Plans to disrupt the Betfred Derby were foiled as animal rights activists were arrested attempting to run on to the course at Epsom.
Despite pledges by Animal Rising to “cancel or severely delay” the Derby, the premier Classic went ahead as planned, with Auguste Rodin securing victory for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore.
As spectators waited excitedly for the runners to appear, a man jumped the fence and rushed on to the course.
He was pursued by police as the crowd jeered, with some shouting “get him”, before being pulled away and tackled to the ground where he was handcuffed.
Shortly after, a woman tried to jump the fence in front of the grandstand as police officers rushed to stop her.
Angry onlookers could be heard screaming, with one man shouting, “kick her head in”, while police threw her to the floor and handcuffed her just as the horses thundered past the finish line.
It came after Surrey Police arrested 19 people earlier on Saturday based on intelligence suggesting they were “intent on illegally disrupting” the Derby.
Last week, the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs, was granted the injunction against Animal Rising, claiming it had made “explicitly clear” it intended to breach security at the racecourse.
Observers described the situation as “ludicrous” and “absolute insanity” while others thanked police for putting a stop to the protests.
Giving his reaction, winning rider Moore said: “Andrew Cooper (clerk of the course at Epsom) and his team and the Jockey Club and the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) have been on top of it. It seems to have gone off without a hitch and I think that is a very good sign.”
Nevin Truesdale, chief executive of the Jockey Club, praised the prompt reactions of security staff and the police, but condemned the “reckless and illegal” behaviour of the protesters involved.
He said: “Our security teams and the police acted swiftly and decisively to remove an Animal Rising protester who entered the racetrack after the Derby had started and while the race was being run.
“This reckless and illegal behaviour which threatened the safety of our equine and human athletes is a breach of the High Court injunction which the Jockey Club obtained last week and prohibits trespass. The court order provides a clear route to prosecution, fines and even the threat of prison for Contempt of Court and we will now take steps to enforce that.
“Animal Rising have repeatedly stated that they would not attempt to disrupt any races while in progress and we utterly condemn their deplorable and mindless actions today.
“The Derby was first run in 1780 and has continued despite two world wars, the Covid pandemic and a number of other extreme challenges. That the 244th running of the race was able to take place on time today is testament to the determination of everyone to stage one of British sport’s most iconic and loved events.”
Frankie Dettori secured a victory on his last Derby day as he steered Prosperous Voyage to success in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
The 52-year-old will retire at the end of the current campaign and after suffering disappointment in his final ride in the Derby, it looked unlikely he would get on the board when Ralph Beckett’s filly exited the stalls untidily and left Dettori sat plum last.
However, the only Group One winner in the field showed her class at the business end of the race as the 6-4 favourite set about working her way into contention before knuckling down to see out the one-mile contest in game fashion.
Following on from his Group One double on Friday, it was a third victory of the weekend for Dettori on the Surrey Downs and it was fitting the victory came in the colours of Andrew Rosen, who along with co-owner Marc Chan, have been long-time supporters of the Italian.
Auguste Rodin showed his class at Epsom with an exceptional display to run down King Of Steel and provide Aidan O’Brien with a record-extending ninth victory in the Betfred Derby.
Described by the Ballydoyle handler as a “collector’s item” prior to the premier Classic, the son of Deep Impact had a point to prove having been bitterly disappointing when favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Despite that he was still popular with backers ahead of the blue riband and having been sent off at 9-2 in the hands of Ryan Moore he set about tackling the undulations of the Surrey Downs from stall 10.
Settled in mid-division as stablemates San Antonio and Adelaide River dictated terms up front, with Frankie Dettori in his final Derby aboard Arrest and Sir Michael Stoute’s Passenger also close by, Moore was content to let the action unfold as Kevin Stott aboard the 66-1 outsider King Of Steel made an audacious bid for home after rounding Tattenham Corner.
However, Roger Varian’s imposing runner soon had a target on his back and with Auguste Rodin eating into King Of Steel’s advantage with every stride, the highly-regarded colt was soon powering his way to pass that rival to give Moore his third Derby victory.
Rafael Nadal is expected to be out for five more months following surgery on his left hip.
The 22-time grand slam champion underwent the procedure on Friday evening at a clinic in Barcelona.
Nadal’s team issued an update on Saturday saying the arthroscopic procedure on his left psoas tendon went well, with the damaged areas cleaned and reinforced, while an old labrum injury was also addressed.
The Spaniard, who turned 37 on Saturday, suffered the injury at the Australian Open in January and had expected to only be out for six to eight weeks.
But repeated efforts to rehabilitate it did not work and last month Nadal announced he would miss the French Open for the first time since 2004.
This latest timescale means Nadal is almost certainly out for the rest of the season but he could potentially make his return in Australia in January.
He said last month he envisaged next year being a farewell tour after repeated injury troubles, with Nadal hoping to play at the tournaments that have meant the most to him.
Regal Reality swooped late in the hands of Ryan Moore to claim the Betfred Diomed Stakes at Epsom.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the eight-year-old was barely in the equation in the early stages as Marie’s Diamond set a brisk pace.
And he still had the majority of the field ahead of him, with Charlie Appleby’s 2-1 favourite Highland Avenue travelling powerfully around Tattenham Corner and surging to the lead.
It was Roger Varian’s Kolsai who first took aim at Highland Avenue and laid down a stern challenge, but all the while Moore was coaxing Regal Reality into a position to strike and having joined the three-way tussle for the lead inside the final furlong, he ran on strongly to win by three-quarters of a length at odds of 5-1.
The winner is owned by Peter Done, brother of Betfred boss Fred Done.
Max Verstappen finished fastest in a rain-hit final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen completed his speediest time in the early minutes before it started drizzling at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.
The double world champion finished two tenths clear of Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull, with Lewis Hamilton third, four tenths back.
Hamilton completed only eight laps as he elected not to run in the slippery conditions, despite the chance qualifying – which takes place at 4pm local time (3pm BST) – could also be disrupted by showers.
Behind Hamilton, Carlos Sainz finished fourth for Ferrari, one place ahead of his countryman Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin. George Russell finished sixth for Mercedes.
The one-hour running was suspended for nine minutes after Logan Sargeant crashed out.
Sargeant lost control of his Williams through the high-speed final corner, before sliding into the gravel and grazing the wall.
Verstappen will head into qualifying having finished fastest in all three sessions as he bids to extend his 39-point championship lead over team-mate Perez.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has been summoned to the stewards following his outburst at the standard of officiating in Formula One.
Steiner, 58, described a five-second penalty handed to Nico Hulkenberg at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix as “completely wrong” before calling for an overhaul of the FIA’s current model.
Four officials from a rotating pool steward every Grand Prix and at least one of those will be a former driver who has raced at a competitive level.
But speaking ahead of Sunday’s race in Spain, Steiner, who now faces a charge of bringing the sport into disrepute, said: “Every professional sport has professional referees.
“F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world and we still have laymen deciding on the fate of people that invest millions in their careers.
“There is no consistency. We need to step it up.”
Hulkenberg was penalised following an aggressive overtake on Logan Sargeant on the first lap in Monte Carlo.
Hulkenberg made his way ahead of the Williams driver without appearing to make contact.
“Nico comes from the inside, is in front, dives into the corner, but I can’t see a collision,” said Steiner, who will face the stewards at 2:30pm local time (1:30pm UK).
“A collision is touching, no? That’s what the definition is. We’re trying to get it explained because I think the decision was completely wrong.”
Nineteen people have been arrested in connection with plans to disrupt the Epsom Derby Festival on Saturday, Surrey Police said.
Officers said 11 people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours of the morning following warrants based on intelligence received ahead of the festival.
Eight people were also arrested after a vehicle stopped in Burgh Heath at about 10.20am.
All were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and remain in police custody.
Activists from the group Animal Rising had pledged to “cancel or severely delay” the Derby in the lead-up to the event.
Pascal Bary’s Feed The Flame will bid to maintain his flawless record in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly on Sunday.
The son of Kingman did not run as a two-year-old and made his debut at ParisLongchamp in April, winning a maiden by five and a half lengths under Christophe Soumillon.
He then returned to the same track later that month to contest the Prix de Ferrieres, a race he won by a length and a quarter over a mile and three furlongs.
The exciting colt has not been seen since and returns to action to try to make it three from three in the French Derby.
“We gave him some time off after he won for the second time, even though he had won easily twice,” said Bary.
“After that we’ve built him up again for Sunday.
“On his debut the ground was perfect, next time it was very soft but there is a big cushion in the ground at the moment, so there’s no reason he won’t handle it.
“I don’t think the draw (stall six) is going to be an issue, there are not going to be that many runners, but you have to ride him the way that suits him anyway.
“Christophe has ridden him. He hasn’t had a retainer this year. He’s one of the best jockeys, so if you can get him it makes sense.
“I do think he will be better over a mile and a half, despite his pedigree, but I think he’ll be quicker on his feet on Sunday than he has been in the past.”
Christopher Head will aim for the second Classic winner of his career as Big Rock attempts to extend a unbeaten run that has seen him win all four starts this term.
After taking a handicap and a Listed event, the Rock Of Gibraltar colt landed two Group Threes in the Prix la Force and the Prix de Guiche and now steps up both in trip and in grade.
“We didn’t know the limits of this horse, that was before he ran in the Prix de Guiche, he then won it by five lengths,” said Head, who trains the brilliant filly Blue Rose Cen.
“When I talk about limits, what I mean is that I didn’t really know how far he could go and he has proven that he is a horse that has a lot of speed and who can go over that trip.
“The thing is with him is that he’s got that cruising speed, he travels at that cruising speed and you can see how he finishes and how he responds over that trip.”
Ryan Moore will partner Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous, a Heart’s Cry colt who was last seen dead-heating for third in the Dante at York.
Prior to that he was twice a winner as a two-year-old, taking a Curragh maiden and then the Group Three Prix Thomas Bryon at Chantilly.
Moore told Betfair: “This looks a very hot contest. We have the French 2000 Guineas winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi, the unbeaten and unexposed Feed The Flame, and the impressive Chantilly winner Big Rock in here, to name but three, but I do think Continuous has a good shot at this.
“I thought he shaped very promisingly indeed for me when dead-heating for third with Passenger in the Dante, a race in which he just got a bit tired late on, on his first start since September.
“I would have thought that race would have brought him on a good deal, and he is a colt I rate. It’s a very deep French Derby but he should go well.”
O’Brien added: “Continuous is well. We’re happy with everything he’s done and we always thought soft ground suited him. He went to York and did it, and if it’s soft he definitely won’t mind it.”
Marhaba Ya Sanafi, trained by Andreas Schutz, takes his chance after a short-neck success in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the French 2000 Guineas, last time out.
The sole British-trained runner is John and Thady Gosden’s Epictetus, second to Auguste Rodin in the Vertem Futurity Trophy as a juvenile, the winner of the Listed Blue Riband Trial on debut this year and then fifth in the Dante. Frankie Dettori takes the ride.
Andre Fabre’s Flight Leader joins Yann Barberot’s American Flag and Alessandro and Giuseppe Botti’s Winter Pudding in the line-up.
Jean-Claude Rouget has a trio or runners in Rajapour, Padishakh and the unbeaten Ace Impact.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open ahead of her third-round match because of illness.
The fourth seed was one of the favourites for the title having enjoyed a brilliant season and won the Italian Open in Rome last month.
She won both her first two matches comfortably against teenagers Brenda Fruhvirtova and Linda Noskova but withdrew minutes before she was due to take to Philippe Chatrier to face Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Rybakina said: “I was not feeling good already yesterday and the day before, so I didn’t sleep two nights and had some fever. Today I really tried in the warm-up but I feel that the right decision is to withdraw, because it’s really tough to play with these conditions.
“I saw the doctor and they said that actually it’s all a virus here in Paris. I guess with my allergy, immune system just went down and I picked up something. It’s difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make.
“Today I just wanted to give 100 per cent and obviously I’m far from being 100 per cent. It was unlucky for me. I just try to recover and do my best to be prepared for the grass season already.”
The timing is hugely unfortunate for the 23-year-old, who has established herself at the top of the tree in women’s tennis alongside Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek and was seeded to meet the Pole in the semi-finals.
“Of course I’m really upset not to be able to play but I guess that’s life,” added the Kazakhstan player. “There is a lot of ups and downs.”
Rybakina is due to play her first grass-court tournament in Berlin beginning on June 19 before heading to Eastbourne as she builds up to the defence of her Wimbledon title.
Tracey Neville announced she would leave her role as England head coach after the Liverpool-hosted World Cup in order to start a family on this day in 2019.
Neville, who led England to Commonwealth gold in 2018, was appointed in 2015 before the World Cup in Australia.
“Under her leadership, the Vitality Roses have made unprecedented progress in the world rankings and at major tournaments, including the gold medal success at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She is now going to take some time away from the game to focus on her personal life,” England Netball said.
Neville, the sister of former footballers Phil and Gary Neville, added: “Over the last few months I have sat down with England Netball to look at how I could fulfil my role whilst taking into consideration my personal circumstances.
“My ambition to have a family is something I want to commit to after the Vitality Netball World Cup.
“The Vitality Roses’ future is paramount in my thoughts and plans, and I will passionately and wholeheartedly continue to support them and England Netball.”
Under Neville’s direction, England went on to claim a bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup.
Neville played 81 times for England, while her coaching career included masterminding two Superleague titles as Manchester Thunder coach.
She returned to the Thunder as performance operations director in 2021 before relocating to Australia following her appointment as an assistant coach at Adelaide Thunderbirds for 2023. She had previously been a Thunderbirds player.
British interest in singles at the French Open ended after Cameron Norrie lost meekly to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, castigating his attitude and performance in a 6-1 6-2 6-4 defeat.
Novak Djokovic survived the longest three-set match of his grand slam career, battling past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three hours and 36 minutes, while Carlos Alcaraz had a much easier time against Denis Shapovalov.
In the women’s event, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka reached round four for the first time but third seed Jessica Pegula is out.
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Naomi Osaka and boyfriend Cordae are expecting a girl.
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A disastrous first week for the home country, who began with 28 players in the main singles draws.
Fritz earns Mac approval
Not surprisingly, Taylor Fritz’s baiting of the French crowd in his late-night win over Arthur Rinderknech was right up John McEnroe’s street. “I like to see a little confrontation,” said Eurosport pundit McEnroe. The booing was so loud that the on-court interview was limited to one question.
China return
The WTA announced earlier this year that it would be ending its boycott of China over the Peng Shuai affair. Details of the autumn calendar have now been announced, with seven tournaments taking place in the country, including the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
Fallen seeds
Men: Andrey Rublev (7), Hubert Hurkacz (13), Cameron Norrie (14), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29).
Women: Jessica Pegula (3), Anastasia Potapova (24), Irina-Camelia Begu (27).
Who’s up next?
The boot will be on the other foot for 19-year-old Coco Gauff when she takes on Russian Mirra Andreeva, three years her junior, in the third round on Saturday. Defending champion Iga Swiatek meets Wang Xinyu of China while fourth seed Elena Rybakina plays Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo. The night session again features a men’s match – Alexander Zverev up against Frances Tiafoe – while Casper Ruud and Holger Rune are also in action.
Rafael Nadal underwent surgery on Friday evening in a bid to discover the extent of his hip problem.
The 22-time grand slam champion only expected to be out for six to eight weeks with the injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January but nearly five months on he has not recovered.
Nadal was forced to miss the French Open for the first time in nearly two decades having admitted his team had not been able to find a solution to the issue.
The Spaniard, who turns 37 on Saturday, announced last month that he would be taking a break, potentially for the rest of the season, before what he expects to be farewell tour next year.
Nadal’s representatives revealed the surgical intervention on Friday, with the 14-time French Open champion undergoing an arthroscopic investigation on his left psoas muscle in Barcelona.
The results are expected to be announced on Saturday morning.
Cameron Norrie criticised his own attitude and performance after his French Open campaign ended with a straight-sets loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.
It is the third year in a row the British number one has fallen in the last 32, and he only managed to mount any real challenge in the third set before going down 6-1 6-2 6-4.
There is certainly no disgrace in losing to 21-year-old Musetti, who is ranked only five places below Norrie and whose best surface is clay, but the 14th seed was hugely disappointed by the manner of what is one of his worst grand slam losses in terms of scoreline.
The result, meanwhile, brings an end to British singles hopes at a tournament where only three players even made the start line.
“I came out very flat and I’m disappointed with the attitude in the first couple of sets,” said a very downbeat Norrie.
“It was very, very slow conditions, very heavy, and I was not prepared for it to be that slow. For me, I can play bad and everything, but I was just very flat and disappointed to have a performance like that.
“The first two sets he didn’t really do too much and he was up two sets to love. For a player like myself, I can’t afford to give that much of an edge.
“There is no excuses to play the level that I did today. I missed so many easy short balls and I lost so many points within a couple of shots where usually I can win a lot of those ones.
“I didn’t come prepared. I was changing rackets throughout the match. It was a bit colder today but I’m good enough to not let that bother me.”
Norrie lost to Musetti in Barcelona recently but spoke positively after his second-round victory over Lucas Pouille about what he had learned from that clash.
He was immediately on the back foot, though, dropping serve in the opening game against the stylish Italian and swiftly losing the opening set.
The second was no better, with Musetti too often finding an answer to everything Norrie could throw at him, and the 17th seed went a break up early in the third as well.
Norrie was staring at his worst slam loss but he at least made a fist of it, breaking Musetti, who had lost from two sets up on both of his previous appearances at Roland Garros, back and creating two chances to break for 5-3.
The Italian held firm, though, and drilled a forehand past Norrie to break again before serving out the victory.
Norrie is known for a relentless work ethic and never-say-die attitude so to hear him talk about a lack of preparation and unwillingness to stay in points is certainly concerning.
The 27-year-old has maintained a relentless schedule to help him get to and then stay at the top of the game so it would be understandable if he felt mentally fatigued, but he dismissed the suggestion.
“I’ve played a lot of matches,” he said. “I think I can use that to my advantage. I’ve played more matches maybe than anyone else on the tour in the last maybe three years. I can say that’s a good thing.
“And then even going into this match today, I was thinking I’ve won more matches than Musetti this year, I’ve won bigger matches than him. I think I’m playing better than him on the clay. I was really confident going into it.”
Norrie will now head back to London and turn his attention to the grass-court swing a year on from his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Frankie Dettori is as relaxed as ever and feels he has “nothing to prove” ahead of his last ever Betfred Derby ride aboard Arrest.
The veteran jockey – who will bring the curtain down on his glittering career at the end of 2023 – will join forces with John and Thady Gosden for the blue riband, an event he has won twice before aboard Authorized and Golden Horn, in 2007 and 2015 respectively.
Arrest is a son of Frankel who took an established Derby trial when landing the Chester Vase by six and a half lengths in May, though the soft going meant that race was run in significantly different conditions to those expected at the weekend.
Nevertheless, the Juddmonte-owned colt has undertaken a pleasing gallop since at Epsom, and his status as a Derby hopeful is a boon for Dettori as he did not expect to pick up a competitive ride in his final year in the saddle.
He said: “It’s my last year, I thought I’d find it hard to find a Derby ride, never mind a Derby ride with a chance. It’s actually surprising to me that I’m in this position and I have a shot at it, a proper shot at it. I’m very excited.
“When I said in December I was going to retire, I never thought I’d get the ride on a horse with a great chance to win the Derby, so it is a great position to be in.
“Arrest has filled out to be a good-looking horse, very strong, he’s improved throughout the spring and won his trial very well, even if it was a non-event on that ground. We know the distance is no problem, he’s full of himself and it looks a wide-open Derby. I would say I’ve got as good a chance as anyone.
“I wouldn’t like to swap him with anything else because I feel like I’m going in with as good a chance as anyone. He’s got a bit of a round action, a high knee action, we took him to Epsom and gave him a bit of a gallop round and he seems fine.”
With Auguste Rodin having a question mark after his eclipse in the Guineas, there is no runaway favourite for the race this year. But Dettori has an eye on Sir Michael Stoute’s Passenger, a maiden winner who suffered a luckless passage through the Dante before dead-heating for third.
“He’s the one that we still don’t know how good he is, he never got a fair crack at the Dante and he’s only run twice, so he could be anything,” he said.
Arrest is drawn in stall 13 of 14 runners and while the perceived wisdom is that a higher draw is generally beneficial at Epsom, Dettori does not think the stall position is as significant a factor as others believe.
He said: “There has been a lot of emphasis on it, but they’ve been winning from everywhere.
“To win the Derby you need a good horse, the draw makes no difference. Simple as that!”
Though he expects the emotion of hanging up his boots to catch up with him as his final rides loom, for now Dettori is enjoying his farewell tour and at ease going into one of the biggest weekends of racing anywhere in the world.
He said: “Believe it or not, I’m so chilled. Maybe it’s because I’ve got nothing to prove and if I do make a balls up of it, it doesn’t matter. I’m feeling very chilled, I’m embracing it, I’m super relaxed.
“I’m really enjoying it. It will be a different kettle of fish when I get to October and the last few days will be difficult, but at the moment I feel good.”
Frankie Dettori credits the Betfred Derby with giving him the “biggest thrill” of his career as he prepares for one last roll of the dice at Epsom.
The Italian is one of the most successful and well-known jockeys of all time, but all good things must come to an end and this year will be his last before retirement.
As a result of that decision, his journey throughout the fixtures of the Flat season is naturally grabbing the headlines, and on Saturday all eyes will be on his ride in one of the oldest and most prestigious races in existence.
Dettori will partner John and Thady Gosden’s Arrest, a Frankel colt with a live chance of providing him with a third victory in the premier Classic.
Those two prior successes and the promise of retirement leave the 52-year-old rider feeling relaxed ahead of his final Derby performance – an emotion he was not familiar with when striving to get his name on the roll of honour in years gone by.
Dettori’s first Derby ride was Pollen Count in 1992, who finished 16th of 18, and he would have to wait 15 years before he could return triumphant from the Epsom Downs track to the tiny winner’s circle.
Incidentally that decade-and-a-half wait was something endured also by Sir Anthony McCoy, who had a similar barren spell in searching for his first Grand National.
In the meantime Dettori partnered several contenders who ultimately fell short – Tamure was second in 1995, Shantou was third in 1996, Cape Verdi was ninth as the 11-4 favourite in 1998, Dubai Millennium was also ninth as the 5-1 favourite in 1999, Tobougg was third in 2001, Snow Ridge was seventh as the 7-2 joint-favourite in 2004 and Dubawi was third in 2005.
Finally Authorized obliged in 2007 for trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam, winning by a wonderful five lengths as the 5-4 favourite and sweetening the sour relationship between Dettori and the race.
“It was a nightmare. Every time it came to the Derby it was a nightmare!” he said of the winless run.
“When I won in 2007 I was full of relief. Finally, it was the last piece of the jigsaw.
“It was a nightmare though, even more when I rode Authorized because he was a big favourite, it was a lot on me and it was a relief.
“Cape Verdi got beat, I rode Dubai Millennium, I rode loads of good ones that got beat.
“The point of the Derby is it’s only once a year – once it’s gone, it’s gone. At Ascot you’ve got 35 races, you’ve got the rest of the afternoon, but the Derby only comes once.”
Dettori would go on to win again in 2015, this time with the Gosden-trained Golden Horn, who struck as the 13-8 favourite and provided the rider with one of the most memorable days of his career.
“Golden Horn was a different thing because I really got to enjoy it, I was older and my kids were older,” he said.
“I didn’t have the pressure to try to win it for the first time either, so it was a lot more enjoyable. Probably my biggest thrill in one single race was that race.”
Though the racing industry has inevitably changed since Dettori first took to the track as a young man from Italy, he still considers the Derby the pinnacle of achievement in racing and credits it as the driving factor in the development of the thoroughbred breed.
“It’s the most important race, we have been breeding thoroughbreds for 350 years to win the Derby,” he said.
“For a jockey, when you start you want to win the Derby. Trainers, owners, breeders, the Derby is why we are breeding thoroughbreds, for this race.
“The tradition has been going for hundreds of years and it will be going for hundreds of years. It is the most important race.”
London Irish’s problems took a turn for the worse on Friday when HM Revenue and Customs filed winding-up petitions over an unpaid tax bill.
Proceedings were launched on Friday when petitions against London Irish Holdings Limited and London Irish Rugby Football Ground Limited were filed at the High Court.
The development came on the day that the Government appointed independent advisers to support rugby union chiefs as they attempt to preserve the future of the professional game after the failures of Worcester and Wasps last season.
Irish face suspension from the Gallagher Premiership unless a takeover has been completed or they can demonstrate they have the funding needed to operate for the entirety of the 2023-24 season by 4pm on June 6.
HMRC declined to comment on the matter but a spokesperson told the PA news agency: “We take a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and only file winding-up petitions once we’ve exhausted all other options, in order to protect taxpayers’ money.”
The club was given a week-long extension to prove they have a future by the Rugby Football Union on Wednesday, and were ordered to ensure the May payroll for all staff and players had been paid in full after it was confirmed that only 50 per cent had been received.
An American consortium is in discussions to take over the Exiles, who have debts in the region of £30million, but has yet to provide proof of funds to the RFU, as well as other documentation needed for the purchase to be approved.
The club’s plight highlights the difficulties currently being faced by clubs in the post-Covid era which have prompted Government intervention.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has appointed former Rugby Football League CEO Ralph Rimmer and UK Sport’s Chris Pilling to help the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby Limited in their efforts to reshape the game’s “future strategic financial and sporting direction”.
A DCMS statement read: “The issues at Worcester, Wasps and London Irish have laid bare the challenges facing the sport of rugby union.
“The inability of rugby clubs to raise capital investment and the financial challenges at various levels within the game have contributed to the need for urgent work to help secure rugby union’s immediate future and advise on its future direction.”
The Government stepped in to support rugby at elite and grassroots levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, but many clubs are still dealing with the impact.
Sports Minister Stuart Andrew added: “This is a challenging time for rugby union and Ralph and Chris have agreed to utilise their experience to help the game develop a clear path for the future.
“We have seen several high profile clubs and their fans left devastated in recent times and this additional independent advice will be of huge benefit to the RFU and PRL as they look to implement a new strategic direction for rugby.”
RFU CEO Bill Sweeney welcomed further Government backing and called upon those involved in the game to set aside “self-interest” in the quest for a sustainable future.
He said: “The restructuring of the Professional Game Agreement into a strategic partnership provides a great opportunity for all stakeholders to set aside self-interest and collaborate to reset and secure the future long-term sustainable growth of the professional game including developing the strongest possible second tier.”
Mike Tindall has said he wishes animal rights activists would “go and spend a bit of time at professional yards” to see how well horses are looked after.
The former England rugby player will be joined by his wife Zara Tindall, daughter of the Princess Royal, at Epsom on Saturday.
The late Queen’s granddaughter competed in the London 2012 Olympics, winning a team eventing silver medal, which was presented by her mother Princess Anne.
When asked if he is hoping protesters stay off the track on Saturday, Tindall said: “Yes, of course.
“I wish they would just go and spend a bit of time at professional yards and have a look at how well the horses are looked after.
“I know how well my wife looks after her horses and how much she cares for them.
“They are like people.
“I’ve been to AP McCoy’s yard where he’s been having a birthday party for one of the horses.
“They are treated unbelievably well.
“Unfortunately, tragedy happens in the wild probably more than it does on the track and people forget this.
“All you can say is I know how well every trainer looks after their horse and every jockey cares about their horse, and you just wish they’d see that a bit more.”
Animal rights activists have pledged to “cancel or severely delay” the Derby on Saturday as police brace for disruption.
Writing on Twitter, activist group Animal Rising claimed it was willing to “put their bodies on the line”.
Novak Djokovic admitted he is dealing with a number of physical problems after fighting off a terrific challenge from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the fourth round of the French Open for a 14th consecutive year.
The 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) 6-2 victory took three hours and 36 minutes, with Djokovic twice a break down in the first set and forced to save a set point in the second.
The 22-time grand-slam champion looked unsettled in windy conditions, while he called the trainer before the third set to have his left thigh massaged, but, as he so often does, he found a way to come out on top.
Asked about the medical time-out, Djokovic said: “We don’t have much time to start to name the many injuries I have, and the list is quite long.
“I still kept on playing. These are the circumstances that you, as a professional athlete, have to deal with. Accept it. Sometimes you need help from (a) physio during the match. Sometimes you need pills. Sometimes you need help from the god or angels, or whoever.
“The reality for me nowadays is that my body is responding differently than it did a few years ago. I managed to finish the match.”
Djokovic, who again wore a nanotechnology device on his chest, had struggled in his opening set against Marton Fucsovics on Wednesday before breezing through the next two, and it quickly became clear Spaniard Davidovich Fokina would offer a real test.
The 23-year-old, ranked 34, saw a break for 3-2 swiftly erased but moved ahead again to lead 6-5 after Djokovic double-faulted three times and was given a time violation.
Again, Davidovich Fokina was unable to serve it out, though, and Djokovic made him pay for the wasted opportunities by winning a tie-break.
This time the challenge very much continued in the second set as the pair exchanged breaks of serve three times, with Djokovic unable to clinch it at 5-4.
Davidovich Fokina had one chance to level the match in Djokovic’s next service game but he could not take it and the Serbian again came out on top in a tie-break.
Djokovic let his emotions out, roaring and fist-pumping, but the toll the effort had taken became clear when he called the trainer, applying ice to his left thigh and gesturing sarcastically towards the crowd.
Djokovic looked distinctly uncomfortable at times in the third set but he forged ahead early on and did not let Davidovich Fokina back in, giving a weary celebration when the Spaniard’s resistance finally ran out.
“I knew that it’s going to be a very difficult match, a very physical match,” said Djokovic.
“He contested very, very well. He’s an amazing fighter, amazing player. Congratulations to him for fighting. Bad luck but he played a great match.
“Of course a win is a win, maybe a little bit too much, three hours for two sets. I thought, if I would lose the second set, we’d probably play for five hours.
“But you have to be ready. It takes a lot of effort but we all have to believe in ourselves. I’m proud of the performance today for sure.”
The behaviour of the crowd has come under the spotlight this week, with boos frequently ringing around Roland Garros.
Of his own reaction while he received treatment, Djokovic said: “I think the majority of the people come to enjoy tennis or support one or the other player. But there are people, groups or whatever, that love to boo every single thing you do.
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“That’s something that I find disrespectful and I frankly don’t understand that. But it’s their right. They paid the ticket.
“Actually 99 per cent of the time I will stay quiet. Sometimes I will oppose that because I feel, when somebody is disrespectful, he or she deserves to have an answer to that.”
It was another day of long matches, with Italian Lorenzo Sonego fighting back from two sets down to defeat seventh seed Andrey Rublev, while Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner saw off Fabio Fognini in five sets.
After his epic victory over Stan Wawrinka, Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis was involved in another lengthy battle with 11th seed Karen Khachanov but was unable to force a decider, losing 6-4 6-1 3-6 7-6 (5).
Russian Khachanov declined to answer questions about the war in Ukraine afterwards, saying: “I am a sportsman, I am not a politician. I don’t want to talk here about politics because, first of all, I am not good at it. And, second of all, it’s not my job.”
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