted, she’s been banging on the door the whole time and she’s such a genuine, tough filly.

“I think the slight change of tactics, just going that little bit more forward, has helped. She can be quite keen and because of that we’ve tried to drop her in and not let her over-race, but she’s got more settled as the year has gone on.

“I think the key with her is not to pull her around and kick early because she hasn’t got a turn of foot, she just keeps grinding it out and if you ride her for a turn of foot, they always beat her.

“She ran well behind the favourite (Sea Silk Road) here last time and she actually beat her the time before. I think it’s just how the race pans out sometimes.

“I’m delighted she’s won a Group Two now.”

When asked whether a step up to Group One level in the Yorkshire Oaks could be next on Poptronic’s agenda, Burke added: “Definitely, there’s no reason not to go is there?

“She’s ran really well at York a few times, so that could be exciting.”

James said: “I spoke to Karl before the race and she used to be a bit keen in her races, Kelly rides her every day and she’s done a great job with her.

“She was keen last year and today she was grand. They went a nice gallop so I was able to just follow the lead horse, I would have gone on had they have gone steadily but it worked perfectly. I was able to just start stretching them.

“I was a bit surprised at the price she was as the second horse had only beaten us by a couple of lengths the last day, when we were still trying to switch her off all the time. Today I was able to go forward on her and ride a race whenever I wanted really.

“It’s a big win for me. Karl has been very good to me the last couple of seasons and this filly has been very good to me. I won a Group Three at Newcastle on her and now I’ve won a Group Two and she deserves it as well.”

Mark Cavendish’s bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win ended after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours after he came within a few metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux, Cavendish’s outstanding Tour career ended in the back of an ambulance, the anguish on his face clear to see after an innocuous touch of wheels brought an early end to his final appearance in the race he loves.

Cavendish went down hard and held his shoulder after a crash in the peloton around 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges.

It means Cavendish, who announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season, will finish his career level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins.

Cavendish was agonisingly close to breaking the record on Friday, getting the jump on Jasper Philipsen on the sprint to the line in Bordeaux, only for his gears to jump when he was trying to apply full power.

Cavendish won his first Tour stages back in 2008, taking four in total, and chalked up 20 in his first four participations.

He enjoyed four stage wins in 2021, equalling Merckx’s record with his victory on stage 13 in Carcassonne.

David de Gea has announced he is leaving Manchester United as a free agent after 12 seasons at Old Trafford.

The 32-year-old’s contract with United expired at the end of June, with no new deal agreed despite talks that took place throughout the season.

In a message on social media, De Gea thanked United fans for their support, but said: “Now, it’s the right time to undertake a new challenge, to push myself again in new surroundings.”

When De Gea’s contract expired last Friday, United said they remained in talks with the Spain goalkeeper.

That followed reports that De Gea had signed a contract extension only for the club to withdraw that offer and come back with reduced terms.

De Gea wrote: “I would like to express my unwavering gratitude and appreciation for the love from the last 12 years. We’ve achieved a lot since my dear Sir Alex Ferguson brought me to this club.

“I took incredible pride every time I pulled on this shirt, to lead the team, to represent this institution, the biggest club in the world was an honour only bestows upon a few lucky footballers.

“It’s been an unforgettable and successful period since I came here. I didn’t think from leaving Madrid as a young boy we would achieve what we did together.

“Manchester will always be in my heart, Manchester has shaped me and will never leave me. We’ve seen it all.”

United boss Erik ten Hag has reportedly been pushing to sign a new goalkeeper in this transfer window,
with a deal for Inter Milan’s Andre Onana said to be close.

The Dutchman paid tribute to the departing De Gea, who won the Premier League’s golden glove last season.

Ten Hag said: “It takes great quality and character to reach the level of even playing one game for Manchester United.

“To do it 545 times over 12 years is a special achievement, particularly in the goalkeeping position where every game puts you in the spotlight.

“To have won Player of the Year awards from both the fans and his team-mates, each on four occasions, shows the level of his performance and he will always be remembered as one of the very best goalkeepers in the history of the club.

“I am personally grateful for the 25 clean sheets he helped provide last season and his overall contribution on the pitch during my first year at the club.

“All the players and staff send him our very best wishes for the next phase of his outstanding career.”

England’s hunt for Australian wickets was halted by the weather at Headingley, with the threat of a washout on day three of the third Ashes Test.

Morning showers on Saturday meant no play was possible before lunch, which was brought forward to 12.30pm, and the afternoon session was set to go the same way with the covers still out at 2.30pm.

The match remains poised on a knife edge, with the tourists 142 runs ahead after being reduced to 116 for four in their second innings.

Travis Head and day-one centurion Mitch Marsh were the not out batters for Australia, who are already 2-0 up in the series after victories at Edgbaston and Lord’s and can claim the urn with a win on Yorkshire territory.

The break in play could help ease some of England’s ailments, with Ollie Robinson yet to bowl since suffering back spasms on the first day and captain Ben Stokes nursing a selection of injuries and niggles.

England owe their position in the game to Stokes’ defiant 80, with Moeen Ali hailing the skipper’s magnetic qualities and their effect on the side.

“Ben’s a brilliant player. He’s the one player in the world who everyone will be thinking about in that situation, especially against Australia because he has done it a couple of times now,” said the spinner, who took the key wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith on Friday evening.

“Whether it’s a white ball or a red ball, as long as he’s there you’ve always got a great chance of winning. It’s the situations more than anything, he loves those situations, he thrives off them.

“His body has obviously been through a lot but there’s one thing with Ben, he can’t do anything without it being 100 per cent. Hopefully he’ll get through this series well, scoring a lot more runs.

“It’s the situations more than anything, he loves those situations, he thrives off them. But we can’t rely on him all the time. We do have dangerous players who we just need to come to the party as well as Ben. Ben’s playing brilliantly but there are runs out there for other players.”

Cricket Australia has been forced into a bizarre defence of Alex Carey after rumours that the wicketkeeper had breached ‘the spirit of cutting’ by failing to pay for a haircut.

Carey became public enemy number one among England fans at Lord’s last week when he controversially stumped Jonny Bairstow during the fifth-day run chase.

The dismissal was perfectly legal under the laws of the game, but England believe it was contrary to the unwritten ‘spirit of the game’ and Carey’s actions have divided opinion in the cricket world.

In a curious development during this week’s third Test at Headingley, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook told listeners on BBC’s Test Match Special that Carey had visited a barber in Leeds and been unable to to pay the bill after being told it was cash only.

Cook went on to suggest that a promise to settle the debt had not been fulfilled. CA has now moved to exonerate Carey, confirming to reporters that the 31-year-old has not had his hair cut since the World Test Championship final last month.

It is understood that some squad members did have a trim and when one was unable to pay in cash, he arranged to pay via international bank transfer. Sources close to the team have said a receipt is available and will be brought to the hairdresser to clear up any confusion.

An account attributed to Australia batter Steve Smith on social media network Threads backed up Carey’s innocence, adding “get your facts right”.

Equality produced a career-best performance to run out an easy winner of the Coral Charge at Sandown.

The Charlie Hills-trained five-year-old had won a handicap at Windsor in clear-cut fashion on his last outing but this was a first success at Group Three level.

Handy throughout under William Buick, he was given a lead into the race by Diligent Harry.

Existent had ploughed a lone furrow on the near side rail with Jim Crowley exploring the possibility of better ground following some heavy rain, and with two furlongs to run he was still in contention.

That was just at the point Buick asked his mount to put the race to bed, though, and he sprinted clear.

Ed Walker’s filly Makarova added some more valuable black type, beaten a length and a half in second, while Tiber Flow claimed third. The favourite Marshman faced an uphill battle following a slow start.

Hills said: “He is a horse in form, obviously. I was delighted with his win at Windsor last time. It has always been the plan to come here since then.

“He had a nice draw and pinged the gates. Normally he can be a little slow from the gates, it probably wasn’t the ideal plan to be in front, but he didn’t seem to get taken on too much and that did suit him, I would have thought.

“He travelled very well and he’s a good sprinter. He’s a horse that I’ve always really liked – it has just take a while to get to here.

“I hope he can build on it. He has won by taking a lead before, so I think he can be ridden any way, really.

“I will certainly look at the King George at Goodwood next time, but that little bit of rain, probably two millimetres, probably helped as well.

“I would be afraid of very fast ground, unlike his father, Equiano, who loved it like a road. It’s strange, but William has always said he likes to get his toe in.”

He added: “The King George has always been a lucky race for me in the past, so I think that’s where we go with this fella.

“I’ve always thought he was a horse who would be a Group performer, but it has taken a while to get to where we are. Just looking at some of the family, it is just a slow-maturing family.”

Nashwa has been supplemented for Friday’s Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

The four-year-old was a dual Group One winner for John and Thady Gosden last term but has struggled to find her best form in two outings so far this year.

After finishing fourth in the Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud, she was dropped back to Group Three level for the Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes at Newcastle last week, but she was beaten into second as an odds-on favourite.

Owner Imad Al Sagar has now stumped up £20,000 to add her to the race, where she will be dropping back to a mile from 10 furlongs.

Via Sistina could bid for a swift Group One double after George Boughey’s charge secured her first top-level success in last week’s Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.

She could turn out again just 13 days later in search of a third win this term, having also landed the Dahlia Stakes on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course back in May.

Remarquee, now owned by Wathnan Racing, is another key player for Ralph Beckett, having bounced back from 1000 Guineas defeat with a fine second to Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, while the fourth-placed Meditate is one of two possibles for Aidan O’Brien along with Never Ending Story.

Sandringham Stakes winner Coppice is a second contender for the Gosden team, with Beckett also having a second contender in last year’s race winner Prosperous Voyage.

The 10 confirmations are completed by Ameynah, Astral Beau and Random Harvest, with Inspiral an absentee as expected.

Charlie Appleby’s impressive recent Listed winner Star Of Mystery heads 11 contenders for the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, where Albany Stakes third Soprano could be among her rivals.

Charles Leclerc finished fastest in a rain-hit final practice session for the British Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver set the pace in the dry running before heavy rain arrived at Silverstone.

Williams’ Alex Albon took second place, one spot ahead of Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, with Pierre Gasly fourth for Alpine and Lewis Hamilton fifth.

World champion Max Verstappen, quickest in both sessions at the Northamptonshire venue on Friday, was eighth.

Although the concluding one-hour running before qualifying started in the dry, it was not long before the forecast rain arrived.

In the initial slick conditions, Leclerc was the fastest out of the traps, seeing off Albon by a tenth.

Hamilton finished only 15th on Friday and said there was something wrong with his Mercedes.

But the seven-time world champion moved closer to the front on Saturday morning, finishing half-a-second off the pace.

Heavy showers could continue throughout the day with qualifying due to get under way at 3pm.

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