Beaten Irish 2,000 Guineas favourite Royal Scotsman is undergoing tests following his lacklustre run at the Curragh.
Paul and Oliver Cole’s colt was sent off was sent off a heavily supported 6-4 chance in Ireland having finished third to Chaldean in the Newmarket equivalent.
However, he never looked like getting involved under Jamie Spencer and came home ninth of the 11 runners, beaten over seven lengths.
“He’s come back and he’s a bit sore, we’re just investigating now,” Oliver Cole told Sky Sports Racing.
“I don’t really want to say too much, but he never picked the bridle up going down to post and he never picked the bridle up during the race which is totally unlike him.
“So, we’re investigating now and it will all come out in the wash in the next couple of days, but it certainly wasn’t him.
“All options are still there for him – the St James’s Palace, the Jersey, we’re just trying to do the sensible thing. If we went for the Jersey, we could step back up to the Group One miles after that, all being well.
“We need to win a race with him.”
Ed Walker does not think his Betfred Derby contender Waipiro faces an “impossible” task in attempting to turn the tables on favourite Military Order from their run at Lingfield.
The pair were first and second, separated by a length and a quarter, in the Derby trial at the Surrey track, which was this year was moved from the saturated turf to the all-weather course.
The Godolphin runner was immediately promoted to the head of the betting while Waipiro is around a 16-1 chance, and Walker feels that offers each-way value given it was just the third run of his life.
“He didn’t show a lot on his debut at Kempton Park but we left him in the Derby for a reason. It wasn’t a total surprise that he won at Newmarket but it was obviously very pleasing,” said Walker.
“It looked a very hot race but we chose a race like that to answer questions as we believed he was a nice horse and we wanted to see where he sat with other nice horses. The result was very rewarding and he stepped up again at Lingfield.
“You have to be very pleased with his run at Lingfield. He was very relaxed and very professional. He performed to a high level and it was a satisfying run.
“I think he stamped himself as a high-class colt there as he gave the Derby favourite a good run for his money and you have to be pleased with that.”
Waipiro was forced wide off the bend at Lingfield and Walker feels he could have finished closer on another day.
“The race didn’t go as smoothly in the last couple of furlongs as it did for the winner, who looks a very good horse, and he is bred for the job and he is a very worthy favourite for the Derby,” said Walker.
“Military Order was dominant in the last 100 yards and we are going to have to make another significant step forward to beat him, but I don’t think it is impossible for him to turn it around.
“I think the void is the massive difference in price. I’d imagine, in an open Derby, he might attract attention from punters having an each-way bet. I certainly wouldn’t put anyone off having an each-way bet on him.
“I think he will handle the track and the occasion. He can get a bit warm at home and I wouldn’t be worried seeing him get a bit warm in the preliminaries.
“He is most likely going to wear a red hood to post to help keep a lid on him a bit, because he was a bit noisy at the start at Lingfield. He is generally a very relaxed horse and a professional horse.”
Cameron Norrie survived a five-set battle with Frenchman Benoit Paire and the lively Roland Garros crowd to keep British hopes in the singles alive.
There looked set to be a British wipe-out for the second time in four editions in Paris when Norrie trailed 4-2 in the deciding set on Suzanne Lenglen after Jack Draper was forced to retire injured.
But 14th seed Norrie showed his battling qualities again to pull off a 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory after three hours and 33 minutes.
And he can expect more of the same in the second round when he takes on a resurgent Lucas Pouille, who has been the toast of Roland Garros this week after coming through qualifying following injury and personal problems.
“It was an amazing match,” said Norrie. “All credit to Benoit. He played really well. He made it really difficult. Great atmosphere, thank you to everyone for the support both ways, it was amazing. I’m pleased to be through after a really tough one.”
Paire, possessor of one of the best beards in sport but not one of the best temperaments, has toyed with retirement at the age of 34 and came into the event as a wild card ranked 134.
When they met in the same round at the US Open last summer, Norrie won two lightning quick sets 6-0 either side of a competitive second, with Paire packing up his bag before the match had finished.
The Frenchman said afterwards it could have been his final match but he decided to continue and his attitude was much better here.
He probably should have won a scrappy first set that lasted almost an hour, breaking for 4-3 and then having seven more break points after Norrie had levelled.
The 27-year-old has struggled for wins over the last two months after a brilliant start to the season and there was not the same certainty on his groundstrokes that British tennis fans have been accustomed to.
Norrie’s biggest weapon is his consistency but here he was caught between dropping shots too short and pushing them long and it was his fighting spirit and a dependable wide serve to Paire’s backhand that helped him through the opener.
Norrie looked a little more relaxed at the start of the second set and immediately had a break point but it was he who was broken to trail 2-1 after a contentious moment when umpire Nico Helwerth docked him a point for what appeared a very harsh hindrance call at 30-30, the official claiming Norrie had shouted out during play.
The crowd were in full voice when Paire managed to hold to level the match, and the French national anthem boomed around Suzanne Lenglen when their man broke again to lead 2-1 in the third set.
With Paire feeding off the support, Norrie was kept on the back foot and this corner of Paris was in party mood as the Frenchman moved two sets to one in front.
The fourth set went by in a flash, with Paire broken early and then appearing to save himself for a decider, where Norrie handed his opponent the initiative again right at the start with a game full of errors.
But the British number one did not allow his head to drop and his probing earned dividends with a break back for 4-4 before Paire finally cracked.
Key defensive plays from Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson overcame another high-percentage shooting performance from Jhaniele Fowler as the Adelaide Thunderbirds pulled off another thrilling one-goal win 54-53 over the West Coast Fever at the Netball SA Stadium on Saturday.
Fowler, the Suncorp Super Netball League’s leading scorer, converted 42 of 43 attempts but it was not enough to prevent the reigning champions from falling to their fourth defeat of the season.
Wilson earned 74.5 Nissan Net Points and Sterling 63 for defensive play that held off the defending champions who led 20-12 after the first quarter. However, the league leaders managed to close the gap by the half-time interval after outscoring Fever 14-11 in the second.
The low-scoring encounter saw the Thunderbirds win the third and fourth quarters, 13-10 and 15-12, respectively to snatch another close win. Eleanor Cardwell converted 26 of her 30 shots and Lucy Austin scored six from six in the hard-fought victory.
Adelaide Thunderbirds now have eight wins and just two losses from their 11 games this season while Fever dropped to seven wins and four losses and are only third on goal difference over Melbourne Vixens who also have a record of seven wins and four losses.
The Vixens suffered their fourth loss of the season going down 70-62 to New South Wales Swifts, who got 29 goals from Romelda Aiken-George from 34 attempts and a perfect 16 from 16 from Helen Housby.
Mwai Kumwenda scored 33 of her 35 attempts for the Vixens.
Meanwhile, Shimona Nelson scored 53 goals from 56 attempts for the Collingwood Magpies, whose miserable season will be their last in the Suncorp Super Netball League, as they suffered yet another defeat.
The Magpies were outscored 66-62 by the Sunshine Coast Lightning in what was their ninth loss of the season.
Cara Koenen scored 34 from 35 and Steph Wood 20/24 for the Lightning who were picking up their fourth win of the season and are current fifth in the league standings.
Scotland assistant coaches Steve Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have followed the lead of head coach Gregor Townsend in extending their contracts until April 2026.
Defence coach Tandy, forwards coach Dalziel and scrum coach De Villiers all joined the national team set-up in 2020 and have become valued members of the backroom staff.
Their new deals have been announced just weeks after it was confirmed that Townsend, whose initial contract was due to expire after the World Cup this autumn, would be remaining in his post for a further three years.
“The news that Steve, John and Pieter have extended their contracts is a real boost,” Townsend told Scottish Rugby. “They are all key members of the coaching group and provide invaluable support to our players and myself.
“Since coming on board all three have made a hugely positive impact to not only their individual areas but also to our all-round game and the environment. I’d like to thank Scottish Rugby for their support in keeping this coaching group together for the next few years.
“We enjoy working with each other and are determined to do all we can to bring out the best in this special squad of players.”
Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Pete Horne and former All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar both joined Scotland’s coaching group as assistant attack coaches for the Six Nations campaign earlier this year, and they will continue their roles during the build-up to the World Cup and into the tournament itself.
“It’s great news that we’ve been able to secure the services of Pete and Brad for the Rugby World Cup too,” said Townsend. “They both contributed to our group hugely during the Guinness Six Nations period.
“I’m looking forward to working with them again on the attack side of our game and helping improve the skills and decision making of our players.”
Mental skills coach Aaron Walsh will also continue working with Scotland for the World Cup.
The squad are due to meet up this week to begin preparations for the World Cup in France, albeit several players will not join up with the group initially due to late finishes to the season with their clubs.
Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes’ upgrade is unlikely to provide a swift end to his losing streak.
Hamilton and team-mate George Russell were given their first taste of the team’s revamped machine in Monaco.
Hamilton and Russell qualified sixth and eighth, before making up two and three places respectively in Sunday’s rain-hit race following an early call to move from slick to wet rubber.
Traditionally, the Monte Carlo layout has been among Mercedes’ worst tracks with this weekend’s race at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona set to represent a truer reflection of the team’s outright speed.
But Wolff believes he did not see enough progress from their upgraded car to suggest they will immediately move ahead of Aston Martin and Ferrari in the pecking order, or challenge Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team who have won all six races this year.
“We need to be careful,” said team principal Wolff. “We will collect more data in Barcelona, but I don’t expect us to clear Ferrari and Aston Martin there either.
“It is about understanding what does this car do now and how do we set it up?
“We are good at grinding away. Last year, the package was terrible at the beginning of the season, and we won a race in Interlagos [at the penultimate round] so we will get there.”
Hamilton finished 39 seconds behind Verstappen on Sunday as the Dutchman claimed his fourth victory in six races to extend his championship lead to 39 points.
Red Bull have now won 15 of the last 16 grands prix, with Verstappen, who grazed the wall en route to taking the chequered flag in Monte Carlo, remaining on course to race to his third world title in as many years.
Asked if Verstappen’s dominance is proving to be a turn-off for the sport, Wolff replied: “When you win in Formula One it is a meritocracy.
“They have done a good job and the car is fast in all conditions and the driver is at the top of his game.
“We need to do a better job, catch up, find intelligent solutions and hope our development slope is steeper than theirs, and eventually fight again.
“Whether it is good for the show or not, a strong fight between 10 drivers, or at least two, is obviously much better for all of us, but we have to accept it and work to get back there.
“The best driver in the best car spending the same money wins the championship, and if you break the rules you should be heavily penalised, but only then, and you should not be penalised for simply doing a good job.”
Jack Draper suffered more physical problems at the French Open when a left shoulder problem forced him to pull out during his first-round clash with Tomas Etcheverry.
The 21-year-old has struggled with hip and abdominal problems this season but declared himself fully fit ahead of the year’s second grand slam.
However, it became clear in the eighth game that Draper was ailing physically again when he started to serve underarm.
He managed to hold serve to make it 4-4 but Argentinian Etcheverry claimed the next two games to take the opening set, after which a resigned-looking Draper called the trainer.
He took some pills and tried to play on but, trailing 0-30 in the second game of the second set, pulled the plug and shook hands with his opponent before trudging off court.
There is no doubt about Draper’s potential but, rather like his former junior compatriot Emma Raducanu, his body has so far been unable to hold up to the rigours of top-level tennis.
He will now hope this issue does not seriously impact his grass-court prospects, with Wimbledon starting in five weeks.
Ante-post favourite Military Order leads 16 contenders for Saturday’s Betfred Derby at Epsom, with Passenger the sole supplementary entry.
Representing Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby, Military Order booked his place in the Classic line up with a comfortable trial success at Lingfield and he is the only contender for his handler, who has won the race twice with Masar (2018) and Adayar (2021).
“From the team’s point of view, we’re very happy with him. He came out of his Lingfield Derby Trial win very well and we’ve been very pleased with him since,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.
“He’s improving week on week physically, and we can’t fault him to date on what he has been doing in his work and on the racecourse. He goes out and gets the job done in the mornings without being flash.
“He’s a mile-and-a-half horse, so you don’t expect flashy work. That hasn’t changed from his two-year-old days and I wouldn’t expect it to change.
“Military Order, like his brother Adayar, goes out and gets the job done.”
Sir Michael Stoute saddled Desert Crown to victory last year and he looks to Passenger to give him seventh overall win the in the race.
Owners the Niarchos Family opted to stump up the £85,000 fee to add him to the 12-furlong Classic after enduring a luckless run when third in the Dante last time out.
Aidan O’Brien is the race’s leading trainer with eight wins on his CV and Auguste Rodin captains a possible four-strong team as he seeks to put a disappointing 2000 Guineas run well behind him stepping up in trip.
Adelaide River, Covent Garden and Chester winner San Antonio complete the potential Ballydoyle squad.
Frankie Dettori is set to have his last ride in the Derby aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Arrest, an impressive winner of the Chester Vase on his seasonal bow while Dante winner The Foxes is in contention for Andrew Balding.
York second White Birch reopposes for John Murphy, Jessica Harrington’s Leopardstown Derby Trial winner Sprewell and the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Alder round out the Irish hopefuls.
Charlie Johnston’s 2000 Guineas fifth Dubai Mile is set to be joined by stablemate Dear My Friend, who was eighth in the Dante, with Ralph Beckett’s unbeaten Artistic Star, the Roger Varian-trained King Of Steel and Waipiro for Ed Walker the other candidates.
Frankie Dettori will lay a wreath at the statue of Lester Piggott on Derby day, as Epsom also permanently renames a race in memory of one of the sport’s most decorated jockeys.
Piggott, who died last year aged 86, won the Derby a record nine times and Epsom has announced that each year moving forward a member of the weighing room will lay a wreath in the colours of Piggott’s 1970 Derby hero Nijinsky at the statue of the rider situated on the Queen Elizabeth II Stand lawn.
Dettori will take this year’s wreath-laying duties as he makes his final appearance on Derby day before retirement, while the track has also renamed the £75,000 10-furlong handicap staged on Saturday as the Lester Piggott Handicap Stakes.
Dettori – who had a mural commemorating his Derby win on Golden Horn commissioned by Epsom prior to the track’s opening meeting of the season – classed Piggott both as a good friend and hero and is honoured to become the first jockey to lay the annual wreath.
He said: “It is an honour to be asked to lay a wreath at Lester’s statue on Derby day. He was a hero of mine who then became a good friend and it’s impossible to measure the impact he had on me, both as a person and a jockey throughout my life.
“I’m sure it will be a poignant and emotional moment for many reasons and I’m grateful to Epsom Downs for inviting me to lead this year’s tributes to Lester on my last Derby day as a jockey.”
Brian Finch, chair of Epsom racecourse, added: “For so many of us, Lester Piggott is synonymous with the Derby and Epsom Downs like no other jockey before or since.
“Lester sadly passed away just six days before the Derby in 2022 and we ran the Derby in his memory.
“For such a distinguished figure in the long history of the Derby and with his unprecedented achievements unlikely to be matched, we felt it was important to establish a permanent annual commemoration and celebration of Lester’s life on Derby day.
“I would like to thank Frankie Dettori for agreeing to lay the wreath in Lester’s memory this year ahead of his final ride in the Betfred Derby and I hope the Betfred Lester Piggott Handicap will provide an exciting finish of which Lester would have been proud.”
Mawj will head to the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot for a rematch with Tahiyra, who gained compensation for her narrow defeat in the Qipco 1000 Guineas with victory in Sunday’s Irish equivalent.
Trainer Saeed bin Suroor gained a third success in the fillies’ mile Classic at Newmarket last month when Mawj showed plenty of guts to down Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra by half a length.
The Godolphin handler has always believed the daughter of Exceed And Excel would develop as a three-year-old and she duly delivered, adding to his previous success in the race with Cape Verdi (1998) and Kazzia (2002).
“She is in good form,” said Bin Suroor. “Her win means a lot. It was the third time we won the 1000 Guineas, but it had been a long time since the last one – 21 years.
“Obviously, the Classic races and the Group One races, you have to have the good horses.
“We knew last year she was a good filly, but she is a tiny filly and you have to look after her.
“I gave her a break between races, just to allow her to recover.”
Mawj is now being prepared to take on Tahiyra, who had won the Moyglare Stud Stakes last season and gained her second top-class success with victory over Meditate in the Irish Classic.
Though she won on soft ground at Newmarket, Bin Suroor insists Mawj will not be concerned what ground conditions await her at the Berkshire track.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel, who bypassed the Curragh Classic, has had plenty of experience on differing surfaces.
In her eight starts, on which she has won five, she was victorious over six furlongs on fast ground at Newmarket, on soft ground over a mile when taking her Group One.
“She goes to the Coronation Stakes now,” he added. “I don’t think the ground matters to her, because she won on softer ground in Dubai also and she came back here on soft ground.
“I think she will handle any ground and we look forward to going to Ascot with her.”
Silvestre de Sousa has withdrawn his appeal against a 10-month ban picked up in Hong Kong recently.
The former UK champion jockey was handed the lengthy suspension having pleaded guilty, along with fellow rider Vagner Borges, to breaching rule 59 (3), which states “no jockey shall bet, or facilitate the making of a bet, or have any interest in a bet, on any race or any contingency relating to a race meeting”.
A press release from the Honk Kong Jockey Club at the time stated that Borges “had an interest in a bet” on his mount Young Brilliant in a race at Happy Valley on April 26, with De Sousa having “facilitated” that bet.
The statement added that “there was no evidence before the stewards that Borges and De Sousa had ridden their horses in the respective race with any intention other than to obtain the best possible placing for their mounts”.
However, the stewards also underlined “it is fundamental to the integrity of racing that jockeys are not permitted to bet or to have an interest in a bet”.
De Sousa’s solicitor Harry Stewart Moore confirmed the Brazilian would be appealing but on Monday the KHJC released a statement which read:
“The Stewards have approved an application from jockey S de Sousa to withdraw the appeal lodged by him against the severity of a 10 month disqualification from 12 May 2023 to 11 March 2024 (both dates inclusive), imposed by the Stipendiary Stewards on 12 May 2023 for a breach of Rule 59 (3). The Stewards further directed that the appeal deposit be refunded.”
Tony Bellew won the vacant WBC world cruiserweight title against Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park on this day in 2016.
Fighting at the home of his beloved Toffees, the Everton fan put on a show, claiming the belt with a third-round knockout.
Makabu had entered the fight as the bookmakers’ favourite and started well, sending Bellew to the canvas in the opening round with a left-hand shot.
However, the Liverpudlian quickly recovered with a barrage of combinations in the third round to floor Makabu.
The win meant Bellew won a world title at the third time of asking after previous bouts at light-heavyweight against Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson ended in defeat.
Bellew, who played ‘Pretty’ Ricky Conlan in Sylvester Stallone’s film Creed, admitted he had “achieved a dream”.
“I am Everton, and that’s why I got up. Nothing was going to stop me tonight,” he said.
“I’ve achieved a dream tonight, all those people who said I couldn’t do it, well I’ve done it. I’m world champion, that’s what I am!
“The last time I saw something like that I was in a Hollywood movie, now it’s real. I’ve lived the dream tonight. I am the best cruiserweight in the world, I have proven it tonight.”
Emiliano Grillo won his second PGA tour title after he edged out Adam Schenk in a double playoff hole while English golfer Harry Hall finished tied third in Texas on Sunday.
The Argentinian was two strokes clear and looked primed to take out the Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Golf Course in Fort Worth.
But the 30-year-old hit a double-bogey on the last hole, providing an opening for Schenk to come back into contention, seeking to win his first PGA Tour title.
Grillo hit his drive into a small stream on the final hole which took the ball back 150 yards before stopping against a rock.
He decided to take a penalty stroke and landed a two-putt from 20 yards to tie with Schenk.
Schenk made par on the final hole while English PGA Tour rookie Harry Hall needed a par on the final hole to compete in the playoff.
Hall hit a bogey on the last hole after landing his drive into the water and finished tied in third with world number one American Scott Scheffler on 7-under.
Grillo struck a five-foot birdie putt to claim the title on the second playoff hole to get his first tour win in more than seven years, finishing the tournament on eight-under with 68 on his final day.
Grillo’s last win was in Napa in 2015 and has had four top 10 finishes this season.
American Adam Schenk finished second place for the second time this season and is still pushing for his first tour win.
Hall, 25, was leading after the first and second day but failed to hang on to the lead with two birdies and five bogeys on Sunday.
Englishmen Aaron Rei and Justin Rose finished tied 12th on three-under.
Katie Taylor laughed off talk of retirement after her first professional defeat this month and is targeting a November rematch against Chantelle Cameron.
Taylor’s bid to become undisputed world champion in two weight categories simultaneously fell flat as the previously unbeaten lightweight was outpointed on her Ireland homecoming by Cameron in Dublin.
Cameron, who retained her four light-welterweight world titles with the majority decision win, has intimated she wants to step down to 135lbs to challenge for Taylor’s belts in any return bout.
And the 36-year-old Taylor insisted her only priority is another showdown with Cameron, telling RTE: “I don’t even know what retirement means. I definitely don’t feel like it’s time for me to retire.
“It will happen one day in the future, but now my sights are set on securing a rematch with Chantelle. That’s the only fight that matters to me now. I think we’re looking at a November date.
“I haven’t looked back on the fight yet. I think the right person won. I have to take the loss and move on from it. I’m just excited to get back to America to start training again for the rematch.
“I will learn from this. I definitely didn’t feel myself in there. I did feel very, very tired straight away. I’ll just have to go back to the drawing board.
“I’m definitely not going to end my career like that.”
Fernando Alonso has not given up hope of defying the odds and beating Max Verstappen to the Formula One world championship after he finished second at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Alonso took the chequered flag 27.9 seconds behind Verstappen and has now secured five podiums in six races following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin.
The 41-year-old Spaniard will head to his home race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya next weekend 51 points adrift of Verstappen and a dozen behind Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull.
“The championship is long and we will not give up,” said Alonso after he finished runner-up for the first time in nine years.
“Red Bull and Max are dominating every race. The Red Bull is untouchable and even with great results, we are behind them. We are relying on weekends where they have issues.
“If Max has one or two of those, then we will be a little bit closer in the championship.
“This is motorsport and anything can happen. On true pace we are not there yet, but we won’t give up.”
Alonso kept Verstappen honest throughout Sunday’s race and was holding out on old rubber in the hope that rain would arrive.
But when it did, Alonso stopped for drys believing the track would not be wet enough for intermediate tyres.
However, the downpour continued and the Spaniard was forced to come back into the pits on the next lap, scuppering any chance of claiming his first victory in a decade.
“Maybe it was extra safe but in that minute-and-a-half it took to go through Turns five, six and eight again, the track changed completely,” added Alonso.
“The lap we stopped was completely dry but on my out-lap from the pits, it was wet.
“There was a huge margin behind me to do two stops and we thought it was the right thing to do. It was a complex race to read and execute.”
Christian Horner fears the Monaco Grand Prix will be “left behind” unless drastic changes are made to Formula One’s most famous track – as rain saved another procession in the principality on Sunday.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led every lap to win for a second time in Monte Carlo, extending his championship lead to 39 points after six rounds.
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso took second place, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon third. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth respectively for Mercedes.
Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s closest title challenger, endured a horror show. He started last and finished 16th after five pit stops, and multiple collisions with different competitors, and the walls that wind their way round the two-mile course.
For 51 laps, the race was a dud. Verstappen saw off Alonso on the short run to Sainte Devote and the major players followed round one by one.
The rain enlivened the predictable spectacle. Carlos Sainz slid off and kissed the wall at Mirabeau in his Ferrari, while Russell and Perez made contact after the Mercedes man rejoined the track following an error, also at the rain-soaked Mirabeau corner.
Lance Stroll hit the barriers twice and Haas’ calamitous decision to keep Kevin Magnussen on slick tyres backfired as the Dane crunched the wall at Rascasse.
But take away the sodden race track, and the top dozen were on course to take the chequered flag in the order they started.
And even with the downpour, Verstappen, Alonso and Ocon, who started first, second and third, finished first, second and third.
“It was an exceptionally boring race until the rain came down,” was Russell’s damning verdict.
Red Bull team principal Horner, fresh from celebrating his team’s sixth win from as many races, picked up the debate.
“It’s Monaco and it’s here for its history and its uniqueness,” he said. “But the problem is that the cars are so big now.
“All venues have to evolve a little and if there was just one area where you could create space for an overtake it would just give that chance, because so much weight is placed on qualifying. The race is won or lost on Saturday.
“I am sure that with the creativeness there is and the amount of land they are reclaiming here, there’s got to be the opportunity to introduce a bigger braking zone.
“Maybe make Turn 1 a little sharper or slower, or extend the circuit if there is the opportunity to add in another kilometre that included a hairpin – that would be phenomenal.
“It’s something to contemplate because when you think of the next 20 years of Monaco you don’t want to see it left behind.
“It earns its place on the calendar. It’s the jewel in the crown in many respects, but as the sport continues to move forward you can’t stand still, and Monaco needs to be part of that process.”
Despite being considered among the most glamorous events in world sport, the Monaco track has remain largely unchanged from the first grand prix staged in 1929, and some have claimed it is no longer fit for purpose in its current guise.
F1 bosses have looked at ways to adapt the tight and twisty layout, but have made little progress.
Verstappen kept his composure in the changeable conditions, and even survived a bump with the wall when the rain landed at Portier, to take his 39th win for Red Bull, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 victories for the grid’s all-conquering team.
“If you have a good car you can break these numbers,” said Verstappen.
“I never thought I would be in this position in my career. Growing up, I wanted to be a Formula One driver and I am now winning these races. It is amazing and better than I could have ever imagined.”
Jackson Wray believes new Gallagher Premiership champions Saracens deserve more respect for emerging from one of the bleakest episodes in the league’s history as a title-winning force once more.
Sale were defeated 35-25 in a gripping final at Twickenham on Saturday as Saracens claimed their sixth domestic crown with captain Owen Farrell producing a masterclass at fly-half.
It provided an element of redemption after they were shaded 15-12 by Leicester in last year’s showpiece, which they reached in their first season back in the Premiership having been relegated in 2020 for repeated salary cap breaches.
As part of their punishment they were fined £5.4million and while some players departed, the bulk of them – including their core of England stars – remained for the campaign spent in the Championship.
The loyalty shown has enabled Saracens to return to the summit of the English game and Wray, who is retiring after 13 years as a professional at his only club, has sounded a note of defiance.
“I don’t think people talk about this enough. It was the biggest fine in sporting history in a game where you lose money every year. Let’s just put that in perspective for a moment,” Wray said.
“And we have got through it. That says a lot more about the owners. They said, ‘we made a mistake and we will stay and put it right’.
“Together we have done it. We have done our bit as players – stayed and fought and gone against everyone.
“Even in this final. Everyone was with Sale. Every club in the land was with Sale. Do you know what? That’s how we like it. That is how we have always liked it. No one wants us to win and we don’t care.
“We want to do well for each other and well for the club because this club has given us everything. It has given me everything for 17 years and the least I can do is pull on this shirt with pride every week.”
Saracens’ celebrations spill over into Sunday, with the squad holding a retro sports shirt fancy dress event in London.
For Maro Itoje victory over Sale has placed the sight of Freddie Burns landing a last-gasp drop goal to clinch the title for Leicester 12 months earlier firmly in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m just happy. Last year we fell short, we got close, a drop goal was a painful way to lose,” Itoje said.
“I was tired of seeing that Freddie Burns drop goal every five minutes on BT Sport! Thank God I don’t have to go through another year of that. All in all, super happy!
“You can’t really hold on to the past too much but going through the pain of last year, I think it is fair to say we have been fairly consistent all throughout the season.
“Even when the internationals were away, the guys again stepped up. And obviously we have a few internationals, so those guys have been fantastic.”
Point Lonsdale will head for the Dahlbury Coronation Cup on Friday, as Aidan O’Brien finalises his squad for Epsom’s two-day Derby meeting.
The Australia colt is unbeaten in two starts this season having followed up his reappearance success in the Alleged Stakes by adding the Huxley Stakes at Chester, to prove he still possesses all the high-class ability he showed when motoring to multiple victories as a juvenile.
He is one of three in the mix for O’Brien in the Group One contest alongside Dubai Gold Cup scorer Broome and last year’s Derby fifth Changingoftheguard.
However, it appears Point Lonsdale is Ballydoyle’s main hope for the race, trying a mile and a half for the first time.
“The plan is to go for the Coronation Cup with Point Lonsdale,” said O’Brien. “It looked the last day like a mile and a half might suit him.”
O’Brien also holds a strong hand in both of the Classics set to be run on the Surrey Downs with Savethelastdance the overwhelming favourite for the Betfred Oaks and Auguste Rodin high-up on ante-post lists for the Betfred Derby despite disappointing in the 2000 Guineas.
“Epsom is all about Auguste Rodin at the moment and everything has gone well since the Guineas. We have others in and it’s possible that something else will run with him,” said O’Brien when assessing his contenders.
“Covent Garden might run in the Derby as well along with Adelaide River.
“Gooloogong will go for the mile and six race, the (Queen’s) Vase, at Ascot.
“Savethelastdance has done well since Chester. Be Happy was second in Lingfield and may run as well.”
Above The Curve made all the running under Maxime Guyon to land the Group Two Prix Corrida with an easy two-length success at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained four-year-old had been touched off when finishing third in the Prix de l’Opera over 10 furlongs in October before a lacklustre run in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
A daughter of American Pharoah, she had a bit to find after finishing last on her seasonal return in the Mooresbridge Stakes at the Curragh earlier this month.
Guyon, riding Above The Curve for the first time, kept things simple, setting a steady gallop before winding things up approaching three furlongs out.
Dual Group One winner Nashwa, making her first start since finishing fourth to Tuesday as favourite in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf having been one place in front of Above The Curve on Arc day, tracked the winner throughout.
However, Hollie Doyle was hard at work turning in and on ground quicker than she would have ideally liked, the John and Thady-Gosden-trained mare faded to fourth, with Mqse Se Servigne coming from last to briefly challenge the winner, with the keen-going India pipping Nashwa for third.
Thady Gosden was far from unhappy with Nashwa’s performance.
He said: “I don’t think we can be too disappointed. All the other fillies had one or two runs already this year and it has been a long time since her last run at the Breeders’ Cup in Keeneland.
“It was just the lack of a run and she’ll come on plenty for that. We’ll see how she comes out of the race and see how she travels back before making any hard and fast plans for her.”
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