Jockey Connor Beasley insists “the world is his oyster” after dual Stewards’ Cup hero Commanche Falls gained his first Group-race success when coming with a powerful late run to take the bet365 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.
An ultra-consistent handicapper for Michael Dods, he has progressed through the ranks and earned an 11th victory on his 32nd start, the 4-1 favourite following up his Listed race success at the Curragh on his previous run.
Beasley had to be patient aboard the six-year-old, with the requisite gap not coming until deep inside the final furlong.
Once he saw it, the Lethal Force gelding skipped into it and swept past Diligent Harry (18-1) and Cold Case (7-1) to get the better of them by a respective head and a neck.
On the rain-softened ground, Beasley admitted he was a little concerned and said: “Obviously from the three to the two (furlong pole), I just felt I was getting a little bit stuck in it, really.
“Normally he is a horse that does race behind the bridle, but you can normally keep your momentum going, but today I just felt like I wasn’t getting any sort of momentum.
“There wasn’t much room from where I was and I just had to switch him and make him think again.”
He went on: “Once I did that, he really put his neck down and he did it nicely in the end.
“I’m not sure where he goes from here. He finished third in a Group Two behind some good mares and fillies, but the world is his oyster if you ask me.
“He is obviously improving and he is getting better and stronger as he gets older.”
Though he had to be switched between horses to get his nose in front when it mattered in the six-furlong Group Three contest, Beasley said he always felt “confident” he would get there and paid tribute to owners Dough Graham, Ian Davison and Alan Drysdale.
He added: “He is a big horse and so he had plenty of momentum when I asked him.
“He is a massive horse for me in my career and the team and these owners have been very supportive of my career, so I can’t thank them enough.
“Michael is doing well with these sprinters. He seems to be getting better with age and he is progressing all the time.”
A trip to York could be next on the agenda for Kairyu after she kept her unbeaten record intact in the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh.
A clear-cut winner on her racecourse debut at Naas last month, Michael O’Callaghan’s filly was a 4-1 shot for this six-and-a-half-furlong Group Three under Colin Keane.
Pearls And Rubies, the 10-11 favourite after being beaten a head by Snellen in the Chesham at Royal Ascot last month, was under pressure some way from home – and while she responded to Ryan Moore’s urgings to get into second place, Kairyu had a length and a quarter in hand at the line.
O’Callaghan said: “She looks very smart. Colin said she doesn’t want that ground, it was plenty soft, and she was just good and tough.
“He said she has a savage turn of foot where she can go and put a race to bed. He said the gaps sort of appeared a little bit before he wanted them.
“She’s a lovely filly. I was thinking about going to the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket last week but I just wasn’t 100 per cent happy with her work so we just waited another week.
“Colin thinks she’ll be better on better ground and she’ll probably go for something like the Lowther (at York) now.
“She’s still a little bit high behind and she’s going to grow plenty so she could potentially be a very nice filly.”
PA SPORT BIRTHDAYS
Graham Gooch (cricket) – former England and Essex captain, born 1953.
Andy Townsend (soccer) – former Chelsea, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland midfielder, now a pundit, born 1963.
Maurice Greene (athletics) – American sprinter who won 100 metres and 4x100m relay gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, born 1974.
Gail Emms (badminton) – 2004 Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist, born 1977.
Stuart Elliott (soccer) – former Hull and Northern Ireland winger, born 1978.
David Strettle (rugby union) – former Saracens and England winger, born 1983.
Aaron Peirsol (swimming) – American five-times Olympic gold medal-winner, born 1983.
Danny Ings (soccer) – West Ham striker, born 1992.
Sophie Unwin (paralympics) – Cyclist who won two medals for Great Britain at the 2020 Paralympics, bronze in the Women’s B 3000m individual pursuit and silver, along with pilot Jenny Holl, in the Women’s road race tandem B, born 1994.
Deandre Ayton (basketball) – Phoenix Suns centre, taken at number one in the 2018 NBA draft, born 1998.
ON THIS DAY IN SPORT
1949: Brian Close became England’s youngest Test cricketer when he made his debut against New Zealand at Old Trafford aged 18 years and 149 days. He played the last of his 22 Tests at the age of 46, some 27 years later.
2000: Tiger Woods won the Open Championship at St Andrews by eight shots. The American, who a few months earlier had won the US Open by the biggest margin in major championship history, became only the fifth player to wrap up a career grand slam of major titles after his triumph at the home of golf.
2006: Woods won the Open at Hoylake, just 11 weeks after the death of his father.
2007: Freddie Ljungberg’s nine-year Arsenal career came to an end as the Sweden midfielder joined West Ham in a £3million move.
2010: France’s entire 23-man World Cup squad were suspended for the friendly game against Norway on August 11 after the controversy in South Africa which saw them stage a sit-in on the team bus.
2012: Cyclist Sir Chris Hoy was named as Great Britain’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony of London 2012. Hoy went on to win two gold medals at the Games, giving him six in total to make him at the time Britain’s most successful Olympian.
2014: The Commonwealth Games opened in Glasgow after a ceremony at Celtic Park that included performances by acts such as John Barrowman and Rod Stewart.
2016: David Moyes was appointed Sunderland manager on a four-year deal, replacing new England boss Sam Allardyce.
2017: Jordan Spieth claimed victory in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
2017: England beat India by nine runs in the final of the Women’s Cricket World Cup at Lord’s.
2017: Chris Froome won the Tour de France for the fourth time.
2021: Tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic flame as the Tokyo Games were opened with an understated opening ceremony held behind closed doors.
PA SPORT SELECTED TV LISTINGS
Today (Sunday, July 23)
FOOTBALL: Women’s World Cup, Sweden v South Africa – BBC Two England 0545; Netherlands v Portugal – BBC One 0815; France v Jamaica – ITV 1030.
CRICKET: Fourth Ashes Test, England v Australia – Sky Sports Cricket 1015, Sky Sports Main Event 1100; Second Test, West Indies v India – TNT Sports 1 1430.
GOLF: The Open – Sky Sports Golf 1100, Sky Sports Main Event 1830; PGA Tour, The Barracuda Championship – Sky Sports Golf 2200.
MOTOR RACING: Formula One, Hungarian Grand Prix – Sky Sports F1 1355; World Rally Championship, Estonia – TNT Sports 1 0600.
CYCLING: Tour de France, stage 21 – Eurosport 1 1500, ITV4 1630; Tour de France Femmes – Eurosport 1 1100.
DARTS: World Matchplay, Blackpool – Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event 2000; Women’s World Matchplay, Blackpool – Sky Sports Action 1300.
RUGBY LEAGUE: Challenge Cup, Hull KR v Wigan – BBC Two 1630.
EQUESTRIAN: Global Champions Tour, Riesenbeck – Eurosport 2 1800.
ATHLETICS: Diamond League London – BBC One 1315.
MOTOR CYCLING: British Superbikes, Brands Hatch – Eurosport 2 1300.
Tomorrow (Monday, July 24)
FOOTBALL: Women’s World Cup, Italy v Argentina – ITV 0630; Germany v Morocco – ITV 0905; Brazil v Panama – ITV 1135.
CRICKET: West Indies v India – TNT Sports 1 1430.
CYCLING: Tour de France Femmes – Eurosport 1 1400.
PA SPORT QUIZ
1. Who scored the opening goal of the FIFA Women’s World Cup?
2. Liverpool signed Fabinho from which club?
3. Who beat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the French Open final in 2019?
4. Britain’s Holly Bradshaw is a leading name in which athletics discipline?
5. Who won the 2022 Open Championship?
6. Celtic winger Sead Haksabanovic plays for which international side?
7. In which town were cycling twins Adam and Simon Yates born?
8. England bowler Chris Woakes plays for which county team?
9. Where and when did Novak Djokovic win his first grand slam title?
10. How many gold medals did Great Britain win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – 22, 24 or 26?
ANSWERS: 1. Hannah Wilkinson; 2. Monaco; 3. Ashleigh Barty; 4. Pole vault; 5. Cameron Smith; 6. Montenegro; 7. Bury; 8. Warwickshire; 9. Australian Open 2008; 10. 22.
William Haggas felt Al Aasy lacked a little fitness after a lacklustre seasonal bow at Newmarket – yet he need not have worried as the six-year-old bounced back to take the bet365-sponsored Steventon Stakes at Newbury.
A market drifter, the 100-30 chance clearly had one of his going days, locking on to the bridle early in the 10-furlong contest for Jim Crowley and travelling kindly throughout.
Phantom Flight made the early running and had all bar Al Aasy at it with two furlongs to race, although he was soon easily passed by the Shadwell-owned winner, who went on to score by a length and a half.
He will now head to Haydock for the 10-furlong Group Three Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes, according to Haggas, who said: “He was good today and they badgered me to run over a mile and a quarter and I wouldn’t do it, but I finally succumbed and that clearly, now aged six, appears to be his trip.
“It is probably that they go a little bit faster and they help him to relax and he did it well, did it comfortably – but he should have done on the ratings.
“He will go for the Rose of Lancaster at Haydock on August 12.
“It has been a battle with him, both mentally and physically. Everything. Mentally he is not straightforward. He has had a couple of injuries, but he’s coming. He doesn’t look right in his skin still, but he’s coming.”
Sketch will take a step up in class after making an impressive winning debut under Tom Marquand in division one of the bet365 EBF Novice Stakes.
The Showcasing colt cost 100,000 guineas as a yearling and impressed when winning by five lengths for co-trainers Martyn and Freddie Meade, having made virtually all the running.
Marquand said: “To be fair, they said he had been going nicely beforehand and they have proven in the past they can get their two-year-olds ready.
“What surprised me was how quickly he got going and put the race to bed. For his first time, he was extremely professional and did everything right, and killed the race pretty quickly.
Freddie Meade said connections could look at Goodwood next for the 15-2 winner.
“We will push him up in class,” he said. “The Richmond is the obvious choice, but whether that comes a bit quick I don’t know. We will look at stakes races and see what suits. We were tempting fate to put him in a couple of races in France which closed this week before he’d run, but it is possible we’ll look there as well.”
The impeccably-bred Henry Longfellow earned Classic quotes following a striking debut in the Juddmonte Irish EBF Maiden at the Curragh.
A son of Dubawi out of seven-time Group One-winning mare Minding, the latter trained like Henry Longfellow by Aidan O’Brien, he went off the 5-4 favourite in the hands of Ryan Moore and travelled powerfully throughout.
Mythology, a creditable fifth in the Group Two Railway Stakes, did his best to get on terms, but Henry Longfollow was well on top as he passed the post with a length and three-quarters in hand.
Betfair make the winner a 25-1 shot for both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby next season.
“I’m delighted with him. He’s a Dubawi out of Minding and he looks like a lovely horse,” said O’Brien.
“She handled that ground and he does bend his knee a bit but he quickens. You’d have to be very happy with him.
“Ryan said it was very easy and he said he didn’t touch him with the stick, he was very happy with him.
“He had been working well, he just came on the scene lately. For the last three weeks, week after week he was working well. He’s an exciting type of horse.”
Rickie Fowler gave hope to the pack attempting to hunt down halfway leader Brian Harman on day three of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Fowler, who made the cut with nothing to spare on three over par, overcame miserable conditions in the early part of his round to card a bogey-free 67 and improve to one under par.
That score was soon matched by fellow American Patrick Cantlay, with Olympic champion Xander Schauffele also four under for the day after 12 holes as the players exploited a welcome calm, dry spell at Hoylake.
A stunning second round of 65 had given Harman a halfway total of 10 under par and made him the ninth player in the last 40 years to hold a 36-hole lead of five strokes or more in a major, with each of the previous eight going on to win.
Scottie Scheffler was the most recent to do so in last year’s Masters, while Louis Oosthuizen was the last to achieve the feat in the Open; the South African led by five at St Andrews in 2010 and won by seven.
However, nearest challenger Tommy Fleetwood was in no mood to give up the chase in front of his adoring fans, having recently produced rounds of 64 and 67 to force a play-off in the Canadian Open and winning the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge from four behind at halfway.
“I’ve put in chases before in the past,” Fleetwood said after a battling second round of 71.
“At the end of the day, if somebody said you’re going out in the last group on Saturday, I don’t care what the situation was or what anybody had shot, I’d have probably taken it.
“I can’t have asked for any more from anybody with all the support they’re giving me out here and everybody is talking about it.”
Harman and Fleetwood were due out in the final group at 3.30pm.
Lewis Hamilton raised the prospect of springing a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing fastest in final practice.
The seven-time world champion ended the concluding one-hour running before qualifying at the Hungaroring 0.250 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Verstappen, who has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and six in succession, complained about the handling of his Red Bull.
“There is no f****** grip,” said the frustrated two-time world champion over the radio.
Sergio Perez took third spot in the other Red Bull, 0.263 sec adrift of Hamilton, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren driver Lando Norris fourth and fifth respectively. Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished sixth three tenths back.
Hamilton only finished 16th on Friday, describing his machine as “at its worst”. But the 38-year-old, who has won more times at the Hungaroring than anybody else and captured his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago, led the way on Saturday to suggest he might be a contender heading into the remainder of the weekend.
Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo, back on the grid as a replacement for Nyck De Vries, clocked the 18th quickest time. His new AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was 20th and last.
Qualifying for Sunday’s 70-lap race starts at 4pm local time (3pm BST).
Jockey Chris Hayes is optimistic Tarawa can open her account for the season in the Romanised Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
Impressive when winning her final juvenile start at Leopardstown, the daughter of Shamardal has so far failed to add to her tally as a three-year-old, but has been keeping good company.
Dermot Weld’s filly was second to Zarinsk in a Group Three on her reappearance before placing fourth behind top-class stablemate Tahiyra in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
She was last seen going down by half a length to Bold Discovery in the Listed Celebration Stakes and Hayes is expecting another bold showing in this weekend’s seven-furlong Group Two.
“It was a good run in the Irish Guineas and we bumped into a tough colt on ground that was probably a shade too quick for us on (Irish) Derby weekend,” he said.
“She is fresh and well and she’s handled the cut in the ground, so I’d be very hopeful of a good run.”
Joseph O’Brien is mob-handed in the seven-furlong Group Two, with course and distance winner Honey Girl and the high-class Jumbly joined by stablemates Snapraeterea and Montesilvano.
The Ger Lyons-trained Power Under Me bids for successive Pattern race wins at the track after landing the Amethyst Stakes in May, while Ado McGuinness hopes to saddle Ballycorus Stakes runner-up Real Appeal, but will keep an eye on ground conditions.
McGuinness said: “We’ll be praying there isn’t too much rain as we’re a little concerned over ground. We’ve declared him, but if it got bottomless we mightn’t run.
“It’s a solid race and he would have his chance if he gets his conditions, so we’ll just have to see how much rain arrives.”
Cosmic Vega, meanwhile, represents the training team of Mick Halford and Tracey Collins after a short head victory in the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas in May.
“It’s a step up in class, but conditions look like being in his favour and the trip is ideal for him,” said Halford.
“We’re hoping for a good run and if we’re in the first three we’d be delighted, it would be a great boost for the owner-breeders.
“The more rain the better for him.”
History, if not the weather, was firmly on Brian Harman’s side as the American attempted to claim his first major title in the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
A stunning second round of 65 meant Harman became the ninth player in the last 40 years to hold a 36-hole lead of five strokes or more in a major, with each of the previous eight going on to win.
Scottie Scheffler was the most recent to do so in last year’s Masters, while Louis Oosthuizen was the last to achieve the feat in the Open; the South African led by five at St Andrews in 2010 and won by seven.
However, nearest challenger Tommy Fleetwood was in no mood to give up the chase in front of his adoring fans, having recently produced rounds of 64 and 67 to force a play-off in the Canadian Open and winning the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge from four behind at halfway.
“I’ve put in chases before in the past,” Fleetwood said after a battling second round of 71.
“At the end of the day, if somebody said you’re going out in the last group on Saturday, I don’t care what the situation was or what anybody had shot, I’d have probably taken it.
“I can’t have asked for any more from anybody with all the support they’re giving me out here and everybody is talking about it.”
Harman and Fleetwood were not due out until 3.30pm in the final group, with play getting under way shortly before 9am in miserable conditions.
Persistent and occasionally heavy rain greeted the early starters, whose number included world number one Scheffler.
Scheffler made the cut on the mark of three over par thanks to a somewhat fortunate birdie on the 18th on Friday evening, but might have been cursing his luck after starting round three with bogeys on the second and fourth.
Novak Djokovic's status as the greatest of all time is unharmed despite his Wimbledon final defeat, says Marion Bartoli.
Djokovic's hopes of winning a fifth straight Wimbledon title and a joint-record eighth overall were ended by a superb performance from Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won in five sets to clinch a second grand slam despite only turning 20 in May.
Now 36, Djokovic has won 23 grand slams, more than any other male player, and though he missed the chance for a record-extending 24th at SW19 last weekend, Bartoli maintains his position as the greatest ever cannot be questioned.
"If you have three or four more grand slams than anyone else, how can you even start the conversation?" she told Stats Perform. "The conversation is over.
"You can sort of go into more details with the surface but overall, especially when you look at the head-to-head and we know that Novak is leading the head-to-head against Roger [Federer] and against Rafa [Nadal].
"We know he's leading on the weeks at number one in the world. We know he has won all the grand slams three times and even more. You know, we know all those numbers. So then, what else do you need?"
For all of Djokovic's success, he has not always proved the most popular of players, in stark contrast to his 'Big Three' rivals Federer and Nadal.
Bartoli does not feel this plays into the conversation of who is the best ever and believes Djokovic can continue to challenge for grand slams in the coming years despite his advanced age.
"If it's then how much you're liked by the crowd," Bartoli said. "That is something that is, you know, not a fact. That's purely an emotion, so you can't judge based on emotions.
"Even now, when you split the first three grand slams [of 2023] only with two players [Djokovic and Alcaraz], it's fair to say that the rest of the field is not quite at the same level as them, so Novak can sustain that level [at the top for longer]."
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are clearly ahead of the rest of the men's singles field, but Marion Bartoli believes both can be caught.
Alcaraz denied Djokovic a fifth straight Wimbledon title last weekend with a stunning five-set victory at SW19, to secure the 20-year-old Spaniard a second grand slam title.
As a pair, Alcaraz and Djokovic have now won the last five grand slams stretching back to last year's Wimbledon, and Bartoli feels they are far ahead of the chasing pack.
The former Wimbledon champion however suggests that gap could motivate others to work on their own game in order to catch up.
"Very much, when you look at the first three grand slams [of 2023], it's clear that there is Novak, Carlos and the rest and there is quite a gap between those two and the rest," she told Stats Perform.
"That's quite obvious with the results. That said, I think that's going to push them to sort of catch back just like Novak did with Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal].
"With [them] having more Grand Slams than him and wanting to be part of the conversation, that just pushed him to elevate his level.
"I think it's going to be the case on the ATP. I don't think the guys are going to look at Carlos and Novak saying 'Oh my god, they're just untouchable, and we're going to lose to them'.
"I think they're going to really try hard. Especially I can see [Holger] Rune, I can see [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, I can see [Daniil] Medvedev, all those and [Jannik] Sinner, being very eager and very hungry to just go and chase.
"I'm sure they can actually push them to work harder on their game to come up with something even better. So I don't see it as a runaway completely and there is no opposition.
"I think maybe it's going to take a little bit of time before they reach that level, but I just don't think it's going to be that easy in a way for Novak and Carlos to just win everything without having a say from the other players."
Bartoli, who won at SW19 in 2013 before retiring in 2018, believes Alcaraz has taken the best qualities of the 'Big Three' of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer and feels he is one of those spearheading a new era in tennis.
"In the eras before, when you look at Pete Sampras, and all those players, it was one way to play and then if you would take that play away it was a lot more difficult for them," she explained.
"If you take Alcaraz for me, what is very interesting is he has almost the best of Novak, Roger and Rafa combined and that is new. I think it's very much sort of total tennis, when you feel there is just not one department that maybe is lacking a little bit.
"There is a lot of players from this or sort of the past generation that are not that complete, who are really going to suffer against those new kids like Alcaraz, Rune and Sinner who are coming in and just having nothing you feel that they could really do better.
"In that sense, I think that's going to be the new sort of tennis we will see for the next 10 to 20 years."
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs and J.D. Martinez added three RBIs to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 11-5 win, ending the Texas Rangers’ six-game winning streak in a matchup of division leaders on Friday night.
Freeman, Will Smith and Martinez each had two hits and the NL West-leading Dodgers won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Los Angeles erased a 5-4 deficit by scoring seven runs over the final three innings, using three walks – one intentional to Freeman - a single and a wild pitch to push across two in the seventh.
Smith delivered a two-run double and Martinez singled home another run in the eighth, and Mookie Betts doubled home a pair in the ninth.
Rangers All-Star shortstop Corey Seager hit his 15th home run in the sixth inning against his former team to give Texas a 5-4 lead but left in the eighth after spraining his right thumb on a headfirst slide on a double.
Nathaniel Lowe also went deep for West-leading Texas, which had been the only team without a loss since the All-Star break.
Ohtani allows four home runs in win
Shohei Ohtani allowed four home runs for the first time in his career, but the Los Angeles Angels hit four homers of their own in their fourth straight win, 8-5 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pirates rookie Henry Davis became the first player to take Ohtani deep twice and Jack Suwinski and Ji Man Choi also homered, but the Japanese superstar struck out nine and pitched into the seventh inning to rebound from losses in consecutive starts.
The Angles scored five times in the fourth and tacked on two more in the fifth.
After Ohtani led off the fourth with a walk, Mikey Moniak doubled and Taylor Ward walked in front of Mike Moustakas’ three-run homer. Two outs later, rookie Trey Cabbage connected for his first career home run.
Zach Neto and Ward homered in the fifth to extend the Angels’ lead to 8-4.
Tucker hits three home runs in Astros’ win
Kyle Tucker hit three home runs for the first time in his career and Alex Bregman also went deep to lead the Houston Astros to a 6-4 win over the Oakland Athletics.
Tucker homered off starter JP Sears in the first inning, hit a two-run shot off Sears in the fifth and had a solo blast off Tayler Scott in the seventh for his 17th of the season.
Framber Valdez allowed four runs and six hits over five innings to beat lowly Oakland for the third time this season.
The Astros have won nine straight meetings with the A’s.
Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour de France on this day in 2012.
Wiggins finished three minutes and 21 seconds ahead of compatriot and Team Sky colleague Chris Froome to be crowned champion in the 99th edition of the race.
The then 32-year-old was left on the verge of history following his impressive time-trial win on the penultimate day.
And there were no slip-ups during the 20th and final stage, where Wiggins helped another Team Sky rider Mark Cavendish to victory on the Champs-Elysees.
“I don’t know what to say, I’ve had 24 hours for it to soak in,” he said following his win.
“I’m still buzzing from the Champs-Elysees, the laps go so quick. I’ve got to get used to that (being in the spotlight), it’s going to take a while.
“I’m just trying to soak it all in. You never imagine it will happen to you but it’s amazing.”
Wiggins, who ended his career as a five-time Olympic gold medallist, had been favourite to win the previous year’s race, only to be sidelined after breaking his collarbone in a crash.
Following three weeks and 2,173 miles raced, wearing the yellow jersey for 13 consecutive stages, he came out on top ahead of Froome and third-placed Italian Vincenzo Nibali.
He was later named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Kenya-born Froome won four of the next five Tours, while Welshman Gerraint Thomas became the third British champion in 2018.
History was firmly on Brian Harman’s side as the American attempted to claim his first major title in the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
A stunning second round of 65 meant Harman became the ninth player in the last 40 years to hold a 36-hole lead of five strokes or more in a major, with each of the previous eight going on to win.
World number one Scottie Scheffler was the most recent to do so in last year’s Masters, while Louis Oosthuizen was the last to achieve the feat in the Open; the South African led by five at St Andrews in 2010 and won by seven.
However, nearest challenger Tommy Fleetwood was in no mood to give up the chase in front of his adoring fans, having recently produced rounds of 64 and 67 to force a play-off in the Canadian Open and winning the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge from four behind at halfway.
“I’ve put in chases before in the past,” Fleetwood said after a battling second round of 71.
“At the end of the day, if somebody said you’re going out in the last group on Saturday, I don’t care what the situation was or what anybody had shot, I’d have probably taken it.
“I can’t have asked for any more from anybody with all the support they’re giving me out here and everybody is talking about it.”
Shot of the day
Not much beats a hole-in-one, achieved by Travis Smyth on the short 17th, but fellow Australian and defending champion Cameron Smith managed it with a stunning eagle on the 18th to make the cut with a shot to spare.
Round of the day
Brian Harman had some of his competitors wondering which course he was actually playing after carding four birdies and an eagle in a stunning 65.
Quote of the day
Harman when asked to expand on how he followed a missed cut in the Masters by killing a pig and a turkey on his Georgia farm.
Statistic of the day
Not a good omen for Fleetwood or his thousands of fans.
Easiest hole
The par-five fifth played as the easiest for the second day running, with two eagles and 62 birdies leading to a scoring average of 4.699.
Hardest hole
Fleetwood was one of just 10 players to birdie the 14th, with almost exactly a third of the field (53 players) making bogey and 12 carding a double-bogey six. That resulted in a scoring average of 4.462.
Weather forecast
Cloudy with outbreaks of light to moderate rain, with a chance of drier spells at times. Winds gusting up to 19mph. Heavier bursts of rain are possible overnight Saturday and into Sunday.
Key tee times
0855 Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler
1425 Rory McIlroy, Max Homa
1510 Jason Day, Shubhankar Sharma
1520 Min Woo Lee, Sepp Straka
1530 Tommy Fleetwood, Brian Harman
Lee McGregor suffered defeat in a punishing contest against Mexico’s Erik Robles for the vacant IBO super-bantamweight title in Edinburgh.
Robles claimed a unanimous points victory following a relentless performance in McGregor’s home city.
The previously unbeaten 26-year-old Scot never backed off during a fast start from the Mexican and looked to be gaining control in the middle rounds, but his opponent kept dipping into his resources of energy when he looked like he might struggle.
Robles was the busier fighter in the frantic opening rounds as the pair stood toe to toe at Meadowbank Sports Centre. The Mexican peppered the home fighter with a series of hooks as McGregor kept his hands up and launched occasional upper cuts in response.
Former British, Commonwealth and European champion McGregor took a smarter approach after the halfway stage and used his reach advantage to fight from longer range and work the body. But each time the Mexican looked like he was set to fade, he would find a flurry of punches.
Robles got back on top in the ninth round and the visitor piled on the pressure in the 10th as the pair again engaged in close combat. McGregor hurt his opponent with a body shot but could not follow up.
The Scot could not muster the energy to launch a final onslaught and Robles chased his opponent around the ring in the closing seconds before both boxers claimed victory.
It was no surprise the visitor was awarded victory though with British judge Terry O’Connor scoring the contest 116-113 and the other two judges both giving Robles the win by two rounds.
The Baltimore Ravens added further depth to the running back position Friday by reaching an agreement with veteran Melvin Gordon on a one-year contract.
NFL.com reports that Gordon, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, can earn up to $3.1 million. The deal is pending a physical.
Gordon has rushed for 900 or more yards four times in an eight-year career spent with the Chargers and Denver Broncos, though he managed a career-low 318 with two touchdowns in 2022 and was released by the Broncos in November after fumbling five times in 10 games.
The 30-year-old finished last season on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad but was not elevated to the active roster.
Gordon's 69 total touchdowns are the third-most among active running backs, and he recorded nine or more in six straight seasons before having that streak end in 2022.
The 2015 first-round pick will face plenty of competition to earn a roster spot with the Ravens, who bring back three running backs who rushed for over 250 yards last season in J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
Gordon has accumulated 6,462 rushing yards in 108 career regular-season games, along with 309 receptions totalling 2,467 yards. He spent the last three seasons with the Broncos after a five-year tenure with the Chargers from 2015-19.
American Brian Harman responded to missing the cut in the Masters in April by returning to his farm in Georgia and killing a pig and a turkey.
Three months later, the left-hander carved out a commanding five-shot lead over home favourite Tommy Fleetwood at the halfway stage of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Harman carded four birdies in a row on the front nine and holed from 15 feet for an eagle on the 18th to complete a flawless second round of 65 and post a 10-under-par halfway total of 132.
That matched those recorded at Hoylake by Rory McIlroy in 2014 and Tiger Woods in 2006, although both men were 12 under on their way to lifting the Claret Jug as the course was a par-72 at the time.
It also made Harman the first player to lead the Open by five shots after 36 holes since Louis Oosthuizen in 2010, the South African going on to win by seven at St Andrews.
Fleetwood, who must have been taken aback to start his second round so far behind after sharing the overnight lead, closed to within four when he birdied the 14th and 15th, but dropped a shot on the next and eventually signed for a hard-fought 71.
That at least got the 32-year-old from Southport into the final group with Harman for Saturday’s third round, with Austria’s Sepp Straka a shot behind Fleetwood following a brilliant 67 which included six birdies and a bogey in his last seven holes.
Nine years after lifting the Claret Jug at Hoylake, McIlroy heads into the weekend nine behind Harman after a closing birdie saw him add a second round of 70 to his opening 71.
Speaking after his stunning 65, Harman happily explained the story behind his unusual reaction to his Masters missed cut, laughing off a query about whether the local livestock would be safe this weekend.
“Sheep don’t taste as good as the turkeys do I would imagine,” Harman said.
“I’ve been a hunter my entire life. I enjoy the strategy of it. Yeah, we eat a lot of wild meat at my house, so I enjoy butchering, and I do a lot of hunting.”
Harman, who is bidding to become just the third left-hander to win the Open after Bob Charles (1963) and Phil Mickelson (2013), admitted he owed his position to a “hot putter” and would need to work hard on not getting ahead of himself this weekend.
“I’m just not trying to get too caught up in it. It’s just golf. I think when I held the 54-hole lead at the US Open (in 2017) I just probably thought about it too much.
“It’s hard for me. I’ve always struggled with trying to predict the future and trying to forecast what’s going to happen. I’ve just tried to get really comfortable just not knowing.
Harman made his Open debut at Hoylake in 2014 and finished 26th, but missed the cut on his next four appearances before finishing 19th in 2021 and sixth last year.
“I came over early for the Scottish Open last year and I think I beat two people; played horrible,” he said. “Then played bad the first day at St Andrews and was like, ‘Golly, I love coming over here but I’m getting my teeth kicked in’.
“I had a really nice back nine in the second round, made the cut by a couple and then played really well on the weekend.
“I’d say it was nice to finally turn the corner last year. This is my eighth Open Championship and before last year I’d never really even been anywhere close to in contention or even doing halfway decent.”
Subjectivist, an impressive winner of the 2021 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, has been retired.
The six-year-old stormed to a five-length victory at the Berkshire track two years ago, supplementing previous successes in the Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp and a Dubai Gold Cup verdict at Meydan.
However, he suffered a career-threatening tendon injury after that success – an issue which kept him on the sidelines for 618 days before returning to action in Saudi Arabia back in February.
After finishing third in the Dubai Gold Cup, Subjectivist went on to fill the same position in the Gold Cup back at Ascot, in what transpired to be his final start after his old issue flared up again.
Initially trained by Mark Johnston before he transferred the licence to his son Charlie, who saddled him this term, Subjectivist retires as a six-times winner with over £890,000 banked in prize money.
Johnston senior, who is now assistant trainer to his son, said: “We have known this was coming, it’s been difficult keeping him going.
“I had slightly mixed feelings about his run at Royal Ascot as while he ran a good race, I didn’t think it was as good as his best of two years ago.
“The objective was to get him to Ascot and then we hoped we might get him to Goodwood, but it has always been there, rumbling away.
“His Gold Cup win was the highlight, but he won three races on the bounce, two at Group One level and one at Group Two, with his win in Dubai being very impressive – you could say that was his purple patch, those seven or eight months.”
Subjectivist is now set to embark on a stallion career and Johnston added: “We hope he will go to stud now.
“There were a couple of people interested after his Gold Cup win and one of those has kept in touch, so we will see what happens.”
Archie Watson has some fine sprinters in his care and Action Point signalled himself as another top prospect, taking the Listed Ire-Incentive – It Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury.
Hollie Doyle was positive from the start of the six-furlong heat and the son of Blue Point was always happy on the front end, travelling sweetly.
Though the 14-1 shot was tracked by the well-supported Asadna, with the former George Boughey-trained colt making his debut for Alice Haynes, the 5-4 favourite failed to pick up when Oisin Murphy asked the question two furlongs out.
Action Point, who had won on his Kempton all-weather debut in April, but had been drawn on the wrong side when 15th of 23 home in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, kept finding more and had plenty in the locker to fend off Shagraan, who made late headway to snatch second from Asadna.
Cogitate may have caught trainer Charlie Hills by surprise, yet signalled himself a smart prospect after producing an eyecatching debut, sparking Doyle’s double on the card.
The 14-1 chance took the first division of the R &M Electrical EBF Novice Stakes with some aplomb.
The son of Churchill travelled well throughout and picked up long-time leader and eventual third Maximum Dividend with ease inside the final furlong, and went on to beat the staying-on Boiling Point by two lengths.
Hills will now target the Acomb Stakes at York, a race the Lambourn yard has won three times with Auction House (1998), Dutch Connection (2014) and Phoenix Of Spain (2018).
He told Racing TV: “He took everything well in his stride, in the preliminaries, went down nice, jumped good and it was a little bit muddling, a little bit messy mid-race, a few horses a bit green, but he got into a good rhythm and the gap opened. He was a little bit green for a couple of strides and then he picked up nicely.
“I wasn’t quite expecting him to do that today. He qualifies for races like the Acomb now, so York, that could suit him well and we have won that a couple of times before. That could be a race we have in mind – that’s a nice gap until then. He’s going to make a lovely three-year-old.”
Warm Spell was a warm order to land the second division and the 8-11 favourite duly obliged under a hand-and-heels ride from David Egan.
Runner-up to the smart Thunder Blue at Goodwood on debut, the Roger Varian-trained Mehmas colt had clearly learned plenty for the experience and Egan was keen to settle him in behind early, before producing a withering run to coast past debutant Skukuza, with Thyer staying on nicely for third.
Varian was in two minds about jumping up to seven furlongs so quickly and said: “David did a good job, he settled in straight from the stalls, he travelled nicely through the race and showed a nice turn of foot. Hopefully he’s a nice horse going forward.
“I think now we’ve gone over seven (furlongs), I think we’ll stick to seven.
“We’ve always felt he’s quite a nice horse and there are some nice two-year-old races coming up and he probably is a horse where we can dip our toe into something nicer, but quite what that is, we’ll have to see what fits.”
Irish raider Night Sparkle (9-2) showed plenty of determination under Dylan Browne McMonagle to take victory in the Uhy Ross Brooke Chartered Accountants Fillies’ Handicap for trainer Michael O’Callaghan.
She followed up her cosy Fairyhouse success last month in fine style, fending off the late thrust of Flash Bardot to score by a comfortable neck in the extended 13-furlong contest.
O’Callaghan may look to York for her next run and said: “It was great and a nice pot to win. She is progressive.
“Dylan is a great young rider and gave her a great ride. He picked her up early in the straight as after riding her at Fairyhouse, he knew all she’d do was stay.
“She stays all day – that’s her asset. We might possibly look at big staying handicaps. I thought earlier in the year she might be one for the Irish Cesarewitch, but maybe we might just look at the Ebor consolation race. We’ll see.
“You just don’t know where these improving mares might stop. She’s won that off top weight and is possibly capable of getting a bit of black type.”
Georgina Nicholls sent out her first Flat winner in almost 20 years as Betties Bay took the bet365 British EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes under Joshua Bryan, beating Bourgeoisie by a nose.
A drop in grade helped the Sir Michael Stoute-trained grey Fox Journey (11-8 favourite) to victory in the Quickmove Handicap under Jim Crowley, his stamina proving too much for Sovereign Spirit.
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