Tiger Woods will not contest next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool as he continues to recovery from surgery.
Woods pulled out of the Masters during the third round in April, saying at the time it was due to plantar fasciitis.
However, the 47-year-old then had a subtalar fusion procedure in New York to address the problem caused by a previous fracture of his talus, a bone in the ankle joint.
The 15-time major winner did not contest May’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill or this week’s US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Woods had hoped to defy the odds to compete at Hoylake, where he won a third Open title in 2006 in his first tournament since the death of his father Earl two months earlier.
However, an R&A spokesman told the PA news agency: “We have been advised that Tiger won’t be playing at Royal Liverpool.
“We wish him all the best with his recovery.”
Woods feared his leg would have to be amputated due to the serious injuries he suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021.
He made a remarkable return to action 14 months later and finished 47th in the Masters, but withdrew from the US PGA following a third-round 79 and skipped the US Open before missing the cut in the 150th Open at St Andrews.
Aidan O’Brien is confident Emily Dickinson will be better the further she goes as he prepares a two-pronged assault on the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Though last year’s winner Kyprios has been ruled out through injury, the Ballydoyle maestro runs both Broome and Emily Dickinson in Thursday’s feature, which he has won on a record eight occasions.
The latter will have to recover from a lacklustre display when finishing a disappointing sixth as a 2-5 favourite in the Saval Beg at Leopardstown.
But O’Brien believes the four-year-old daughter of Dubawi will benefit from stepping up to two and a half miles, having previously won over two miles in testing ground at the Curragh in October – her first time at that distance.
“We always thought this race would suit her well, because we think she stays very well,” O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing.
“Obviously, she handles some ease in the ground well and when there is ease in the ground, stamina comes into it more.
“We think the trip will suit her and even though she handles soft ground, we don’t think she minds fast ground.”
Winner of three of her 13 runs, Emily Dickinson is the general 6-1 third-favourite behind Coltrane and Eldar Eldarov in what is considered to be an open race.
O’Brien feels Ryan Moore’s mount had excuses in the Saval Beg, run over a mile and three-quarters.
He added: “When we stepped her up to two miles at the Curragh she kind of grew another leg, then she won in very soft ground in Navan.
“The ground was soft, so it made it a testing, demanding race, and then she went back to Leopardstown for her next run and it was fast ground, they went no pace.
“Ryan got left in front. He didn’t want to be putting the gun to her head in that race, because it was obviously being used as a trial for the Gold Cup. He wasn’t too hard on her when he knew the race wasn’t going to suit her.
“She ran a nice race, obviously she will have to step up a lot from that but we think she will, going that trip.”
Last year’s Hardwicke winner Broome advertised his credentials with a Group Two success at Meydan in March, before finishing a close-up third to Giavellotto in the Yorkshire Cup last month.
The seven-year-old has yet to race beyond two miles, and O’Brien admits it will be “interesting” to see if he can handle the extra half-mile.
He added: “Obviously, we were delighted with him in Meydan and delighted with him the last day.
“I suppose the Gold Cup is an unusual race because a lot of horses get two miles, but when you go past that two miles, a lot of different stuff happens, especially in the last quarter of a mile, so it will be very interesting.
“Obviously he is a classy horse. Ryan gave him a brilliant ride in Dubai and he was very happy with him again the last time at York and he was staying on again, so it is going to be very interesting – will he get the trip?
“He is a very good-natured horse – he should relax. He should have no problem with the track or ground, so it will be interesting to see if he gets trip or not.”
Hopes are high Little Big Bear, who reverted to sprinting at Haydock after a disappointing experience in the 2000 Guineas, can back up his Group Two Sandy Lane success when he runs in the Commonwealth Cup.
He has already shown a liking for Ascot, winning the Windsor Castle at last year’s meeting.
“He is a big, powerful, classy horse,” added O’Brien. “We were delighted with him at Haydock. He is a big traveller. He looks like a big sprinter.
“Obviously, we tried him at a mile and we didn’t have time to go back again – the whole Guineas just went wrong on us and that was it.
“But we knew to go to Ascot that it would be a nice thing to have a run into him at this trip, rather than throwing him straight back in from his Guineas run.
“Frankie (Dettori) rode him and was very happy with him. Wayne (Lordan) has been riding him work since and seems very happy with him, so we’re hopeful.”
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed another memorable moment in the US Open as he recorded the third hole-in-one of the week at Los Angeles Country Club.
Fitzpatrick’s tee shot on the 115-yard 15th pitched beyond the flag and span back into the hole, although he could not see where the ball had landed and was walking off the tee before the crowd’s roar sparked wild celebrations.
The eagle lifted Fitzpatrick from one over par to one under, eight shots behind the lead held by American Wyndham Clark, who had covered his first seven holes in three under to overhaul Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.
Fowler and Schauffele had both shot 62 in the first round to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major, while the scoring average of 71.38 was another tournament record.
Tournament officials insisted they would not respond by making conditions “stupid hard”, although the par-three 11th was playing 297 yards on Friday and water had only been applied to “isolated spots on the putting greens for turf health”.
John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer of the USGA, told NBC: “[On Friday], as planned, we will play the golf course longer.
“We’re not going to force anything. We could do things that could make it stupid hard. We’re not going to do that.”
Dustin Johnson found the going hard enough on his own early on, the 2016 champion running up an eight on the second after tangling with a fairway bunker, thick rough and the barranca which runs down the left of the hole.
Rory McIlroy was also among the early starters and had dropped a shot on the 11th, but bounced back in style by holing a 32ft birdie putt on the 12th which had several feet of break from left to right.
McIlroy bogeyed the 13th after a pulled drive finished underneath the branches of a tree and failed to birdie the par-five 14th to remain four under.
Richard Kingscote lamented the fact Keith Dalgleish plans to leave the training ranks having partnered his Chichester to victory in the Seat Unique Ganton Stakes at York.
Dalgleish announced earlier this year he planned to do something else and was not leaving the profession for financial reasons. And with results like this he will clearly be a loss.
A talented former rider, Dalgleish is closing in on 1,000 winners. Chichester (15-2) has provided him with six of them, but this was by far the biggest with the Listed event carrying an almost £40,000 first prize.
When odds-on favourite Shining Blue hit the front he looked sure to collect for Saeed bin Suroor, but Kingscote had been biding his time on Chichester who stayed on strongly to win by a length and three-quarters.
“It was a great bit of placing by connections, they found a five-runner Listed race for good money so fair play,” said the Derby-winning jockey.
“I always thought I was getting there, we actually went a decent pace for once because in general of late we’ve been going steady but he was able to get into a nice rhythm.
“He found plenty. He’s a funny old boy, he’s more than capable as we’ve seen but sometimes he needs things to go his way. He stays this trip well, he ran over 10 furlongs the last day.
“Keith knows what he’s doing and it’s a great shame he’s handing in his licence – he can certainly do the job.”
The improvement of the David Evans-trained Radio Goo Goo (11-2) shows no signs of stopping after she won her fourth race in a row in the British EBF Supporting Racing With Pride Fillies’ Handicap.
She won first time out this year at Wolverhampton off 72, was beaten on Good Friday at Lingfield and then rattled off a treble at Chester, Haydock and back at Chester.
Racing off a career-high 86 she looked beaten, but just got the better off Al Simmo by a nose under Ben Curtis.
“To be honest she wasn’t really travelling so I had to sit on her a bit longer than I wanted to fill her up,” said Curtis.
“I didn’t think I was going to win, but the last few strides her ears went back and she really wanted it.
“She finished second a fair few times last year, but that was over five and she kept bumping into one. She’s stronger this year and is better suited to six and Dave’s horses are flying at the moment. Hopefully she can keep rising.
The most valuable race of its kind every season is the SKF Rous Selling Stakes which went the way of Ollie Pears’ Celestial Flight (7-1) in a photo finish.
James Sullivan’s mount prevailed by a head from Up The Jazz on his second start and was bought back in for £25,000.
“We always like to target this. For an inexpensive horse it gives the owners a fantastic day out and the chance to run for a big pot,” said Pears.
“I bought him back in as there would have been an awful lot of disappointed people here if I hadn’t.
“We think he’s a horse who should go on and he’s a horse who should get seven furlongs.”
Karl Burke saddled his 11th individual juvenile winner of the season when Harvanna (5-1) won the Juddmonte British EBF Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes after finishing third on her debut.
Clifford Lee was on top and said: “She learned a lot on her debut and we saw the benefit of that.
“We’ve got some nice two-year-olds, hopefully I’ll be on a couple next week and we’ll just see how the ground is and everything before finalising.”
Mick and David Easterby’s Menelaus (15-2) followed up a recent win at Thirsk when stylishly pulling clear in the Andy Thornton Hospitality Furniture Apprentice Handicap under Connor Planas.
It was a third success in his last four rides for Planas, who is enjoying a breakthrough season.
Michael Jordan has reached an agreement to sell his majority share of the Charlotte Hornets to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, the team announced Friday in a press release.
The move will end the NBA Hall of Famer's 13-year tenure as the Hornets' primary owner. Jordan will still hold a minority stake in the franchise.
Jordan, who starred at the University of North Carolina prior to his legendary 15-year NBA playing career, had been the league's sole Black majority owner. The 60-year-old purchased the Hornets in 2010 for approximately $275 million.
Financial details of the proposed transaction, which will require approval from the NBA's Board of Governors, have not been disclosed. According to ESPN, the Hornets have a valuation of approximately $3 billion.
In the most recent ownership change involving an NBA franchise, the Phoenix Suns were purchased by mortgage investor Mat Ishbia for a reported $4 billion in December.
Plotkin, the founder and chief investment officer of Tallwoods Capital LLC, has been a Hornets minority owner and an alternate on the NBA's Board of Governors since 2019.
Schnall is currently a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks and is in the process of selling his share of that team. He has been with the Hawks since 2015 and is also an alternate on the Board of Governors.
Other members of the new ownership group include country music star Eric Church and recording artist J. Cole.
Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles in a remarkable eight-year span in the 1990s as a player but never came close to reaching the same heights as an owner. The Hornets made the playoffs just twice during his reign while compiling a 423-600 overall record, which ranks 26th of the NBA's 30 teams in winning percentage over that period.
The Hornets last won a playoff series in 2002 and their stretch of 19 consecutive seasons without a postseason series victory is tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the longest active streak in the league.
Charlotte had the NBA's fourth worst record this past season at 27-55 and holds the No. 2 overall pick in next week's draft.
The NBA has suspended Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for 25 games without pay for appearing in a second video on social media while brandishing a gun.
The league announced the punishment Friday in a statement, which also revealed that Morant’s reinstatement will be contingent on completion of a program to address his repeated “destructive” behavior off the court.
“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.
“For Ja, basketball needs to take a backseat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”
Morant posed with a firearm for a social media live stream on May 13, less than two months after serving an eight-game suspension for posing with a gun for a video in a Denver nightclub on March 4.
After the first incident, Morant attended a counseling program in Florida and vowed to the public and to the league not to repeat his behavior.
Silver had hinted publicly that the league had decided Morant’s punishment two weeks ago, but the league chose to delay the announcement until after the NBA Finals.
After serving his eight-game ban in March, Morant was not voted to an All-NBA team despite an impressive season on the court. An All-NBA selection would have triggered an escalation to his designated rookie contract extension for an additional $38.9 million.
With the league’s newly implemented games-played minimum for awards, Morant will be ineligible for an All-NBA team in 2023-24.
Leeds forward Zane Tetevano has described suffering a stroke last month as a “scary episode”.
The New Zealand international was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a Rhinos training session.
The 32-year-old was later diagnosed with a hole in his heart.
Tetevano told the club’s website: “I was the first one out on the field and I had a spring in my step, ready to crack on with my session.
“I was pretty much just in my warm-up period when I just started slurring my words. I missed about three plays within a drill – just basic drills – and I remember just speaking to a team-mate of mine, slurring my words.
“I just couldn’t feel my tongue, my mouth, and that’s when everything started kicking in. I was kicking the ground, standing up, having the medical staff there, then the ambulance came.
“It was a scary episode. You just don’t know what was going on until you get told you’ve had a stroke.
“I guess everyone knows I’m quite an active person, I like my training. It was a shock, a kind of unreal feeling like, ‘No, I can’t be in this position’. But I’ve come out on the right side.”
Tetevano has recovered well from the stroke but requires surgery to repair his heart problem. He is hopeful of returning to action before the end of the season.
He said: “It might sound a bit weird but, after having a stroke, I was kind of hoping that I had something wrong – a hole in your heart, ‘OK, let’s fix that thing and crack on with life’.
“At the same time I was actually nervous, thinking this can’t be, but again I was just like, ‘Good news, the quicker I get surgery done the better’.”
Tetevano has been cleared to resume non-impact aerobic training to maintain a level of fitness prior to his operation but he cannot yet play contact sport.
To help motivate himself, he is to run the Leeds 10k this Sunday to raise money for the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.
He said: “I was just running around the canals and one of the coaches mentioned it. I was pretty keen to jump straight on it.
“It’s something that has a deep place in my heart. It’s a little thing that I can do from my episode to help raise funds for the young ones and families.”
Tajalla will put his sprinting credentials to the test as Roger Varian seeks back-to-back victories in Sandown’s Molson Coors Scurry Stakes.
The speedy son of Kessaar burst on to the scene at Newmarket last spring, but injury soon struck meaning he was ruled out of the rest of the season and was not seen again until making a successful reappearance at Hamilton last month.
Having confirmed his powerful engine remains intact during that venture north of the border, the Carlburg Stables handler has now decided to try the three-year-old in Listed company at the Esher track and in a race he claimed 12 months ago with the progressive Mitbaahy.
“It’s a nice race, it’s competitive and we will learn a bit more about him tomorrow because he has only run in two novices,” said Varian.
“He’s a promising young sprinter, I think the stiff five furlongs at Sandown should suit him and we’ll see how we go.
“He’s only really had one setback which was quite a major setback and came a few weeks after his debut at Newmarket. It meant he had to miss he rest of last season, but he’s come out this year and won nicely at Hamilton and I think that form is solid with the second well regarded.
“We never planned to take him to Ascot and this looked a nice race so we have hung on. It’s a nice race for those horses who don’t quite hit that Ascot window. I don’t know if he will win or not but we will find out more about him.”
Richard Fahey’s Great State claimed the Listed Westow Stakes at York last month and attempts to extend a three-race winning run, while also looking to continue a consistent run of form is George Boughey’s Perdika.
The filly claimed her second Chantilly Listed race of the season in the Prix Marchand d’Or in between her two triumphs in France has gone close in three other Listed and Group events.
“She likes soft ground, but she won on quicker ground on French Derby day on her latest start so she is pretty versatile,” said Boughey.
“She has come out of her last race in super shape. She doesn’t do much at home and we’ve never opened her up here. We like to save her for the track.
“It is a credit to her and the guys in the team here that look after her as she is trained like a real sprinter.
“I’ve had very few horses like her and she is coming into the Oscula category now. My long-term plan is to run her in the Prix de l’Abbaye back at Longchamp in the autumn.”
Karl Burke’s Yahsat returns from 344 days off the track and was last seen chasing home The Platinum Queen on the Knavesmire, with Clive Cox’s Katey Kontent also on the comeback trail following over 300 days on the sidelines.
The daughter of Havana Grey, who shaped like a useful prospect at two, missed an intended engagement at York last month but is now reported to be back in tip-top condition.
“She had a little hold up ahead of going to York with a pulled muscle which was one of those things but I’m pleased to say we are back on track now,” said Cox.
“She is a filly that we hold in good regard and we hope she shows the promise she did early in her career.
“She has got bags of speed and showed a lot of class early on last year, but everything happened quite quickly for her.
“She has matured and developed well over the winter and we are looking forward to seeing her back in action. We feel she is in that Listed bracket hence her entry here.”
Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart had a fiery exchange at the net after the British number one’s victory at the Nottingham Open.
Boulter completed a 6-3 7-5 win in the all-British match to reach her first WTA Tour-level semi-final, but as the players shook hands Dart had clearly taken exception to something.
She appeared to question her opponent’s professionalism, to which Boulter replied “It’s nothing personal. Mate, I do it every single match.”
Afterwards Boulter said in her on-court interview: “It was a battle out there. You could see how much it meant to me to get through that match.
“It’s awful playing a friend but I tried to play the ball and not the player. Today it was my day.”
Boulter was joined in the semi-finals by British number three Jodie Burrage, another debutant in the last four, after coming through a tight match against Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
The 24-year-old won five games in a row to take the first set, finishing it off with an ace.
But she looked up against it after requiring a medical time-out on her way to dropping the second, and fell a break down early in the third.
However, Burrage broke straight back and went on to clinch a 6-2 3-6 7-5 victory in two hours and 21 minutes.
“I’m absolutely knackered now,” she said on court. “I wish I could stop playing three-set matches, but if it gets me the win, then I’ve got to grind through it.
“It was a really tough match. I am feeling it a little bit and in the second set, I was thinking too much about that and not about the tennis. Then I picked it up in the third set.
“This week has given me so much confidence. To come out and make my first semi-final in a WTA event, the confidence it gives me is massive and I will take it through to the next tournaments.”
Tributes have been paid to Holocaust survivor and Olympic weightlifter Sir Ben Helfgott after he died aged 93 on Friday.
Poland-born Helfgott faced appalling conditions in the Piotrkow Ghetto and then survived the Buchenwald and Terezin concentration camps and the Schlieben labour camp.
He lost almost his entire family in the Holocaust and was one of 732 child survivors who came to the UK to rebuild their lives after the Second World War.
Just 11 years after he was freed from the Nazi concentration camps, Helfgott captained the British weightlifting team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
He represented Britain again at the 1960 Rome Olympics and the 1958 Commonwealth Games where he won a bronze medal.
Helfgott also became the honorary president of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and a honorary patron for the Holocaust Educational Trust. He was knighted in 2018.
A statement from the 45 Aid Society, a charity which supports Holocaust survivors and their families, and of which Helfgott was a founding member, read: “It is with the deepest sadness and sorrow that we have to share the news that we’ve lost the founder and father of @45AidSociety, Sir Ben Helfgott.
“Ben was one of the greatest ambassadors for the Boys and, indeed, for all Holocaust survivors. He represented Britain at the Olympics within a few years of his liberation, went on to fight for his fellow survivors and continued to educate all generations about the horrors of the Holocaust right up till just a few years ago.”
Paying tribute, Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “Sir Ben Helfgott was a giant amongst men. A Holocaust survivor, Olympic champion, campaigner, visionary and our leader.
“Despite all he endured, Ben taught us all about resilience, tolerance and the crucial importance of educating future generations. He was our friend and mentor and we mourn his loss deeply.
“Ben always worked to ensure that survivors were looked after – he was a true leader of the survivor community.”
Sir Keir Starmer said he was “deeply saddened” to hear Helfgott had died.
The Labour Party leader said: “Sir Ben was one of life’s polymaths. He was a hugely accomplished sportsman, representing Britain at the Olympics in weightlifting.
“He was one of only two Holocaust survivors to take part in the Olympics, an extraordinary tribute to his talent and determination.
“Throughout his life, Sir Ben demonstrated compassion and understanding, campaigning for tolerance and peaceful coexistence between communities.
“These are values by which we should all live. His life and legacy will be an inspiration to us all.”
Belgium pair Kim Huybrechts and Dimitri Van den Bergh have vowed to put their differences aside in order to compete in the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt.
The duo won their opening match against Finland on Thursday night but cracks in their relationship showed immediately afterwards, with Huybrechts admitting he does not “get along with” Van den Bergh, who also said there was “something personal” between them.
But in an attempt to avoid a civil war in the PDC competition, they are putting on a united front ahead of Friday night’s match with China.
They said in a joint statement on Twitter: “Following last night’s win at the World Cup of Darts, we have sat down to discuss our recent differences.
“Whilst some issues remain to be resolved in the fullness of time, we are both fully committed to doing our best as a team to win the World Cup of Darts for Belgium, and to represent ourselves, our families and our country in the best light.
“That begins with tonight’s game against China and our focus is now on preparing for the match as a team.”
Ante-post favourite Coltrane heads 15 contenders for Thursday’s Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Winner of the Sagaro Stakes on his seasonal bow over two miles at the Berkshire track, the six-year-old lifted the Ascot Stakes at the Gold Cup trip of two and a half miles at last year’s fixture before going on to finish fourth in the Goodwood Cup, second in the Lonsdale Cup and win the Doncaster Cup.
His trainer Andrew Balding also has Nate The Great among the contenders, with the Roger Varian-trained Eldar Eldarov another towards the top of the market after winning last year’s St Leger and taking second in the Yorkshire Cup.
Aidan O’Brien has the choice of Emily Dickinson, Broome and Changingoftheguard, with last year’s victor Kyprios sidelined by injury, while John and Thady Gosden, trainers of three-time race winner Stradivarius, have lightly-raced Goodwood scorer Courage Mon Ami in contention this time.
Subjectivist, winner of the race in 2021, the Charlie Appleby-trained Yibir and Willie Mullins’ Echoes In Rain are other key names, with Sagaro second Wise Eagle, Trueshan Tashkhan, Lone Eagle and French raider Big Call also in the mix.
As expected, Al Asifah has been supplemented for the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes.
The Gosden-trained filly made a huge impression with a Listed win at Goodwood last Sunday and owners Shadwell paid £13,125 to add her to the field.
Stablemates Ghara and Lmay also feature in the list of 22 possibles, with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Infinite Cosmos another leading player after finishing third to subsequent Oaks winner Soul Sister in the Musidora at York.
Be Happy and Red Riding Hood could represent O’Brien in an Irish challenge that also includes Azazat, Lumiere Rock and Village Voice. The Fabrice Chappet-trained Crown Princesse provides French interest.
National Stakes winner Elite Status is one of 33 in the Norfolk Stakes, where Wes Ward’s American Rascal – a son of dual Royal Ascot winner Lady Aurelia – is another popular pick. George Boughey’s Asadna is also entered.
Newbury winner Bertinelli tops 46 in the King George V Stakes with the 19 contenders for the Hampton Court Stakes including the likes of Epictetus, Torito, Waipiro and Oaks third Caernarfon.
The Britannia Stakes has 59 entries, with 58 in the final event on Thursday, the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
Israr has the chance to strike in Pattern company for the first time at York on Saturday when he heads a field of seven for the Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes.
John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old got on the scoresheet twice last season, progressing expertly through the handicap ranks and picking up valuable prizes at both Newbury and Doncaster.
He then took a rise in grade in his stride when returning in the Group Three Al Rayyan Stakes at Newbury last month, forcing the now-retired Haskoy to pull out all the stops as he went down by a short head to a filly who was given single-figure quotes for the Ascot Gold Cup.
“Israr ran well first time out this year,” said Thady Gosden.
“He’s stepping up in trip which should suit him and they do a great job with the ground at York, so hopefully conditions won’t be too quick. He’s quite versatile, but like most he wouldn’t want it lightning fast.
“He’s improving and he took the step from handicap to stakes company well last time.”
William Haggas’ Roberto Escobarr won this two years ago and returns to the Knavesmire on the back of victory in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown, while Hughie Morrison’s Lonsdale Cup hero Quickthorn is another with course experience on his side.
Also engaged is the Archie Watson-trained Hambleton Racing stalwart Outbox who is out to snap a near two-year losing run on home soil at the track he almost scooped Group Three honours behind Hukum in 2021.
“His career-best effort is over course and distance,” said Cosmo Charlton, head of racing for the owners.
“He’ll enjoy the quick ground. We’re hopeful of a good run. Everything’s right for him – ground, trip and track.”
It could be a big afternoon for Hambleton, who are doubly represented in the supporting Oakmere Homes Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap with Kevin Ryan’s Washington Heights and another of Watson’s string, Garner, who goes handicapping following a pair of taking victories in maiden and novice company.
“Washington Heights has done brilliantly this season so far,” continued Charlton.
“He has run a cracker on each of his last two starts and we’re hoping for another big run. We think York suits him well. He has some solid course and distance form to his name. He ran well in the sales races last year and we’re hoping he has a good each-way chance in a strong race.
“Garner is more of an unknown quantity. His inexperience could be an issue in a very competitive race, but he’s in good form at home and he won easily at Lingfield in a novice, his first start for us. We’re hoping his mark is fair and that he can make an impact in a race of this nature.”
Max Verstappen has admitted it is beyond his childhood dreams to draw level with Ayrton Senna’s victory tally ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen heads into Sunday’s race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve just one victory shy of the great Brazilian’s haul of 41 after winning five of the opening seven rounds in his dominant Red Bull machine.
Verstappen was not even born when Senna was killed at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, but a victory here would take the 25-year-old into joint fifth in the pantheon of F1 winners.
“When I was a little kid, I would never have imagined being on that list,” said the two-time world champion.
“But you cannot compare it. People have different careers and some drivers get into a race-winning car sooner than others and nowadays we have more races than back in the day.
“I never look at the numbers, but it is an amazing achievement, that’s for sure.”
A sixth victory of a one-sided campaign would leave only Hamilton (103 wins), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of Verstappen.
Hamilton reached 41 wins to draw level with his boyhood hero Senna at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2015 before going on to surpass Schumacher’s haul five years later and stand on his own as the driver to have won the most races in the history of the sport.
However, the seven-time world champion, who has not won a race since his contentious championship defeat to Verstappen at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, admitted that his rival could “absolutely” eclipse his record.
But when asked if Hamilton’s record is on the horizon, Verstappen said: “It is very hard to beat.
“You need to be in the right car for a long time and we don’t know if we have that. I am just going with the flow and enjoying the moment.”
Verstappen has already established a 53-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez on his seemingly unstoppable march towards a hat-trick of world titles.
The world champions are undefeated in the opening seven fixtures, winning 17 of the past 18 races, and could become the first team to win every round in a single season. A victory here on Sunday would also be the team’s 100th in F1.
“For the sport, I understand people get bored if one team is dominating,” added Verstappen.
“But we have seen it at Mercedes, we have seen it at Ferrari, and we have seen it at Red Bull in the past.
“For me, it provides me with even more motivation because I know I have a car that can win.
“If you look at how we are performing, yes we can win every race, but it is not realistic. As long as I win the championship, that’s the most important thing.”
The Welsh Rugby Union was responsible for a “serious failure of governance” and missed opportunities to act on concerning behaviour within the organisation, a report has found.
A committee of Senedd members noted “systemic failures in the culture” of the WRU following allegations of racism, misogyny, sexism and homophobia.
The issues first came to light in a BBC documentary which aired at the beginning of the year, after which the WRU announced an external taskforce had been set up to investigate.
Concerns female rugby players in Wales may have faced “unfavourable treatment” had been highlighted to the WRU two years ago in a review of the women’s game, extracts of which were published on Friday as part of the Senedd report.
The WRU expects its independent review panel (taskforce) to report “before the end of summer” and welcomes the Senedd’s suggestion that an implementation plan should follow soon after.
“It is unacceptable that it took a BBC documentary for the Welsh Rugby Union to act decisively to tackle long-standing toxic behaviour within the organisation,” read the 33-page Senedd sport committee report.
“There is a clear body of evidence that points to opportunities that were missed by the WRU to act on concerning behaviour, or to acknowledge and tackle a pattern of this behaviour.
“This includes formal complaints; the WRU entering into several settlement agreements in relation to allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia over several years; the review into the women’s game; and the resignation of Amanda Blanc (chair of Wales’ Professional Rugby Board).
“Taken together, these point to systemic failures in the culture of the WRU.
“The fact that senior management did not identify and tackle the problem is a serious failure of governance.”
The Senedd committee expressed its belief that little would have changed at the WRU had individuals not spoken to the media.
Nigel Walker, who stepped in as acting chief executive of the governing body following the resignation of Steve Phillips in January, admitted the initial allegations “made very challenging reading”.
Walker confirmed most of the recommendations made by the 2021 review into the women’s game had already been implemented.
The WRU said it was “fully committed” to enacting all of the recommendations of the ongoing review.
“We have already accepted that we have much work to do to ensure that we address our past failures and we again express our sincere remorse for the missed opportunities and failures described and offer our sincere apologies to anyone affected,” read a WRU statement.
“We are fully committed to implementing all of the recommendations of the current independent review into the WRU.
“The committee are right to highlight that we should not wait until the taskforce completes its work before we make changes, specifically to ensure that our staff feel safe, supported and valued, and that we tackle incidents and behaviours in a robust and consistent matter.”
Interim CEO Walker published details from a letter he sent to the Senedd after appearing before it in February alongside WRU chair Ieuan Evans.
In the document, he warned changing culture “takes time” but insisted the WRU is “determined” to do so.
“Whilst this period has been extremely challenging for us, I hope you can appreciate that our intention is to accept and learn from the challenges we face, and to change the way that we work day to day,” Walker wrote.
“The (2021) review made very challenging reading for us and described a committed squad of high-performance athletes frustrated by the support they were receiving, with failures in strategic and operational management.
“The review report also made clear that we had not ensured that our female players felt fully welcomed, valued and an equal part of our game.
“Changing culture takes time, but we are determined to do it.”
Alan King will send at least three runners to Royal Ascot next week, with big gun Trueshan ready to fire in the Gold Cup, should there be sufficient cut in the ground.
With the current spell of hot weather expected to break down over the next few days, the Barbury Castle handler is “hopeful” the three-time Ascot Long Distance Cup winner can bounce back from a seven-length Sagaro defeat by Coltrane, who heads next Thursday’s showpiece event over two and a half miles.
The dual Group One winner Trueshan will be hoping to make it third time lucky in the race after being declared a non-runner in the last two renewals on account of unsuitable ground.
“We will have to hope for a few thunderstorms,” said King. “He needs to get his toe in, as we all know. It is an open Gold Cup and we’ll keep an eye on the weather and see what happens.”
Tritonic will try two and a half miles for the first time on the Flat when he lines up in the Ascot Stakes.
Runner-up in the 10-furlong Golden Gates in 2020, he subsequently won a juvenile hurdle and a Grade Three handicap hurdle at the Berkshire track.
He has only been out of the frame in once in four runs at Ascot, when fourth, beaten just over seven lengths by Quickthorn, in the heavy-ground Duke of Edinburgh in 2021.
King said: “Three will run at the meeting for us anyway.
“Tritonic will run in the Ascot Stakes. Whether he wants that trip I don’t know, but we thought we’d go that route and learn. If he ran there, you’d have to try to train him for a Cesarewitch or something.”
There is plenty of confidence behind eight-year-old Raymond Tusk, who would also appreciate some easy ground when he lines up in the Copper Horse Handicap, the final race on Tuesday’s card.
King said: “He ran in it last year. He was only beaten four lengths, finishing seventh.
“The old boy is in really good form. Obviously, we’d like a drop of rain for him, but it was fast last year and I hope he will run a really nice race again.”
HMS President had a string of runner-up efforts in decent handicaps last year for Eve Johnson Houghton.
Now with King, the HP Racing colours were carried to success on his second start for King, when taking a valuable handicap at Newmarket, having finished runner-up in the Rosebery at Kempton on his stable debut and seasonal bow.
“He’s shown he has been pretty consistent last year and is trip versatile,” said King. “It was nice to see him get his head in front at Newmarket.
“We have a small team, but we’re looking forward to the meeting, as always.”
Swiss cyclist Gino Mader has died at the age of 26 as the result of injuries suffered in a crash at the Tour de Suisse on Thursday, the Bahrain-Victorious team has announced.
Mader was involved in a high-speed crash on the descent of the Albula Pass late on stage six of the race along with American Magnus Sheffield, with both riders falling into a ravine.
Mader had been found “motionless in the water” according to a race statement, before being resuscitated by race doctors at the scene and airlifted to hospital in Chur.
However, Mader lost his fight for life on Friday morning.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we have to announce the passing of Gino Mader,” a team statement said. “On Friday 16th June, following a very serious crash during stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse, Gino lost his battle to recover from the severe injuries he sustained.
“Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Gino’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.
“Following the high-speed incident which occurred on the final descent of Thursday’s stage, the 26-year-old was resuscitated at the scene by medical staff who also performed CPR, before being airlifted to hospital.
“Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30am we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team.”
Sheffield, 21, suffered a concussion and soft tissue damage in the crash, and was kept in hospital overnight for observation, the Ineos Grenadiers said.
Mader, who won a stage of the Giro d’Italia in 2021 and came second overall at the Tour de Romandie last year, was a hugely popular rider in the peloton and news of his death led to an outpouring of tributes.
Geraint Thomas wrote on Twitter: “I can’t believe what I’m reading. Such a sad sad day. Thoughts with everyone who knew and loved Gino.”
Former world champion Alejandro Valverde wrote: “There are no words. Terrible news. My support and love to his colleagues in @BHRVictorious as well as family and friends.”
Bahrain-Victorious managing director Milan Erzen said the team wanted to race on in Mader’s honour.
“We are devastated by the loss of our exceptional cyclist, Gino Mader,” he said. “His talent, dedication, and enthusiasm were an inspiration to us all. Not only was he an extremely talented cyclist, but a great person off the bike.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.
“Bahrain Victorious will race in his honour, keeping his memory on every road we race. We are determined to show the spirit and passion Gino displayed, and he will always remain an integral part of our team.”
Race organisers said a doctor was at the scene of the crash within two minutes of it happening. It occurred with 14 kilometres of the 211km stage from Fiesch to La Punt remaining.
After the incident there was immediately criticism of a route that ended with a fast technical descent off the mountain to the finish line.
Former professional Adam Hansen, now president of the cyclists’ union the CPA, wrote on Twitter on Thursday night that such finishes were a “concern for riders” and said he has been working on a presentation to put to governing body the UCI and race organisers to better ensure rider safety.
Archie Watson is gearing up to send his biggest team to Royal Ascot next week, with King’s Stand Stakes contender Bradsell expected to fly the flag for the Upper Lambourn yard.
Last year’s winner of the Coventry Stakes on only his second start, he has run twice this term since finishing fourth in the Group One Phoenix at the Curragh last August.
Both of those outings have seen him finish third, in the Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot and the Sandy Lane at Haydock.
Though each of his five career starts have come over six furlongs, Watson is rolling the dice and going back in trip with the son of Tasleet.
He said: “We supplemented him for the King’s Stand. I thought on both his runs this season he travelled very strongly and shaped like a five-furlong horse. He’s run two very solid races and has really sharpened up.
“That is the route we are going and it is very sporting of Sheikh Nasser to supplement him and I’ve been delighted with him at home. Hopefully, he will have a campaign over five furlongs for the rest of the season.”
In only his seventh full season with a licence, having previously been an assistant to William Haggas, Watson has built a formidable CV which includes Ascot victories in the Windsor Castle Stakes, British Champions Sprint and the Coventry.
Glen Shiel provided Watson with his first Group One winner in 2020, two years after Soldier’s Call had scored in the Windsor Castle. And he will send another top juvenile team to the Berkshire venue, with Army Ethos tackling the Coventry, carrying the same colours as Bradsell for Victorious Racing and Fawzi Nass.
An easy three-and-a-quarter-length winner on debut at Ayr, Watson said: “He is a very nice colt. Ayr was always the plan and he won his race nicely.
“I think a lot of him. Obviously it looks a very strong Coventry on paper with Aidan’s horse (River Tiber), but I’m sure he will run a very good race and then go on to be a proper six-furlong stakes horse this year.”
Action Point, the first winner for first-season sire Blue Point, will run in the Windsor Castle, having won on debut and then finished runner-up to Maximum Impact at Ascot.
Watson said: “He’s a very nice horse, who has come on a lot physically from his last run.
“Reveiller, who won at Salisbury a couple of weekends ago, will go to the Norfolk and Lightning Leo, who won a strong-looking seven-furlong race at Yarmouth, goes to the Chesham, all being well.
“Aaddeey will go to the Copper Horse. He has done nothing wrong and won nicely on his first start for us. He probably would prefer a bit of cut in the ground, but I’m sure it will be lovely racing ground there.
“We are very lucky to have 15 or so horses going there. None of them are going to be favourites. They are 12-1 to 20-1 shots at a minimum, but I’m very happy with them all and they all deserve to be there, so fingers crossed.”
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