Aidan O’Brien is certain River Tiber will get the six-furlong trip of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
Ryan Moore will partner the the Wootton Bassett colt, who is one of 22 declared for the Group Two prize.
Though he is unbeaten in two starts, scoring by 10 lengths on debut at Navan over five and a half furlongs in soft ground and dropping back to the minimum trip at Naas to score with ease on his second try, he has yet to tackle six furlongs.
Despite this, the Coolmore-owned youngster tops the market and O’Brien, who has won this race on a record nine occasions, has no concerns on the stamina front.
He said: “We were delighted we ran him in Naas, he was a little bit green in the middle of the race but we feel he learned plenty from it.
“He won over nearly six furlongs the first day and then went back to five and is back to six now, so we think he should be happy with that.”
Main market rival Asadna, the mount of William Buick, won by a remarkable 12 lengths on his Ripon debut over six furlongs.
Trainer George Boughey has no qualms about how the son of Mehmas will handle the big occasion on only his second start.
“He has just got an amazing temperament and a super attitude,” said Boughey.
“He doesn’t sweat, he doesn’t do anything wrong. He just loves his work.”
Like River Tiber, Givemethebeatboys is unbeaten in two outings and is drawn alongside O’Brien’s runner in stall seven.
Having stepped up on an extended five-furlong debut win at Navan, he gained a head verdict in the Group Three Marble Hill over six furlongs at the Curragh last time under Shane Foley.
With Foley ruled out through injury, Frankie Dettori takes the mount and Harrington joked: “He’s not a bad deputy, is he?
“He’s in great form and is a very straightforward horse and I’m hoping for the best, but it is very competitive.”
Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing have three darts to throw in the form of Bucanero Fuerte (Adrian Murray), Cuban Thunder (Dominic Ffrench Davis) and Packard (Richard Hannon).
Bucanero Fuerte won a five-furlong Curragh maiden under Kevin Stott in March on his sole start for Westmeath handler Murray.
“He’s a nice horse who has always been held in high regard,” said Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for Amo Racing.
“The forecast rain will help him and he goes there a fit and healthy horse. It’s obviously a very competitive race, but he’s the choice of Kevin and we’re hopeful he will put up a good show.”
Cuban Thunder, the mount of Rossa Ryan, was favourite for a five-furlong Newmarket maiden on his first start, and while runner-up on that occasion, gained compensation over six furlongs in a decent York maiden last month.
Pennington added: “Cuban Thunder is a lovely horse, a big, scopey horse and a good-moving horse.
“He probably wants seven furlongs so a strongly-run, stiff six furlongs at Ascot will suit him and I’m sure he’ll be doing his best work late.”
Hannon saw his father train the winner of the race on three previous occasions and will hope Packard can add his own name to the roll of honour.
Runner-up on debut at Goodwood, he flew home to win an all-weather Lingfield novice over the same six-furlong trip earlier this month.
“He’s a lovely horse and he ran well on debut at Goodwood. Then the quick six at Lingfield probably didn’t play to his strengths,” said Pennington.
“I thought he did very well to get up on the line and hunt down the Gosden horse (Point Of Attack) and he was doing his best work late on. He’s another nice horse who goes there fit and well.”
Frankie Dettori fever is set to hit Royal Ascot and the famous Italian links up with the King and Queen on day one as he prepares to ride at the summer showpiece for the very last time.
The 52-year-old is planning to hang up his boots at the end of the season, and has five glorious days ahead to add to the 77 winners he has amassed at the Royal fixture, at the venue where he famously rode his ‘Magnificent Seven’ back in 1996 that helped make him a household name.
As well as the King and Queen’s Saga in the Wolferton Stakes, who bookmaker Bet Victor expects to be a popular choice of punters thanks to the ‘Frankie factor’, Dettori will resume his partnership with 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean in the feature St James’s Palace Stakes as the layers predict an avalanche of cash for his six opening-day rides.
“It’s early, but we are already seeing interest in all of Frankie’s rides this week,” said Sam Boswell of Bet Victor.
“While we will be praying Frankie doesn’t do the unthinkable and kick the meeting off with six winners, it’s hard to not see him at least be off the mark on day one.
“We suspect Saga could end up going even skinner once the more causal punters see him teaming up to ride for the King in the Wolferton Stakes.”
Last year’s Coronation Stakes winner Inspiral could get Dettori’s day off to the perfect start when the duo go for back-to-back Royal Ascot victories, this time in the opening Queen Anne Stakes, while he has been booked for Jessica Harrington’s unbeaten two-year-old Givemethebeatboys in the Coventry Stakes.
Dettori will also link up with Willie Mullins through Absurde in the concluding Copper Horse Handicap and will be aboard John Ryan’s course-and-distance winner Manaccan as he bids to win the King’s Stand Stakes for the first time since 1994.
But one man Dettori will be without this year is old ally Wesley Ward, with the American handler explaining why he has elected to use his own riders this time around.
He said: “It is Royal Ascot and Frankie is my man at Royal Ascot, but these American jockeys love to come to Ascot. It doesn’t interfere with their daily racing. Tuesday, because there’s no racing in America, Wednesday there’s no racing in America and Thursday is just an average day.
“The ones that are riding the horses are doing everything they can to try to come over here, to try to be competitive and be part of the Royal Ascot experience.”
Only Lester Piggott has registered more Royal Ascot winners than Dettori, but despite a strong book of rides, the Italian finds himself only the second-favourite behind Ryan Moore in Paddy Power’s leading rider market.
Spokesman Paul Binfield said: “I suppose the 2023 racing season will always be remembered as Frankie’s year, as in his retirement season he’s already scooped two Classics and who knows what miracles he’ll achieve at Royal Ascot?
“But while it is true that currently a trio of his first-day mounts in the shape of Chaldean, Givemethebeatboys and Manaccan have been supported again, surprisingly he’s a drifter in the top pilot market with Ryan Moore being backed as if defeat is out of the question.”
Guineas hero Chaldean will bid to repeat his impressive Newmarket performance when he goes for the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
The Andrew Balding-trained Frankel colt headed to the first Classic of the season with question marks having unshipped Frankie Dettori at the start in his intended tune-up in the Greenham at Newbury.
But he silenced the doubters in style on the Rowley Mile to claim 2000 Guineas glory as he showed all the qualities that made him such a formidable two-year-old last year. He now heads to Berkshire attempting to add to his impeccable CV.
Both Jim Bolger’s Poetic Flare and Charlie Appleby’s Coroebus have completed the 2000 Guineas/St James’s Palace double in the past two seasons and connections are not worried about Chaldean’s draw in stall one as he attempts to follow in their footsteps, tackling a round course for the first time.
“He’s pretty uncomplicated. He can jump and be handy and he can jump and take a pull. He’s a versatile horse when you look at his races,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“Last year at Doncaster he had a small field to contend with and had to make it, then Newmarket he settled in and took a lead, so he’s versatile and it will be great to see him back.
“The horse has never done anything wrong in his career to date and hopefully he can continue his good run. Andrew is happy, everyone at Kingsclere feels he is in the right place and we’re all excited for Tuesday.”
Chaldean is not the only Classic winner in the line-up as the red-hot contest also features Paddington, who claimed the Irish equivalent in good style at the Curragh.
The Siyouni colt will bid to give trainer Aidan O’Brien a record-extending ninth win in the one-mile Group One and said: “We’ve been happy with him since the Curragh and everything has gone well. He has progressed with every run.
“He won on good ground at the Curragh, we weren’t sure about the ground before the last day but he seemed to be very happy on it.”
John Gosden has won this three times in the last 10 years and alongside his son Thady is responsible for one of the most exciting prospects in the race, Mostabshir, who bounced back from a below-par performance in the Craven to show his class at York when bolting up by five lengths from a subsequent winner.
“It’s a fascinating clash with the two Guineas winners,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.
“Our horse is very progressive but he’s going to need to be. So it will be interesting to see how he gets on.
“He’s worked very nicely (since York). He’s a very happy horse who enjoys life and enjoys his work and he looks in good shape. Hopefully whatever he is capable of, he will give his best wherever that fits in.”
Another horse on an upward curve and looking to make his mark at the highest level is the unbeaten Cicero’s Gift, who arrives on the back of an impressive display at Goodwood, and is one of two for Charlie Hills in this British Champions Series race alongside 2000 Guineas fourth Galeron.
“We did toy with the idea of running Cicero’s Gift in the Guineas as well (as Galeron), but wanted to keep a low profile with this race in mind,” said Hills.
“He took a bit of time to come to hand last year and is going to get better with age and experience – he might get further in time as well.
“He’s a good-looking chap, improving with each race but he is going into a Group One which will be a different experience.”
Isaac Shelby took advantage of Chaldean’s misfortune to scoop the Greenham back in April and went close to getting on the Classic honours board when denied by the barest of margins in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.
Brian Meehan’s son of Night Of Thunder, who claimed the Superlative Stakes on home soil last season, brings added spice to a deep contest with his handler confident he has a top-class miler on his hands.
“I really think he has a huge future and I really think it is at a mile, even though we gave him the sprint entries,” said the Manton-based trainer.
“He is much more relaxed in his work since Paris and you can see him maturing. He’s an exciting horse to have but there is nowhere to hide at this level.”
Paul and Oliver Cole’s Royal Scotsman finished third at Newmarket in the Guineas but has a point to prove following a disappointing effort at the Curragh, while Charyn (Roger Varian) and Indestructible (Karl Burke) complete the crack group of nine heading to post.
Wesley Ward will wait until the last moment before deciding whether Fandom will take his chance in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
Fandom was a wide-margin winner on his sole start at Keeneland in April, making all the running under big-race jockey Irad Ortiz Jr and is one of the fancied runners from Ward’s strong US team at the meeting this week.
However, Ward believes owner Barbara Banke may decide to run the speedy Showcasing colt in Wednesday’s Listed Windsor Castle Stakes over five furlongs, rather than take on River Tiber and Asadna over the six furlongs of the Group Two Coventry Stakes.
Ward said: “Fandom has worked very well, excellent in fact. He has travelled over well. I think he has got a great chance and has done everything well. We have declared in this race as well as the Windsor Castle.
“We will be having a meeting with Fandom’s owner Barbara Banke and her team on Monday evening and then we will make a determination as to which race we are going to go in.”
The Keeneland handler became the first US-based trainer to bring a horse to England and win a race at Royal Ascot when Strike The Tiger scored in the 2009 Windsor Castle and has recorded 11 further wins at the meeting.
Sprint king Ward was out of luck at last year’s meeting, with main hope Golden Pal missing the break in the King’s Stand Stakes when Ortiz Jr was momentarily confused by the eventual withdrawal of the reluctant to load Mondammej and Khaadem, who unshipped Jamie Spencer.
Ward, who has previously used the services of Frankie Dettori on many occasions in the past at the Royal meeting, will keep the faith with Ortiz Jr and will also employ fellow US rider Joel Rosario this week.
Ward feels Ortiz Jr will be itching to make up for a luckless showing last year.
He added: “We have every faith in both Irad and Joel Rosario, who is also riding a couple of ours. Last year’s King’s Stand was just one of those things.”
Three-belt world super-welterweight champion Natasha Jonas is to take on Canada’s Kandi Wyatt for the IBF welterweight title, promoters Boxxer have announced.
The fight will take place on the undercard to the Savannah Marshall v Franchon Crews-Dezurn undisputed world middleweight bout at Manchester’s AO Arena on July 1.
It will be Liverpudlian Jonas’ first outing of the year after a stellar 2022 in which she stepped up three divisions to claim the WBC, IBF and WBO belts at super-welterweight.
She now has the chance to become a two-weight world champion after deciding to step back down to the 147lb division to fight for the vacant IBF title.
“I feel in good shape,” Jonas told the PA news agency. “It’s been a great camp and I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a long time.
“After such a busy and successful year last year, I just want to get the ball rolling and get back out there.”
Jonas, the first woman to qualify to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, has won 13 of her 16 professional fights, eight by knockout, with just one defeat.
Wyatt, the WBA Intercontinental champion, has previously challenged for welterweight world titles on three occasions.
Jonas, 39, said: “There isn’t much that we’ve seen of her, but I’ve underestimated people before and it didn’t work out well, so I will never do that again.
“Every fight now I come to be the best version of me and prepare for the best version of them.”
On her decision to drop a division, she said: “It’s about opportunities, but I was never a 154lb fighter.
“The heaviest I weighed in was 149 and that was with clothes on. It made sense just to drop down and go for more world titles at another weight and take the opportunities as they come.”
Becoming a world champion at a second weight would be a rare feat, but Jonas is focusing on the victory rather than the glory.
She said: “I’d be Liverpool’s first to do that – I know that – and it is a great thing, but I’m not focused on the accolades. I’m just focused on going in on the night and getting the win.
“There is an air of confidence you get when you are a champion, but the goal is just to get in the ring and win. Everything else that comes with it is just a bonus.”
Boxxer chief executive Ben Shalom said: “I’m very excited to see Natasha compete at the top of the welterweight division. When you look at what she’s achieved in the last year alone, you know you’re looking at an extra special fighter.”
Jeremy Miller is the Men’s Open champion of the Inaugural Innovative Invitational Amateur Tennis Classic after a hard-fought three set win over David Goldsmith in the final at the Liguanea Club on Saturday.
Miller won the toss and chose to serve before dominating early proceedings to take the first set 6-2.
Goldsmith, however, refused to go quietly. He increased his level of aggression significantly in the second to take it by six games to three, setting up a decisive third set.
The pair traded breaks of serve until, eventually, they were knotted at 4-4 in the final set before Miller played an exceptional game to break Goldsmith’s serve to make it 5-4, giving him an opportunity to serve for the title and the $100,000 prize.
Miller then held his nerve and served it out to become the inaugural champion of the open.
“It feels great,” Miller told SportsMax.tv after the match.
“I came out here with an objective to basically show everybody that I can be a winner,” he added.
Miller also spoke about adjustments he had to make after losing the second set.
“I just had to re-focus, dig in, stay with it and not let the games get away from me too much. When I got my chances, I just had to try to take them. Sometimes it got a little bit rocky but I just had to keep pushing,” he said before giving credit to the excellent crowd that showed up to witness the Tennis.
“It was fantastic. I love the crowd support. I was looking for some energy at the start of the third set and I got it. That really made a big difference for me,” he added.
The other category finals that were contested on Saturday were the Men’s Class 2, Men’s Class 3 and Women’s B finals.
The Men’s Class 2 final saw Rudi Jackson come from a set down to defeat Seth Grennell 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Lavois Cruikshank secured a comfortable 6-4, 6-1 victory over Jeffrey Leckie in the Class 3 final while Maureen Williams beat Raquel Nevins 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 in the Women’s B final which lasted almost four hours.
Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of this week’s ATP tournament in Germany citing ongoing knee issues but is hopeful of being fit for Wimbledon.
The Australian played his first tournament since October in Stuttgart last week after undergoing surgery on his left knee in January.
But he complained afterwards about feeling inhibited during a first-round loss to China’s Wu Yibing and has made the decision not to play in Halle.
“Very unfortunate news that I won’t be able to compete at Halle this year,” Kyrgios said in a video on the tournament’s Twitter feed.
“I’m still dealing with a couple of things in my knee, just trying to give myself the best opportunity to compete at Wimbledon. As you all know, that tournament means a lot to me and I just want to do everything right by my body.
“I didn’t want to go out there and not give you the same performance I gave last year. So hopefully next year I’ll be healthy enough to play.”
Kyrgios enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022, with the highlight a run to his first grand slam singles final at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Novak Djokovic.
When the 28-year-old announced he would need to go under the knife on the eve of the Australian Open, it was hoped he would only be out for a matter of weeks and the fact he is still experiencing problems is a real cause for concern.
After losing in Stuttgart, Kyrgios wrote on Twitter: “Be patient with me my fans please…. It’s a process to get back to where I was. I know it’s hard for you to see me perform like today, but I need more time and hopefully can get back to where I was.”
Frankie Dettori looks to have a fantastic chance of starting his final Royal Ascot with a bang when he partners Inspiral in the Queen Anne Stakes.
The Italian has been in the saddle aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained filly in all but one of her eight career starts and the duo have struck at the highest level on three occasions – including at the Royal meeting 12 months ago when she was a taking winner of the Coronation Stakes.
That was Inspiral’s first outing of the 2022 season having missed the early part of the campaign and connections have kept the daughter of Frankel fresh once again as they attempt to repeat the dose.
“It’s full-on pressure and it’s a very competitive race first time out,” said Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud.
“She runs well fresh and she has done in the past, she was very impressive first time last year in the Coronation Stakes. She’s in good form we think and hope she puts her best foot forward.
“Mrs (Patricia) Thompson was adamant we waited. She wasn’t ready for the Guineas last year and we waited and it was her preference that we followed a similar programme – she is a big believer in listening to her horses and if Inspiral was to be at her best, it would be better to wait until June rather than push her to the Lockinge in May.
“She had a very nice break at the stud last autumn and really thrived and benefitted for that, both mentally and physically. She did very well over the winter and I know both John and Thady Gosden were pleased with how she came back and the way she has sort of progressed in the last month or so.”
Of the attention on Dettori’s rides this week, he added: “We’re concentrating on our filly, but we’re delighted to have Frankie on board and we’ll enjoy the moment.”
Inspiral’s biggest danger appears to be Godolphin’s two-pronged assault on the race via Charlie Appleby’s Classic heroes Modern Games and Native Trail.
Both landed versions of the 2000 Guineas as three-year-old milers last term and Modern Games appears to be the Moulton Paddocks first string after adding to his impressive haul in the Lockinge Stakes last month.
“His record is very good and he won the Lockinge well last time, so I’m looking forward to riding him again,” said his big-race pilot William Buick ahead of the British Champions Series event.
“It would be nearly a rerun of the Lockinge without Inspiral, who is a good filly. As any Queen Anne should be, it will be tough to win.”
Appleby, speaking to www.godolphin.com, added: “Modern Games came out of the Lockinge Stakes in good form and we have been delighted with his preparation. It was great to get a Group One win in the UK under his belt and, providing there is not a deluge of rain, he looks the one to beat again.
“Native Trail has definitely come forward since his run at Newmarket. He is a sharper, fitter individual now and benefited from a racecourse gallop last week. He is a Classic winner in his own right and goes to Ascot with a live chance.”
Richard Hannon’s Chindit gave Modern Games plenty to think about at Newbury – including when trying to bite his rival in the closing stages – and the handler is hopeful his course-and-distance winner can build on that second as he lines up alongside stablemate Lusail.
“He is a gentleman and has never done anything like that before. He only did it because Buick was in close to him,” said Hannon.
“I thought he would be shorter in the betting. He picked up better than Pat (Dobbs) thought he would and he is in the form of his life.
“We are going to ride Lusail a little handier (this time) as he seems to get flat-footed at a crucial part of the race.”
David Simcock saddles both Cash and Light Infantry after the latter went close in the Prix d’Ispahan last month, while Charlie Hills’ Mutasaabeq accounted for both Native Trail (second) and Light Infantry (third) when a good winner of the rearranged Bet365 Mile at Newmarket on his seasonal return and then had excuses when fifth in the Lockinge most recently.
“He’s going to have to run a career best to win this, but he won very well at Newmarket,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.
“Some people felt Jim (Crowley) went a little bit quick (in the Lockinge) but he felt the horse was just a little bit flat and we ran him back relatively quick.
“He had been away for a stalls test so quite a lot happened in quite a short space of time for him, so we have concentrated on freshening him up and getting him to Ascot in the best shape he can be and we will see how good he is on the day.”
British wild card Ryan Peniston sprung another surprise at the cinch Championships – and gave Andy Murray a Wimbledon boost – with a straight-sets win over Ugo Humbert.
Essex lad Peniston, currently ranked a lowly 265, shocked top seed and world number five Casper Ruud at Queen’s Club last year on his way to the quarter-finals.
The 27-year-old found the grass of west London to his liking again as he secured a place in the second round, and a potential meeting with second-seed Holger Rune, with an impressive 6-4 6-2 victory.
“I loved playing her last year, so to come back, it feels pretty comfortable to be on the court. It’s just amazing,” said Peniston.
“I was nervous – I was more nervous last year. But once you get going it is a lot of fun out there.”
World number 37 Humbert is one of the players Murray needs to overtake in the rankings if he is to be seeded at Wimbledon next month, so his early exit will only help the Scot’s cause.
A place in the quarter-finals at Queen’s might be enough to place the two-time champion back in the top 32, meaning he can avoid drawing one of the big names in the early rounds at SW19.
Murray, on a 10-match winning streak on the grass, faces Australian world number 18 Alex de Minaur in the first round on Tuesday.
Ahead of Frankie Dettori’s final Royal Ascot before he retires at the end of the year, we remember 10 of his greatest moments at the showpiece meeting:
Markofdistinction
Dettori’s career in England famously took off when he teamed up with fellow Italian Luca Cumani, and he provided the jockey with his first Royal Ascot winner at the age of 19 in the Queen Anne in 1990. It was only a Group Two then, but Markofdistinction would go on to prove himself at the highest level in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Drum Taps
Ambitiously campaigned by Lord Huntingdon, Drum Taps stepped up to two and a half miles for the 1992 Gold Cup to provide Dettori with his first Group One winner at the meeting. To prove it was no fluke the pair repeated the trick 12 months later. A real globetrotter, he won in America and Italy and also ran in France, Ireland, the Japan Cup and the Melbourne Cup, finishing ninth behind Vintage Crop.
Lochsong
One of the greatest sights in racing is a sprinter blasting off from the front and few were better at it than Ian Balding’s Lochsong. She won the Stewards’ Cup at three from a mark of 82 and the Ayr Gold Cup off 95 before stepping into Group company. In the first half of 1994 as a six-year-old she won the Palace House, Temple Stakes and King’s Stand, making all in each – the latter by five lengths.
Phantom Gold
Any victory in the late Queen’s colours was treasured by Dettori, but even more so at her favourite meeting. Never happier than when at the races, cheering home her own horse in the Ribblesdale Stakes, a horse she bred herself and ridden by her favourite jockey, will have given her immense satisfaction.
Starborough
Just 12 months on from his Magnificent Seven, Dettori’s love affair with Ascot was in full flow. The first of three successive leading rider awards came in 1997 and arguably the highlight that week was Starborough, one of four winners at the meeting in the St James’s Palace Stakes in the famous Sheikh Mohammed colours, as one of racing’s longest associations began to assert.
Fantastic Light
At the turn of the century Godolphin, Saeed bin Suroor and Dettori were at the peak of their powers and Fantastic Light was among the best they were involved with. In 2001 the Prince of Wales’s Stakes was one of four Group Ones victories, which also included a verdict over the great Galileo at Leopardstown and a win at the Breeders’ Cup. On the day at Ascot, he was in a different league.
Osaila
By 2015 Dettori had endured a well-publicised split from Godolphin and endured the lowest point of his career having been banned for six months for failing a drugs test in 2012. Upon his return he was afforded the chance to ride in the biggest races once more by Sheikh Joaan Al Thani’s Al Shaqab Racing, and it was in those silks that he rode his 50th Royal Ascot winner on Osaila in the Sandringham Handicap.
Lady Aurelia
American trainer Wesley Ward had been a regular visitor to the meeting for some years before teaming up with Dettori to win the Golden Jubilee in 2015 with Undrafted, but it will be the flying filly Lady Aurelia in the Queen Mary for which they perhaps will be best remembered. Not many five-furlong races are won by seven lengths, but when they are at Group Two level it is unheard of. She returned to win the King’s Stand a year later under John Velazquez.
Crystal Ocean
Riding Sir Michael Stoute’s charge for the first and only time, Dettori executed his plan to perfection in driving rain, tracking the early leader and angling out to the middle of the track to lay down his challenge in the straight. Crystal Ocean found plenty for pressure to repel the challenge of Magical and register a length-and-a-quarter success. Dettori’s partner was to become his adversary back at the track the following month though, when Crystal Ocean and Enable engaged in a famous King George battle with Dettori and the latter prevailing by the shortest of necks.
Stradivarius
In the twilight of his career, Dettori was synonymous with two horses – Enable, who never ran at Royal Ascot, and Stradivarius. The great stayer won three Ascot Gold Cups, including by 10 lengths in 2020 when unfortunately the crowds were absent due to Covid. A horse with a real personality, he was also a rarity in that he stayed two and a half miles but possessed a wicked turn of foot.
Andrew 'Beef' Johnston believes an Indian Premier League-style draft would make the LIV Tour more exciting and appealing following its merger with the PGA Tour.
In a contentious move earlier in June, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Tour were merged, with all three now backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Johnston now wants to see improvements made to the sport, and one suggestion he has would be the introduction of a draft system for the LIV Teams.
Speaking to Stats Perform on behalf of the Beef's Golf Club podcast, Johnston pointed to the success that the IPL cricket competition has enjoyed using a similar formula.
"I'd like to see a kind of IPL draft. They have the franchises and then they do the draft, don't they? So, I'd love to see that," he said.
"Golf going into almost that kind of situation where the PGA and DP [Tours] play up until the end of July, and there's a big draft for the LIV [competitions].
"So, no one knows what team they're going to be on. You're going to have captains for that team, but no one really knows who they're going to be playing for and then go into a big team shoot-out for a few months, and I think that'd be a really good way to work it.
"I don't think it happens but in my perfect world, I'd love to see that happen."
LIV Golf caused much controversy after its emergence in 2022, with plenty of big names heading over to the rival tour.
"It'd be interesting if there's another one that comes up in a year's time - you never know, you can never say never, look what's happened," said Johnston when asked if the merger would prevent any other rival tours from emerging.
"You've seen it with cricket with the IPL and now there's loads of T20 leagues knocking around all over the world. So, you can never say never.
"Hopefully, now these three can settle down and build something good. And as a player, I want to be able to step off on that first tee knowing that if I play well, you can have a lot of crazy opportunities.
"If you do so, I don't think it's bad for the players. I think it's good for golf, that we're out of this crazy standoff.
"The standoff was not healthy for golf. So, we can move on."
Johnston added that some players may struggle to trust the tours after the move.
He said: "I think a lot of players are going to struggle with trust. And I think the whole thing that's quite interesting is generally the PGA Tour and DP Tour are built on the fact that the players own that, so we have control.
"Now, literally, we have zero control. And you've seen that the players don't have an actual say in it, not even Rory [McIlroy] or Tiger [Woods].
"You look at the football players who play for [PIF-backed] Newcastle [United], we're in the same situation now. So, I think the players should be freed up of any questions. We're supposed to have a say, and we don't."
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Having played a key role in the very start of Frankie Dettori’s love affair with Royal Ascot, Luca Cumani will be a keen observer when his compatriot bids for a fairytale ending to his association with the meeting.
It is 38 years since a then-teenage Dettori first touched down on British soil, at which stage his experience of riding thoroughbreds was almost as non-existent as his ability to speak English.
Cumani, by then an established trainer at Bedford House stables in Newmarket having previously served as assistant to the late, great Sir Henry Cecil, was tasked with showing his fellow Italian the ropes – and insists it did not take him long to realise he had a rough diamond on his hands.
“Frankie’s father was my father’s stable jockey in Italy, so that was the connection. His father decided that he wanted to send Frankie to England and that’s how it started,” said Cumani.
“When he arrived I knew I had a bit responsibility because this was a 14-year-old kid who couldn’t speak a word of English and had more or less ridden ponies and never really ridden racehorses before.
“But he was a very quick learner, he quickly learnt to speak English to a point and rode very well.
“It was not immediately obvious how much talent he had, but once he started get confidence on a horse and then he started riding work, you could see had a natural affinity with the job.”
It was four years after his arrival that Cumani gave Frankie Dettori his first taste of Royal Ascot, jocking up aboard his apparent second string Rain Burst in the 1989 Coronation Stakes.
Dettori, who at the time was still claiming 3lb, had steered the Sheikh Mohammed-owned filly to a win in lesser company at Goodwood just nine days earlier and she was a 12-1 shot stepping up in class.
Cumani also fielded Comic Talent, who lined up under stable jockey Ray Cochrane following a five-race winning streak in the Cheveley Park silks.
In the end neither were able to land a telling blow, but Rain Burst did outperform her better-fancied stablemate to finish fifth. Cumani had no doubt about giving Dettori his opportunity at the highest level, despite still being an apprentice.
He said: “He was only claiming 3lb and that was a fraud really because he was better than that.”
Dettori rounded off 1989 by being crowned champion apprentice and by the time the following year’s Royal Ascot came around, he was a fully-fledged jockey and Cumani’s main man.
The showpiece fixture got under way with the Queen Anne Stakes, in which Cumani and Dettori teamed up with Markofdistinction, who had previously finished fourth as a hot favourite for the Lockinge Stakes.
Cumani admits that while it was not entirely easy viewing, Dettori was at his brilliant best as he threaded the eye of the needle to secure the first of his 77 Royal Ascot wins to date.
“I remember it well because he took the daring route on the inside, going between runners and against the stands rail,” Cumani recalled.
“As he was poking his head in there I thought ‘good God, I hope he’s done the right thing here!’. Thankfully he burst through and won the race very well.
“We were hopeful of a good performance, never confident because with such high-class races you can’t be confident, but we were hopeful and he delivered.”
No one could have envisaged the glittering career Dettori would go on to enjoy, but Cumani added: “We had an inkling. The fact that he’d only just come out of his apprenticeship and we made him stable jockey was a big vote of confidence.
“We had a good idea that he was going to be around for a long time and was going to be very successful.”
Cumani brought the curtain down on his own illustrious racing career in 2018, retiring from the training ranks after saddling two Derby winners in Kahyasi (1988) and High-Rise (1998) and countless other big-race winners over the course of 43 years.
He will not be travelling to Ascot but would love Dettori to bag at least one winner on his final Royal meeting performance, even if he believes he was hasty in his decision to announce his impending retirement late last year.
“I won’t be going at all this year because my wife has had a foot operation and is hobbling about, so we’ll be watching from home,” Cumani said.
“I send Frankie a message every time he wins a big race and tell him he’s making a mistake in giving up and should carry on!
“He will be a big loss to racing and I’m sure he’s thought about it (changing his mind), but he seems to be determined this will be his last year, or so he tells me!”
Max Verstappen must be considered among the greatest drivers in Formula One history, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said, following the Dutchman’s landmark win at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s emphatic lights-to-flag victory on Sunday was the 41st of his career, putting him level with triple world champion Ayrton Senna.
Only Lewis Hamilton (103 victories), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) have won more races than Verstappen, who is still only 25.
Verstappen, who started from pole in Montreal following a fine display in Saturday’s wet-dry-wet qualifying session, has triumphed at six of the opening eight rounds this year to open up a commanding 69-point championship lead. Fernando Alonso finished second for Aston Martin with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton third.
“What we are witnessing with Max is the emergence of another mega talent,” said Horner.
“You can start talking about him in the same sentence as the greats now after he matched Ayrton Senna.
“I thought the podium today was very apt actually, in terms of the last couple of decades of Formula One, with Max, Fernando and Lewis up there.
“Max just keeps delivering at such a high level. The race was fantastic but to take pole position in conditions that were continually changing, and his ability to adapt to whatever grip level he had, was Max at his best.”
Verstappen has won four consecutive races and 15 of the last 19 in F1. Red Bull also remain unbeaten this year, and there remains a distinct possibility that the team from Milton Keynes could make history by winning every race in a single campaign.
Hamilton recorded his second consecutive podium finish in his revamped Mercedes machine, but despite the Silver Arrows’ upturn in form, and with 14 rounds still remaining, the seven-time world champion believes Red Bull could complete a perfect campaign.
“I know what I am faced with and there is nothing I can do about Red Bull’s amazing performance,” said Hamilton.
“It is likely that they will win every race this year unless the Aston Martins and us can provide a lot more performance or if their car doesn’t finish.
“It is not a frustration. We have got work to do and I am happy to be back in the mix and I am just hoping that at some stage we are level so we can get back to some of the good races we had in 2021.”
Andy Murray’s victory at Nottingham took him to his highest singles ranking in over five years and raised hopes of a Wimbledon seeding.
When Murray was ranked 839th in the world in July 2018 as he recovered from his first hip surgery, challenging at grand slams again seemed a forlorn hope but he has fought back into the world’s top 40.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the Scot’s road back.
Ranking history
Back-to-back titles at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy and the Rothesay Open Nottingham have lifted Murray to 38th in the ATP world rankings.
That is his best position since he was listed 34th in the April 23, 2018 update, with a turbulent period in between as Murray battled his hip problems.
He had dropped out of the top 100 by June of that year and to a career low of 839 in the July 16, 2018 edition of the rankings.
He remained outside the top 200 until October 2019 and though he climbed to 102 in July 2021, he ended that year ranked 134th and did not re-enter the top 100 until February 7, 2022 when we was 95th.
He made the top 50 briefly last June and for most of the year from August onwards. After dipping back as low as 70 in February, he has now spent five straight weeks in the top 50 since the May 8 update.
Tournament wins
Murray’s only tournament win on the main ATP Tour since his surgeries came at the 2019 European Open in Antwerp.
That came via an impressive win over fellow three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the final, while his semi-final opponent Ugo Humbert would go on to win the event the following year.
He reached further finals in Sydney and Stuttgart last year and Doha this February, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
His grass-court wins in Surbiton and Nottingham made it three titles for him on this year’s ATP Challenger Tour, having also won on the clay of Aix-en-Provence in May.
Queen’s record
Murray now takes his form to the biggest grass-court tournament outside of Wimbledon, knowing a deep run in the cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club could earn him a spot among the 32 seeds at SW19.
His past record there offers plenty of encouragement, with a record five titles to his name.
He won the event ahead of his two Wimbledon triumphs in 2013 and 2016 as well as in 2009, 2011 and 2015 to stand alone as Queen’s Club’s most successful player.
He will need to reach at least the quarter-finals this year to have a chance of being seeded at Wimbledon and the less-encouraging omen is his somewhat boom-and-bust record – outside of his five wins he has reached just one other quarter-final, which he lost to Andy Roddick in 2008.
Murray has lost in the last 16 four times – most recently two years ago against Matteo Berrettini – and the last 32 three times with a solitary last-64 exit back in 2006.
Newly-crowned US Open champion Wyndham Clark believes he deserves his place among the game’s elite after claiming his maiden major title in impressive fashion.
Despite winning his first PGA Tour title six weeks ago, Clark was an 120/1 outsider at Los Angeles Country Club, having made just two cuts in six previous majors with a best finish of 75th in the 2021 US PGA.
Yet it was the 29-year-old American who held his nerve in a tense final round to finish top of the leaderboard on 10 under par, with major champions Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith filling the minor places.
Clark’s victory will take him from 32nd to a career-high 13th in the world rankings and also up to second in the qualifying race for the US Ryder Cup team.
“I feel like I belong on this stage and even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world,” Clark said.
“I feel like I’ve shown that this year. I’ve come up close (to winning) and obviously everyone sees the person that hoists the trophy, but I’ve been trending in the right direction for a long time now.
“I’ve made a lot of cuts. I’ve had a handful of top 10s and top 20s and I feel like I’ve been on a great trajectory to get to this place.
“Obviously it’s gone faster than I thought as far as just starting to do some stuff mentally that I’ve never done before, but I feel like I’m one of the best players in the world.
“Obviously this just shows what I believe can happen.
“But at the same time I’m a pretty humble, calm guy and I don’t try to get too high or too low on things. I’m obviously going to celebrate this, but I like to compete.
“I’m so competitive. I want to beat everybody but also be friends with everybody. So I try to have a good mix of that.”
Clark’s victory came on Father’s Day but it was no surprise that his thoughts immediately turned to his late mother Lise, who was a huge influence on his career before her death from breast cancer in 2013.
Lise’s death hit Clark hard and he seriously considered quitting the sport as he battled bouts of depression and frustration throughout his college career and early years in the professional ranks.
“I didn’t show any emotion off the course, but when I was on the golf course, I couldn’t have been angrier,” Clark recalled.
“I was breaking clubs when I didn’t even hit that bad of a shot. I was walking off golf courses. When I transferred from Oklahoma State to Oregon was another low point and I think that was a lot of carryover from my mom passing.
“So when I went to Oregon and Casey Martin then took over as my head coach, he instilled that I was one of the best players in the world and he goes, ‘you’re good enough to play on this stage but also in college and win’.
“Then I had my best year ever. I got out here (on Tour) pretty quick, but even those first few years, I felt like I under-performed.
“I’ve had many times where I’ve gone home and was yelling in my car and punching things and just so mad that I’m like, ‘Why can’t I do what my peers are doing that I know I can play with and against and beat?’
“I’ve probably had three to four really defining moments in my career since college, but I’m really glad that I stuck it through.
“Being here now, I just feel so blessed. It’s honestly surreal to look back and think about the journey the last seven to 10 years.”
Andy Murray knows what he needs to do at Queen’s this week in order to achieve a seeded ranking for Wimbledon.
Murray returns to his favourite stomping ground, where he is a five-time champion, on the back of successive titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.
The 36-year-old’s success in Nottingham took him up to 38 in the world – his highest ranking since his hip operation – and a run to the last four at Queen’s would be enough to take him into the top 32 and guarantee a seeding at SW19.
It will not be easy for Murray, though, as the class in opposition will be a step up from the second tier, beginning with his first-round match with world number 18 Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.
“When I made the decision to come and play Nottingham rather than the 250s (ATP Tour tournaments), I was at least going to have to win here and maybe make the semis at Queen’s as well because I did well last year and I have given myself a chance,” said Murray, who is defending ranking points from his run to the final at Stuttgart this time last year.
“I pretty much know what I have to do, and if I make the semis at Queen’s I will definitely make seeding and maybe the quarters may be enough.”
Murray’s double success at Surbiton and Nottingham has seen him play 10 matches in 14 days, a big physical test for him considering he is playing with a metal hip.
The two-time Wimbledon champion will have a light day on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s match-up with Australian De Minaur, whose girlfriend Katie Boulter also won in Nottingham on Sunday.
“It has been tough, I found Sunday’s match hard, two quite late finishes and then a big change by playing at 11am, a completely different preparation,” Murray added.
“But I am going completely match tight, I make sure I do all the right recovery stuff. I will treat Monday as a day off and get ready for Tuesday.
“He (De Minaur) loves playing on the grass, a lot of the Aussies do. It is not going to be easy, he makes you work very hard and is quick around the court. He is a very good returner.”
Connections of Laurel will look to the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes after she was frustratingly ruled out of the Duke of Cambridge Stakes with a late setback.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Kingman was towards the top of the market for the one-mile Royal Ascot Group Two – a race which had been her main target for the first half of the season – but her name was missing from the 10 declarations on Monday.
A winner of three of her five starts, she would have had a fine chance of bouncing back from a below-par effort in the Lockinge where she was tasked with taking on colts for the first time.
However, she suffered an issue over the weekend which will keep her on the sidelines during the Royal meeting, with the focus now switching to getting her back to full fitness for her next assignment, which could come on July 14 at Newmarket’s July Festival.
“She’s just had a little setback over the weekend and this morning John and Thady weren’t 100 per cent happy with her, so unfortunately we couldn’t declare her,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“It’s just a bit of wear or tear and it was 50-50, but you are on the big stage and when you are not 100 per cent happy it’s not worth taking the risk. So we said we will give her an easy few days and probably aim for the Falmouth at the July meeting.”
Mahon added: “It’s frustrating as this is the race we had in mind for her all year, but the filly’s welfare always comes first and once the trainer wasn’t 100 per cent happy that was it, there was no question.”
Adayar, Luxembourg and Bay Bridge will clash in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
A field of six line up in the day two feature, which promises to be a mouthwatering affair despite the enforced absence of last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown.
Winner of the Epsom Classic himself in 2021, the Charlie Appleby-trained Adayar looked as good as ever on his return in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket.
Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg, meanwhile, was an all-the-way winner from Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge – who beat Adayar in the Champion Stakes at Ascot – in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
Born To Rock (Jane Chapple-Hyam) and Beautiful Diamond (Karl Burke) head the market for the Queen Mary, which also features intriguing American challengers in the shape of Bundchen (Wesley Ward) and Crimson Advocate (George Weaver).
In the Royal Hunt Cup, Frankie Dettori will carry the silks of the King and Queen aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Reach For The Moon.
Although Laurel was not declared for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, it could still be a big day for the Gosdens and Dettori, as they also have Gregory in the 14-strong Queen’s Vase – where the Stoute-trained Circle Of Fire is the royal representative with Richard Kingscote in the saddle.
Rory McIlroy insisted he would endure the pain of another 100 near-misses as long as he finally ends his major championship drought.
McIlroy held a share of the lead when he two-putted the par-five opening hole of Sunday’s final round of the 123rd US Open, but that would prove his only birdie of a disappointing closing 70.
Wyndham Clark’s own 70 was enough to give the 29-year-old American his first major title at Los Angeles Country Club, while McIlroy has now recorded 19 top-10 finishes since winning his fourth in the 2014 US PGA.
Asked if it was exhausting to keep being asked about another missed opportunity, McIlroy said: “It is, but at the same time when I do finally win this next major it’s going to be really, really sweet.
“I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”
McIlroy conceded his underwhelming final round had echoes of last year’s Open Championship, when he held a share of the lead, carded two birdies in a closing 70 and was overhauled by Cameron Smith’s brilliant 64.
“The last real two chances I’ve had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here,” the world number three added.
“Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn’t make a birdie since the first hole today. Overall when you’re in contention going into the final round of a US Open, I played the way I wanted to play.
“There was just a couple of shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I’d like to have back.”
The first of those was a missed birdie putt from four feet on the eighth, which played the easiest hole in the final round, and the second his approach to the par-five 14th which plugged in the face of a greenside bunker.
McIlroy did get relief for an embedded ball, but failed to get up and down to save par and Clark’s birdie on the same hole moments later gave him what ultimately proved a vital three-shot lead.
“As I was walking up to it (on 14), it felt like it was a perfect full sand wedge. Hit it hard, get some spin on it,” McIlroy explained.
“Then while we were getting prepared for the shot, the wind started to freshen a little bit. Full sand wedge wasn’t getting there, so I said to Harry (Diamond, his caddie), three-quarter gap wedge would be perfect.
“I feel like I didn’t time the shot perfectly. I hit it when the wind was at its strongest and the ball just got hit a lot by the wind, and obviously it came up short.
“If I had it back, I think I had the right club and the right shot. I might have just had to wait an extra 15 or 20 seconds to let that little gust settle.”
McIlroy’s next chance to end his drought will come at next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2014.
Asked when the countdown to the Open would begin, McIlroy joked: “Three minutes ago, I guess. I’ll play Travelers next week, I’ll play the Scottish Open, but I’m focused on making sure that I’m ready to go for Liverpool.”
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