Bucanero Fuerte is set to be campaigned at Group One level following his battling success in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh.

An impressive winner at the Kildare venue on debut, connections kept their powder dry with the precocious son of Wootton Bassett until Royal Ascot, where the Adrian Murray-trained youngster ran a fine race in the Coventry Stakes to finish a gallant third to Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber.

Sent off 100-30 for the Group Two Railway, he built on that Ascot effort to quickly gain compensation, producing a brave performance off a positive ride from Rossa Ryan to hold off Ballydoyle’s Unquestionable and His Majesty.

The victory continued a golden spell for owners Amo Racing who enjoyed a double at Royal Ascot and also for Westmeath handler Murray who was picking up his second Group Two prize in the space of two weeks following Valiant Force’s Norfolk Stakes success at the big summer showpiece.

“Bucanero Fuerte has come out of the Curragh in great form and the team out in Ireland are really happy with him,” said Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for Amo Racing.

“We were delighted with what he did there and he came forward from his Ascot run so we have to be chuffed with that.

“We’ve always held him in high regard and it’s nice it has come to fruition. We looked after him through the early part of the spring and he’s coming to the boil nicely now which is good to see.”

With Group Two honours secured, the natural next step is to seek top-table glory and both the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (August 12) and Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (September 10) back at the Curragh will come under consideration, as will Deauville’s Prix Morny on August 20.

“He’s got all the options. He’s in the Phoenix Stakes, he’s in the National and we’ll put him in the Morny,” added Pennington.

“We can’t wait to see him up at seven furlongs, but he showed at the Curragh he’s not slow. It will be a Group One on his next start, we just need to decide which one we go for.

“We would like to run in the Phoenix Stakes, that would be very much on our agenda and the National Stakes. They are the races we want to be competing in and he’s shown that he’s up to that level.”

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva continued her dream start to life on grass by storming into the last-16 at Wimbledon with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Anastasia Potapova.

Qualifier Andreeva, the youngest woman in the main draw at 16-years-old, had to wait a day to begin her third-round match but again showed why she is the talk of the tennis world with an accomplished display.

Andreeva’s victory in one hour and 35 minutes over her more experienced compatriot means her impressive grand-slam showing of reaching round three at Roland Garros in June has now been bettered.

She had never competed on grass before she started qualifying at Roehampton last week, but was able to chalk up a sixth consecutive win on the English lawn.

Potapova edged their first meeting in three sets last October and despite breaks being exchanged early on, Andreeva took control and won five of the last six games of the first set.

Further breaks were shared at the start of a much closer second set before Potapova moved 4-1 up.

Andreeva showed impeccable poise to keep calm and fought back to break in the seventh and 11th games of the second set to book a fourth-round meeting with Madison Keys.

An emotional Andreeva, who has made no secret of her affection for two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, said on-court: “Of course I am really happy I managed to win this match.

“It was an amazing battle, she played really well and congrats to her and her team because they did a good job.

“I did everything I could. I gave my all and I come back in the second set from 1-4 so of course I feel great.

“I have been working on (my emotions) really hard with my coaches, with my parents, we talked a lot. Now I know it is easier or better to control my emotions on court.

“But today honestly even if I wanted to show some emotions, I couldn’t because I was out of breath on every point!

“I do enjoy the atmosphere, it is just amazing here. You see all the pro players, you see (Novak) Djokovic, you see Murray… yes the atmosphere is great and I hope next year I will be in a different locker room (for seeds) that is the level above!”

The Minstrel Stakes is next on the agenda for Just Beautiful, as trainer Paddy Twomey plots a route to a possible tilt at Breeders’ Cup glory in the autumn.

A Group Three winner for Ivan Furtado in 2021, the five-year-old was subsequently bought for 625,000 guineas on behalf of Moyglare Stud Farm and moved to Ireland to join Twomey.

She only made it to the track twice last season, disappointing at Leopardstown before finishing third at the Curragh, and she was again well held on her first start of this term in the Athasi Stakes.

But having bounced back to winning ways in the Group Two Lanwades Stud Stakes at the end of May, Twomey is hopeful she can continue to show her true colours for the remainder of the year.

“She’s in good form and the plan is to run her in the Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh on (Irish) Oaks weekend,” said the trainer.

“She’ll have three options after that – the Prix Rothschild and the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville or the City of York Stakes. It’ll be one of those three races hopefully after the Minstrel Stakes.

“The long-range plan would be the Breeders’ Cup Mile if we could, but we’ll take it one step at a time.

“We didn’t really get a clear run at her last year – we had plenty of hold-ups.

“It was great to get a clear run with her this year and she’s versatile, I think. Seven furlongs on fast ground is probably her optimum, she has a lot of ability and I do hope she wins a Group One before the year is over.”

Joanna Mason, who suffered a leg fracture in a gallops accident last month, looks set to return to the saddle “in two or three weeks”.

Mason, 33, who was sidelined for 10 days when kicked in the knee by Jazz Samba following his win at Beverley on May 1, suffered more bad luck when three pigeons flew out of bushes adjacent to the gallops at her grandfather Mick and his son David Easterby’s yard, spooking a filly she was riding and unseating her.

The Malton rider raised her profile significantly on a wider stage earlier this year, producing a superb performance in February’s International Jockeys Challenge at the Saudi Cup to finish as leading woman rider and in third place overall.

On her rehabilitation, she said: “It’s going well, not doing too badly. I’m not a 100 per cent sure. I’ve increased stuff this week in the hydrotherapy pool, the physio and in the gym, and am doing a lot more weight-bearing. I’m hoping I’ll be back within the next two or three weeks.

“I definitely couldn’t get on a horse yet. I am just body-weight loading and doing that with heel raises, but I’m getting there.

“The knee is still a bit sore, because I was over-using it and hopping around while I was nursing my left one. There is not as much pressure, and it doesn’t hurt. I’m not doing too badly. I suppose your body will tell you when you are ready, but the process always takes longer than you think.

“The physios are really happy and I’m doing enough to push it without it hurting.”

Matteo Berrettini would have “signed with my blood” to have the Wimbledon run he is putting together.

The 2021 finalist has been struggling with a recurring abdominal problem that forced him to miss the defence of his Queen’s Club title but is through to the fourth round after convincing victories over Alex De Minaur and Alexander Zverev.

Berrettini, who was forced out of Wimbledon last year by Covid, said on court after his third-round victory that he had spent many days crying in his bed as he fought to get healthy again.

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“If they told me a few weeks ago you’re going to play five days in a row in Wimbledon, I would have signed with my blood,” the Italian said later.

“I really spent days in bed thinking about the tournaments that I missed, the injuries that I had, sadness that I was feeling. I was like, ‘I have to come back and feel alive when I play’.

“That’s the energy I have right now. It doesn’t matter how tired I am. In the morning, go there, enjoy. I find that extra energy that maybe a few years ago I took for granted.”

Berrettini is unseeded with his ranking having dropped to 38 and he revealed he arrived in London with serious fears he may have to miss Wimbledon for a second year in a row.

“I wasn’t sure even if I was going to play,” he said. “I flew here and I said maybe the atmosphere is going to help me a little bit.

“I was really not sure about it. Not because I didn’t want to. In order to play a slam, you have to be ready physically, emotionally, mentally. There are many things.

“The will is not enough. But then I have to say I did a great job with my team. We worked really hard. They let me decide. A few days before, I thought, ‘I’m not ready’.

“But then I missed too many events in the last years. I couldn’t leave this place without trying. That’s what I said to myself. I think this place has something special. I feel a kind of energy I don’t feel anywhere else.”

Berrettini is one of the best grass-court players in the draw and he will next try to upset top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is yet to go beyond the fourth round at the All England Club.

The Italian, who beat Alcaraz over five sets at the Australian Open last year, is looking forward to the challenge, saying: “In a way it’s what you want, right? You want to play against the best players in the world.

“Playing against Carlos, it’s always been a pleasure, a great fight. He’s the best player in the world. It’s going to be a great challenge. But I’m so glad that I have this opportunity right now.

“I remember watching him play at Roland Garros from my TV. Now it’s going to be me against him. I’m really happy for that. I think this is going to help me to go there and enjoy and find that extra energy that I was talking about.”

Zverev certainly would not be surprised to see Berrettini come out on top, with the German saying: “I told him that he can win the tournament if he plays like this.

“Of course there are other players that are great. He’s playing Alcaraz next. I think he’s a great player as well. But, if he plays like this, he has chances against anybody.”

Matt Manning, Jason Foley and Alex Lange produced the first combined no-hitter in Detroit Tigers history, leading the way to a 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday.

Manning was pulled after allowing a seventh-inning walk to Cavan Biggio on his 91st pitch. He walked three and struck out five in his 6 2/3 innings of work.

Foley recorded four straight outs before handing the ball over to Lange, who pitched a perfect ninth and recorded his 13th save of the season.

The start of the game was delayed nearly an hour and a half due to rain, but fans who stayed were treated to history as the Tigers rushed Lange on the mound after Spencer Torkelson squeezed the final out at first base.

Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter had first-inning RBIs for the Tigers, providing all the offence the team would need.

Riley Greene reached base four times in his first game back from the injured list after recovering from a stress fracture in his lower left leg.

Strider, Braves beat slumping Rays to stay hot

Spencer Strider stuck out 11 to win his seventh straight decision and the red-hot Atlanta Braves sent the Tampa Bay Rays to their seventh consecutive loss, 6-1.

Strider limited the Rays to four hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings with one walk to join Arizona’s Zac Gallen and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan as the only 11-game winners in the majors.

Sean Murphy finished Atlanta’s four-run fourth inning with a three-run homer off rookie Taj Bradley, who gave up four runs and five hits in five innings.

The MLB-leading Braves homered in a franchise record-tying 25th straight game. They have won 20 of 22 to open a 9 ½-game lead in the NL East.

Dodgers hit five home runs, beat Angels again

Mookie Betts hit his 10th leadoff home run of the season for one of the Los Angeles’ Dodgers five homers in their ninth straight win against the reeling Los Angeles Angels, 10-5.

Betts’ home run set the MLB record for most in the first half, surpassing George Springer, who had nine with the Houston Astros in the first half of 2017.

Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, J.D. Martinez and David Peralta also went deep to help the Dodgers make it 10 consecutive wins against the Angels since a loss on Aug. 6, 2021.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer and fell a double shy of the cycle as the Angels dropped their fifth in a row.

Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka go head to head on Court One as Wimbledon hosts scheduled play on the middle Sunday for just the second year.

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek headline the action on Centre Court as the singles competitions continue without the presence of any Britons.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day seven’s action.

Svitolina set for Azarenka battle

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Elina Svitolina had planned to watch Harry Styles in Vienna this weekend. Instead, the Ukrainian will once again be under the spotlight for taking on a player from Belarus.

Svitolina beat two Russian players at the French Open before falling to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals. But she was booed in Paris for sticking to the Ukrainian position of not shaking hands with opponents from the two countries due to the ongoing war.

On Sunday, she faces Victoria Azarenka in the first Wimbledon match between someone from Ukraine and one from either Russia and Belarus since the war started.

Svitolina is well aware of the significance of the clash, saying: “A lot of Ukrainians will be watching, will be supporting me. I will go out there and put the fighting spirit on and just really fight for every single point.”

Middle Sunday action

For just the second time in its long history, Wimbledon will host scheduled action on the middle Sunday.

Up until last year it was always a day of rest, leading to ‘Manic Monday’ when all 16 fourth-round matches were played on one day.

This year’s play will be particularly welcome as the tournament is still playing catch up from indifferent weather in the first week.

There are some third-round matches still to be completed while a host of doubles and junior matches were cancelled on Saturday.

Match of the day

Hubert Hurkacz is the man who ended Roger Federer’s Wimbledon career when he won their quarter-final in 2021.

The Pole was then beaten by Matteo Berrettini in the semi-final, but he gets the chance to take down another big gun when he faces Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian is seemingly invincible on Centre Court so Hurkacz is going to have to channel that performance against Federer if he has any hope of prevailing and ending Djokovic’s reign.

Order of playCentre Court

Andrey Rublev v Alexander Bublik

Iga Swiatek v Belinda Bencic

Hubert Hurkacz v Novak Djokovic

Court One

Jessica Pegula v Lesia Tsurenko

Jannick Sinner v Daniel Galan

Victoria Azarenka v Elina Svitolina

Weather

Early thunderstorms will give way to more settled conditions

Nasa Hataoka produced a dazzling 66 in tough conditions to seize the third-round lead in the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach as England’s Charley Hull kept her faint hopes alive.

The Japanese leader, 24, shot a bogey-free 66 to finish on seven-under-par on a day when nobody else broke 70 and only 11 of the 74-strong field came home under par.

American Allisen Corpuz fell out of a share of the lead with a bogey on the last with overnight leader Bailey Tardy and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim two shots back, two ahead of Korean duo Jiyai Shin and Hae Ran Ryu – the only other players under par.

Hataoka has lost in play-offs at two majors, including the US Women’s Open two years ago.

She said: “Although circumstances may be different, I think some of the elements are still the same as they were versus two years ago.

“In other words, I have to go on all of those 18 holes, discuss with my caddie and work out what’s the best for me, and enjoy my day tomorrow.”

Two birdies on the front nine had seen Hull move under par, but she dropped two shots coming home before a birdie on the last saw her continue her daily improvement with a round of 71.

She is tied for seventh on level par with American Angel Yin, seven strokes behind Hataoka and one ahead of a group including rookie sensation Rose Zhang – who won on her professional debut earlier this season – and former world number one Minjee Lee from Australia.

Hull said she “played solid all day” and admitted having more to focus on at Pebble Beach than just the golf was helping her game.

She said: “I struggle to concentrate on the golf course sometimes, so taking it all in, looking at the views, is helping a lot. There’s such good views… I’m really enjoying it out there.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. On this golf course, anything can happen.

“I like it when it’s tough – when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. That’s what my dad always used to say to me.”

Ireland’s Leona Maguire slipped back to two-over-par as she included two double bogeys in a 75, with England’s Bronte Law tied for 14th a shot further back after a 72.

Irish amateur Aine Donegan fired a third round 75 after a nine on the eighth derailed three early birdies but remained just inside the top 20 on four over.

The NBA Saturday revealed plans for its inaugural in-season tournament that will begin Nov. 3.

The tournament will have a prize pool of roughly $18 million and will be capped by a championship game on Dec. 9.

“This is a concept that has been rumbling around the league office for about 15 years,” Silver said. “It’s not a new concept in sports. For those that follow particularly international soccer, it’s a long tradition of having in-season tournaments … so we thought, what a perfect opportunity for a global league like the NBA and it’s a perfect fit for our game.”

Games will be played mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays in November – except for Nov. 7, when the league will play no games to commemorate Election Day.

The Final Four will be played in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited about this midseason tournament,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I think it’s going to add an element of energy and excitement for the players and coaches and the fans. I think it’s a great idea.”

Teams were assigned to a five-team group and will play against each other; the six group winners will make the quarterfinals, as will the best two second-place teams from the groups.

All tournament games except the championship will count in the standings. It’s been known for some time that teams will be getting only an 80-game schedule when the 2023-24 slate its released by the NBA in the coming weeks.

Games 81 and 82 will be added in December.

Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs have agreed on a new five-year contract extension, the team announced Saturday.

The 74-year-old Popovich is already the oldest coach in NBA history and will see the record extended with the new deal.

Details of the contract were not released as part of the team’s policy.

Popovich is the winingest coach of the all-time and recently completed his 27th season as the Spurs’ coach.

He has guided San Antonio to five NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) and has been named the NBA’s Coach of the Year three times (2003, 2012, 2014).

Popovich ranks third all-time in playoff wins with 170, trailing only Phil Jackson (229) and Pat Riley (171), and will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.

Popovich’s decision to remain as head coach and President of Basketball Operations with the Spurs comes not long after the team landed the No. 1 pick in the draft and selected French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama made his official NBA Summer League debut on the court on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets in Las Vegas.

Popovich also won an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games that were played in 2021.

Katie Boulter conceded she was beaten by the “much better player” as her Wimbledon run came to an end with a crushing loss to defending champion Elena Rybakina.

Boulter cemented her new-found status as British number one by reaching the last-32 for a second successive year, and there were high hopes she could at least give third seed Rybakina a match.

Boulter has shown many times that she loves the big stage but, having waited until nearly 9pm to walk out on Centre Court, she managed to detain Rybakina for only 56 minutes in a 6-1 6-1 hammering that ends home singles hopes at Wimbledon.

“Obviously a really tough match against a tough competitor,” said the 26-year-old. “I gave it my best today. I wouldn’t say I really felt like I got into the match fully.

“She’s clearly the defending champion for a reason, and I learned a lot today and that’s what I’m going to have to take from today’s match.”

After some positive results earlier in the week it has been a chastening two days for British tennis, with Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady all falling on Friday.

Boulter pulled off the best win of her career in the second round here last year, defeating former finalist Karolina Pliskova, and in seven previous matches against top-10 players had only failed to win at least a set on one occasion.

Rybakina had not been convincing in the first two rounds after coming into the tournament under-cooked because of illness but she hit her stride straight away and the match quickly got away from Boulter.

The Kazakh possesses probably the fiercest strike in the women’s game, as well as the best serve following Serena Williams’ retirement, and she lost only nine points on serve throughout the match while hitting 20 winners.

Boulter admitted she has never faced a ball-strike quite like Rybakina’s before, saying: “Obviously it’s a lot quicker and the majority of girls, they don’t quite hit the ball like that. It’s quite flat. You don’t really see where she’s going. She disguises it very well.

“I struggled with it a lot today. It felt like I got into it a little bit at times and I started to pick up her ball but she was relentless at the end of the day. She was the much better player.”

Having to wait until so late to go on court after two long matches and a rain delay probably did not help Boulter, who nevertheless insisted she enjoyed the occasion.

“It was quite late,” she said. “Obviously it was my first match playing under lights. It was a little bit different and it took time for me to adjust on serve especially. I don’t think I quite found it.

“I will always reflect back on something positive. The crowd are incredible. I wanted to give them a bit more today, but unfortunately I couldn’t do that. But I appreciated them every single second I was out there.”

There are certainly positives to take from the grass-court season for Boulter, who won her first WTA Tour event in Nottingham last month, while she will be at a career-high ranking just outside the top 70 a week on Monday.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a tough night but I’m going to sit here tomorrow morning and tell you that I’m at a career high,” she said.

“I’ve had some seriously positive weeks. I’ve come off the back of five long weeks with no injuries, no issues.

“I’ve got a great rest of the year ahead of me. I’ve got not many points to defend. It’s a really good opportunity for me to keep pushing my ranking up and really make a statement and play many more matches like today. They’re the matches that I want to be playing.”

It is not the end of Boulter’s Wimbledon, meanwhile, with the Leicestershire player due to contest her second-round mixed doubles match alongside boyfriend Alex De Minaur on Sunday.

“I’m sure tonight Alex will be giving me some words of wisdom,” she said. “I’m going to be ready to go tomorrow and enjoying myself and having fun. It will be a great way to end Wimbledon, for sure.”

Rybakina was delighted with her performance and she moves on to a fourth-round clash against 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.

British tennis fans stayed on the Hill into a dark, damp Saturday evening as they supported Katie Boulter as she tried – but ultimately failed – to keep British hopes alive in the Wimbledon singles competition.

Boulter was beaten by last year’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round after Sir Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady were all knocked out on Friday.

Lucy Garrett, 25, ended her day at Wimbledon by watching Boulter’s defeat from the Hill.

The Leeds resident told the PA news agency: “It has been good that we were able to stay.

“I actually saw Katie on Centre Court last year and I have been following her ever since.

“It was nice to see her win at Nottingham, but obviously not on Centre Court today. It’s great to support the last Brit.

“It’s been a shame (the British men) all got knocked out at the same time.

“They’ve all played really well, it’s just how the draw has fallen for them.”

Gary and Wendy Linnett, from Warwickshire, came to Wimbledon with their two adult sons to watch the tennis.

Mrs Linnett, 53, said it was “predictable” that all the British singles players had been knocked out of Wimbledon in the first week.

She said: “I have been a tennis fan since I was eight years of age and it’s pretty much always been the same, apart from when Andy Murray was around.

“I’m not surprised, I have to say.”

Bryony Holmes-Dixon, 25, watched the last half an hour of Boulter’s match on the Hill after watching the day’s action across different courts.

Ms Holmes-Dixon, from Leeds, said: “(The British players) have been playing against very good players.

“I have never been to Wimbledon before it’s been really good. It hasn’t been as rainy as the other days.”

Inside Centre Court British fans tried to roar Boulter to victory.

Adam Griffin, 45, said he felt “massively disappointed” that all the British singles tennis players were knocked out in the first week.

The Londoner told PA: “I think it was a bit of bad luck.

“We were lucky enough to watch Boulter on Centre Court.”

British interest in the Wimbledon singles is over after Katie Boulter’s chastening defeat to Elena Rybakina.

Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev both got through to the fourth round in four sets while Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka were winners in the women’s draw.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how day six unfolded.

Alcaraz’s four-hour escape

Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one, is generally regarded as the most likely contender to stop Novak Djokovic, but his title credentials came under real scrutiny in his third-round match with Nicolas Jarry.

The Chilean is currently enjoying a career-best ranking, but had only won one match at Wimbledon before this year, so it is perhaps no surprise that he did not know which side of Centre Court the players’ chairs were when walking out.

However, Jarry made Alcaraz work hard as he levelled at one set all and then was a break up in the fourth set, looking primed to take it to a decider.

But the Spaniard showed all of his battling skills as he won five of the last six games to seal a 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 7-5 success in just short of four hours.

Celebrity cornerFokina’s late gift

When Alejandro Davidovich Fokina goes to bed tonight he will probably have nightmares.

Only he knows what possessed him to produce an underarm serve at 8-8 in his match-deciding tie-break against Holger Rune, which the Dane gleefully ran on to with ease and despatched a winner that gave him match point.

The sixth seed, who described the Spaniard’s serve as “crazy” and “unexpected”, duly obliged to book his fourth-round spot.

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Home interest in the singles is over for another year after Katie Boulter’s Centre Court demise.

The British number one was the last Briton standing after Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Liam Broady all went out within 90 minutes of each other on Friday, but she was dismantled by defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday night.

Boulter, who won at Nottingham in the build-up, matched her best performance at this tournament but was outclassed by Rybakina, who won 6-1 6-1.