A pre-dawn wake up call and a fumbled start could not prevent Shaquille from securing a landmark success for connections in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

The three-year-old was homebred by his co-owner Martin Hughes and is trained counties away in Norton, North Yorkshire, by Julie Camacho.

He was loaded into the gates a 9-1 chance for the six-furlong Group One, middling odds that began to look far too short as he bounced upwards in his stall instead of outwards and let the field gain lengths on him from the off.

A little mischief has never been beyond the bay, who had only been beaten once prior to the Royal meeting but has looked a handful on both sides of the starter’s rostrum.

The phrase ‘pulled hard’ and ‘took a keen hold’ appear in the descriptions of almost all of his races, but under Oisin Murphy he was able to settle into a rhythm at the rear of the pack as the jostling took place ahead of him.

A few furlongs in he was gaining ground and looked like he might run into a place, but once he began to gun for Little Big Bear, the leader and 10-11 favourite, he dug deeper and deeper still to triumph by a length and a quarter.

The victory is hugely significant for Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown, whose greatest success beforehand was the Group Three honours gained by Judicial, another sprinter, in the Chipchase Stakes and the Coral Charge.

“I watched it on my own, I was very nervous actually. I started to feel a bit sick and very nervous!” she said.

Of his steady start, the trainer added: “I thought well that’s it, isn’t it? He’s blown his chance. I’ve just watched it live and I’d like to go back and watch it properly but he was good, wasn’t he?

“It’s massive, we never thought we’d train a Group One winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway. For Martin (Hughes) it’s massive, he bred him, he’s got his mother at home and his siblings. Dad (Maurice, former trainer) looks after the stud and I’m sure he was screaming at home.

“When he started to run on I thought ‘oh he’s going to be place, he’s going to run a big race’.

“Then ‘oh my god, he’s going to win!’. I’m a bit speechless actually.”

Camacho, who does not seek out the limelight, reluctantly went up to collect the trophy as Brown pondered how good the horse could be with a neat start and a smooth passage.

He said: “I still maintain that we haven’t brought him racing and seen him do everything right, it’s fascinating. We’re enjoying the journey and hoping for a few more, he’s in the July Cup.

“It’s a good story. You come hoping, don’t you? We’re all dreamers and you’ve got to be in this game. We fed him at three o’clock this morning so he could have a smooth journey down, we didn’t want to bring him overnight as he’s never stayed overnight. We wanted him to sleep in his own bed and he left at quarter past four this morning.

“I think the making of him has been a paddock for him, every evening stables now he’s turned out and it’s just brought such a change about in him.

“He wouldn’t have walked around the paddock like he did before, he just goes out there and puts his head down – it’s made a huge difference to him and though it’s punchy for a colt, I’m so glad we did it.”

Major League Baseball’s second series in London is no holiday for Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad and his touring team-mates.

The 162-game regular season is only just approaching its halfway point, but this weekend’s two games against bitter National League Central rivals the St Louis Cardinals could still prove critical to the Cubs’ playoff ambitions.

So while the travelling pack from Illinois did briefly marvel at Westminster Abbey and other highlights of the capital, it became business as usual once workout day started at London Stadium.

“When we get the chance to explore and visit we definitely will do it and enjoy it and get to talk to the fans and get to know the area, but when it comes time to play we’re looking to have the same result and getting the victory and staying focused,” the right-hander told the PA news agency.

If the season ended today, the 2016 World Series winners would miss the playoffs as they currently sit third place in their division and three places out of the NL wild card spot.

Last season saw the Cubs finish 19 games behind the division-winning Cardinals, but the standings so far this campaign look very different.

With 74 games behind them, the Cubs sit just 3.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds while the Cardinals are bottom of the division after getting off to a terrible start.

Still, St Louis have won four of their last five games heading into the London Series which gets under way on Saturday.

Mexico-born Assad, 25, grins when he admits he is a huge Manchester City fan.

But it was memories of a former Manchester United and West Ham player that made the trip to this particular ground extra-special for the Tijuana native.

“It’s incredible,” said Assad. “Especially being Mexican, seeing ‘Chicharito’ (Javier) Hernandez having played here, it’s really, really cool to be sharing this field in this stadium as well. So it’s just incredible.”

Like his compatriot Hernandez, Assad has represented his country, most recently in the World Baseball Classic, the closest thing the sport has to a World Cup.

The 2023 edition was a historic moment for Great Britain, who qualified a team for the first time – and performed well enough to earn a berth for the next edition and a shout-out from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in Friday’s press conference.

Assad agreed that baseball being seen solely as an American pastime was hugely inaccurate and hopes events like the London Series and MLB’s Parisian debut in 2025 will help grow interest globally and shift those perceptions.

“It’s definitely a worldwide sport,” he added. “There’s a lot of talent in different countries, worldwide. It’s just incredible.”

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who made his debut with the Cubs in 2016 before signing a five-year deal with St Louis in December, said his side was taking the London Series just as seriously as his old club.

He said: “I didn’t realise when I signed with the Cardinals that we were coming out here, so I was excited. I’m really thankful to be here with the Cardinals and to be in London, out of Venezuela.

“I never expected to be here to be honest. I think we’ve come here to do business. My main thing is to go do business the same way I go about playing in the USA. I don’t care who we’re facing, I don’t care about them.”

Chris Hayes celebrated his first Royal Ascot winner as Tahiyra landed the odds in the Coronation Stakes.

Veteran trainer Dermot Weld has made no secret of the regard in which he holds the filly and having gone down narrowly in the Newmarket Guineas, she made amends in the Irish equivalent.

With her Newmarket conqueror Mawj absent on this occasion, it was left to Meditate to take the field along but Ryan Moore set only a steady pace with Tahiyra settled in last.

Not surprisingly the field bunched up two furlongs out, with Tahiyra needing to pass them all and while she came across the eventual second Remarquee when quickening up, the result was confirmed after a stewards’ inquiry.

Tahiyra (8-13 favourite) crossed the line a length clear of Remarquee, with Sounds Of Heaven a further head back in third.

Weld saddled his first Royal Ascot winner 50 years ago with Klairvimy in the 1973 King Edward VII Stakes.

Aidan O’Brien offered no excuses for Little Big Bear’s defeat as he finished second to Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup.

Sent off one of the shortest-priced favourites of the week at odds of 10-11, he grabbed the lead entering the final furlong but was run down late by Julie Camacho’s improver, who had also missed the break badly by rearing when the stalls opened.

Little Big Bear was last year’s champion juvenile but having finished last when tried over a mile in the 2000 Guineas first time out, he seems set to stick to sprinting for the time being, with O’Brien eyeing a possible rematch with the winner in the July Cup.

The Ballydoyle handler said: “He ran very well. Ryan (Moore) was delighted with the run. It was a very good run. He just got beaten by a better horse on the day.

“I don’t know where he’ll go. It could be the July Cup or something like that. It was only his second sprint, so we’ll see.

“I think the winner missed the break, but he usually makes the running. I think he’s an out-and-out sprinter, so we will train him for the July Cup.”

Karl Burke’s Swingalong was third at 66-1, a return to the form she showed as a juvenile.

“It was a great run. Delighted she got that Group One placing – it is so important for a filly,” Burke said.

“She was a Lowther winner and she’s a good filly. She wasn’t right in France (when last in the French 1000 Guineas) and would not have won at any trip in France, although she didn’t stay the mile. I don’t know what went wrong there.

“After that we gave her plenty of time to come back and we were always targeting this. I said to the guys that I could see her running a big race and be third or fourth and that’s what she has done, so we’re delighted.

“We are thinking more Prix Maurice de Gheest than July Cup. She was not stopping and was third over seven (furlongs) first time out in the Guineas trial and she stayed that well. I think six and a half will be very nice for her.”

Roger Varian was at a loss to explain Sakheer’s lacklustre run, however. The 17-2 shot came home last of the 13 runners.

“It’s mystifying at the moment and we’re obviously all very disappointed,” Varian told ITV Racing.

“He was a bit slow from the gates, he travelled well through halfway and David (Egan) was happy, he took a peek to the other side to see how they were going.

“But then he very quickly emptied out and his stride shortened when he let him down.

“His initial reaction was that the ground felt too firm and he didn’t let himself down.

“He pulled up sound and looks fine, we’ll carry out all the usual post-race checks. At the moment we are scratching our heads but something might come to light. Obviously it wasn’t his true form.”

The Buffalo Bills announced Friday that head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have agreed to two-year contract extensions through the 2027 season.

McDermott had three seasons remaining on a six-year extension he signed in March 2020. Beane previously received an extension through 2025 in December 2020.

The move keeps one of the NFL's most successful coach-GM pairings under contract for five more seasons. The Bills have gone 62-36 since hiring McDermott and Beane in 2017, a .639 winning percentage that ranks third in the league over that period behind only the Kansas City Chiefs (74-24, .756) and New Orleans Saints (65-33, .663).

Buffalo has won three consecutive AFC East titles and has reached the playoffs in four straight seasons. Only the Chiefs (eight) have a longer active streak of making the postseason.

The Bills have made five playoff trips overall during McDermott's six-year tenure, including an appearance in the 2020 AFC championship game. 

"Sean is a proud, Christian, determined man," Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement. "I remember before his interview for the Bills head coaching job thinking about him being a two-time National Prep Wrestling Champ. I thought to myself, you wrestled, you're determined, you love what you're doing, and you won.

"He comes to the Bills every day and will never ask anyone, player or coach, to do anything he wouldn't do."

Beane's personnel moves have played a big role in Buffalo's success as well. Most notably, he traded up in the 2018 draft to select franchise quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick and orchestrated a trade for All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs in 2020.

"Brandon is a very competitive person," Pegula said. "I know he likes to win, but I also know he hates to lose. He's not afraid to say what he's thinking and if he disagrees with something he will say so, even to the owner. I love it."

McDermott and Beane have a history together that extends beyond their time with the Bills, as the duo both worked for the Carolina Panthers from 2011-16 prior to being hired by Pegula.

"(Brandon), Sean, Kim (Pegula) and I have a very good relationship with open discussions, debate and a lot of communication," Terry Pegula said. 

Ryan Moore’s stellar week at Royal Ascot continued when he steered Okita Soushi to a battling success in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

The 39-year-old had to be at his strongest aboard the Joseph O’Brien-trained five-year-old and from a position near the rear of the 18-strong field, Moore was urging his mount to improve his position as the turn for home approached.

Swinging the bend, Moore angled Okita Soushi wide to lay down a challenge and he soon hit top gear to join Alan King’s HMS President on the front end entering the final furlong, as the duo went on to fight out a thrilling finish.

Okita Soushi held on to return a neck verdict at 9-1 and continue a special day for the O’Brien family following the success of Joseph’s brother Donnacha in the Albany Stakes earlier in the day.

O’Brien: “It was a great ride from Ryan. He ran a very good race here last year in a mile-and-six handicap.

“It is special to get a winner this week. We’ve hit the crossbar a bit. The horses have all run well, but haven’t won.

“I’m delighted for the owners as well. Ryan is the best jockey in the world, isn’t he. When we are lucky enough to get him on the odd time, it is very special.

“I think anyone will tell you he’s the best in the world. He’s been riding at the top of his game for a number of years and he is riding at the top of his game now.

“He is a special jockey. I’m not sure he’s ridden a winner for me before, I’m not sure. But it is special to get him anyway.”

Shaquille produced a remarkable performance to provide Julie Camacho with her first winner at Royal Ascot in the Commonwealth Cup.

The three-year-old arrived on the crest of a wave having won his last four races but all hope looked to have gone when he reared up on leaving the stalls.

Three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy did not panic though, and by halfway he was back in contention but it remained to be seen if his early exertions had taken their toll.

The hot favourite Little Big Bear hit the front on entering the final furlong but Shaquille (9-1) was creeping into it and when Murphy asked for everything, there was still plenty left.

Camacho, and her partner Steve Brown, were registering their first Group One victory as Shaquille came home a length and a quarter clear, with 66-1 shot Swingalong in third.

Trainer Denis Hogan has had his licence suspended for three months and been fined €5,000 after one of his horses tested positive for a prohibited substance.

Ballyadam Destiny showed elevated levels of triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) and dexamethasone after winning at Galway last October.

Dr Lynn Hillyer, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board chief veterinary officer, stated in a report published on Friday that Hogan had been advised not to run his horse for 40 days after being treated by his vet, Donncha Houlihan.

Hogan accepted the findings in the report, stating he had mistaken the withdrawal period due to an administration error and has now employed additional staff as well as putting new measures in place to avoid a reoccurrence.

It is the fourth time in the previous five years a horse of Hogan’s has failed a post-race drugs test – including point-to-points. His ban is due to begin on August 1.

Porta Fortuna registered an impressive success in the Albany Stakes to provide Frankie Dettori with his 80th Royal Ascot win.

Having ridden Gregory and Courage Mon Ami to success, the retiring Italian notched up his third victory of the week when guiding the Donnacha O’Brien-trained youngster to a one-length triumph.

A winner of a Group Three at Naas over this six-furlong distance on her previous start, the daughter of Caravaggio put her experience to good use with a professional display in Berkshire.

Having cruised stylishly into contention passing the two-furlong marker, the well-backed 5-1 winner responded gamely to her rider’s urgings in the closing stages as Dettori pushed his mount out with vigour to hold off the Aidan O’Brien trained Matrika, who finished second having been up with the pace throughout.

The trainer enjoyed many big days in the saddle, but was securing his first winner at the summer showpiece in the training ranks, joining his father and brother Joseph on the Royal Ascot roll of honour.

Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred emphasised the league’s commitment to playing games in London as he announced the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will face off in the third MLB London Series next summer.

This weekend’s two games between the St Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs at London Stadium mark MLB’s delayed return to Britain following its 2019 debut after a planned 2020 series was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Manfred has been impressed by the sport’s reception in the UK, which will host again in 2026, viewing the country as critical to the sport’s global growth.

He said: “To us London is a really important part of our international strategy. We have seen great growth in baseball. Since we were here in 2019 the number of people in Britain that identify as fans has doubled.

“We are committed to London as part of our programme, and I’m happy to announce we will be back next year with the Mets and Phillies.

“London is a great sports town, and I think because there’s sort of a natural affinity for sport here in London it’s a great place to gain a foothold into Europe.

“Secondly I do think, just for historical reasons, there’s a special affinity between Great Britain and the United States. We understand baseball is a uniquely American phenomenon in some ways, but if you are trying to internationalise starting in friendly territory seems like a good plan.”

A Paris series is also planned for 2025.

Manfred was not keen to speculate beyond 2026, when MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires.

Any future series in London or elsewhere would fall under the next deal, part of the reason the commissioner believes player satisfaction is critical to ensuring teams want to make the trip across the pond in the middle of gruelling 162-game seasons.

Manfred said: “I will say this. The players who came in 2019 found the event, the experience to be a really positive one, and the key to making London a recurring part of the event is making sure that the players have a great trip, that they enjoy themselves while they are here, and we’re working very hard to make sure that happens this time around.”

The two clubhouse dressing rooms for this series will become a permanent fixture at West Ham’s Premier League home and will feature as part of stadium tours.

MLB has retained its “old rivalry, new ground” motto for this year’s series, a concept Manfred says is critical to drawing British crowds.

He said: “We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing and we want to show fans the very best form of baseball.”

Chase Utley won the World Series with Philadelphia in 2008, and since last summer has lived in London as an “ambassador” for MLB.

While the Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies and Mets might not have the immediate brand recognition of 2019 opponents the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, Utley promised British fans would be just as captivated.

He said: “Obviously it’s lasted a long time, and I think we’ve just had some really good teams at the same time, so we were always fighting for the postseason.

“It’s an intense crowd when you’re in New York, and when you’re in Philadelphia you definitely know where you are. Fantastic players over the years.

“It’s a true rivalry. It doesn’t get much better.”

Ireland lock Iain Henderson has signed a two-year contract extension with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

The IRFU said that the 31-year-old Henderson’s deal will keep him at Ulster until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

He has won 71 caps and was part of last season’s Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam campaign following previous title successes in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

“Iain has developed into an important leader within both the Ireland and Ulster environments, and we are delighted to have ensured that he continues his career in Ireland,” IRFU performance director David Nucifora told www.irishrugby.ie.

“I have no doubt that he will continue to add positively to both environments in the months and years to come.”

Following Courage Mon Ami’s memorable Gold Cup triumph, bookmakers have revealed just how popular Frankie Dettori has been with Royal Ascot punters this week.

Entain, parent company of leading firms such as Ladbrokes and Coral, has highlighted how the ‘Frankie Factor’ has been in full force during his final Royal meeting.

Over the opening three days of Royal Ascot, 11 per cent of the overall volume of single bets have been placed on Dettori and his mounts have featured in 38 per cent of all multiple bets .

Queen Anne Stakes runner-up Inspiral was the best-backed horse on day one and attracted 23 per cent of single bets placed on the curtain raiser, despite being second favourite behind Modern Games.

On Wednesday, Dettori featured in 38 per cent of all accumulators and heavily-supported Queen’s Vase winner Gregory was forced into evens favourite.

Despite going off at a generous 15-2, Courage Mon Ami was the third-best backed horse across all races on Ladies’ Day and Dettori led the way in total Thursday wagers at 12 per cent.

Entain chief commercial officer Dominic Grounsell said: “There has been even more of a buzz around Frankie Dettori since the beginning of the Flat season. The world is watching his final season as a professional jockey to see if he can finish in style.

“Our customers have been weighing in on him in all the big meets so far this year, and Royal Ascot has been no different.

“He brings excitement, swagger and a huge following wherever he races, and racing will lose one of its most famous faces and infectious characters this year.

“Let’s enjoy the final few months of Frankie Dettori racing on our screens and follow how the ‘Frankie Factor’ continues to drive fan favourites up and down racecourses this summer.”

Dettori’s popularity was previously on full view in this season’s Classic contests at Newmarket and Epsom.

Entain reports that Chaldean generated 19 per cent of bets placed on the day of the 2000 Guineas, the biggest percentage of any horse in that race, before powering to victory.

Following his success on Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup and Soul Sister in the Oaks, Dettori’s Derby mount Arrest was backed into favourite for the Epsom Classic.

Over 19 per cent of 168,000 bets placed on the blue riband event with Entain were for Arrest, but he could only manage 10th place.

John Quinn is happy to “roll the dice” and give Highfield Princess a second shot at Royal Ascot glory this week in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

The six-year-old won three times at Group One level last season and following a narrow defeat on her reappearance at York, she was a hot favourite for the King’s Stand on Tuesday.

Highfield Princess came off second best in a battle with Bradsell and while she was undoubtedly impeded when delivering her challenge, a subsequent stewards’ inquiry deemed it did not affect the result.

Several horses have contested both of Royal Ascot’s Group One sprints before, with Blue Point doing the double in 2019, and Quinn can see no reason not to let his stable star take her chance.

“We left her down (at Ascot) all week and looked at her on Thursday morning and she seems fine, so we’re quite happy to roll the dice,” said the Malton-based trainer.

“Plenty of horses have run well in both races, so it’s doable. She seems bright and she’s no travelling to do, which is important.”

Highfield Princess finished sixth in the 2022 renewal of the six-furlong contest, three places behind Australian challenger Artorius, who this year heads the betting.

Anthony and Sam Freedman’s speedster has already won a Group One prize in his homeland this year and confidence is high that he can go two places better than 12 months ago on his return to Ascot.

“I am a bit more relaxed than last year and not under as much pressure,” said Sam Freedman.

“He is a lot shorter in the market and there is a bit more expectation, but last year it was the unknown and whether he was going to measure up – this year we know he is good enough.

“If you look at the form, he looks to be the horse with the best credentials and I think he has improved into his four-year-old season.

“I am not so concerned about the opposition, but more where he will end up and where he will get to in the run. I am confident taking on any of the sprinters in the world, but it is a case of getting the right transit and a bit of luck.”

Richard Gibson’s Hong Kong raider Wellington is another major player from overseas, while the home team includes the William Haggas-trained Sacred and Kinross from Ralph Beckett’s yard.

Connections of Sacred admit she may be more effective over a furlong further, but they are nevertheless keen to let her line up for a race in which she was beaten just a length into fifth place last year.

Chris Richardson, managing director for owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: “I think seven furlongs is is probably her optimum. We were hoping we might be able to stretch her to a mile, but we’re not convinced so we are dropping back.

“She ran one of her best races in this last year and we’ll roll the dice and see how she goes, but she’s in good form.”

Kinross enjoyed a fantastic campaign last season, winning at the highest level in the Prix de la Foret and the British Champions Sprint before finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

He has not been seen in competitive action since his trip to Kentucky, but is nevertheless a leading contender in the hands of Frankie Dettori.

“I think he handles firm ground but I think six on firm ground is a little bit quick for him, so you would prefer some rain,” said owner Marc Chan’s racing manager Jamie McCalmont.

“He only got beat two lengths in this last year (finished eighth) and he’s fresh and in great shape and ready to run.

“Hopefully it will set him up for his most important date when he tries to get Frankie his full house in the July Cup.”