Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a scare against Jiri Vesely in his opening match at the French Open.
The 2021 finalist seemed to have the contest well under control after a slow start when he moved two sets ahead of his Czech opponent but Vesely took the third and had three set points at 6-3 in the fourth-set tie-break to force a decider.
Fifth seed Tsitsipas saved all of them, though, before clinching a 7-5 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7) victory and roaring with relief.
The Greek knows he will need to play better going forward, saying: “It was a great comeback from me on that tie-breaker. I didn’t really play the way I wanted to play.
“I started just going more to the ball, being much more aggressive on my shot-making, and I kind of dictated a little bit better. The match was very inconsistent from my side. I felt like I haven’t played a match with so much inconsistency in a very long time.
“There weren’t a lot of rallies in play. He was serving big, so I had to find ways to change that. At times I felt like my footwork was lousy.
“But otherwise I’m happy with how things turned around, and my fighting spirit went on full display in those last few points of the tie-breaker. It was a great way to end it by just being patient and waiting for that chance to pop up.”
Tsitsipas has had an up-and-down season so far and struggled with injury after reaching his second grand slam final at the Australian Open but the clay-court swing has seen him find more consistency.
The 24-year-old revealed he is trying to play with a smile on his face having been influenced by Carlos Alcaraz’s positive attitude.
“I had a practice session with Carlitos the other day and did throw in a ‘thank you’ just randomly, and I don’t know if he understood that or not,” said Tsitsipas.
“I owe a lot to Carlitos because he’s such a breath of fresh air. He’s so competitive and he’s always with a smile on his face, and so much charisma to him and so much positive energy that he distributes.
“I think that’s contributed a lot to his growth as a tennis player and his consistency, too. I admire him for who he is. I have that capacity of being that person. I truly believe that.”
Eleventh seed Karen Khachanov, who has reached the semi-finals at the last two grand slams, had to fight back from two sets down to beat Constant Lestienne, and the vocal French crowd, 3-6 1-6 6-2 6-1 6-3.
Hubert Hurkacz also survived a five-setter against David Goffin while 24th seed Sebastian Korda saw off fellow American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 7-5 6-4.
World XV coach Steve Hansen insisted Israel Folau should be able to move on from the anti-gay views that resulted in Rugby Australia terminating his contract.
Folau scored a try but was booed throughout Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Barbarians by a group of around 100 banner-waving LGBTQ+ protesters, while the Rugby Football Union raised the pride flag on the roof of Twickenham.
The devout Christian was sacked by RA in 2019 for publishing a series of discriminatory posts on social media, including one telling “homosexuals” that “hell awaits you”.
He has switched national allegiance to Tonga ahead of this autumn’s World Cup and Hansen, who was wearing a pride wristband, said a line should be drawn under the episode.
“Everyone is allowed an opinion. We don’t necessarily have to agree with each other on our opinions but you are entitled to have one,” Hansen said.
“You can’t be punished for the rest of your life for having an opinion that most of us disagree with.
“I’ve always been a great believer that you can’t help somebody change by leaving them on the outside.”
A 32,597 crowd enjoyed a 14-try thriller as stars such as Charles Piutau, Semi Radradra and Sbu Nkosi caught the eye in glorious conditions.
It provided Barbarians coach Eddie Jones with a triumphant return in his first appearance at Twickenham since being sacked by England in December.
In previous years he coached against the Barbarians and he urged the RFU to be careful over how its traditional annual fixture against the Red Rose is marketed in the future.
“I can speak as a former England coach. I don’t think England should play the Barbarians, unless it’s a younger England team,” Jones said.
“At this time of the season you can never pick the England team, so it shouldn’t be called England. It should be called England President’s XV or something like that.
“Playing against the Barbarians is a great idea but to try and sell it as England is not honest. It’s not honest.”
Pablo Larrazabal hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez after winning the KLM Open by two shots just two weeks into his forties.
Larrazabal celebrated the milestone by winning his ninth DP World Tour title and second in just four weeks after producing a big finish at Bernardus Golf on Sunday.
Having seen his overnight lead evaporate in the early stages of the fourth round, Larrazabal recovered with a series of birdies to sit in a five-way tie at the top after 12 holes.
And he finished with a flourish, birdieing the 15th, 17th and 18th to sign for a closing 69 and finish the tournament on 13 under par.
Larrazabal, who came into the week fresh from playing four rounds at last week’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, now has two victories in 2023, having won the Korea Championship Presented by Genesis in April.
Fellow Spaniard Adrian Otaegui finished alone in second on 11 under after closing his final-round 70 with a birdie.
Rasmus Hojgaard and Deon Germishuys were then in a tie for third, one stroke further back.
Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Ewen Ferguson finished in a share of eighth on seven under.
Winning so soon after his recent birthday, Larrazabal set his sights on replicating Jimenez, who clinched 13 DP World Tour titles in his forties – although he joked he would settle for a fraction of his success.
He said: “Hopefully I do 20 per cent of what Miguel did in his forties. This is the first win of 40.”
Reflecting on the final round, Larrazabal added: “It doesn’t matter how fast you run at the beginning, you have to run fast at the end to win the race.
“And that’s what I did. What a putt on the last. I tried to make two putts from 20 feet and suddenly I made it.
“I’m so proud of myself and so proud of my team. We struggled big time through Covid but here we are – four wins in the last 15 months. It means too much to me.”
Aidan O’Brien’s Drumroll was the beneficiary of a stewards’ inquiry at the Curragh on Sunday as he claimed the Heider Family Stables Gallinule Stakes.
The son of Deep Impact is a full-brother to Ballydoyle’s former 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior and was upped to 10 furlongs in this Group Three contest having chased home Saturday’s Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Paddington on his previous start.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, he was tracking the pace set by Jim Bolger’s Cork scorer Young Ireland and first past the post Teutates in the early stages, and it was Donnacha O’Brien’s charge and the 4-5 favourite who emerged as the main players as the race entered the business end.
Having found top gear, Drumroll began to wear down his chief rival but was met with still opposition as Teutates refused to lie down in the hands of Gavin Ryan.
But the head-on viewing showed that Drumroll was bumped not once but twice in the closing stages and although Teutates prevailed by a short head, the 22-1 outsider of the field was demoted to second following an inquiry, with Drumroll awarded top spot.
Drumroll could now find himself on O’Brien’s Irish Derby teamsheet.
O’Brien said: “He’s progressing and a mile and a quarter looks a good trip for him. The Irish Derby is a possibility.
“He’s still a bit of a baby and ran a bit green.”
Meanwhile the younger O’Brien was proud of Teutates efforts and will now look at a Royal Ascot handicap for his Churchill colt.
He said: “He’s run a cracker. We always thought he was a stakes horse and works like that at home. To be honest I ran him in this to get him into one of the handicaps in Ascot as he had to go up a few pounds.
“As you can see there he can run around a little bit so he’s a hard horse to win with. I thought it would be easier to get him up in the weights by running in a stakes race rather than winning a handicap with him.
“He’s better on that kind of surface.”
Anmaat seeks to break his Group One duck at the first time of asking when he takes on six rivals in the Group One Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp on Monday.
The Owen Burrows-trained five-year-old was unbeaten in three runs last term and having stepped out of handicap company, won the Group Three Rose of Lancaster at Haydock and followed up with Group Two success in the 10-furlong Prix Dollar on Arc weekend.
The Shadwell-owned Awtaad gelding drops back half a furlong for his return to the same Paris track, having chased home former Derby winner Adayar on his seasonal bow in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket.
Burrows – on a high after stable star Hukum got the better of Derby hero Desert Crown at Sandown on Thursday evening – felt the Prix d’Ispahan was a slightly easier option than Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh for Jim Crowley’s mount.
He said: “He obviously has a progressive profile and I thought it was a solid enough run first time up at Newmarket. He had it to do with that 5lb penalty and stayed on well enough. I didn’t want to go and stick him straight into a Group One on his first run of the year, where he might have just started coming forward for a run.
“He seems to be in good form. There is no such thing as an easy Group One.
“He was in the race in Ireland, but with Vadeni getting supplemented, and Bay Bridge and Luxembourg in there, we felt if ever there was an easier Group One, this was it.
“He won at Longchamp last year and he goes there with a good chance.”
David Simcock’s Light Infantry, third in the bet365 Mile on his return, before a close-up seventh to Modern Games in the Lockinge, tackles this trip for the first time and provides further British interest.
Buckaroo made a winning start to his four-year-old campaign on first start since finishing sixth in last season’s Irish 2,000 Guineas, when taking a heavy-ground Listed race over a mile at Leopardstown last month.
His trainer, Joseph O’Brien, hopes a step back up in trip will provide further improvement.
“It looked a suitable spot for him slightly stepping up in trip from his first run of the year,” he said.
“It was a lovely comeback run after a layoff and hopefully he will have come forward from then. I think the trip should be fine for him hopefully he can run a good race.”
There is a strong challenge for the home guard with Prix Dollar runner-up Junko representing Andre Fabre and Prix Daniel Wildenstein winner Erevann being saddled by Jean-Claude Rouget.
Onesto, who won the Grand Prix de Paris in July last year and was subsequently beaten half a length by Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes in September, makes his return for Francois Chappet.
The four-year-old Frankel colt has not run since November when a creditable seventh of 18 in the Japan Cup.
“The horse is well,” said Chappet. “He was supposed to run three weeks ago in the Prix Ganay, but the ground was definitely a bit disgusting so we decided to wait.
“I’m happy and the horse is working well. This is his first time out since November and he is the only one in the race who hasn’t run yet this season. It isn’t the main target for this this year, but he will run well.”
Group Three winner Facteur Cheval completes the line-up.
Dan Evans branded his French Open defeat by Thanasi Kokkinakis “shocking” and hit out at officials for foot-faulting him at a key point in the first-round contest.
Evans finally won his first match at Roland Garros last year but could not achieve the same result here, going down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to big-hitting Kokkinakis – the player beaten by Andy Murray in an early morning Australian Open epic this year.
The British number two appeared to have turned the match around in the second set when he led 4-1 but, at 30-0 in the seventh game, he was foot-faulted for the unusual offence of his back foot crossing the centre line on serve by the line judge at the far end of the court.
Evans promptly lost four points in a row, slamming his water bottle to the ground in annoyance and earning a code violation, and he did not win another game in the set as the match slipped away.
The 33-year-old was clearly taken aback by the call, which he later said had never happened to him before.
“Disruptive, wrong, a few other things you could say about it,” said Evans. “It’s the game. But, once again, the players are held responsible, but the umpires and line judges are not held responsible. I’ll be getting fined, obviously, for breaking the water bottle.
“I obviously knew it was a rule but I tend to know where my feet are. It just totally threw me where I was then serving from. It was difficult from then on. I lost all trust in where my feet were. It’s a very minor thing, but it became a pretty big thing in my head.
“If they’re going to call that foot fault, it shouldn’t be from 35 metres away, from fence to fence through a net. That’s not the reason I lost, but I was right in the match at that point.”
Evans remains close to his highest ranking at 25 and has had some decent results this season, notably reaching the semi-finals on clay in Barcelona last month, but he has also lost his opening match at tournaments eight times and is currently on a four-match losing streak.
He will hope to turn things around on grass, where he has traditionally been strong, but he made no attempt to sugar-coat things.
“I’ve been very poor in the big tournaments this year,” he said. “Incredibly kind draw in Australia and I came through a few matches, but I’ve been poor in the Masters, one good tournament this year.
“I said the other day there’s some soul-searching. There will be plenty of that tonight.
“I’ve got to get on and try and get my game in a good spot. It’s shocking right now how I played today. The frustrating thing is I’m playing well in practice and then not putting it on the court.
“It’s a hard sport. That’s the bottom line. I’ve never missed a shot from inside the living room, and I’m guessing no one missed at home today. It’s just incredibly frustrating. I’ll keep going, trying, and get back practising.”
The defeat means Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper are the only British players left in the main singles draws, and Evans launched his latest broadside against the Lawn Tennis Association in his pre-tournament press conference on Friday, criticising the way young players are funded.
View this post on InstagramDavis Cup captain Leon Smith and LTA performance director Michael Bourne were both in the stands watching Evans, and he said: “The problem with it all is everybody takes it personally.
“It’s not anything personal. If you’re taking it personally, then maybe you’re guilty of what I’m saying. They were supporting me fine today.
“I voice my opinions because I want working-class kids to get the support they deserve. In any other sport, when people voice their opinions about a system, it goes forward, but, in tennis, because we’re so elitist in England, it doesn’t get put forward. I’m doing it for working-class people like I was.”
Tahiyra went one place better than her Newmarket second to scoop Classic glory with a dominant display in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas.
Unbeaten at two, Dermot Weld’s daughter of Siyouni was sent off the 6-4 favourite when coming up just short behind Mawj on the Rowley Mile earlier this month, but proved she is a filly of enormous quality to gain compensation on home soil.
She was even more popular with backers this time as the 2-5 favourite in the hands of regular partner Chris Hayes for the Curragh’s one-mile feature.
And there would have been a few nervous moments for supporters, as although Tahiyra was travelling smoothly throughout, she was penned in on the rail from her draw in stall one as the Aidan O’Brien pair of Breeders’ Cup heroine Meditate and Dower House dictated the pace.
Hayes masterfully angled out his filly with two furlongs left to run and soon set about accounting for old rival Meditate and having soon asserted her superiority once again over the Ballydoyle representative, she showed plenty of courage in the closing stages to match her undoubted talent as she was driven out for a one-and-a-half-length success.
It gave her handler and jockey back-to-back victories in the fillies’ Classic after Homeless Songs’ triumph 12 months ago and she could now head for Royal Ascot and a rematch with her Newmarket conqueror, with Paddy Power and Betfair making her a 7-4 chance for the Coronation Stakes.
Max Verstappen survived a rain shower and the looming threat of Fernando Alonso to secure an impressive victory at a one-sided Monaco Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who beat Alonso to pole position by just 0.084 seconds, kept his cool in the slippery conditions to lead Sunday’s 78-lap race, which lasted nearly two hours from start to finish, as he secured his fourth win of the season.
Alonso finished 27.9 seconds behind the Red Bull driver with Esteban Ocon third for Alpine, as the Frenchman claimed only the third podium of his career.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took advantage of the rain to cross the line in fourth and fifth respectively for Mercedes.
Sergio Perez started last after he crashed out of qualifying and finished 16th following a terrible race for the Mexican driver which included five pit stops.
With Perez failing to score, Verstappen extended his lead in the standings from 14 to 39 points after six rounds of 22.
A dreary race suddenly burst into life on lap 51 as it started spitting at Casino Square, through Mirabeau and on the entry into the tunnel.
Verstappen held a 10-second lead over Alonso but, despite the rain, Aston Martin hauled the Spaniard in for his first stop of the day and elected to send him out on the dry rubber.
However, the spots of rain became heavier and Verstappen – now on 52-lap old slick tyres – had to tippy-toe his way back to the pits.
“I have to drive super-slow because my tyres are f*****,” said Verstappen.
The Dutchman briefly lost control of his Red Bull on the entry to the tunnel, grazing the wall, before safely making it back to the pits to bolt on the intermediate tyres.
Aston Martin’s call to send Alonso out on the dry tyres afforded Verstappen some much-needed breathing space, with the Spaniard back in on the following lap for the intermediate rubber. He managed to hang on to second, but was now 22 seconds down the road.
A lap earlier, Mercedes and Alpine had been the first to move from dry to wet tyres, propelling Hamilton above Carlos Sainz and Russell ahead of Charles Leclerc. Ocon remained in third.
Sainz then became the first of the major players to spin – losing control of his Ferrari under braking at Mirabeau, kissing the wall, and dropping him down the order.
The rain continued to fall and the chaos continued. Russell was hit with a five-second penalty after he ran off the road, and rejoined in front of Perez, causing the two men to make contact.
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.
Up front and with Verstappen in control, Russell put the power down to ensure his penalty would have no effect on his result, and called on his Mercedes team to allow him past team-mate Hamilton to help his cause.
“I am just stuck right up Lewis’ gearbox here,” said Russell, but the Mercedes men did not trade positions. Russell took the chequered flag 10 seconds clear to keep fifth.
Leclerc finished sixth, one place ahead of Pierre Gasly, with Sainz eighth and Lando Norris ninth for McLaren.
Israel Folau was met with jeers from LGBTQ+ protesters as Eddie Jones’ Barbarians triumphed 48-42 on a rollercoaster afternoon at Twickenham.
Folau scored one try for the World XV and initiated a second with a dynamic run from deep, but his every involvement was the subject of boos from small pockets of fans.
The 34-year-old, a Christian fundamentalist, was sacked by Rugby Australia in 2019 because of a series of anti-gay social media posts, including one telling “homosexuals” that “hell awaits you”.
The Rugby Football Union reacted to his selection by World XV coach Steven Hansen by flying the pride flag on Twickenham’s roof and there were several rainbow flags evident in the 32,597 crowd.
Folau has switched national allegiance from Australia to Tonga and there is the expectation that the former rugby league star will face a similar reception during this autumn’s World Cup.
World XV backs Charles Piutau, Semi Radradra and Sbu Nkosi lit up the afternoon with their swashbuckling skills, but the Barbarians’ greater cohesion and influence of generals Quade Cooper and Gareth Anscombe.
Wales great Alun Wyn Jones, who announced his retirement from international rugby 10 days ago, led the Barbarians and while he completed the game he was off-target with two late conversions.
It was a successful return for Jones who was making his first appearance at Twickenham since being sacked by England in December.
Just Beautiful produced a fine performance to hand Paddy Twomey back-to-back victories in the Lanwades Stud Stakes at the Curragh.
It was also a third-straight success in the Group Two contest for jockey Billy Lee who had the Moyglare Stud-owned filly in the box seat throughout.
Having dictated terms on the front end, Lee had a willing partner when asking his mount to lengthen and although 1,250,000 guineas purchase Jumbly came home with an eyecatching run on debut for Joseph O’Brien, Just Beautiful was always in control to run out a cosy two-and-a-quarter-length scorer at odds of 4-1.
The winner holds an entry for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, but Twomey is keen to keep options open for his versatile mare.
He said: “I’m delighted for the filly, it’s great to get her back on track. We had an interrupted campaign last year and I asked Moyglare could they leave her with me.
“The fact she ran at all last year was amazing. She was third to Art Power on soft ground told us all we needed to know.
“She needed it the last day and on soft ground she can’t function.
“She’s in the Duke of Cambridge, but anything from six and a half to a mile on fast ground.”
Marta Kostyuk claimed French Open fans who booed her off court for refusing to shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka should feel embarrassed by their reaction.
There was particular interest in the opening clash of the tournament on Philippe Chatrier given Ukrainian Kostyuk has been the most outspoken critic both of allowing Russian and Belarusian players to continue competing and of athletes from those two countries for not speaking out against their nations.
Sabalenka knew Kostyuk would not shake her hand at the end of the match, and the Belarusian said in her pre-tournament press conference: “If she hates me, OK. I can’t do anything about that.”
The pair kept well apart ahead of the contest, not posing together for the usual pre-match picture, and at the end of the 6-3 6-2 victory for the second seed, Kostyuk walked to shake hands with the umpire before heading to her seat.
A section of the crowd began booing, startling Sabalenka, who appeared unsure whether the gesture was directed at her and bowed sarcastically, but the fans then cheered for her before jeering Kostyuk when she walked off.
Sabalenka said: “I couldn’t understand what’s going on. Because we all know Ukrainian girls will not shake hands with us, so it’s kind of not a surprise for us, but probably the public today was surprised. They saw it as disrespect to me.
“But at first I thought they were booing me. I spoke to my team, make sure that I understand it right. Then I was saying thank you to the public, I felt sorry for what I did at first.
“I was worried that people will be against me, and I don’t like to play when people are so much against me. The beginning was very emotional, but then I got through it and I started playing tennis and focusing on myself instead of the rest of the things.”
Sabalenka added she did not feel Kostyuk deserved to be booed, and the Ukrainian was clearly distinctly unimpressed by the reaction.
“I want to see people react to it in 10 years when the war is over,” said the 20-year-old. “I think they will not feel really nice about what they did. I didn’t expect it. People should be honestly embarrassed.”
Pushed by a Ukrainian journalist, Sabalenka went further than she has before towards condemning the war, saying: “Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. How can we support the war? Normal people will never support it.
“Why we have to go loud and say these things – this is like one plus one, it’s two. Of course we don’t support war. If it could affect anyhow the war, if it could stop it, we would do it. But, unfortunately, it’s not in our hands.”
Kostyuk still believes Sabalenka is not doing enough, though, saying: “She never says that she personally doesn’t support this war. I feel like you should ask these players who would they want to win the war because, if you ask this question, I’m not so sure these people will say that they want Ukraine to win.
“She should talk for herself, I think, first of all. Then talk about all the other athletes because I personally know athletes from tennis that support the war.”
Kostyuk rejects the idea Russian and Belarusian athletes are in a tricky position, saying: “I don’t know why it’s a difficult situation for her.
“She might be world number one after this tournament and she’s going to be world number one in one of the most known sports in the world. Just by speaking out, I think she can just send a message because most of these people (in Russia and Belarus), they haven’t even ever left the country.
“She said that I hate her. I never said publicly nor privately nor to anyone that I hate Aryna Sabalenka or any of the players. I just don’t respect her because of her position in this situation.
“I don’t know what other players are afraid of. I go back to Ukraine where I can die any second from drones or missiles, and I try to go back there as much as I can.”
Kostyuk and other Ukrainian players have been vocal about what they perceive as a lack of support from the WTA amid locker room tensions.
Wimbledon organisers and the Lawn Tennis Association announced last month following the lifting of the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes that players from Ukraine will be given free accommodation and access to practice facilities during the summer grass-court swing.
“Obviously, it’s nice, and it helps,” said Kostyuk, who is currently living in Monaco along with her mother and sister, while her father and grandfather remain in Kyiv.
“Obviously, no one can understand what we are going through. It’s unexplainable. It just makes me believe that there are good people in this world left.
“I just hope that someone like the UK will not grant visas (to Russians and Belarusians) and they will not be able to enter the country and they will not play.”
Luxembourg held off Bay Bridge to make every yard in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore.
A Group One winner at two, he was well fancied for last year’s Derby after finishing third in the 2000 Guineas but missed out on the summer months with a setback.
He made up for lost time in the second half of his three-year-old campaign by winning the Royal Whip over course and distance before adding the Irish Champion Stakes, accounting for a high-class cast at Leopardstown.
Only fifth on his seasonal bow in the Mooresbridge Stakes, the real Luxembourg was on show on Sunday afternoon.
Sent off at 11-4, with French raider and old rival Vadeni the 11-8 market leader, the son of Camelot was immediately sent to the front by Ryan Moore where he remained until the winning post.
Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge was content to track the pace in the early stages and was building up momentum as the runners headed up the home straight.
Although short of room passing the two-furlong pole, Richard Kingscote was soon able to edge his mount into clear daylight and they set about laying down a stern challenge to Luxembourg in the closing stages.
But the Ballydoyle representative refused to give in and remained half a length clear as the duo flashed past the winning post, a performance that saw Luxembourg shortened to 3-1 from 10s for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot with both Paddy Power and Betfair.
Aidan O’Brien’s Matrika looks to be Royal Ascot-bound following an ultra-professional display on debut at the Curragh.
Sent off at 6-1 for the opening Tally Ho Stud Irish EBF Fillies Maiden, the daughter of No Nay Never was always travelling powerfully in the hands of Ryan Moore and ran out a taking three-quarters of a length winner, with Grand Job (second) and Mysteries (third) keeping on to fill the podium spots.
The winner will now get the chance to replicate her half-brother The Wow Signal, who was a scorer at the Royal meeting, as she was handed a quote of 6-1 for the Albany Stakes by Betfair and Paddy Power.
“She’s so lazy at home that she’s been wearing blinkers the last few weeks in work,” said O’Brien.
“We had them (declared) on, but then took them off at the last minute as we said we couldn’t run her first time in them. Wayne (Lordan) rides her every day and said to leave them off her for her first run.
“She’s so lazy at home, that’s why she hasn’t run until now. She’s a well-bred filly and is a sister to The Wow Signal.”
He added: “We’ll have a look at something like the Albany with her. We’ll leave them (blinkers) off her for the moment, but she is better with them on!”
A frustrated Dan Evans was beaten in straight sets by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round of the French Open.
Evans finally won his first match at Roland Garros last year but could not achieve the same result here, going down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to the powerful Australian in hot and lively conditions.
The British number two appeared to have turned the match around in the second set when he led 4-1 but, at 30-0 in the next game, he was faulted for his foot crossing the centre line.
Evans promptly lost four points in a row, slamming his water bottle to the ground in annoyance and earning a code violation, and he did not win another game in the set as the match slipped away.
He gave himself a chance by breaking Kokkinakis, the player beaten by Andy Murray from two sets down in the early hours of the morning at the Australian Open, to pull himself back to 4-4 in the third set.
But Evans promptly dropped serve again and Kokkinakis did not allow him a second chance.
The 33-year-old’s defeat means Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper are the only British players left in the singles main draws.
Boston Celtics hero Derrick White said "It just had to be won" after his buzzer-beating tip-in forced the Eastern Conference finals to Game 7, as Jayson Tatum added: "That s*** was crazy!"
From 3-0 down against the Miami Heat, the Celtics have fought back to 3-3 in the series, and are now just one win away from making history.
White grabbed and then sank the rebound from Marcus Smart's failed three-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining to seal a 104-103 victory in Miami on Saturday.
The Celtics are now on the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA playoffs history, needing a win at home in Game 7 on Monday to become the first team to win a series after losing the first three games.
Boston are only the fourth NBA team to erase a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series to force a deciding game.
Reflecting on the game-winning moment, Tatum told reporters: "I'm still, like, in disbelief. That s*** was crazy.
"That felt like the longest 10 seconds ever waiting for confirmation if he made it or not."
White told TNT: "It had to be won. Whatever it takes, our backs against our wall, it just had to be won.
"We're a resilient group. We pick each other up, we bond for each other.
"The job isn't done yet, we've got a tough one Game 7, we've got to find a way to get one more win."
White had tears sparkling in his eyes, but explained: "I'm just happy. So far, so good."
It is just the second time in league history that a player has hit a buzzer-beater when his team was down and facing elimination, after Michael Jordan's legendary "The Shot", way back in 1989.
"Derrick White, like a flash of lightning, just came out of nowhere and saved the day, man," team-mate Jaylen Brown added. "An incredible play."
The Heat can only lick their wounds as they head to Boston for Monday's winner-takes-all matchup.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said: "It's a seven-game series. There's nothing better than Game 7s.
"I don't know how we're going to get this done, but we're going to go out there and get it done, and that's what the next 48 hours is about.
"There's been nothing easy about this season for our group, and so we just have to do it the hard way."
Jimmy Butler did his best for Miami, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
"We've got to go on the road and do something special, but we've got a special group," Butler said.
It has been 52 years since Mill Reef won the Betfred Derby from Park House Stables, but Andrew Balding is dreaming of ending the Kingsclere’s long wait for another Epsom champion with Dante hero The Foxes.
Balding of course landed the opening Classic of the season when Chaldean triumphed in the 2000 Guineas, but is still searching for his first win in the calendar’s premier contest having gone close with both Khalifa Sat in 2020 and Hoo Ya Mal 12 months ago.
Not only would a victory for The Foxes provide Balding with a first Derby success, it would be a first British Classic triumph for owners King Power Racing, the racing arm of the owners of Leicester City Football Club.
King Power Racing’s founder Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2018 and not only is Balding keen to restore Kingsclere into the story of the Derby, he believes a triumph for The Foxes would be a “fitting tribute to a great man” and a great supporter of the yard.
He said: “We have a rich Derby heritage here at Park House Stables and it has been quiet for more than 50 years now. It is something we want to put right one day and hopefully The Foxes is that horse.
“It is a wonderful race with a rich history that is ever evolving. There is a new chapter every year written about it and it would be lovely to think he could headline that next chapter.
“King Power Racing have been extremely good to me since they started and they have given me strong support since they became involved in racing.
“He (Srivaddhanaprabha) had a huge vision and this would have given him immense satisfaction as the whole thing was to play at the highest level.
“To have had a horse that is a worthy contender for the Derby is what he set out to try and achieve. I’m sure he would be very proud and it would be a fitting tribute to a great man if he did win a Derby.”
Balding has saddled 10 runners in the Derby since he began his training career and although twice taking home a silver medal and also seeing Kameko sent off favourite on the Surrey Downs in 2020, he considers The Foxes to be the stable’s best chance yet of claiming the top prize.
He continued: “From the two that were second – Khalifa Sat and Hoo Ya Mal – The Foxes goes in there with far better credentials than they had. Kameko started the race favourite, and he deserved to be, as he was a 2000 Guineas winner but as history now tells us he didn’t stay.
“Bangkok went there as a Sandown Classic Trial winner and he went there as a lively outsider, but I think this is the best chance we have had.”
Passenger will be supplemented at a cost of £85,000 for the Betfred Derby on Monday morning, Sir Michael Stoute has said.
The master trainer, who landed the Epsom Classic with Desert Crown last year, will be represented in Saturday’s mile-and-a-half showpiece by the fast-improving Ulysses colt, who was denied a clear run in the Dante Stakes at York.
Passenger, owned by the Niarchos family, made a taking debut when scoring in a mile maiden at Newmarket on April 20.
He was withdrawn from the Dee Stakes at Chester due to heavy ground so connections paid £14,000 to supplement the colt into the Group Two Dante on the Knavesmire.
Upped to an extended 10 furlongs and racing keenly early on his second start, jockey Richard Kingscote found his path blocked when attempting to mount a challenge two furlongs from home.
Once seeing daylight, the 9-4 favourite stayed on nicely and forced a dead-heat for third, just a length and a half behind The Foxes, who enjoyed the run of the race.
Passenger, currently 5-1 third-favourite with the sponsors, will bid to give Stoute a seventh Derby success following victories with Shergar (1981), Shahrastani (1986), Kris Kin (2003), North Light (2004), Workforce (2010) and Desert Crown.
He “worked nicely” in a mile workout on the Al Bahathri Polytrack in Newmarket on Saturday morning, according to Stoute, who confirmed: “We are planning to supplement him for the Derby in the morning.”
Desert Crown, returning from 11 months off after the Derby, saw his colours lowered for the first time when the fast-finishing Hukum overhauled him in the last few strides of the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown on Thursday evening.
Stoute added: “He’s all right. He did everything right until the last hundred yards when he tied up a bit.”
The Milwaukee Bucks are finalising a deal to make Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin the franchise’s next head coach, multiple media outlets reported on Saturday.
He will replace Mike Budenholzer after his five-year stint in Milwaukee ended with the top-seeded Bucks losing to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.
Griffin, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant in Toronto, takes over a team that finished the season with an NBA-best 58-24 record and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
According to ESPN, Bucks talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo met with each of the three finalists – Griffin, former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson – before general manager Jon Horst made his final decision.
Griffin began his coaching career in Milwaukee, where he was an assistant under Scott Skiles from 2008-10. He was also an assistant with the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder before joining the Raptors' staff.
The 48-year-old won an NBA title in 2019 with the Raptors after Toronto eliminated Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.
Griffin played for five franchises during his nine-year career on the court and was a part of the Dallas Mavericks' run to the Finals in 2006.
Replacing Budenholzer with Griffin is likely just the first move in a key offseason for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo has two years left on his deal but will be eligible for a contract extension in September.
Brook Lopez is a free agent, and Khris Middleton could also test the market if he declines his $40.4 million player option for next season.
Alex Goode admits Saracens’ Gallagher Premiership title success was driven by the regret of “not throwing a punch” during last year’s meek Twickenham final defeat.
Swashbuckling Sarries produced a high-tempo display to overcome spirited Sale 35-25 and make amends for their limp, last-gasp loss to Leicester at the same stage in 2022.
Saturday afternoon’s enthralling climax to the campaign was a milestone moment for Mark McCall’s men as they clinched silverware for the first time since being relegated for salary cap breaches three years ago.
Long-serving full-back Goode says the six-time champions were determined to avoid suffering frustration for a second successive season, having failed to score a try in a forgettable 15-12 reverse against the Tigers.
“The feeling of winning drives a lot of people,” said the former England international. “I love it. It’s really special.
“It was really disappointing for us last year with what happened. We set out in pre-season to make sure that we didn’t get that feeling again, not throwing a punch in a big game.
“We didn’t give the best account of ourselves and (this year) it was a really great example of doing what we’ve done all year and keep playing and keep going.
“We saw some of the best rugby we’ve played all year.
“There was some brilliant defence at the end but before that it was the courage and bravery to keep playing.”
Saracens ended a fragmented first half disrupted by a Just Stop Oil protest and injuries to Jamie George and Sean Maitland 20-13 ahead following a penalty try and a Max Malins score.
Sale hit back to briefly lead 25-23 after Tom Roebuck and Bevan Rodd added to Akker van der Merwe’s first-half try before Elliot Daly and Ivan van Zyl crossed to see Sarries home on a scorching afternoon in south-west London.
Goode praised the influence of Saracens and England captain Owen Farrell, who kicked 13 points en route to being named man of the match.
“He’s playing unbelievably well but he’s always been a huge big-match player,” said Goode. “How many finals has he got man of the match?
“He’s a competitor and it’s a joy to play with him when you know he’s going to stand up and be counted and take the fight to them.”
Underdogs Sale threatened to spring a surprise in only the club’s second Premiership final after finishing the regular season five points behind their table-topping opponents.
While the Sharks were unable to emulate the feat of the club’s victorious 2006 side, they produced an encouraging performance in the capital containing a standout display from Manu Tuilagi.
Director of rugby Alex Sanderson believes England centre Tuilagi is peaking at the right time moving towards this autumn’s World Cup in France.
“Manu’s playing his best rugby,” said Sanderson. “He’s at his most robust.
“We said this was the aim two-and-a-half years ago for him to be playing his best rugby going into the World Cup and we’ve achieved that.
“But he is just one of 22, 23 players that I’m immensely proud of.”
Sale captain Jono Ross, who played his last match before retirement, believes the club have exciting times ahead.
“I think it’s the start of an era,” said the South African back-rower.
“I don’t see why this team can’t be here fighting for titles year in, year out.
“There’s a lot of youth in this group and sometimes youth is ignorance. They all took it in their stride, very relaxed before the game, no-one seemed overawed. I think this team will grow.”
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