Anthony Joshua remains on course for a future bout with Deontay Wilder after he produced a spectacular stoppage of Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Joshua claimed the 26th victory of his professional career with a first knock-out in three years, but even before this bout all the pre-fight talk was about what next for the British heavyweight.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the state of play for the former two-time world heavyweight champion.
Was the booing justified?
The Matchroom show had been in doubt a week earlier when Dillian Whyte had to be withdrawn after “adverse analytical findings” were discovered in his doping test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
It saw Helenius drafted in at the 11th hour but while there is no doubt a sold-out O2 Arena would have been happy to see Joshua in action, they clearly wanted more from the former Olympian during the first half of the 12-rounder. Joshua faced whistles and boos during round three and jeers followed after another pedestrian round saw the contest reach its halfway point. A thunderous right hand ensured the next outburst by spectators inside the London venue was applause.
DJ getting a tune out of AJ?
While Joshua was tentative early on against Helenius and did not want to initially trade off with the 39-year-old, some context must be provided. The Finchley boxer had only a week to prepare for his Finnish opponent and there is a number of inches difference between Whyte and Helenius, which would have brought out a significant adjustment for the home favourite.
Joshua struggled to land with his right hand early on but was urged to keep persevering by highly-respected trainer Derrick James in only their second bout together. James told Joshua to “keep shooting the right” and it landed emphatically during the seventh round with Helenius sent toppling to the canvas.
Wilder next?
Even before Whyte’s withdrawal, a large chunk of the discourse around Joshua was whether he would actually fight Wilder next. The former world heavyweight champions have been speculated to lock horns for several years and it would have been a unification contest as recently as four years ago.
Joshua had to block out the noise to do the business against Helenius but after he did, all eyes are now on Wilder. Saudi Arabia promotional entity Skills Challenge is eager to host the mouth-watering clash and dates in January and February are being drawn up.
So that’s that then?
We have been here many times before, not only with Joshua and Wilder but Joshua and fellow Briton Tyson Fury. It seems getting the best of the heavyweight division in the ring together is one of the hardest jobs in the sport. However, there is a lot of reason for optimism on this occasion.
A traditional stumbling block can be the fact world heavyweight champions have mandatory challengers to face, but with Joshua and Wilder holding no belts, they are free to fight whoever they wish. The money on offer should satisfy the demands of both boxers, but Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott did hint this week that his fighter would like to be active before fighting Joshua.
An October bout was proposed but even if that happens, these two generational heavyweights should still trade blows in 2024.
Max Whitlock ended Great Britain’s 120-year wait for gymnastics gold and then proceeded to double his tally in the space of two extraordinary hours on this day at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Whitlock clinched gold on both the floor and his favoured pommel horse apparatus to become the first British athlete to win two individual Olympic titles on the same day.
If his victory in the pommel final, pushing team-mate Louis Smith into silver, was almost to be expected, it was his earlier performance on the floor which stunned those who believed he had only a slim chance of a podium place.
The then 23-year-old landed a superb score of 15.633 then waited as a result which even he had intimated might be out of the question slowly began to turn to reality as key rivals including Kenzo Shirai and Samuel Mikulak messed up.
Ultimately Whitlock, who refused to watch any of his rivals’ routines, edged Brazilian pair Diego Hypolito and Arthur Mariano into silver and bronze
positions respectively, an unexpected result which sparked wild celebrations among the home fans and earned the Hemel Hempstead star his slice of history.
Whitlock grinned as he watched the Union Flag being raised highest in an Olympic gymnastics venue for the first time, then somehow refocused to deliver a pommel routine which lived up to his status as favourite after winning the world title in Glasgow the previous year.
Whitlock, who already boasted a bronze medal from the men’s all-around competition a week before, said: “It was quite difficult – I couldn’t take in what
had happened on the floor. It hit me like a ton of bricks because I wasn’t watching any of the routines before or after me, and it was crazy and it made
history.
“But I knew I had another job to do – I had to head back in the training gym, refocus and start warming up for the pommel because I had one more routine to do and now I can proudly say I have finished the Olympics with a smile on my face.
“This has out-done our expectations. This was my first floor final in the Olympics and the fact it only comes around once every four years makes it even more special. It makes me feel complete, I think.”
Lucas Glover eclipsed Patrick Cantlay in a playoff to win the FedEx St Jude Championship and claim a second straight PGA Tour victory.
The American duo were forced into an extra hole in Memphis after each completing 72 holes on 15 under par.
Glover, 43, ultimately claimed victory with a par on the 18th hole playoff after Cantlay found water off the tee.
Speaking after his victory, which comes just a week after he took out Wyndham Championship, Glover said: “If you would have told me this three months ago, I’d tell you you’re crazy.
“But at the same time, if you asked me legitimately did I think I was capable, I’d say yes, even then. It’s just one of those sad ways athletes are wired.
“We always believe in ourselves no matter how bad it is.”
Glover was ranked 119th in the world prior to the Wyndham Championship, but now sits 30th.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and England’s Tommy Fleetwood finished agonisingly close, but had to settle for equal-third on 14 under par.
Fleetwood was unable to sink a birdie chance on his last hole which would have propelled him into the playoff.
Cedric Mullins sure had a flair for the dramatic on Sunday.
Mullins robbed Ty France of a potential game-tying home run in the ninth inning, and then hit a two-run shot in the 10th to lead the visiting Baltimore Orioles to a thrilling 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Two pitches after Mullins reached over the centre field wall to catch France's would-be homer for the second out, Seattle ended up tying the game 3-3 on a Dominic Canzone home run.
That set up more late-inning magic from Mullins, who had entered in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement, as his homer in the 10th scored automatic runner Gunnar Henderson to put Baltimore ahead.
Mullins' home run was his first since July 14, as he had been 0 for 9 since being activated from the injured list prior to Friday's series opener.
Shintaro Fujinami pitched a perfect 10th for his first save.
It marked the AL-leading Orioles' second straight 10-inning triumph after Saturday's 1-0 victory snapped Seattle's eight-game winning streak.
With the win, Baltimore moved three games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
The Mariners, who managed just 10 hits in the last two games after averaging 9.7 per game during their winning streak, fell 1 1/2 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot in the AL.
Marlins score five runs in bottom of ninth for stunning 8-7 win over Yankees
If the Miami Marlins end up making the playoffs this season, they may point to their 8-7 thrilling comeback win over the New York Yankees as the game that helped catapult them to the postseason.
Trailing 7-3 after eight innings, the Marlins scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun the Yankees, winning on Jake Burger's walkoff single.
Miami scored its first two runs in the eighth on a throwing error by New York closer Clay Holmes and tied the game on MLB batting leader Luis Arraez's two-run triple.
Tommy Kahnle then relieved Holmes, and after Bryan De La Cruz walked, Burger lined a singled to left field to score Arraez and win the game.
Burger had three hits and drove in two runs, and is batting .317 with five extra-base hits and six RBIs in 11 games since being acquired by the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline.
The Marlins won for the fourth time in five games and took a half-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the NL's final wild-card spot.
The Yankees, meanwhile, wasted a major league-leading 18th quality start from ace Gerrit Cole to fall five games back of the Blue Jays for the AL's last playoff spot.
Cole gave up two runs and struck out six over six innings before handing things over to the bullpen with a 7-2 lead.
Prior to Sunday, the Yankees were 17-0 in games in which Cole pitched and received at least seven runs of support.
Urias strikes out 12 as Dodgers win season-high eighth straight game
The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their scorching start to August with an 8-3 win over the Colorado Rockies to extend their season-high winning streak to eight.
Julio Urias matched his career high with 12 strikeouts - punching out seven in a row at one point - while allowing three runs and four hits over seven innings for his 10th win of the season. The veteran left-hander has posted a 1.50 ERA in winning his last three starts.
Miguel Rojas homered and drove in four runs for Los Angeles, which improved to 12-1 this month to take an 8 1/2-game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants atop the NL West. The Dodgers entered August just 2 1/2 games up on the Giants.
Mookie Betts had a two-run double Sunday and has been instrumental to the Dodgers' surge, batting .367 with four homers, six doubles and 12 RBIs in 12 games this month.
The Atlanta Falcons are entering the 2023 season without one of their leading tackers from last year.
In a surprise move, the Falcons opted to waive 2022 starting linebacker Mykal Walker on Sunday.
Atlanta made the decision to release Walker two days after he started and had four tackles in Friday's 19-3 preseason win over the Miami Dolphins.
Earlier Sunday, the Falcons signed linebacker Frank Ginda, the 2023 USFL defensive player of the year.
Walker played in 16 games and started 12 for the Falcons last season, finishing with a career-high 107 tackles - the third most on the team. He also had two interceptions, a sack and four tackles for loss.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Falcons in 2020, the 25-year-old Walker had 174 career tackles in 49 games.
Walker thanked the Falcons in a social media post.
Anthony Joshua will ignore the hype and adopt a gladiatorial mindset if his proposed bout with Deontay Wilder gets the green light.
Discussions are advancing between the two camps and Saudi Arabian promotional agency Skills Challenge over the two ex-heavyweight champions doing battle in the ring in January.
Joshua ensured he remained on track for a future meeting with former WBC belt-holder Wilder by knocking out Robert Helenius in the seventh round of Saturday’s show at London’s O2 Arena.
Anticipation is now growing over two of the best heavyweights of the era finally stepping into the ring together after years of a match-up, which at one stage would have been a unification contest, being mooted.
But Joshua insisted: “There is no pressure on this whole situation, I am just rolling with the punches. It is not as important as this and that.
“I am just happy I have done my job and I can go home. It is not a big deal. I will take it step by step.
“For me, it is just another fight. I can’t get caught up in the hype and the build-up, what it means to people. For me I have to go in there as a gladiator, right?
“A gladiator doesn’t worry about what it means to other people, he just goes to fight. Take it from my aspect as a fighter, I am training to fight someone and hurt someone.
“I have no interest in what people think of me in the future. All I have an interest in is taking this guy out one way or another. That is just where my head is at.”
That mentality extends to speculation Wilder could himself arrange a tune-up fight, having last been in the ring back in October when he stopped Helenius in the first round of their New York clash.
While in the past this bout could have been for all the world heavyweight belts, Joshua admits the absence of titles makes it an easier contest to make, with Saudi representatives ringside in London at the weekend.
“Wilder is able to do what he wants. I have no control or concern about what he does, honestly,” the Finchley boxer added.
“I can’t answer for him and I don’t really have an interest too much on what his thought process is and psychology behind it. It is too much energy wasted on unimportant things.
“For me personally, the networks when we were champions was an issue, but now we’re here and it is a good time to be a heavyweight because Wilder is not champion any more, I am not champion, we don’t have network pressure, mandatory pressure.
“When I had four of the belts, I was challenging all my mandatories every other month and now I am free. When we look at the landscape, it is probably easier now to get active and busy again. That is probably the same situation for him as well.”
Joshua’s aim for this year was to fight more after solitary bouts in 2022, 2021 and 2020, but wins over Jermaine Franklin and Helenius have not kept the critics at bay.
The 33-year-old was booed and jeered at points on Saturday night before a devastating right hand produced a knock-out of the year contender.
It appeared to briefly pierce the armoury Joshua has built around him during a professional career that will reach a decade in October and future plans for the Briton were hinted at in the aftermath of his 26th win.
He said: “I will be honest, I am not going to answer anything negative. I feel like there is too much, ‘What do you feel about the booing or this or that’.
“I have no interest in conversing with any more negativity, I just need to hear some positive stuff. There is too much.
“Why are we so focused on so much negativity? We just had a great show, it was one of the best cards, it was heavyweight boxing, there was a knock-out. Let’s address something positive for once.
“Retiring healthy (is the aim). Just leaving the game healthy and paying my dues as a British heavyweight. I have put in a lot of work and I have paid my dues.
“One day I know I will be able to support some up-and-coming fighters, speak to them about the psychological aspect, business aspect and the training aspect of the game.
“I just feel it is very challenging and a lot of people will find it challenging to push through.”
Charley Hull fell short in her bid for a first major title as American Lilia Vu produced a brilliant final-round 67 to win the AIG Women’s Open by six shots.
England’s Hull began the day tied for the lead with Vu but while the latter posted a serene five-under-par total at Walton Heath to clinch her second major, the home favourite finished with a one-over-par 73.
Vu, who won the first major of the year in April at the Chevron Championship, made six birdies, dropping her only shot on the 15th, and was never seriously threatened after Hull had bogeyed the fourth and fifth holes.
Hull, who finished joint-second at the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach in July, was unable to kick-start her challenge until a brilliant eagle at the 11th.
That took her to within two shots of Vu, but two more dropped shots at the 15th and 17th scuppered her hopes.
The 27-year-old finished with a flurry, saving par at the 18th with a monster putt having driven from the rough into a bunker, but Vu sealed a comfortable win with another birdie.
The overnight joint-leaders started the final round one shot clear of American Angel Yin and South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo, but former world number one and two-time Open winner Jiyai Shin sealed third place with a final round of 70.
Shin finished one shot clear of fellow South Koreans Amy Yang (70) and Kim (74), while American trio Allisen Corpuz, Ally Ewing and Yin were tied in sixth place.
Hull paid the price for two dropped shots on the fourth and fifth, finding herself three shots adrift of Vu, who had birdied the second, heading into the fifth.
Vu’s lead was cut to two shots when Hull produced a superb eagle at the par-five 11th, holing from the greenside sand before shrieking in celebration and stumbling on her way out of the bunker, but the 25-year-old Californian showed nerves of steel and responded with a birdie at the 12th.
Both players bogeyed the 15th before Vu extended her advantage with birdies at 16th and 18th, while Hull faltered as dropped shots at the 15th and 17th sandwiched her only birdie of the day at the 16th.
Play was briefly interrupted when protesters let off flares on the 17th after Vu and Hull had both completed the hole, with those involved led away by police and security staff.
Alex Mitchell is on standby to replace Jack van Poortvliet in England’s World Cup squad if the Leicester scrum-half’s worst injury fears are confirmed.
Van Poortvliet is to undergo a scan on his right ankle after he was helped from the pitch by medical staff in the 33rd minute of Saturday’s 19-17 victory over Wales at Twickenham.
The 22-year-old rookie, who was in significant pain, is one of three scrum-halves named in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man squad for the tournament alongside Ben Youngs and Danny Care.
A fitness update is expected on Monday at the earliest and if the damage is substantial, then Mitchell will be summoned into camp.
Mitchell was unfortunate to miss out on the original squad after making four impactful replacement appearances during the Six Nations earlier this year, injecting energy and tempo into England’s play.
“We had Alex Mitchell in camp earlier in our preparation period and he played in the Six Nations as well,” Borthwick said.
“He was involved in four of the five games during the Six Nations and I’ve asked all of the standby players to be ready to be the next man in.
“I want to make sure we’ve got depth in those key positions. I need to find out the information on Jack at this stage and I don’t know that.”
Borthwick faces another potential challenge to his thinking at half-back as England wait for the outcome of Tuesday’s disciplinary hearing that will determine the length of Owen Farrell’s ban.
Farrell was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham and is in danger of missing the World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 – and possibly additional group games.
Giving England hope is that George Ford was outstanding as a replacement for the squad’s captain.
“George is a great thinker about the game. He studies the game, he watches the game – a lot. He’s always coming forward with ideas, thoughts and improvements,” Borthwick said.
“You saw against Wales his game management and the use of his kicking game. George’s distribution skills are very, very good.”
Unless could make the leap to Group One company after a convincing victory in the Michael John Kennedy Memorial Irish EBF Stakes at the Curragh.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Unless boasts a sterling pedigree as a daughter of US Triple Crown winner Justify out of 2017 Cheveley Park Stakes victor Clemmie.
However, the filly had yet to really make her mark, winning a Naas maiden before finishing fourth in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot and second in a Killarney Listed heat last time.
Kept to that level but upped to 10 furlongs, Unless travelled well throughout in the hands of Gary Carroll, racing prominently before mounting a decisive challenge with a couple of furlongs to run.
The 6-1 shot found plenty for pressure and came home a length and three-quarters clear of 5-4 favourite Azazat, with Paddy Power making her a 25-1 shot from 33s for the Yorkshire Oaks at York on August 24.
“We’re delighted with her. She always looked like she would get that trip and she’s a typical Justify, wants a Classic trip, and she could even get further as Gary said she galloped all the way down to the boards,” said O’Brien.
“She’s Clemmie’s first foal so she’s a seriously valuable mare.
“She will definitely stay further and the Yorkshire Oaks could be a possibility.”
Andre Fabre could have a contender for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe having saddled Place Du Carrousel to land the Prix Gontaut-Biron Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville on Sunday.
The four-year-old had been seen just once so far this campaign when finishing down the field in the Prix Ganay, but was always close to the pace on her mid-season return and got first run on runner-up Bolthole as she cruised to a taking three-quarter-length success in the hands of Mickael Barzalona in the Group Three affair.
The daughter of Lope De Vega stayed on strongly to hunt down Nashwa in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day last year, but could be headed to the main event this time around.
“It’s great to see her back,” said Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, who is owner Al Shaqab’s racing consultant in France.
“After the Ganay she really blossomed, but Andre took his time and said this is where we would start her off.
“There’s no rush. She’s in the Romanet but obviously there is the Vermeille and we hope she might be a filly for the Arc.”
There was little joy for the British and Irish raiders in the two other Group Three events, but Charlie Appleby did land a blow for the visitors when Bold Act dug deep in the Listed Prix Nureyev.
The consistent son of New Approach – who showed a good deal of ability when scoring three times as a juvenile – had gone close in Saint-Cloud’s Prix Eugene Adam most recently and although looking briefly outpaced having followed stablemate Victory Dance into the straight, he hit top gear in the hands of William Buick when it mattered most.
“We were a little worried about the ground but it was fine, he battled on really well and deserved it,” said the winning rider.
The opening Circus Maximus Prix Francois Boutin went the way of Patrice Cottier’s Grey Man who justified favouritism in good style to see off Joseph O’Brien’s recent Galway scorer Mythology.
“It wasn’t a surprise, and we all thought he had a very good chance,” said owner Jean-Philippe Dubois.
“He won over six and a half furlongs, over a mile and today he’s won at seven.
“Two out he had the race won and we are very pleased, but I shall have to consult our trainer before deciding on his next race.”
There was a small shock in the Prix Minerve as Maxime Cesandri’s Engaliwe came out on top in a three-way finish with Dschingis Star and the William Haggas-trained Crack Of Light.
“It’s always been the plan to run in this race, but earlier in the week we decided to look again and see what was left in,” said the handler.
“I was convinced she should run and that the ground wouldn’t be too firm for her.
“She was fresh from her run in a Group Three in June and we are so happy to win for the group of friends that own her.
“Options include the Prix Vermeille later on or the Prix de Royallieu when the ground could be softer.”
Jerome Reynier has the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day in mind for Facteur Cheval after his honourable second to Paddington at Goodwood.
The four-year-old was been incredibly consistent in France all year, placing in a string of Group races when never far behind the winner.
In late May he was third in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp, coming home just a head behind Owen Burrows’ Anmaat in the nine-furlong Group One.
His next destination was the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, another Group One for which he was a 11-1 shot under Maxime Guyon.
Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington dominated the market and was ultimately the winner, but Reynier’s runner gave the 4-9 favourite a real run for his money despite encountering some traffic problems two furlongs from home.
Facteur Cheval now has a return to British shores pencilled into his diary, with another run on home turf beforehand likely, as Reynier considers the Prix du Moulin over the Prix Daniel Wildenstein to allow for the ideal Ascot preparation.
“We’re very happy with him, he has been recovering from the run and the journey and he is in very good shape,” the trainer said.
“We are going to aim for the QEII at the end of the year and maybe have another run in between in something like the Moulin.
“We will see, depending on the ground, the opposition and how he feels.
“He could race there in September, but we are aiming for the QEII which is on October 21. I don’t really want to try the Prix Daniel Wildenstein on the Arc weekend on the September 30 and then three weeks later send him to Ascot – that’s maybe a little bit too much to ask of him.”
Reynier hopes the horse will continue to take strides forward and could prove to be as reliable a campaigner as his evergreen stablemate Skalleti.
“He ran very well, he is improving mentally and physically and should be a very nice horse for the QEII and next year he should be a proper international campaigner,” he said.
“He handles everything but we are trying to manage him and the softer it is, the better it is for him.
“We’ve done it with Skalleti and there are many points of comparison with them, hopefully with Facteur Cheval we’ll end up with 12 Group wins like Skalleti has already!”
Skalleti is a stalwart of the Reynier stable and a remarkably consistent performer over a mile to 10 furlongs, winning 20 of his 31 starts with over half of his successes coming in Group company – including twice at the top level.
He is another horse who appreciates cut in the ground and he will be aimed at the Prix Dollar, a Group Two run on Arc weekend that he has won twice previously.
“It’s a question of the weather and the ground,” Reynier said.
“He’ll probably be aiming for the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, he’s won the race twice.
“He loves Longchamp and the ground is very often soft there on Arc weekend, so that’s probably the plan with him.”
Inspiral bounced back to her very best to defend her title in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly enjoyed one of her finest hours when triumphing in the mile Group One 12 months ago, but arrived on the Normandy coast with a point to prove having failed to get involved in the Sussex Stakes 11 days ago.
Ridden with restraint in the early stages by Frankie Dettori as favourite Big Rock set ablaze on the front end, the Italian conjured up a piece of magic aboard the Cheveley Park-owned four-year-old and when the time came to unleash his challenge, he had tacked across to the opposite side of the track to where the duo exited the stalls.
With a furlong to run it was Christopher Head’s French Derby second Big Rock who was still at the head of affairs, but Inspiral and her Royal Ascot conqueror Triple Time were looming large and although Kevin Ryan’s Queen Anne scorer couldn’t maintain his challenge, Inspiral was soon in full flow as she stormed through the line to register her first victory of the season.
The win gave both Dettori and the Clarehaven team a fourth straight success in Deauville’s showpiece, while it was the 52-year-old Italian’s eighth and final win in the race overall as he prepares to wave goodbye at the end of the season.
Beth Shriever set her sights on defending her Olympic crown in Paris after reclaiming the women’s BMX racing world title at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Londoner bossed every round of the competition to take back the title she won just weeks after enjoying Olympic glory in Tokyo in 2021, but there was disappointment for Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte as he crashed out of the men’s competition in the semi-finals.
Shriever lined up in Gate 1 for the final and had opened up a bike length on the rest of field by the opening corner to leave no doubt as to where the rainbow stripes were going.
Shriever started the day as favourite on home soil, and said the way she had handled that pressure bodes well for next summer’s Games in Paris.
“Everything went well, it was pretty much the perfect lap,” she said. “I didn’t know who was behind me or how close they were so I knew to just kept pushing and I’m over the moon.
“I’ve done a lot of stuff with my psychologist practicing things and this is the perfect practice leading into Paris. I’ve trained hard, trained well, I was in the perfect position for this race and just trusted myself, I can’t believe it.
“All my processes, I’ve stuck to it, and it all worked, so it’s unreal.”
Shriever was also fully able to enjoy the celebrations this time, having won her previous titles during the pandemic in deserted venues.
“I’ve always dreamt of being able to go to my parents after the race, I’ve literally dreamt of it all week so to actually do it was next level,” she said. “I’ll have this memory for the rest of my life so I’m very grateful.”
Whyte’s hopes of a medal on a track where he has previously enjoyed success ended in the semi-final when a shot of pain through the left shoulder he has previously dislocated sent him off the track.
“I didn’t have a good start,” Whyte said. “I didn’t mind not having a good start because I knew what the plan was if I didn’t have a good start and the plan stuck, but someone came on the inside and I went slightly off track, lost a bit of speed.
“I tried to gain it back on the jump but I eased up on the jump and nearly went over the bars, took myself out of the race. I made a big mistake, it happens.
“I’ve dislocated this left shoulder before and when I hit the jump it just kind of sent a bit of pain through my shoulder and as I’ve landed, I’ve landed awkwardly and it hurt again. It felt like it came out but it was in when I felt it now. We’ll see what the doctor says when I get home.”
Ross Cullen advanced to the final, his first at this level, and finished sixth as Romain Mahieu claimed gold.
Emily Hutt won silver for Great Britain in the women’s under-23 race, narrowly beaten by France’s Tessa Martinez.
International assignments could be on the radar for Marbaan following his return to form at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
Winner of the Vintage Stakes over track and trip as a juvenile, Charlie Fellowes’ three-year-old had only top-class performers Kinross and Isaac Shelby ahead of him when running over seven furlongs for the first time this season in the Lennox Stakes.
He will now be aimed at either Newbury’s Hungerford Stakes or the City of York Stakes during York’s Ebor meeting, which could tee up a trip oversees, with options in both America and Australia on the table for the son of Oasis Dream.
“He’s taken his race at Goodwood really well and it was great to get him back on track, even though the ground was a little bit softer than ideal,” said Fellowes.
“He’s got options of the Hungerford or the City of York and after that things are slightly up in the air.
“We may consider going a bit further afield and look at something in America or possibly the Golden Eagle in Sydney. I guess that will depend how the next run goes but I think he’s definitely better on better ground, so that is why that has come into our thinking.
“A race like the Prix de la Foret would have been ideal but the likelihood of it being on good ground is extremely rare, so you kind of have to start thinking a bit imaginatively and there’s incredible prize-money to be won in Australia and also options on quicker ground in America.”
Although set to remain at seven furlongs for his next outing, Fellowes would have no hesitation dropping back to six furlongs again in the future and is keen to point out his underwhelming effort in the Commonwealth Cup is his only poor showing at that distance.
He continued: “I actually think he has the speed for six furlongs and he proved that at Salisbury where he split a Group One winner (Khaadem) and a Group One second (Run To Freedom). The form of that race could not have worked out any better.
“I just think the race at Ascot was a line through job, he’s just not the sort of horse you can be aggressive on. He had to make most of his running in a small group of three that day and that is not the way to ride him. He’s much better with a bit of cover, sitting in behind one or two and I think he would be just as fine over six.”
Whereas Marbaan requires quick ground to be seen at his best, one who relishes testing conditions is stablemate Vadream, who claimed both the Cammidge Trophy and Palace House Stakes earlier in the season, but has been on the sidelines of late.
Owned by Coventry City chairman Doug King, the five-year-old has been out of action with injury at a time when underfoot conditions have been in her favour.
However, having been on the go since February, Fellowes is happy to have been handed an unexpected opportunity to give the daughter of Brazen Beau a mid-season breather ahead of her big-race targets towards the end of the campaign.
“Vadream had a small setback a couple of weeks ago. She’s had a bruised foot and she had a very easy week last week and she’s back cantering now,” said the Bedford House handler.
“She’s got lots and lots of entries, but she kind of needed a freshen up anyway. So although there has been soft ground around while she has been out and she could have run in the Maurice de Gheest I guess, it won’t have done her any harm having a little bit of a freshen up mid-season.
“We have all the races like the Flying Five, the Prix de l’Abbaye and then the Champion Sprint, along with races like the Bengough Stakes at a slightly lower level as options. When she gets her ground she is going to be very dangerous.
“I’d love to run her in an Abbaye or at the Curragh in the Flying Five, I think that would be a lovely option if she got some soft ground over there in Ireland.”
Twilight Calls is poised to add his name to what is shaping up to be a red-hot renewal of York’s Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes later this month.
Henry Candy’s five-year-old has yet to strike at Group level, but has more than held his own when tackling some top-quality sprinting assignments in the past two seasons.
Runner-up in the King’s Stand Stakes in 2022, a return to Royal Ascot unleashed the best version of Twilight Calls, where he could arguably have finished closer than his three-and-a-quarter-length fourth if enjoying more luck in running.
Having missed the King George Stakes at Goodwood on account of the testing conditions at the Sussex venue, Twilight Calls will now throw his hat into the ring for the Knavesmire Group One on August 25, which is attracting some of the best speedsters around and a race Candy won with the gelding’s grandsire Kyllachy in 2002.
“The ground wasn’t right at Goodwood for him, so it will be York and then we would consider Ireland for the five-furlong Flying Five,” said Chris Richardson, managing director for owners Cheveley Park Stud.
“We know he has the ability, he just needs everything to fall right. Royal Ascot was painful to watch and Ryan Moore got off and said he ran into trouble and he is a horse that just needs a bit of luck to go his way, and as often is the case, it doesn’t.
“He’s given us a lot of fun and is helping us promote the sire Twilight Son and so York is the plan.”
Simca Mille entered the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe picture with a decisive victory in the Westminster 133rd Grosser Preis von Berlin.
The Hoppegarten Group One has been used as a stopping point on the route to ParisLongchamp in the past, with 2021 Arc hero Torquator Tasso winning the race in 2020 before chasing home Alpinista during the year of his triumph in Europe’s richest middle-distance contest.
Last year it was Charlie Appleby’s Rebel’s Romance that took home the spoils and stablemate New London made a bold bid from the front looking to repeat the dose for the Godolphin handler.
However, with the challenge of last year’s St Leger second beginning to falter upon straightening for home, the eye was drawn to Stephane Wattel’s French contender who was travelling menacingly in the hands of Alexis Pouchin.
The four-year-old, who skipped the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot last month, soon stormed clear of his pursuers to give his handler a Group One success and earn quotes of 25-1 from 33s from Paddy Power for the Arc in the French capital on October 1.
“It’s fantastic for the horse and I must admit it is nice for me because it is my first Group One after over 30 years of training,” Wattel told Wettstar.
“I’m so happy it happened here in Berlin in front of a fantastic crowd.
“It’s a difficult job and sometimes you have difficult periods, but when it goes well and you train a horse of this quality, we forget everything and we are so happy.
“He’s engaged in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and as you know, some nice winners of the Grosser Preis von Berlin have won the Arc. We might have a try at that and it will be the next target – a very big one.”
Gregor Townsend is adamant Scotland are equipped to go toe-to-toe with any side they encounter at the upcoming World Cup after giving formidable France another fright on Saturday.
The Scots lost 30-27 to Les Bleus in front of a partisan home support in stifling Saint-Etienne heat, a week after they defeated Fabien Galthie’s side 25-21 at Murrayfield.
Both of those warm-up matches involved rousing fightbacks from Townsend’s team, as was also the case in their Six Nations meeting in Paris in February when the visitors recovered from 19-0 down to close within four points of their hosts before a late French try secured a 32-21 win.
Given France are ranked second in the world and joint-favourites alongside New Zealand to win the tournament on home soil this autumn, the way Scotland have competed against Les Bleus this year has enhanced their head coach’s belief that his team are ready to vie for qualification from a heavyweight World Cup pool that also includes world champions South Africa and the world’s top-ranked side, Ireland.
“We’re fit enough, we’ve got the game and we’ve got the players to take on any team we come up against, and this was a preparation for what is likely to happen in the World Cup: noisy atmospheres, powerful forwards, especially when we play South Africa, and hot conditions,” said Townsend.
“Our players thrived in that environment. There were elements where we can improve and that will come, and it has come because we’ve seen improvement right throughout the season.
“Our belief has been shaken at times in games, but against France the belief was there. Whether it was as individuals or collectively, we knew we were coming back.
“It is a big disappointment that we didn’t get anything out of that game whether it is a draw or a win.
“We know if that was a World Cup match we’d be sitting here absolutely gutted, but it is a build-up to the World Cup so there are lots of positives out of that performance.”
Scotland made a strong start to lead 10-6 at the half-hour mark and then staged a stunning fightback from 27-10 down to level the match at 27-27 before Thomas Ramos – who kicked 15 of France’s points – sealed a narrow win with a late penalty.
On a night when the visitors outscored their hosts by four tries to three, Scotland were effectively left to rue a 29th minute yellow card for Ali Price and a disastrous start to the second half as the French ran in two tries within four minutes of the restart.
“That’s one way to look at it,” said Townsend when asked how he can eliminate such costly phases of drop-off from Scotland. “The other way to look at it is these top teams are going to have their moments and they are going to score points.
“A lot of what happened in that five minutes after half-time was down to our errors, we were unable to gather a pass from the kick off and gave France some dominance in our 22.
“We’ll look at all the game. I think we could have done more in the first 15-20 minutes when we were playing so well. There was some opportunities there that we could have taken with a bit more ambition and accuracy.
“The period when we were a man down was really good defensively, but I feel we could have done better when we had ball. And the final quarter when we came back, there is maybe not much to improve there because there was some outstanding play, but it would have been nice to have a chance with that line-out at the end and there was that scrum where France won the penalty.
“So there is always areas to improve, but I am so proud of not just the effort but that resilience and collective belief the players have built over the last few weeks and last few months.
“This team will not be beaten. We’ll keep going and we’re a very dangerous team to play against, and we believe the more time we spend together the more accurate we’ll get.”
Townsend feels spoiled for choice as he prepares to trim his 37-man training squad to 33 for the World Cup, with the announcement to be made this Wednesday.
The head coach was encouraged that he was able to make six changes to the starting XV from the Murrayfield victory over the French and still send out a team strong enough to challenge Les Bleus on their own patch.
The strength in depth at Townsend’s disposal was highlighted by the fact Kyle Steyn, who is generally a substitute when fellow wings Darcy Graham and Duhan Van Der Merwe are fit, chipped in with two of the Scots’ tries. The others came from Van Der Merwe and Rory Darge.
“The bench is worth commenting on,” said Townsend. “The depth we have in our squad means we can mix things up at times, rest players or bring players in because of form or because they are suited to a certain game, Kyle Steyn being a good example.
“In the last three games now the bench has made a real change in our energy, helped take the game to the opposition, so it is encouraging that the 23 is being utilised and helping us play better at the end of games, and the final quarter is probably the most important time in a game to play well.
“There will be a difficult selection coming up with the squad, but also when we have to pick our 23-man squad game to game.”
King Of Steel is set to have his credentials tested over 10 furlongs following his third-placed finish in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Roger Varian’s Derby runner-up headed to Ascot for a rematch with his Epsom conqueror Auguste Rodin on the back of an impressive victory over course and distance in the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting.
The Amo Racing-owned colt was sent off the 9-2 second-favourite at the Berkshire track and although faring better than Aidan O’Brien’s dual Classic winner who disappointed, the son of Wootton Bassett was unable to reel in the winner Hukum and runner-up Westover despite travelling powerfully into the home straight.
A drop back in trip is now on the cards and with entries for both the Juddmonte International Stakes at York (August 23) and Leopardstown’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes (September 9), there are plenty of big-race options available to the strapping colt, who could quickly provide his owners with more big-race glory after Bucanero Fuerte secured a first UK and Irish Group One victory in the Phoenix Stakes.
“King Of Steel is in good form and Roger is very happy with him,” said Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for Amo.
“We’re undecided where we will go at the minute and we’ve got a lot of decisions to make.
“He’s in the Juddmonte, he’s entered in the Irish Champion and we put him in the Champion Stakes at Ascot the other day and I think we believe now that 10 furlongs is his trip. He’s not a slow horse by any means.”
A trip to Dublin for Irish Champions Weekend would give King Of Steel an additional two weeks to recover from his Ascot exertions and is slated as the slight favourite at this stage.
And the feeling within the camp is a truly-run race over a mile and a quarter is where he will be seen at the peak of his powers having just faded in the closing stages of the King George.
“All options are open and we need to speak to Roger,” continued Pennington. “At this stage I would say we will probably be leaning towards the Irish Champion Stakes.
“I think we got away with it at Royal Ascot, but as you saw he was keen early in the King George. You could argue coming round into the straight he was the last horse off the bridle and just flattened out the last furlong, Kevin (Stott) said he was running on fumes.
“I think a strongly-run 10 furlongs with an end-to-end gallop is where you will really see him at his best.”
Warren Gatland hinted there may be repercussions for World Cup selection after Wales surrendered a strong position in slumping to a 19-17 defeat by England at Twickenham.
The hosts had been reduced to 12 men after Owen Farrell’s yellow card was upgraded to a red by the ‘Bunker’ review system at a time when Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge were sat in the sin-bin.
Wales led 17-9 but against the odds England scored the next try when Maro Itoje rounded off a maul before George Ford landed a conversion and penalty to seal a come-from-behind victory.
“I’m furious we didn’t win the game, but it answered a few questions for us about certain individuals,” head coach Gatland said.
“The game management in that final quarter wasn’t good enough. We should have been comfortable.
“It was a big moment not taking the kick-off and giving England back a bit of momentum by not clearing our line, allowing them to score from that and get back into the game. That was disappointing.
“We capitulated in terms of our accuracy and with some guys not knowing their roles. For me that was disappointing because we’ve spent a lot of time ensuring there is clarity and everyone knows their roles.
“We gave away some soft penalties where we piggy-backed them up the field and gave them those chances. We’ll have learnt a lot from that.”
Wales’ inability to close out their first victory at Twickenham since 2015 completed a largely promising double-header against England that began with a solid 20-9 win in Cardiff.
Gatland has one last warm-up game to finalise selection for the World Cup, with South Africa visiting the Principality Stadium two days before he unveils his 33-man squad.
Dangerous Fiji are their opening opponents in France next month and Wales’ boss believes his players are being sufficiently battle-hardened.
“There are still some players we need to find out about and potentially give an opportunity to,” Gatland said.
“You couldn’t ask for better warm-up matches in terms of the physicality we are looking for, with England home and away and then South Africa.
“It’s going to be the same sort of test up-front against South Africa and we need to take the learnings from Twickenham.”
Wales are waiting for fitness updates on Dewi Lake and Taine Plumtree who suffered respective knee and shoulder injuries.
Taine Basham failed an HIA after being struck by a dangerous tackle by England captain Owen Farrell.
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