The use of artificial intelligence in sport will become more powerful and lead to an increased standard of performance, an expert in the field believes.
AI-powered machines have been present in sport for some time in a number of ways, from the collection of human-generated statistics made famous by the ‘Moneyball’ concept to the development of Hawk-Eye and VAR.
But with more powerful machine-learning programmes and an increased pool of data to use, a whole range of techniques that can help athletes will be unlocked.
“Absolutely, it will increase the standard,” Alex Bonnet, a machine-learning solutions engineer at Encord – a company specialising in AI model development, told the PA news agency.
“It is going to become more powerful because these AI techniques rely on a large amount of data and a lot of that hasn’t been structured and labelled for training machine-learning models.
“Through the fact there are more powerful models that can do more interesting things, companies will find new techniques and applications for AI in sport.
“There is going to be a boost in the kind of things that are possible because of the increase of exposure.”
There are a number of ways performance might be enhanced, whether that is an improvement to training techniques and nutrition or a development in tactics and strategies based on intelligence.
“Although it might not be a traditional sport, we have seen that in chess, the use of AI has actually made players find new ways to play,” Bonnet added.
“They train a lot against computers, and computers don’t always play moves in the same way a human will, so now the style of chess is different to what it used to be.
“That is also true for traditional sports, such as football, tennis, rugby, where you can discover new strategies, with new AI tooling you can explore different scenarios and how new techniques will play out in the real world.
“For example in cycling, how would you dose your effort across long races? A lot of athletes use stickers on their bikes to tell them when to eat and drink, but using AI that can be done for you.
“You can start to do things people have never done before.
“AI can also play a part in planning optimal training sessions for athletes.
“That can boost performance but also reduce injury, especially in sports like tennis and football where there are movements that occur that might make the athlete more prone to injury.
“You can analyse those and make training better, which ultimately means less injuries and more player availability and performance.”
The use of AI is not restricted to professional sport as products are available for recreational use, with the emergence of in-play apps that analyse performance in a number of activities such as tennis, badminton and golf.
And Bonnet believes that could make playing sport more fun.
“It will become more democratised and it will make sport more engaging, you can build gamified experiences,” he added.
“You can add an extra layer and it will get people excited about playing sport.”
Kyle Tucker came through with a grand slam off All-Star closer Felix Bautista in the ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a stunning 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
Bautista was called on to protect a 6-3 lead in the ninth but promptly walked pinch-hitter Jon Singleton before Jose Altuve blooped a single.
After Alex Bregman struck out, Yordan Alvarez followed with a deep drive to centre that Jorge Mateo – a shortstop making only his second start of the year in centre field – failed to make the play on, and the ball bounced off the wall for a very long single.
Tucker battled Bautista for nine pitches, finally hitting a 100-mph fastball into the seats in right-centre for his 20th home run and second grand slam this season.
Bautista had allowed only five earned runs all season before Houston scored four on him in two-thirds of an inning.
Baltimore had a four-game winning streak snapped and its lead in the AL East was cut to two games over Tampa Bay.
Ryan Mountcastle hit a first-inning home run – a two-run blast – and Adley Rutschman added a two-run shot of his own in the second to put the Orioles up 5-0.
Houston starter Framber Valdez, who threw a no-hitter in his previous start, allowed a season high-tying six runs and eight hits in seven innings.
Scherzer pitches Rangers to eighth straight win
Max Scherzer pitched seven strong innings and Corey Seager had three hits with a home run to lead the Texas Rangers to their season-high eighth straight win, 6-1 over the Oakland Athletics.
Scherzer limited last-place Oakland to three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in his second start with the Rangers.
Robbie Grossman doubled home a run in the second inning and scored on Sam Huff’s double to trigger a three-run fourth.
Seager capped that outburst with an RBI double and hit his 19th home run in the seventh inning – his sixth homer in his last eight games.
The win was the 68th for the Rangers, equalling their total from all last season. The eight-game streak is their longest since winning 10 straight from May 9-19, 2017.
Gilbert shuts down Padres as Mariners stay hot
Logan Gilbert pitched one-hit ball and struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings as the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 2-0 for their sixth consecutive win.
Gilbert retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced, allowing only an infield single to Xander Bogaerts in the second inning.
Matt Brash struck out Trent Grisham with runners on the corners in the eighth and Andres Munoz worked the ninth.
Seattle moved a season-high nine games over .500 and pulled within two games of Toronto for the third and final AL wild-card spot.
The Mariners scored the game’s first run in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore tripled home another run in the sixth.
Ireland insist Jack Conan’s latest foot injury is “nothing like” the issue which ruined his last Rugby World Cup and are optimistic he will be fit to feature in France.
Andy Farrell’s squad are in Portugal for a week-long training camp but back-rower Conan stayed in Dublin to rehabilitate the problem he sustained in the first half of Saturday’s 33-17 warm-up victory over Italy.
The 31-year-old was pictured with his right foot in a protective boot after departing the Aviva Stadium pitch, sparking concerns he will endure further World Cup heartache, having prematurely left the 2019 tournament in Japan due to a stress fracture.
Ireland boss Farrell will not discover the full extent of the problem until next week but defence coach Simon Easterby says early signs are “positive”.
Asked if Leinster player Conan is in danger of missing the World Cup, Easterby, speaking from the Algarve, said: “No, genuinely not.
“Jack has in the past had troubles with his foot.
“But it’s nothing like it was back in 2019. He was pretty bullish around the injury.
“From everything that we’re hearing – we haven’t had full feedback yet – it’s a positive injury as a opposed to a really negative one.
“He’s stayed behind just to rehab and we hope to get more information on his injury next week.
“We’re still waiting on assessment and we decided that it would probably be best for him to stay back in Dublin.”
British and Irish Lion Conan spoke last week of having unfinished business at the World Cup due to his disappointment four years ago.
He came off the bench in Ireland’s opening win over Scotland in Yokohama but was then injured in training ahead of the shock defeat by hosts Japan, a match he had been due to start.
Farrell will his cut his current 42-man squad down to a final 33 on August 28 following further warm-up matches against England (August 19) and Samoa (August 26).
Ireland begin their World Cup campaign on September 9 against Romania in Bordeaux.
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 8.
FootballIan Wright watched France at the Women’s World Cup with Arsene Wenger.
Micky van de Ven bid goodbye to Wolfsburg.
View this post on InstagramNew threads for Manchester United.
John Terry got philosophical.
Manchester City turned the clock back.
Happy birthdays.
Usain Bolt praised the Reggae Girlz.
Nigeria players reflected on their World Cup exit.
TennisCaroline Wozniacki returned to competitive tennis.
BoxingAJ was building towards fight night.
CricketKP was having a tipple.
Formula OneSonic was located.
Alex Albon celebrated international cat day.
Fernando Alonso was enjoying the summer break.
Ollie Wood and Mark Stewart snatched men’s Madison silver on the line and came within a whisker of gold for Great Britain in a thrilling finale at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.
New Zealand won the final sprint but Wood came charging down the final straight to take second place and with it pip the Kiwis to silver by a single point, while finishing only two points off the 37 points that gave gold to the Dutch duo of Jan-Willem van Schip and Yoeri Havik.
While Wood replicates the Madison silver he won alongside Ethan Hayter in last year’s worlds in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the medal was only the second at this level for the 27-year-old Scot, a particular thrill on home boards in Glasgow.
“Some of the guys we’re racing against have just come from the Tour de France, they’re super strong so we knew to be in with a shout we’d have to be clever and bide our time and we did that,” Stewart said.
“We did that and we’re only two points off gold so there’s contrasting feelings. We’re gutted not to get the win, how amazing would that have been to deliver but at the same time to be here in Glasgow and be on the podium is fantastic.”
A late dig was not enough for Neah Evans as she missed out on the medals in the women’s points race, surrendering her title.
Less than 24 hours after winning the women’s Madison crown alongside Elinor Barker, Evans found she was missing the extra kick she needed in a race won by Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky ahead of Australia’s Georgia Baker.
Evans started strong and had followed an attack from Kopecky and Baker midway through the race, looking to gain a lap on the field.
But the pair opened up a small gap to Evans, and while they could work together to pick up the points, Evans had to chase alone, putting in an effort that would cost her later on as she later lost the lap she had worked so hard to gain.
Evans then tried to go long to get the points she needed in the final sprint but could not respond to an attack from Japan’s Tsuyaka Uchino.
“The race didn’t quite go as I was hoping, so I tried to adapt,” Evans said. “I just tried to reset and relax and I relaxed too much. I think I didn’t have the usual zip in my legs.”
Evans came into these worlds, on her home track in Glasgow, still suffering the effects of a training crash last week – the injuries still visible on her right leg.
Although that did not stop her and Barker winning in the Madison, she could not back it up a day later.
“Up to the crash, I was having a brilliant lead-in,” the 33-year-old said. “I thought, ‘I am going to be fine’, but then you have that little step up. You say it is not going to affect you, it won’t make any difference, but you know it is going to.
“At this level just a few watts missing is the difference between being able to close the gap or not. So is what it is.”
There was yet more success for Britain’s para-cyclists on the penultimate day in the velodrome too.
Neil Fachie and Matt Rotherham joined Lizzie Jordan and Amy Cole to win gold in the mixed B team sprint – a 19th world title for Fachie at the age of 39.
Fran Brown won the women’s C1 scratch race and Jody Cundy, Kadeena Cox and Jaco van Gass teamed up to take silver in the C3 mixed team sprint.
The Tampa Bay Rays put opening day starting pitcher Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list last week.
It appears he'll be sidelined much longer than just 15 days.
Rays manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday that McClanahan is "highly unlikely" to pitch again this season.
McClanahan has been seeing several specialists to examine his injured left forearm, and is slated to visit at least one more before a decision is made on whether he'll need surgery.
Surgery options include a loose body removal, a flexor tendon procedure and Tommy John surgery, which typically requires at least 12 months of recovery for pitchers.
McClanahan landed on IL last Thursday, one day after he left his start against the New York Yankees after four innings because of what was later described as left forearm tightness.
The 26-year-old got off to a sensational start to the season, going 11-1 with a 2.12 ERA with 97 strikeouts over 89 1/3 innings in his first 15 starts, but hasn't won since while battling tightness in his mid-back.
In his last six starts, the two-time All-Star is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA, pitching fewer than four innings in four of those outings.
He was instrumental to Tampa Bay's fast start to the year, as the Rays were a major league-best 51-22 and owned a six-game lead over the second-place Baltimore Orioles atop the AL East at the time of McClanahan's last win on June 16.
Since then, however, they have MLB's eighth-worst record at 17-24, and enter play Tuesday three games back of the division-leading Orioles.
A late dig was not enough for Neah Evans as she missed out on the medals to surrender her title in the women’s points race at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.
Less than twenty-four hours after winning the Madison crown alongside Elinor Barker, Evans found she was missing the extra kick she needed in a race won by Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky ahead of Australia’s Georgia Baker.
Evans started strong and had followed an attack from Kopecky and Baker midway through the race, looking to gain a lap on the field.
But the pair opened up a small gap to Evans, and while they could work together to pick up the points, Evans had to chase alone, putting in an effort that would cost her later on as she later lost the lap she had worked so hard to gain.
Evans then tried to go long to get the points she needed in the final sprint but could not respond to an attack from Japan’s Tsuyaka Uchino.
“The race didn’t quite go as I was hoping, so I tried to adapt,” Evans said. “I just tried to reset and relax and I relaxed too much. I think I didn’t have the usual zip in my legs.
“I thought, ‘oh, crap. I cannot close that gap that I normally can close easily’. It just changes the dynamic. I went much earlier in the final sprint that I would normally but I didn’t feel like I had the zap to sprint.
“I will have to go for a long one and I couldn’t hold on it, which I normally can. A pretty frustrating day. It is what it is, it’s bike racing.”
Kopecky had not raced in Monday’s Madison after her usual racing partner in the event, Shari Bossuyt, returned a positive test for the banned substance Letrozole in March.
Evans came into these worlds, on her home track in Glasgow, still suffering the effects of a training crash last week, the injuries still visible on her right leg.
Although that did not stop her and Barker winning in the Madison, she could not back it up a day later.
“Up to the crash, I was having a brilliant lead-in,” the 33-year-old said. “I thought, ‘I am going to be fine’, but then you have that little step up. You say it is not going to affect you, it won’t make any difference, but you know it is going to.
“At this level just a few watts missing is the difference between being able to close the gap or not. So is what it is.”
Evans was not involved in this week’s women’s team pursuit, in which Great Britain took a first world title since 2014, with the fight for selection hotting up a year out from the Paris Olympics.
“The thing with being part of British Cycling is we have amazing support and amazing structure but it also means we have some incredible riders,” she said. “So it is hugely competitive to get a spot on the start line.
“I’d like to think I am in the mix, definitely after the Madison, but a lot can happen within a year.”
Andy Murray is through to the second round of the National Bank Open after beating Lorenzo Sonego in Toronto.
The 36-year-old, who has won the title in Canada three times – most recently in 2015 – battled past Italian Sonego 7-6 (3) 6-0.
In a marathon first set, Murray had to save two set points at 5-4 on his own serve.
The Scot dropped the first two points of the ensuing tie-break but won the next six to take control and wrap up the set in 88 minutes.
If that opening set was a slog, the second was a breeze by comparison.
The first break of serve in the match went to Murray and he quickly backed it up with two more.
He converted his first match point in typical fashion, grinding Sonego down in a punishing rally, to secure the victory in two hours and nine minutes.
The New Orleans Saints are beefing up their roster just days ahead of their preseason opener.
The Saints plan to sign running back Kareem Hunt and linebacker Anthony Barr, pending the former Pro Bowlers pass their physicals.
The news was first reported Tuesday by Dianna Russini of ESPN, one day after both veteran free agents visited the team.
Hunt spent the past four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and joins a Saints team looking to find a suitable replacement for Alvin Kamara after the five-time Pro Bowl running back was suspended for the season's first three games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller are also in the mix to get the start in New Orleans' season opener against the Tennessee Titans on September 10.
The 28-year-old Hunt played in all 17 games last season as Nick Chubb's backup, rushing for 468 yards and three touchdowns on 123 carries for an average of 3.8 yards per attempt.
A third-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, Hunt earned Pro Bowl honours and was named the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, amassing career highs of 1,327 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns with 53 receptions for 455 receiving yards in his first year.
The 31-year-old Barr played in 14 games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, registering 58 total tackles and a sack, after spending his first eight pro seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
A first-round pick by the Vikings in 2014, Barr has been selected to four Pro Bowls - most recently in 2018 - and is expected to help with linebacker depth after Andrew Dowell was lost for the season due to a torn ACL while Demario Davis is nursing a calf injury.
The Saints, who finished 7-10 last season to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row after winning four consecutive NFC South titles, play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in their preseason opener.
Caroline Wozniacki made a winning return to the court at the National Bank Open in Montreal, more than three years after bidding farewell to tennis.
The 33-year-old, who walked away from the sport following the 2020 Australian Open and has since had two children, looked like she had never been away as she swept past Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell 6-2 6-2.
“It feels great, my first match back in over three years and I was definitely a little rusty,” she said on court. “But what an amazing place to come back to play my first match.”
Wozniacki was understandably nervous at the start and threw in two double faults on her way to dropping serve in the first game.
But with the breezy conditions making serving tricky, five of the first six games were breaks, with Wozniacki’s sole hold giving her the advantage and she wrapped up the opening set in 43 minutes.
The former world number one, who won the Australian Open in 2018, aims to be fully up to speed in time for the US Open later this month.
So she will have been pleased with the battling service holds she had to make as the plucky Birrell put her under pressure in the second set.
However, Wozniacki finished the job on her first match point, a backhand winner down the line before raising her arms in delight.
However, it is straight back to parental duties for the Dane following her first win as a mother.
“That’s pretty crazy,” she added. “I was just looking at the clock and my kids are napping now. That’s the good part about playing early – I still have the afternoon with them.”
Ireland back-rower Jack Conan remains an injury concern ahead of the Rugby World Cup after missing his country’s week-long training camp in Portugal.
Andy Farrell’s squad flew to the Algarve on Monday but Conan remained in Dublin to rehabilitate the foot problem he sustained in the first half of Saturday’s 33-17 victory over Italy.
Head coach Farrell talked down the severity of the issue in the immediate aftermath of the match but will not discover the full extent of it until next week.
Ireland host England at the Aviva Stadium a week on Saturday, with Farrell scheduled to announce his final 33-man squad for France on Monday, August 28 following a final warm-up fixture against Samoa.
Defence coach Simon Easterby said: “You would have seen after the game that there were a couple of players carrying bumps.
“The only person that hasn’t travelled with us from the squad is Jack Conan. He’s stayed behind just to rehab and we hope to get more information on his injury next week.
“We’re still waiting on assessment and we decided that it would probably be best for him to stay back in Dublin.”
Leinster player Conan was pictured with his right foot in a protective boot after departing the field just before half-time against the Azzurri.
The 31-year-old last week spoke of having unfinished business at the World Cup after his trip to Japan in 2019 was ruined by a stress fracture in his foot.
Full-back Jimmy O’Brien and scrum-half Craig Casey also sustained injuries at the weekend but have travelled with the rest of the squad.
Ireland are preparing to play an unofficial training match against Portugal on Wednesday, which should be beneficial for suspended captain Johnny Sexton.
The 38-year-old fly-half, who has not played since sustaining a groin injury at the end of the Six Nations, cannot return to competitive action until his country’s World Cup opener against Romania on September 9 due to a three-match ban.
Easterby insists the session “isn’t a full-blown game”.
“It wouldn’t be the first time it happened,” said Easterby. “Often teams collaborate with other teams and get the opportunity to do some set-piece against each other and to run some backline against backline.
“It certainly isn’t a full-blown game. It’s a condition training session which has been a collaboration between the Portuguese coaches and ourselves around trying to create a training session which is slightly different from the norm.
“When you know each other so well and get the opportunity to train against each other for four or five weeks, you often cancel each other out in terms of what you try and do in attack and defence.
“I guess it’s one of those opportunities we had to connect up with the Portuguese to train against them and to challenge ourselves in way you wouldn’t normally do in a normal training week.
“He (Sexton) will be playing a part in the training session, for sure – as will every other player that’s here.”
Kevin Ryan is planning to saddle both Triple Time and Hi Royal in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville on Sunday.
Triple Time has been kept fresh since causing a 33-1 upset in the curtain-raising Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and is firmly on course for a cross-Channel raid this weekend.
His younger stablemate Hi Royal was placed in both the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Irish Guineas at the Curragh in the spring, but never threatened to land a blow in last month’s Prix Jean Prat.
However, he too is being readied for a return to Deauville, with William Buick booked for the ride.
Ryan said: “Both horses are in good form, Triple Time was very good at Royal Ascot and I’m looking forward to running him again.
“Hi Royal has always been a very consistent horse other than his last start and he’s been working well.
“Neil Callan will obviously ride Triple Time and William Buick has become available and rides Hi Royal.”
Conditions have been testing recently but a dry week both here and in France should see the ground improve and Ryan is hopeful the going will not be an issue at the weekend.
He said: “It’s a dry week, the ground today was good to soft and I don’t think there’s any rain forecast – it should be drying out all the time.”
Manu Tuilagi and Ollie Lawrence could be paired together in a potent centre combination as England assess their midfield permutations for the World Cup.
Head coach Steve Borthwick believes that despite broad similarities in playing style – both players are physical carriers who run through rather than around opponents – they can forge an effective partnership.
It raises the prospect of England entering the crucial opener against Argentina on September 9 with Tuilagi and Lawrence operating outside fly-half Owen Farrell.
Lawrence entered the World Cup training camp on the back of his breakthrough Six Nations, filling the hard-running role usually performed by Tuilagi.
“I think they can play together – Manu at 12 and Ollie at 13,” Borthwick said.
“That was Ollie’s first proper Six Nations, as in being involved every week. He did really well before unfortunately having to go off in the France game with a hamstring injury.
“Ollie brings carry but he’s also a very good defender. He rates exceptionally high as a defender on all the systems we use to analyse performances across the Premiership.
“We know Manu’s strengths and experience and I think they can play together in a specific way.”
Other centre options in the 33-man World Cup squad named by Borthwick on Monday are Joe Marchant and Elliot Daily, both of whom are comfortable in the number 13 jersey.
Farrell can play at inside centre with George Ford and Marcus Smith present as additional fly-halves.
Borthwick on Thursday picks his team to face Wales at Twickenham in the second instalment of the double-header between the old rivals.
Having crashed to a tame defeat in Cardiff last Saturday, England are already in must-win territory with the Summer Nations Series reaching the midway stage this weekend.
Wing Jonny May, centre Guy Porter and lock Jonny Hill – each of whom was omitted from the World Cup squad – have been retained as injury cover ahead of the team announcement.
Frankie Dettori is keen for the equine stars to be the focus of attention on Qipco Champions Day, despite the fact the Ascot extravaganza will also be his swansong on European soil.
The entries for the five main races on the October 21 card were published on Tuesday, with the brilliant Paddington headlining a stellar cast
Having secured his fourth Group One victory of the season in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last week, Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old has been entered for the both the £1.3million Qipco Champion Stakes and the £1.1million Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
The three remaining Pattern races – the Long Distance Cup, the British Champions Sprint and the Fillies & Mares Stakes – each offer a total prize fund of £500,000, meaning prize money for Champions Day totals £4.1million, cementing its position as the richest raceday in the British calendar.
Entries also include the unbeaten Prix du Jockey Club winner Ace Impact and the last two Betfred Derby winners in Auguste Rodin and Desert Crown, as well as other Group One stars in the shape of the impressive Prince of Wales’s winner Mostahdaf and star sprinter Shaquille, winner of both the Commonwealth Cup and the July Cup this season.
But for all the brilliant action set to take place on the track, for many the star attraction will be Dettori, who is set to make his final appearance in Britain and Europe before retiring from the saddle later in the year.
He said: “Qipco British Champions Day is a great concept with great prize money. Racing for the kind of money which the rest of the world is doing more regularly.
“It was very hard to pick my last day riding in England. I had thought about Newmarket the week before but Ascot is my favourite track with so many great memories. It is going to be a special day and my family is going to be there.
“I don’t want to take the gloss off the day. The day is about the best day’s racing and not about my last day riding here before I go to America for the Breeders’ Cup and then Australia and Hong Kong before retiring at the end of the year.”
Reflecting on some of his Champions Day highlights, the 52-year-old added: “It was very good last year with Emily Upjohn coming back to win (the Fillies & Mares) after a long layoff and then Kinross, my favourite horse, winning first the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp and then 13 days later the British Champions Sprint.
“Another highlight was Cracksman, who gave me a first win after years of trying in the Champion Stakes in 2017 and won it again the next year.”
Bucanero Fuerte is set to renew rivalry with his Royal Ascot conqueror River Tiber in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.
Aidan O’Brien claimed the Group One contest for a remarkable 17th time with Little Big Bear 12 months ago and is responsible for six of the 12 juveniles still in contention for this year’s renewal.
The Ballydoyle handler’s chief hope is River Tiber, who stretched his unbeaten record to three in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting in June and is second only to stablemate City Of Troy in the ante-post betting for next year’s 2000 Guineas.
Alabama, His Majesty, Johannes Brahms, The Caribbean and Unquestionable complete the O’Brien sextet.
Just a length behind River Tiber when third in the Coventry was the Adrian Murray-trained Bucanero Fuerte, who subsequently proved that performance was no fluke by edging out Unquestionable in the Group Two Railway Stakes over the Phoenix course and distance.
Murray has also left his 150-1 Norfolk Stakes winner Valiant Force and Launch in the Group One contest at the six-day stage, but looks set to rely upon his Railway winner.
He said: “Bucanero Fuerte is the one that’s probably going to go.
“All has gone well since the Railway. We took him and Valiant Force to work at the Curragh last week and we were very happy with the two of them. Hopefully it’s onwards and upwards.
“You don’t know until you run, but looks like he (Bucanero Fuerte) is improving all the time.”
Assuming Bucanero Fuerte does line up at the Curragh, his stablemate Valiant Force could head to France in search of a Group One win of his own.
“He’s going to Deauville in two weeks’ time for the Prix Morny. We’re looking forward to it – the pressure is on,” Murray added.
The potential Phoenix field is completed by Donnacha O’Brien’s Porta Fortuna, winner of the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting, Jessica Harrington’s Coventry fourth Givemethebeatboys and the Diego Dias-trained Gaenari.
Anthony Joshua’s hopes of fighting Deontay Wilder in the next six months remain alive after Robert Helenius agreed to replace Dillian Whyte for Saturday’s bout at London’s O2 Arena.
Matchroom confirmed on Tuesday morning that Helenius would step in for Whyte, who saw his hopes of avenging defeat to Joshua in 2015 ended last weekend after “adverse analytical findings” were detected in his doping test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Whyte has vowed to clear his name but knowledge of his failed test left Matchroom in a race against time to find a new opponent for Joshua, but 72 hours later and Helenius answered the SOS call, despite being in action in Finland last Saturday.
Joshua was eager to still fight this weekend and Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn had revealed if no replacement could be arranged, it would have put the potential clash with Wilder in jeopardy.
Talks continue to take place between the camps of Joshua and Wilder over a fight at the end of this year or in early 2024, but the British heavyweight must first overcome Helenius.
Hearn told talkSPORT: “We all wanted to see the Dillian Whyte fight but at the same time Anthony Joshua has trained for 12 weeks, he wants to fight Deontay Wilder next and wants to fight on Saturday.
“The other option honestly was to fight in October or November.
“And we want to fight Deontay Wilder. We know December is unlikely but we’re still being told and we were told as recently as two, three days ago or whenever it was, that you will be fighting (in December).
“If he doesn’t take this fight on Saturday, then he won’t fight Wilder in December or January because he’d end up fighting in October or November.”
Former two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua hinted at his long-term goal being Wilder when he reflected on Helenius replacing Whyte.
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“This wasn’t in the script. I respect Helenius and, may I say, I respect any male or female who steps into the ring,” Joshua added.
“I am laser-focused on the win. I can make steps forward to bigger and better things but the road map has a check point – Saturday night. May the best man win.”
Helenius said: “I am excited about fighting Anthony Joshua on August 12.
“I am a true Viking that is willing to face any challenge at a moment’s notice. This is not an opportunity I was going to let slip away. I plan to make the most of it.”
Stockholm-born Helenius (32-4, 21KOs) is no stranger to the British boxing scene after he beat Derek Chisora in a contentious split decision to win the vacant European Championship title in 2011.
The heavyweight with an orthodox style lost to Whyte on points six years later in Cardiff but only after he took the bout at two weeks’ notice.
Whyte’s failed test saw Matchroom immediately cancel the planned domestic clash and opened the door for Helenius to secure another handsome payday in Britain.
Hearn did express his shock at Whyte’s doping test result with the British boxer determined to prove his innocence, which was the case in 2019 after UK Anti-Doping concluded the levels in his sample were “very low” and he was ultimately not to blame, therefore clearing him of a doping violation.
On Whyte, Hearn admitted: “I don’t represent Dillian so I can’t talk on his behalf. What I can say is I am surprised, I am in shock.
“He’s had this VADA test and employed it meticulously over his career. I had an email from his team as early as this morning to say obviously there is a strict confidentiality on his behalf, not on my behalf and he has got a big fight on his hands.
“We will let him go through that process and see how it ensues, but I was in big shock on Saturday when we found out about it. I was definitely surprised and he has a tough road ahead.”
With Whyte set for a battle out of the ring, Helenius now looks ahead to the 37th fight of his career.
The veteran has only fought three times since the coronavirus pandemic started in 2020, but an added element of intrigue to this clash is the fact Helenius was knocked out in the first round by Wilder last October.
All eyes will now be on how Joshua performs against Helenius, 39, who enters this bout after his 32nd victory with Mika Mielonen stopped in the third round of their contest last Saturday.
Wales boss Warren Gatland looks set to hand Scarlets centre Joe Roberts a Test debut among wholesale changes for Saturday’s second Rugby World Cup warm-up game against England.
Wales head to Twickenham on the back of an impressive 20-9 victory in Cardiff that saw then score 14 unanswered second-half points through converted tries from Gareth Davies and George North.
And Gatland is ready to cast an eye over several World Cup candidates who were not involved at the Principality Stadium.
Roberts apart, other potential starters include wing Josh Adams, fly-half Owen Williams, hooker Dewi Lake and lock Rhys Davies.
Back-row forward Taine Plumtree, meanwhile, could line up at number eight following an impressive debut off the replacements’ bench last weekend.
Swansea-born Plumtree, whose rugby education came in the southern hemisphere’s Super Rugby competition, only linked up with Wales ahead of their mid-July training camp in Switzerland.
But he has made an immediate impression and is already viewed as a player with an outstanding chance of making Gatland’s final 33-strong World Cup squad.
“He has been very good, he is a talent and an athlete,” Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins said.
“He understands the game, and he played pretty well when he went on on Saturday.
“We will see if he gets another opportunity in the coming weeks, but he is a good asset to the squad as a player and a person.
“I think he said to most of the guys that he was pretty nervous before coming in out in Switzerland and not knowing anyone. He has certainly found his feet and he gets on with the guys.”
Aaron Wainwright wore the number eight shirt in Wales’ warm-up opener, with Plumtree now seemingly destined to fill that role as star back-row forward Taulupe Faletau continues his recovery from a calf muscle injury.
“He (Faletau) is making good strides and we just need to keep an eye on him,” Jenkins added.
“He is a class act, and the last thing we want to do is push him too early, but he is certainly making progress and he is in a pretty good place.
“He is a world-class player, so we will see what happens in the coming days and weeks.”
Wales look set to face a much-changed England team as they continue their warm-up schedule in a first Test since head coach Steve Borthwick announced his World Cup squad.
“Twickenham is a tough place to go and they have got a very good record against us up there,” Jenkins said. “But it’s another challenge and another good opportunity for the boys.
“I think when you can come out on the right side (of the result) it does give you confidence, there is no doubting that.
“We are in a different place to where we were in the Six Nations, and that is a good thing.
“To win a Test match against England is no mean feat, but we are grounded.
“We’ve got to go again, and we can’t be the same this Saturday. We have to be better. It’s plain and simple.
“Keeping a Test team to nine points and not conceding any tries is a massive plus and bonus. Can we raise the bar this Saturday? That is the challenge for us.”
Via Sistina will head to France in search of further Group One glory in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville on Sunday week.
Hugely impressive on her seasonal debut in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket, George Boughey’s filly subsequently struck gold at the top table in the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland.
She was beaten into third when a hot favourite to double her top-level tally in the Falmouth Stakes back on home soil last month and having sidestepped last week’s Nassau at Goodwood, she is being readied for a trip across the Channel.
Boughey said: “Via Sistina is in great shape. It was a little frustrating watching the Nassau without having her in it in that (soft) ground, but it was never really the plan after we went to the Falmouth and she’s getting ready to run in the Romanet at Deauville on August 20.
“She’d had two quick runs and we’ve got to pick our battles – you can’t run in every race – and it’s been the plan to run in the Romanet for a long time should the ground be right for her.
“It’s the last four-year-old and above fillies only race for her this year and we’re very pleased with her. She worked yesterday (Monday) morning, Jamie Spencer sat on her and was very happy.”
Having come up short over a mile in the Falmouth, Via Sistina will return to a mile and a quarter at Deauville and looks set to stick to longer distances for the rest of the campaign.
“We wanted to experiment over the mile in the Falmouth, but she was tapped for toe and we’ll go back up in trip,” Boughey added.
“She’s entered in the 10-furlong (Champion Stakes) and the 12-furlong race (Fillies & Mares Stakes) on Champions Day at Ascot and she’ll be in the Prix de l’Opera over 10 (furlongs) on Arc day.”
More immediately the Newmarket handler is hoping to run his high-class juvenile filly Soprano on the July course in this weekend’s Molson Coors Sweet Solera Stakes.
Third in the Albany Stakes over six furlongs at Royal Ascot, the daughter of Starspangledbanner occupied the same finishing position when a hot favourite to successfully step up to seven in the Star Stakes at Sandown a fortnight ago.
Despite that reverse, Boughey is keen to give his younger star another chance over the longer trip in Saturday’s Group Three feature if conditions are deemed suitable.
He said: “The ground is a bit of a question mark and has been for a while, but it’s been dry in Newmarket the last few days and if it stays that way she will certainly be turning up on Saturday.
“She worked very well this morning and it’s all systems go really.”
Adrian Maguire has been blessed to partner and train some some top-class horses in his career.
Widely regarded as a supreme talent in the saddle, it has been 21 years since a broken neck forced his premature retirement from the rigours of riding National Hunt horses.
“Fit and well”, he is now a key cog in the well-oiled machine at Ballydoyle, riding out each day for Aidan O’Brien. And he has the pleasure of partnering a certain Paddington.
“I’m making a living. If we’re doing that, we’re doing all right,” said Maguire.
“I’ve been here five and a half years now. I am enjoying it. It’s very good. We have the best of everything.
“When I came here first, I found it very, very boring. All I was doing was going up a straight gallop and it took a while to adjust and just take myself back a few steps and relax into it.
“All’s good, my health is good.”
Maguire rode over 1,000 winners in his career, with plenty of big-race success which included a Cheltenham Gold Cup with Cool Ground in 1992, a Champion Chase with Viking Flagship a couple of years later and a pair of King George VI Chase wins with Barton Bank and Florida Pearl.
Once retired, he was also responsible for the development of 2008 Gold Cup hero Denman, before he was sold to Paul Nicholls.
He dabbled with pin-hooking and then joined the training ranks himself, saddling some decent horses, such as multiple Grade Two-winning hurdler Celestial Wave and versatile 10-time winner Golden Kite.
Increased competition and escalating costs forced him to call a halt in 2017. But you cannot keep a good man down for long.
He is now associated with a Flat champion in Paddington, who won his fourth consecutive Group One when taking the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
“I ride out Paddington every day,” said Maguire. “For what he has achieved so far, he’s the best I’ve ever ridden.
“He’s an amazing horse. He was always a good horse, but what he’s doing on the racecourse, to win with great authority, is leaving no doubt in people’s minds.
“It’s great. I can only imagine how far he’ll go and seeing the reaction here at Ballydoyle, everyone is so delighted to have what people are calling a superstar horse at the moment in the yard.
“Everyone gets great joy out of watching him do what he is doing.”
Paddington has surprised even O’Brien with the rapid improvement he has shown this season.
Though bred in the purple, the son of Siyouni showed precious little hint of what he would achieve when beaten eight lengths in a seven-furlong debut at Ascot in September.
He he has remained unbeaten in seven races since, however, including victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes, before claiming a 10-furlong Coral-Eclipse win.
Invariably all the good ones have their own unique personality and Maguire says Paddington knows he is something out of the ordinary on the gallops.
“He knows he’s good. He just seems very solid,” he said.
“It’s always nice to ride a special horse. It is what we all do it for – to find that special horse.
“I have been lucky through my riding career to find special horses to ride. I had one or two when I was training also – and Paddington is a very special horse.”
Maguire’s riding career will always be remembered for the epic race for the 1993-94 jump jockeys’ title, a battle that pushed both he and eventual champion Richard Dunwoody to mental and physical limits that few will ever know. Maguire lost 194 winners to 197 in that brutal season.
Considered “a true horseman” by the late, great trainer David Nicholson, the 52-year-old learned plenty in his time as a jockey under ‘The Duke’ and he holds O’Brien in high regard.
“The one thing I admired about Aidan O’Brien before I came here was not only was he a world-class trainer, but he was able to handle the men he was involved with and keep them happy,” said Maguire.
“Then of course, there is the extra pressure of these big races. It is not an easy job.
“I can’t say I know the man more now than when I came here first. He is a very straightforward man. You know what you are going to get. He is a very fair man.
“He is obviously a world-class trainer and he’d be a good diplomat, too.
“Having trained myself, I do certainly have plenty of empathy with what he has to go through, but he does have some great people around him, so that has to be a help.
“It is a lot about delegating, but he likes to have his finger on every pulse.”
Maguire makes the hour-long journey from his home near Mallow every morning to play his part in the powerful Coolmore operation and while Paddington is the apple of his eye, he is always startled at the talent on display.
“I ride a couple of two-year-olds as well,” he added. “Every horse in Ballydoyle is bred to be a superstar. You think you have a nice horse one week, until you sit on another one the following week. It is unbelievable, the talent.
“When I was riding, no matter where I was, I always enjoyed it. Cartmel, Kempton, Cheltenham – it didn’t make a difference.
“But this is a great job and there is a great bunch of staff here, both riding out and on the ground, and it is an extremely well-driven operation.”
Enjoying life, content with his lot, Maguire will happily remain in the shadows. Like every one of the team, he watches with equal measure of pride and wonder at the progress Paddington is making.
But just how far can he go?
“I think anyone watching him run and watching him winning knows as much as I do,” he insisted.
“He is very authoritative in his wins. He leaves no doubt in people’s minds. He does what it says on the tin and he can’t do any more. He is just a very special individual.”
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