Casper Ruud and Holger Rune are closing in on a French Open rematch after both reached the fourth round on Saturday.

The pair contested a heated late-night quarter-final 12 months ago, with Ruud triumphing in four sets before Rune accused him of a “lack of class” for celebrating in his face, something the Norwegian denied.

They have played once since, in Rome a couple of weeks ago, when Rune gained some revenge, and will be favoured to clash in the last eight once again.

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Ruud went on to reach his first grand slam final here last year and then repeated the feat at the US Open, although he came out on the losing side both times.

This season has been a struggle by contrast but there are signs the 24-year-old is starting to find his form and he recovered from a set down to beat China’s Zhang Zhizhen 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-4.

“My level is getting better,” said Ruud. “I still feel like there are things I can improve and I can make less errors than I have done in some moments in my matches.

“So I still feel like there is a level that I haven’t played yet that I can bring out, and I will need to bring out now going into the second week, for sure.

“I’m very happy with being through the first three matches. It’s tough. For me this year it’s been much more pressure, obviously, compared to last year.”

Last year’s tournament was Rune’s breakthrough, and the young Dane has maintained his momentum, breaking into the top 10 and twice beating Novak Djokovic.

The 20-year-old is particularly strong on clay and he swatted aside Argentinian qualifier Genaro Alberto Olivieri 6-4 6-1 6-3.

Rune has only had to play two matches so far having been given a walkover by Gael Monfils in the second round.

“Luckily I haven’t used too much unnecessary energy during the tournament so far,” he said. “I’m in the fourth round and I can play better, so it’s a good thing. But obviously the matches are going to get harder and harder from now so I have to step up also.”

Next he faces Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, who is through to the fourth round of a slam for the first time after upsetting eighth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6 6-3 6-4 7-5.

American Fritz was booed onto court after his shushing of the crowd on Thursday night but that had turned to cheers by the time he walked off.

Cerundolo was joined in the last 16 by countryman Tomas Etcheverry, who knocked out 15th seed Borna Coric 6-3 7-6 (5) 6-2, while 27th seed Yoshihito Nishioka ended the run of Daniil Medvedev’s conqueror Thiago Seyboth Wild in a five-set tussle.

Lewis Hamilton accused George Russell of “dangerous” driving after the Mercedes team-mates collided at 200mph in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s race from pole position ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz with British driver Lando Norris an impressive third for McLaren.

Hamilton lines up in fifth place despite a bizarre coming together with Russell, who qualified 12th, on the main straight at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

As both Mercedes men started their hot laps in the closing moments of Q2, Hamilton moved to his left and out of Russell’s tow to assume the racing line for the first right-hander corner.

But the seven-time world champion was forced to take to the grass after Russell, pre-occupied with Sainz ahead of him, closed the door.

Hamilton kicked up dirt from the grass, while his right front-wing endplate flew off following contact with Russell.

“George just backed off,” said Hamilton over the radio. “That is really dangerous. He pulled over to the left. I might have some damage on the car.”

Although Hamilton’s time was good enough to progress to Q3, and limp back to the pits for repairs, Russell was eliminated.

“You didn’t tell me there was a car behind,” said Russell. “I don’t know what the hell was going on in that session. The car was bouncing. I couldn’t get my tyres working.”

Both Mercedes drivers were summoned to to see the stewards to explain their version of events.

Hamilton, 38, revealed he cleared the air with Russell, 25, after he moved to draw a line under their first coming together as team-mates.

“It was just a misunderstanding,” said Hamilton. “I have spoken to George. I went and shook his hand and that was it.”

The Mercedes drivers were closer on track than desired after Russell aborted his previous lap.

“Lewis was not aware that I was starting a quick lap,” said Russell. “I was looking ahead to get the slipstream from Sainz.

“It was not something that either driver necessarily did wrong, but within the team it shouldn’t happen and the communication should have been better towards us.”

Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – in the paddock on Saturday as a pundit for Sky Sports – collided on the opening lap here at the peak of their acrimonious relationship in 2016.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff threatened Hamilton and Rosberg with a ban if they collided again.

And the Austrian was asked if Saturday’s qualifying collision between his current drivers evoked memories of that race in Spain seven years ago.

“No, it wasn’t shades of 2016,” he said, with a wry smile. “I wish we were in the situation of 2016 where we’re so quick.

“But it shouldn’t happen. Team-mates should never collide – and even with another car, you should never collide in qualifying.

“Lewis saw it as his last opportunity and didn’t think that George was on that line. It looks silly, but it wasn’t, it was just a miscommunication.

“This is a team effort and we need to review our communications to avoid it in the future.”

With Mercedes tripping over one another, Verstappen, who finished four tenths clear of Sainz, will be favourite to convert pole into his fifth victory from seven rounds this year.

Verstappen heads Sergio Perez by 39 points in the standings, but his Red Bull team-mate starts only 11th after he fell off the road.

It was a qualifying session to forget for Charles Leclerc, too, as he could manage only 19th of the 20 runners. Home favourite Fernando Alonso lines up ninth on the grid.

Mirra Andreeva admitted she feared being defaulted from the French Open during her third-round defeat by Coco Gauff in their teenage battle in Paris.

It was one of the most anticipated clashes of the tournament so far, with Gauff taking on a player younger than her for just the third time in her senior career.

Sixteen-year-old Andreeva swept through qualifying before dropping just six games in her first two rounds at her debut grand slam.

Gauff and Andreeva’s combined age is younger than Novak Djokovic, and the 19-year-old American looked like she could lose to a player her junior for the first time.

But Andreeva was unable to sustain the level she showed in winning the first set and bowed out with a 6-7 (5) 6-1 6-1 defeat.

There were moments of youthful petulance from Andreeva that she will need to stamp out, though, particularly an incident late in the tie-break when she swiped a ball angrily into the crowd.

She earned a code violation but was fortunate she did not hurt a spectator, which could have seen her disqualified.

“Right after I thought that it was a really stupid move from me, because it was not necessary to do that,” she said. “It was really bad what I did. I had thoughts like this (a potential default), but he just gave me a warning.”

The Russian is undoubtedly a player of huge potential and she more than matched Gauff during a high-class first set full of fierce shot-making and court craft.

Andreeva admitted she let her head drop, saying: “It was a tough first set. We broke each other a lot of times. I was just playing.

“It’s not enough to win one set to win a match. I was trying to play but something didn’t work out and I got disappointed, upset, and not really was thinking about the match. I was thinking about my mistakes. I went too deep in this.

“After the first set I won, I realised that I can really win this match. Then I got a little bit nervous not to lose this opportunity.”

Andreeva is limited in the number of tournaments she can play because of her age and expects her next event to be Wimbledon qualifying – providing her UK visa comes through in time.

Although Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete this year, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has also spoken about a delay in receiving her visa.

If it was not for her nationality, Andreeva could have been a strong candidate for a Wimbledon wild card based on her performance in Paris.

“I didn’t play on grass yet,” she said. “It can be my first time. I’m excited about it because I have never tried it. So, if I can go there, we will see what I can do.”

Gauff reached her first slam singles final here 12 months ago and broke into the top 10 but this season has been tricky and she will take confidence from the way she turned the match around.

Gauff knows better than anyone the position Andreeva is in, and she said: “Mirra’s super young and she has a big future. I remember I was here playing at 16 years old so she has a lot to look forward to. I’m sure you’ll see a lot more matches between us.”

The tournament lost one of its title favourites before the start of the day when Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina withdrew through illness, revealing she had been struggling with a virus for two days.

The 23-year-old appeared to be the biggest obstacle to Iga Swiatek reaching another final having won all three matches between them this season.

The world number one was in ruthless form on Philippe Chatrier, defeating an opponent 6-0 6-0 for the fourth time in her career and first at a grand slam.

China’s Wang Xinyu was the unfortunate recipient as Swiatek hit top form at Roland Garros – four of the six sets she has played so far this year have now been bagels.

Swiatek has gained a reputation for the number of sets she wins easily, and social media was awash with talk of her ‘bagel factory’.

“I don’t want to really talk about that,” said the 22-year-old. “I really get why people do that, because it’s fun and tennis is entertainment and everything. But, from the players’ point of view, I want to be respectful to my opponents.”

Meanwhile, the seventh prime-time night session on Sunday will belatedly feature a women’s match for the first time, with Sabalenka’s clash against former finalist Sloane Stephens selected for the slot.

Organisers have again come under fire after only picking one women’s match across the fortnight last year.

Torito ran out a stylish winner of the first-ever Betfred Lester Piggott Handicap at Epsom on Saturday.

Epsom announced earlier this week the 10-furlong contest would be renamed to permanently honour one of the track’s greatest sons, and John and Thady Gosden’s colt triumphed in the manner of a smart operator.

Second to Ralph Beckett’s Derby runner Artistic Star at Sandown last time and holding an entry for the blue riband himself throughout the spring, the son of Kingman was given a fine ride by Benoit De La Sayette on his handicap bow.

Despite only hitting the front entering the final furlong, he had long looked the winner travelling smoothly in the hands of De La Sayette – who was happy to just keep the momentum going aboard the three-year-old and steering him in the right direction – with the 4-1 joint second favourite scoring by the best part of three lengths to book a possible trip to Royal Ascot.

John Gosden said: “It was nice ride and he had him in the perfect position where Lester (Piggott) would have told you to be, which is fourth or fifth with one horse inside you and only two wide to save ground so you could move where you want to. It was the perfect Piggott ride.

“They all get put in (the Derby) as yearlings so you can never read into a Derby entry as they are put in for £600 as a yearling, but look I like him and we will see if we can go to Royal Ascot. He will get bumped up a few pounds for that, but hopefully it won’t be mad.

“It was good form (he had coming into the race), but he has handled the ground well and I’m very pleased.”

Earlier, 8-1 shot Tatterstall was to the fore from the moment the stalls opened when landing the Aston Martin 3YO “Dash” Handicap for Michael Dods.

The son of Bungle Inthejungle was ridden by Conor Beasley, who said: “He had good speed and we had a good draw so we put that to good use. He’s won really nicely and it’s nice to get a winner on Derby day.”

Chloe Dods, representing her father added: “We thought he had a nice chance. He hung when winning on his first run at Wolverhampton, and then at York he was only beaten about two and three-quarter lengths.

“This was the obvious race to come for, and he likes the ground. Connor (Beasley) said he got headed, but he battled back.”

Eve Johnson Houghton’s Sheer Rocks (11-2) followed up his win at Ascot to down track specialist and 9-4 favourite Caius Chorister in the Rio Ferdinand Foundation Northern Dancer Handicap, while Hollie Doyle and Ruth Carr’s Badri (10-1) combined to claim the concluding JRA Tokyo Trophy Handicap.

When you have won the Betfred Derby nine times, you might start to run out of superlatives. But Aidan O’Brien believes the victory of Auguste Rodin at Epsom was arguably his most important as a trainer.

Cynics may point to the fact that O’Brien is bound to say that – his job, as well as training elite thoroughbreds, is to create the next great stallion.

However, there is no disputing the fact Auguste Rodin is not a run-of-the-mill Derby winner. His sire, Deep Impact, was arguably the greatest racehorse Japan has ever seen while his dam, Rhododendron, was a three-time Group One winner and second to Enable in the Oaks, making her among the best mares produced by champion sire Galileo.

O’Brien made no secret Auguste Rodin was not an ordinary colt, and in the spring was quoted as saying if he ever had a horse capable of winning the Triple Crown, this was it. Unfortunately the dream fell at the first hurdle in the 2000 Guineas when Auguste Rodin could only finish 12th of the 14 runners.

The trainer was happy to believe that run was too bad to be true and he proved that in no uncertain terms, running down outsider King Of Steel in the closing stages, with the pair well clear.

O’Brien said: “It’s been unusual with this horse from the very start, from when John (Magnier) and everyone decided to send a maiden mare all the way to Japan to be covered.

“Then when she was scanned in foal with a colt, all the way through there’s been hype and expectation.

“In all our measurements he was hitting the top all the way, that is very difficult for any horse but he did all the way, even before he came to Ballydoyle.

“I remember Ryan (Moore) coming to Ballydoyle in February when he was two and sitting on him and he said then that he was very special, so the expectation got even higher.

“He had a lovely run first time, won his next three and was then put away for the Guineas. We always thought the Guineas would be his toughest assignment so everything needed to fall right.”

Of course it did not. On soft ground Auguste Rodin never looked happy and a collision with stablemate Little Big Bear meant he never got involved. The fact Little Big Bear was able to bounce back from his own disappointment last week at Haydock will no doubt have given the team some hope, though.

“Two days before the Guineas everything started going the other way. His flight was cancelled so he had to fly the day before instead of the morning and circumstances just went against him, so we were happy to say it was a non-event,” said O’Brien

“That meant there was more pressure on him but we had to keep the faith. It was the acid test coming here today.

“We felt he was the most special horse we’ve ever had because he was out of one the best ever Galileo mares and out of the greatest ever Japanese stallion.

“I did feel some pressure because usually these days, they only go the one way and usually the more you want it to happen, the more they go the other way. We knew there were a lot of things out of our control that could go against him today, there were so many variables today especially that people were trying to control that could get out of control (the protests) – it was a worry for everyone involved.

“There was so much going on before the race but when this happens, I’m just so grateful.”

O’Brien, trainer of the likes of Galileo, Rock Of Gibraltar, Giant’s Causeway, Australia and Camelot, went on to say: “I’d say he’s the most important horse ever for us because he’s out of Rhododendron. She was one of the best Galileo mares and he’s out of the best Japanese stallion ever and we all know what is happening in Japan and we’re connecting that with the best of our breeding.

“This horse has everything. He has temperament, he has movement, he has a personality – he’s probably the most important horse we’ve ever had I’d say, because he brings the two continents together and it’s not fake ability, it’s pure ability. It’s so exciting, really.

“And how special was Rhododendron, we brought her here to the Oaks thinking she couldn’t get beat and then she ran into Enable, I mean could you believe you’d run into a horse like Enable!”

As usual in racing the question very quickly then turns to what next, but in this case it appears the Irish Derby at the Curragh appears logical.

“Obviously he’ll have the Curragh option but the lads will make the decision after seven to 10 days when we see how they are, Ryan will have an input, too,” said O’Brien.

“The great thing is he came out of Newmarket brilliant, so if he comes out of this as well they should be able to make a quick decision, the Curragh would be an obvious choice but we’ll see.

“I’d say he could travel, I’d say he will love that, he’s a pure 10-12 furlong horse. The Guineas would have bene fine had things fallen for him but it might be a blessing in disguise because we might be looking at the St Leger now, he’s free of all that now. There are no shackles now, the lads can do whatever they want.”

Lewis Hamilton collided with Mercedes team-mate George Russell as Max Verstappen raced to pole position for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton will start fifth following a bizarre coming together with Russell, who lines up in 12th, at the end of Q2 at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

Verstappen finished four tenths clear of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with Lando Norris an impressive third for McLaren.

Pierre Gasly took fourth spot for Alpine, one place ahead of Hamilton, who was half-a-second back, with home favourite Fernando Alonso only ninth in his Aston Martin.

Hamilton had to take on a replacement front wing for Q3 after he made contact with Russell in the closing stages of Q2.

With both Mercedes men starting their hot laps, Hamilton moved out of Russell’s tow at 210mph on the main straight.

But the seven-time world champion was forced to take to the grass after his team-mate, who was making his way past Sainz’s Ferrari, unintentionally, closed the door on him.

Hamilton kicked up dirt from the grass as part of his front wing flew off his Mercedes.

“George just backed off,” said Hamilton over the radio. “That is really dangerous. I might have some damage on the car.”

Although Hamilton’s time was good enough to progress to Q3, Russell was eliminated in 12th.

“You didn’t tell me there was a car behind,” said Russell. “I don’t know what the hell was going on in this session. The car was bouncing. I couldn’t get my tyres working.

Russell will start one place behind Perez after the Red Bull driver also failed to make it out of Q2.

Perez is Verstappen’s closest challenger in the championship but a week on from his horror show in Monaco where he finished 16th and two laps down, he qualified only 11th here.

The Mexican ran through the gravel and, although he managed to keep his Red Bull out of the wall, his next lap was not quick enough to carry him through to Q3.

“Unbelievable,” said Perez.

On an afternoon of shock results, Charles Leclerc, who started this race from pole position last year, will line last but one on the grid.

Leclerc complained about the rear of his Ferrari and finished above only Williams rookie Logan Sargeant in the order.

“I don’t have the answers for now,” said Leclerc following his early bath. “The only thing I can say is the left-hand corners were undriveable.”

Q1 was suspended by nine minutes following multiple spins on a track drying out after earlier rain.

Alex Albon, Nyck de Vries, Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas all ran off the road, and with gravel on the asphalt, race director Niels Wittich red-flagged the session.

Navello took advantage of the perfect run up the Epsom straight to prevail in a thrilling finish to the Aston Martin “Dash” Handicap.

Trained by George Boughey, the four-year-old was a 25-1 chance for the race billed as the fastest five-furlong race in the world despite scoring at Thirsk only two starts ago.

Andrea Atzeni always had his mount travelling strongly tracking the typically strong pace set by those at the head of proceedings and the gaps opened up at the right time, allowing the Italian rider to steer his mount into the ideal spot to mount a challenge inside the final furlong.

In contrast, Clifford Lee had to bide his time aboard runner-up Silky Wilky as he saw his progress repeatedly stunted as the race developed and although flashing home to force a photo finish, it was not enough to stop Navello registering a short-head success ahead of the Middleham Park Racing-owned duo of Silky Wilky (second) and Clarendon House (third).

Boughey said: “ This has been a bit of a long-term plan. He likes fast ground and he is improving. The strong pace really does suit him, but he’s hit the line well. He doesn’t quite get six, but he gets a stiff five and you can’t get much stiffer than here.

“Andrea felt the whole way through he was the best horse, although he couldn’t see what was coming up the rail. It was a nervy last minute, but good all the same.

“There is nothing really for him at Ascot, but he could go to Goodwood – a similar fast five.”

British Horseracing Authority chief executive Julie Harrington condemned the “reckless and dangerous” actions of a protester who ran on to the Epsom track after the Betfred Derby had started.

The protester broke on to the home straight in the early stages of the race, but was quickly pursued by police and security staff. Moments later 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 finishing line.

Animal Rising had threatened to “cancel or severely delay” the Derby, but the premier Classic went ahead as planned, with Auguste Rodin securing victory for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore.

Harrington thanked the police and security teams for their speedy response, but criticised the behaviour of the protester involved.

A statement said: “We strongly condemn the actions of the individual who ran onto the track after the Betfred Derby had started.

“Despite Animal Rising having previously stated on multiple occasions that they would do nothing to jeopardise the safety of horses and riders, this reckless and dangerous behaviour did exactly that and I am grateful to Epsom’s security team for their swift response to ensure the race could be completed safely.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the staff at the Jockey Club and my colleagues at the BHA, who have worked tirelessly to ensure the Derby could be staged safely, and to the race’s participants who cooperated fully during what were shortened preliminaries. I also want to thank Surrey Police for their decisive actions ahead of the Derby.”

The Jockey Club was granted a High Court injunction against the activist group last week and chief executive Nevin Truesdale underlined the intention to enforce that.

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.”

Police arrested 31 protesters attempting to disrupt Derby, including 12 in the grounds.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “We can confirm that 31 people have been arrested in connection with planned criminal activity at the Epsom Derby Festival this afternoon.

“Eleven people were arrested at addresses in Mitcham and Byfleet in the early hours, following warrants based on intelligence received ahead of the Epsom Derby Festival. A further eight people were arrested after their vehicle was stopped on Canons Lane in Burgh Heath at around 10.20am this morning.

“All were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and remain in police custody.

“A total of 12 people have been arrested within the Epsom Downs racecourse since the event began this morning, also in connection with planned criminal activity.

“One man was arrested after he ran onto the racetrack after a race had started. He was quickly removed by event security and police officers, meaning the race was not disrupted.”

Chief Superintendent Clive Davies said: “Our officers and event security responded quickly and decisively after a man ran on to the racetrack after a race had begun.

“We will not tolerate criminal behaviour which puts lives in danger, including those of the animals, jockeys, security staff and our officers.”

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.”

Coco Gauff fought off the challenge of 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva to reach round four on Saturday while the French Open lost one of its favourites to illness.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina withdrew minutes before she was due to take to Philippe Chatrier to face Sara Sorribes Tormo, revealing she was struggling with a virus.

Gauff and Andreeva’s combined age is younger than Novak Djokovic, and the American teenager looked like she could lose to a player her junior for the first time in her senior career.

But Andreeva was unable to sustain the level she showed in winning the first set and ended her debut grand slam with a 6-7 (5) 6-1 6-1 defeat.

The Russian is undoubtedly a player of huge potential, though, and she more than matched Gauff during a high-class first set full of fierce shot-making.

The 19-year-old, who was facing a younger opponent for just the third time, served for it at 5-4 but Andreeva broke back and then converted a lead in the tie-break.

There were moments of youthful petulance from Andreeva that she will need to stamp out, particularly an incident late in the tie-break when she swiped a ball angrily into the crowd.

She earned a code violation but was fortunate she did not hurt a spectator, which could have seen her defaulted.

Top seed Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, defeated an opponent 6-0 6-0 for the fourth time in her career and first at a grand slam.

China’s Wang Xinyu was the unfortunate recipient as Swiatek hit top form at Roland Garros – four of the six sets she has played so far this year have now been bagels.

The major barrier to the Pole reaching the final appeared to be a projected last-four clash with Rybakina, who she has lost to three times this season.

Explaining her withdrawal, the fourth seed 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 Swiatek.

“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.

Meanwhile, the seventh prime-time night session on Sunday will belatedly feature a women’s match for the first time, with Sabalenka’s clash against former finalist Sloane Stephens selected for the slot.

Organisers have again come under fire after only picking one women’s match across the fortnight last year.

Roger Varian was left with a sense of Classic deja vu after his 66-1 outsider King Of Steel come close to becoming the first horse since since Shaamit in 1996 to win the Betfred Derby on their first start at three.

The Carlburg Stables handler had seen Kingston Hill suffer a similar fate when hunted down by Australia in 2014 and had to settle for a silver medal once again as this time it was Aidan O’Brien’s Auguste Rodin who showed his class to pass the imposing Amo Racing-owned colt in the closing stages. It was second runner-up finish for the Amo colours, too, after Mojo Star in 2021.

Varian admitted his mind flashed back to his Derby near-miss nine years ago when King Of Steel hit the front in the hands of Kevin Stott and although disappointed his charge could not hold on to give both trainer and jockey their first victory in the premier Classic, he took comfort from the fact his lofty opinion of the horse has been vindicated.

He said: “I knew he was good. I’m gutted, but that’s horse racing. Hopefully, he’ll come out of the race OK and he’s a very good horse. Credit to the winner though, who is a very good horse.

“I never thought I had it, as I’d been in the same position in 2014 with Kingston Hill, who was clear of the field but you could just see Australia coming to us. Again, I could just see Auguste Rodin coming to us. I hoped when he got to us we would find a bit more, but he ran huge – he’s a very good horse.”

The strapping son of Wootton Bassett failed to make the track prior to the blue riband having seen an intended outing in the Dante scuppered when he was withdrawn at the start, and he arrived at Epsom having had to pass a stalls test at Leicester on Monday.

“He was very well behaved at York until he got to the start, but he was just a bit fresh on the day,” continued Varian.

“I promise you could have led him across the Knavesmire in a head collar and rope. He wasn’t unruly, he was just fresh at the start and playful more than anything.

“You could only call it an unconventional route to the Derby, as we went to York without running and then we went to Leicester only on Monday for a stalls test. So he had two days out from the yard, and sometimes not having a hard race two and a half weeks out, as long as they get it out of their system and get a day away, can benefit them – look at Chaldean.

“We’ve always thought for the last 10 or 12 weeks he’s been very good, but he just wasn’t right for those early trials and so the Dante was our last chance, but he stood up in the gates and didn’t take part. Who knows, that might have made the difference. It’s ifs and buts, but he’s a very good horse – he proved that today – and I hope he comes out of it OK and we can enjoy him going forward.

“I don’t think we could have done much more, but it’s a long way to be in front. I thought Kevin gave him a fine ride, and if he hadn’t gone when he did they’d have rolled in on top of him and he might not have got a run.”

Despite Varian praising the ride given by Stott, the jockey himself was left pondering if he had hit the front too soon in his first ride in the race.

Stott said: “I think from every jockey’s perspective, you hit the front in the Derby and a few emotions and a few thoughts go through your head.

“I’m obviously kicking myself a little bit, thinking I might have gone a little bit too early on him, but then again he hasn’t had a run before this year and that might just have caught him out a bit in the last 50 yards.

“Listen, we were beat by a very good horse obviously, but I had faith in my horse from his home work. He’s a very nice horse and you can see from the size of him he’s absolutely huge.”

Meanwhile, connections of third-placed White Birch were delighted with his effort and will now bid to go two places better on home soil in the Irish equivalent.

George Murphy, assistant to his father, John, said: “We’re delighted with him and he stayed on really well.

“He just hesitated again at the gates and put himself into a difficult position, but it was a great run.

“I’d say it will be the Irish Derby next, Colin (Keane) gave him a great ride considering how it played out early on and he galloped all the way to the line, so all going well it’ll probably be the Irish Derby next.

“We didn’t have a lot of time after the Dante and we didn’t want to do too much, but he’s going to have to improve (around the stalls). I don’t actually think he’s too worried in them, he just gets a bit excited. We’re over the moon to have a horse like him and I can’t thank the owners enough. It’s a great day.”

Keane added: “It was a massive run. He got a bit worked up beforehand and was a bit anxious at the gate. I didn’t want to rush him up. It was a great run considering g the ground he gave away at the start. If we can work things out with him he could be a very good year for him.”

Fellow Irish runner Sprewell claimed fourth with Kate Harrington, representing her mother Jessica, also anticipating another crack at Classic honours at the Curragh next month.

She said: “I’m absolutely delighted. He didn’t get the clearest of runs down the hill and into the straight, Shane (Foley) felt that if he got him out and got him rolling a bit closer he thinks he would have been third, but he’s run a cracker.

“It was his first time contesting that ground, so he’s only going to keep on improving. Roll on the Irish Derby.”

Foley said: “It was a big run. He didn’t come down the hill as well as you’d have liked, but he stayed on galloping and I think the Curragh will suit a lot better. I just got a check when I wanted to get going.”

There was no luck for Frankie Dettori in his final Derby appearance as the John and Thady Gosden-trained 4-1 favourite Arrest failed to handle the undulations of Epsom and finished down the field in 10th.

Dettori said: “The track didn’t suit him and he didn’t like the ground. We were done at the top of the straight.

“Back on softer ground there is a good race in him.”

Frankie Dettori bade farewell to the Derby without the fairytale ending many had anticipated.

Truth be told, he half expected it. A good to firm summer surface had turned against his mount, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Arrest, who had been so impressive in taking the soft-ground Chester Vase.

Connections knew he would stay the mile and a half, which he did – just in his own time, the underfoot conditions playing to the strength of his rivals.

Epsom has never really been the luckiest of tracks for the 52-year-old Italian. He had won two Derbys – with Authorised (2002) and Golden Horn (2015) – yet this was his 29th ride on the eccentric rollercoaster of a track.

Still he held the mantle of ‘housewives’ favourite’, and Arrest was duly the 4-1 favourite on the back of Dettori’s Coronation Cup/Oaks double the previous afternoon.

Yet connections of the Juddmonte-owned son of Frankel knew the writing was on the wall, writ large, once they had started the descent to Tattenham Corner.

From a promising position and off a pedestrian early pace, Arrest folded, finishing 10th of the 14 runners, with the exceptional winner Auguste Rodin far away in the distance.

Dettori, who quickly gained some compensation when guiding the Ralph Beckett-trained Prosperous Voyage to victory in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, was remarkably unemotional as he confirmed it was to be his last Derby ride and following his subsequent victory, his final ride at Epsom.

He said: “Yeah, that’s it, me and Epsom are done. The last one and we won!

“Arrest got very warm beforehand. We jumped good, we had a good slot but from the four (furlong pole) I was in trouble. He was climbing and was finding the downhill from Tattenham Corner very difficult. He took me into the straight and his legs were going everywhere. It was a combination of the left-hand track, downhill and the ground drying up. It is what it is.

“I’ve never ridden him before on this ground, but there we are.”

John Gosden, who had supplied both Dettori’s Group One victories on Friday, had tried to warn punters the Frankel colt would need all the luck in the world on this rattling surface.

He was far from disappointed and said: “Not this track, on that ground. The ground was too quick. He had a leg in every county and Frankie knew he was in trouble halfway down the hill.

“We will freshen him up and see where we will want to go. The track on this ground – when you have that good to firm in there, you are in trouble.

“We anticipated it when we were going home last night. Take nothing from the winner. I don’t think anything would have beaten him on any ground and the second (King Of Steel) has run a blinder.

“It was a brilliant achievement (from Aidan O’Brien) to get the winner back after Newmarket, because obviously something went wrong there.

“It is a superb achievement. He had the class to win and he had a hell of a target to get to in King Of Steel. It was some race – two proper horses.”

This was not the result the punters may have wanted, but unlike last summer’s rather tense Royal Ascot, where Dettori was given some thinly-veiled criticism by the trainer for his perceived lack of dedication, now there was nothing but praise.

“It wasn’t the fairytale for Frankie, and the great thing was he couldn’t have done a Lester (Piggott) and got on either of them, because they are both retained rides, the first and second. So, to that extent I think we are all right,” Gosden said.

“He has been brilliant. He has had a great meeting and he knew straightaway this horse was in trouble. He didn’t knock him about. They backed him down to favourite because of the Frankie factor and the bookies clipping it, and that was a bit silly, because he was never a 4-1 favourite.

“But it was a proper race. The horse sweated up beforehand, but that is his nature. We will freshen him up and see where we go. He is in at Royal Ascot. The horse will tell us over the next week or 10 days. He doesn’t need the ground like he had at Chester, but he does like to get his toe in.”

Before rushing off to Box 11, floor 4, to talk to corporate customers, Dettori had the last word.

“I’m relaxed. I’m going to enjoy it and I’m going to eat a bit of grass.”

With that, he bent down for a second time, chewed a clip of grass in the hat-box winner’s circle and continued to munch while the microphones attempted to catch his every word.

“It’s sweet,” he laughed. “I’m going to soak this in. It’s been a great weekend. Funnily enough, I’m very relaxed and I’m enjoying all of it.

“Most of the latter years, I was doing it, there was a tremendous amount of pressure – I’ve got nothing to prove now, I’m enjoying it. That’s why I’m riding so well – I’m very relaxed.”

Indeed he is. There will doubtless be many more moments on this long farewell tour to cheer this summer. And when it is finally all over and he rides off into the sunset of retirement, the housewives will have long forgiven him.

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.”