The Seattle Seahawks have locked up a key defender just before the start of training camp by agreeing to a three-year extension with edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu through the 2026 season.
Nwosu's agency, Rosenhaus Sports, told multiple outlets Monday the new deal is worth up to $59 million and contains $32 million guaranteed.
Signed to a two-year, $19 million contract by Seattle in March 2022, Nwosu had a breakout first season with the Seahawks in which the five-year veteran set career highs with 9.5 sacks and 67 tackles while starting all 17 regular-season games. The Seahawks were 7-0 in games in which he recorded at least a half-sack.
Nwosu spent his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers after being selected in the second round of the 2018 draft. After being used mainly as a backup and special-teams player his first three years, the 26-year-old started 15 games in 2021 and compiled 40 tackles, five sacks and one interception.
In 79 career games, Nwosu has registered 182 total tackles, 24.5 sacks and six forced fumbles while making 42 starts.
The Los Angeles native returns to a Seattle defence that made two notable additions this offseason, signing former Denver Broncos tackle Dre'Mont Jones to a three-year, $51 milliion contract and bringing back six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner on a one-year deal.
Wagner spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Seahawks before playing for the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
The severity of forecast rain on Wednesday and Thursday is set to play a key part in determining ground conditions for Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot.
The 12-furlong Group One is one of the highlights of the summer and the feature event of the Berkshire track’s two-day meeting, which starts on Friday.
There are over 150 entries for Saturday’s eight-race card, with a stellar cast set to assemble for the King George itself, in which Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel could take on last year’s Epsom hero Desert Crown and the likes of defending champion Pyledriver.
“We’re delighted with how the whole card is shaping up and the entries are excellent,” said Chris Stickels, Ascot’s clerk of the course.
“The King George itself looks like it could be a fantastic renewal.”
Conditions are currently described as good to soft, soft in places following a drying day on Monday.
However, Stickels will be keeping a close eye on the band of rain set to pass through the area later in the week with anything between seven and 15 millimetres forecast to fall – something he believes could be the deciding factor on whether the meeting is held on good or soft ground.
Stickels said: “The going is currently described as good to soft, soft in places.
“That will probably change on Tuesday given we’ve only had 1mm so far on Monday.
“It’s been fairly breezy and will be drying a bit. There was only a little bit of soft first thing this morning in it, we were expecting a little bit more rain, so it’s quite good it has stayed dry.
“I imagine there will be a change in the going on Tuesday to reflect it drying a bit, unless we do get any further rain now.
“The forecast for Tuesday looks generally settled. There is rain again and showers on Wednesday night through Thursday which will soften things up again and then Friday and Saturday look generally dry and blustery, with a chance of a blustery shower.
“We don’t know what to expect because every forecast model is different, but we’re forecast between 7mm and 15mm. If we had 7 or 8mm it would be goodish ground, but if we had the top-end of that forecast it would be slower than that.
“There’s a front coming through late on Wednesday through Thursday and the volume of that will be the factor that will determine what the ground will be like over the weekend.”
The Buffalo Bills' Nyheim Hines will miss the 2023 NFL season after he injured his knee when he was struck by a jet ski.
Hines was sitting on an idle jet ski and was struck by another rider, sustaining a serious knee injury, according to a report from NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero on Monday.
His injury is non-life threatening but will require surgery.
It was not immediately reported when and where the accident occurred.
Acquired by the Bills in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts last November, the 26-yard-old Hines was expected to be the Bills' primary kick and punt returner and serve as their third-down running back this season.
In nine games for Buffalo in 2022, Hines returned 16 punts for an average of 9.6 yards and brought back 19 kicks for an average of 29.2 yards and two touchdowns - both against the New England Patriots in the emotional season finale in what was the Bills' first game since Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
A fourth-round pick by the Colts in 2018, Hines has 22 career touchdowns in 81 games - 10 TDs via rushing, eight from receiving and two each from punt and kick returns.
The three-time defending AFC East-champion Bills begin training camp on Wednesday and will open the regular season on Monday Night Football visiting the New York Jets on September 11.
Tim Easterby’s Art Power will aim to return to his favourite track after an impressive success in the Sapphire Stakes.
The popular grey is a constant in high-quality sprint contests and is an eight-time winner for owners King Power Racing.
Now six years old, the gelding is unbeaten at the Curragh in four runs having won the Renaissance Stakes twice, as well as the Greenlands Stakes earlier in the season.
Armed with that knowledge, he was well backed as the 6-5 favourite for the Group Two Sapphire Stakes over five furlongs at the track on Saturday.
Under David Allan, he did not disappoint and cruised to an unchallenged four-and-a-quarter-length success to maintain his flawless record at the Kildare venue.
Another trip to the Curragh is now on the horizon for the son of Dark Angel, who holds an entry for the Flying Five Stakes on September 10.
“He’s come home and he’s in great form, he’s come out of it really well,” said Easterby.
“He ran a super race, we were delighted with him and he’s come out of it in great form.
“He’ll probably go back there for the Flying Five in September. He loves it there and he liked that bit of cut in the ground too.
“He just seems to love it, it’s nice ground that often has a bit of cut in it.
“It’s a good, level track for him and he just seems to really enjoy it.”
The British Horseracing Authority has accepted Sean Levey took no prohibited substance following a “non-negative” saliva test at Sandown last year, which was later deemed negative by a laboratory.
Levey was stood down by the raceday stewards on September 14 when an instant saliva test produced a positive result for amphetamine.
The Group One-winning rider requested a urine test within 24 hours and when that returned negative, he was allowed to resume riding.
However, Levey was forced to miss the closing night of the Racing League, for which he was the leading rider ahead of the final meeting. He was subsequently caught by Saffie Osborne, who rode a treble to claim a £20,000 bonus.
In a statement, the BHA said: “The BHA would like to provide the following update on the oral fluid testing pilot, which was paused following a negative laboratory follow-up analysis requested after a point of care racecourse non-negative sample given by Sean Levey at Sandown on September 14, 2022.
“Following that negative laboratory follow-up analysis, the BHA has carried out extensive analysis to ascertain the circumstances behind the original non-negative, remaining in close communication with Mr Levey throughout. The BHA is grateful for his co-operation during this time.
“The BHA completely accepts that Mr Levey did not take amphetamine or any other prohibited substance and has not committed any offence under the rules of racing, with the cause of the non-negative appearing to have been a supplement that those administering the test were not aware of at the time.
“A further update regarding the resumption of the oral fluid testing pilot will follow in due course.”
Billy Loughnane says he will be “pushing to be back as soon as I can” after a thumb injury suffered at Nottingham has left him facing a spell on the sidelines.
The 17-year-old has established himself as one of the rising stars of the weighing room since bursting onto the scene over the winter and is bearing down quickly on a century of winners having continued to have success throughout the summer.
However, his quest for three figures has been halted following the injury sustained in a stalls incident aboard the Ed Dunlop-trained Lucidity on Friday night and although Loughnane is unsure how long he will be out of action, he is keen for a quick return.
He said: “I will be pushing to be back as soon as I can.
“I’m taking it day by day and I’ll be back as soon as I can. It’s obviously frustrating and hard at the minute, watching the horses you could have been on run, but I have had over 500 rides now and been lucky not to pick anything up so far.
“It’s annoying, the timing of it, but it’s just one of those things.”
Upon his return, Loughnane could represent Ireland in the Racing League where his 3lb claim could be a vital asset for Kevin Blake’s team as they bid to climb the table after two years rooted to the bottom of the standings.
Despite his injury, Loughnane is still 14-1 joint favourite with William Hill to be the competition’s top jockey.
He added: “I am looking forward to it, to be part of the Racing League is great. Hopefully I’ll be there for a few of the meetings.
“I was born in Ireland and class myself as Irish, so I’m looking forward to representing Ireland.
“Hopefully it can boost me a little bit and give me the chance to ride for a few different trainers and get myself to the next level a little bit. It’s hopefully going to be a good place to build contacts and there’s great prize-money as well.
“Fingers crossed, I get a bit of luck and can ride a couple of winners.”
David Menuisier’s exciting Sunway could have his potential put to the test at Ascot on Saturday in the Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes.
The son of Galiway created a taking impression when winning at Sandown on debut and is now being thrust straight into Listed company as one of 17 possibles for the seven-furlong Listed event.
Since his Sandown bow, Qatar Racing have become involved on the ownership side alongside Guy Pariente and Thomas Lines and his handler is keen to see how the colt has progressed from his first start.
“It has been the plan pretty much since Sandown and the rain that has arrived shouldn’t be a problem,” said Menuisier.
“The horse is well and al being well between now and Saturday he will line-up.
“I am not quite sure of the form of the race at Sandown being critical, but he did it in good style and we hope he has improved and he can put on another good display.
“Qatar Racing have decided to buy into the horse which is always very flattering, so lets hope he can run up to the standard they are expecting.”
Charlie Appleby has won this contest the last two years and could be represented by the unbeaten Ancient Wisdom, while Charlie Hills’ Iberian skipped the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket and looked a youngster full of potential in his Newbury debut.
Aidan O’Brien could saddle three, while the Ballydoyle handler could also be represented by Brighter in the Princess Margaret Keeneland Stakes.
Other names to note amongst the 17 entries for that Group Three contest include George Boughey’s Albany third Soprano and recent Anglesey Stakes scorer Kairyu.
Jonathan Portman could also be represented by Cry Fiction who showed plenty of greenness when second in the Empress Fillies’ Stakes but is backed to improve with experience by her handler.
He said: “We’re very happy with how she has been progressing. She was still a bit green at Newmarket having only had the one run.
“She’s come on again for that run and we’re looking forward to running her again and I think she deserves a go.”
A maximum of 19 will head to post for the Longines Valiant Stakes where Ed Walker’s Random Harvest could attempt to bounce back from her disappointing run in the Falmouth Stakes over a course and distance she finished second over during Royal Ascot in the Duke of Cambridge.
Walker also has Sea Of Thieves and Rose Pick entered as he bids to add to his 2021 victory in the race, while Random Harvest’s regular rivals Prosperous Voyage and Grande Dame also feature amongst the list of possible runners.
Karl Burke’s Electric Eyes and Johnny Murtagh’s unbeaten Cadeau Belle will fly the flag for the three-year-olds in the Group Three event, while in the Moet & Chandon International Stakes, defending champion Fresh and Bunbury Cup winner Biggles are the headline acts as 36 stood their ground for the fiercely-contested handicap at Monday’s confirmation stage.
Michael Dods’ Commanche Falls could be set for a Curragh return after his tough success in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.
The six-year-old is enjoying a fine season and was third in the Duke of York before winning the Listed Dash Stakes at the Irish track in early July.
That run set him up for a Group Three outing in the Hackwood at the weekend, though wet weather left the ground softer than ideal as he left the stalls the 4-1 favourite.
The gelding did not look to be enjoying conditions early on under Connor Beasley, but as the race reached the final furlong, he edged through a gap to lunge over the line in a group finish.
Commanche Falls had prevailed by a head from Clive Cox’s Diligent Harry and could now head back to the Curragh as he holds an entry for the Rathasker Stud Phoenix Sprint Stakes in August.
“He’s been out in the paddock every day since, he’s eaten up and he looks good,” Dods said.
“The ground really wasn’t to his liking as you could see, he looked beaten at halfway but Connor switched him and asked him a few questions and he showed a lot of guts and bravery to go through the gap and put the race to bed.
“There didn’t look to be a lot of a gap but he dug very deep, he showed his guts to get through it and win.
“He’s been unbelievable to be honest, he keeps surprising us. He never does anything the easy way because he’s usually the first horse off the bridle.
“He looks beaten and then he digs deep, once he gets into gear he motors to the line.”
Of the Curragh trip, which would be dependent on suitable ground, Dods added: “That is the plan, all things being well. I don’t think I would travel over there if it was very soft ground, we’d have to have a rethink.
“All things being well and on decent enough ground, the plan is to go there in August.”
Dods also has another classy sprinter in Azure Blue, who beat Commanche Falls and Highfield Princess to land the Group Two Duke of York on the Knavesmire in May.
The grey then headed for the July Cup at Newmarket but came home sixth under Paul Mulrennan having pulled hard in the early stages.
A York comeback could be on the cards now as the filly holds an entry for the Group One Nunthorpe over five furlongs in late August.
“We’ve given her an easy week, I thought she ran a bit free at Newmarket. Whether it was the sticky ground or what, but she seems well,” said Dods.
“She’s been out in the paddock and we’ll probably start her off this week again cantering and build her up to go again.
“I’ve got to discuss with the owners, she’s got quite a few entries, so we’ll have to decide where to go but she’s in good fettle anyway.
Of the Nunthorpe entry, the trainer said: “It’s definitely in the picture, she’s got other entries as well but I’d like to think she could end up going there.”
The British art of understatement is an essential part of Henry Candy’s method.
“Quite nice”, “fairly pleasing” and “acceptable” are the Candy locutions for “over the moon”, while “rather disappointing” and “not quite what one had hoped for” mean “gutted”.
It is 40 years since the modest man with a wry sense of humour saddled Time Charter to victory in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one of the most important all-aged races of the year.
The white-nosed lady with the short, purposeful, clockwork stride flashed her four bleached socks past all bar On The House when a staying on second in the 1000 Guineas of 1982.
And Candy had her spot on for the Oaks, despite being sent off a 12-1 chance under then-apprentice Billy Newnes, on account that her pedigree suggested she would not get a mile and a half.
“She was at her best in the spring of her three-year-old career probably,” Candy casually offered.
“The Oaks win was memorable. It was a job to know what her trip was, because she was by that extraordinary horse Saritamer.
“He didn’t stay at all. He was trained by Vincent O’Brien and I think he had other sprinters at the time, so he made Saritamer into a miler, but basically he was just a sprinter.”
It was easy to see why Candy had trip reservations, since the sire had won races like the Cork and Orrery (now the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes), July Cup and the Diadem. Time Charter was the first foal of her dam Centrocon, a high-class racemare who won the Lancashire Oaks.
“It was an extraordinary pedigree and it took me a while to work out that a daughter of Saritamer could actually get a mile and a half very well,” he added.
The powerfully-built bay, owned by Robert Barnett, won the 13-runner Oaks by a length from Slightly Dangerous in a record time, quicker than Golden Fleece’s Derby success a few days earlier.
“That was probably the best she’d ever been on Oaks day, which was lucky,” chuckled Candy.
“She couldn’t quite manage to give the weight away in the Nassau before it became a Group One and then she won the Sun Chariot.”
It had been expected that Time Charter would be retired at the end of her Classic campaign, yet after her performance in the Champion Stakes, which was then run at Newmarket, it was decided she would race on.
Candy said: “Her Champion Stakes was a remarkable performance. It was very, very wet. If you see pictures of it, all you can see is umbrellas.
“Billy rode her that day and he was coming through and riding his usual sort of hold-up race, when he wiped out somebody, who I think was Greville Starkey on Kalaglow.
“You could see the bubble coming out of Billy’s head saying ‘I’d better win by a long way!’.
“He gave her a smack and rousted her along, and she won by seven lengths. It was incredible. Very, very impressive.”
Time Charter took time to come to hand in the cold, wet spring of 1983 and having missed the Coronation Cup, made her second start of her four-year-old season in the Eclipse.
Newnes gave her too much to do at Sandown when finishing sixth to Solford and he was keen to make amends three weeks later at Ascot.
He never managed it. Yet Newnes owes a huge debt to journalist and broadcaster Brough Scott.
The scribe was watching work with Candy one Thursday morning from their Stone Age burial mound vantage point high on the ancient Ridgeway at Kingstone Warren, some 10 miles west of Wantage, when the then-23-year-old suffered a near fatal fall.
It was supposed to be a routine gallop for juvenile Silver Venture and his rising star jockey, yet suddenly the colt staggered and somersaulted at a three-quarter gallop.
Candy said: “Billy had a quite a major fall. His life was saved by the mighty Brough Scott up on the gallops. Brough had come to look at Time Charter and she was doing a little bit. Billy was on another horse, a two-year-old. He was having a breeze and going very rapidly, but had a heart attack and hit the ground.
“Billy was unconscious. We were a long way from the yard. This was before mobile phones existed. So I said to Brough, ‘you stick with him’, and I shot back to the office and rang to get an ambulance. Brough, to his eternal credit, realised that Billy had swallowed his tongue. So, he hooked it out and saved him.”
Scott also had to resuscitate the rider, who suffered a broken collar bone and damaged ribs, with Newnes obviously sidelined for the Ascot race.
Joe Mercer, one of the most stylish riders Britain has ever seen, came in for the ride in the King George.
“Joe actually rang up for the ride – jockeys didn’t have agents in those days – and that suited, as we were delighted to have him. It was his first time riding her,” said Candy.
The 48-year-old rang Newnes the previous day to ask the younger man’s advice. ‘Just let her settle and she will do it when you want her to’ was the answer.
And that was how it looked to those in the stands. The early gallop was slow and Time Charter lay last at Swinley Bottom. Lester Piggott took Diamond Shoal to the front. Sun Princess, the 9-4 joint-favourite was close and looking dangerous when Mercer pulled out 5-1 shot Time Charter wide for what turned out to be the winning challenge.
It was Mercer’s first Group One winner for four years.
“She wanted holding up and she wanted to come late, which he duly did. He rode the perfect race on her,” added Candy.
“It was a wonderful race to win, as were all those other Group One all-aged races.”
And this was a time when the best took on the best in the name of sport.
Candy added: “Now they duck each other. It is all so commercial. People are terrified of getting their horses beaten.
“Whereas in the old days, we used to run them and hope they won. I think she was the first filly to win half a million quid, which was a lot of money in those days.”
She won the Prix Foy with Newnes aboard again and was sent of favourite for the 26-runner Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, where she was a gallant fourth.
Time Charter’s start to her five-year-old season was disrupted by a hip injury, yet such is Candy’s mastery, he had her spot on for the Coronation Cup where Steve Cauthen’s ride was breathtaking. She travelled easily before sprinting away to a four-length success.
“She then should have been the first filly to win the Eclipse, but she got into a lot of trouble in running and got beaten a neck or something, by a very moderate horse called Sadler’s Wells,” teased Candy, tongue planted firmly in cheek.
After nine wins in a 20-race career, Time Charter became a highly successful broodmare and, having retired from the paddocks in 2001, died in her sleep at the age of 26 at Fair Winter Farm in Buckinghamshire in 2005.
“She was, I think, probably the best I’ve trained,” added Candy. “I’ve not had many horses who come close to her. She did a huge amount for us, she was a wonderful flag-bearer and she had quite a good following. I doubt I’ll have another one like her.”
Desert Crown is poised to return from his latest injury setback in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes as last year’s Derby winner is one of 15 confirmed for the £1.25million Ascot contest.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the son of Nathaniel stormed to Classic glory at Epsom in 2022 before spending almost a year on the sidelines and made his return in the Brigadier Gerard in May where he finished second to Owen Burrows’ reopposing Hukum.
A further setback ruled him out of an intended Royal Ascot engagement but having worked on the Limekilns gallop at Newmarket on Sunday morning, he is now on course for a belated appearance at the Berkshire track in search of one of the season’s most prestigious prizes.
“He’s going OK. He worked yesterday morning and he worked nicely,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager for owner Saeed Suhail.
“He doesn’t do a lot now, but everyone was very pleased. It was good to see him on the grass.”
There could be a rematch of this year’s Derby as Roger Varian’s Royal Ascot scorer King Of Steel will attempt to gain his revenge over his Epsom conqueror Auguste Rodin.
The dual-Classic winner is one of six in the mix for Aidan O’Brien, who could also be represented by Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale, Adelaide River, Broome and Bolshoi Ballet.
Defending champion Pyledriver will bid to enhance his fine Ascot record having landed the Hardwicke Stakes following almost a year off the track during the Royal meeting, while John and Thady Gosden’s Eclipse runner-up and Coronation Cup champion Emily Upjohn adds further spice to a race which looks like being a high-class renewal of the 12-furlong showpiece.
Others bringing strong form to the table include Ralph Beckett’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Westover and Stephane Wattel’s French raider Simca Mille, while William Haggas’ recent York scorer Hamish and James Ferguson’s Deauville Legend complete the line-up.
Max Verstappen’s Hungarian Grand Prix victory gave his Red Bull team a record 12th successive Formula One race win.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how the dominant Dutchman and his team compare to the greats of the grid.
Prost and Senna’s record falls
Verstappen has won nine of this season’s 11 races, with team-mate Sergio Perez taking the other two.
Verstappen also won last season’s final race and not since the great McLaren pairing of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988 has a single team dominated to such an extent.
That season began in Brazil and while Senna was disqualified from his home race for an illegal car change, Prost took the chequered flag.
Senna won in San Marino and he and Prost shared the next four races equally before Prost recorded a home win in the French Grand Prix.
Four straight victories for Senna followed before Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger broke the streak in Italy, the only race all season not won by McLaren as they and Senna won a championship double with Prost close behind in second in the drivers’ standings.
That is the case for Verstappen and Perez this season as well, albeit with Verstappen over 100 points clear of his team-mate.
Verstappen added Bahrain and Australia to last season’s success in Abu Dhabi, alternating at the start of the season with Perez’s wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan before taking sole control.
Mercedes had three separate runs of 10 successive wins during Lewis Hamilton’s period of dominance, with Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari team also hitting double figures in 2002.
Magnificent seven
Since the start of May, Verstappen has won the Miami, Monaco, Spanish, Canadian, Austrian, British and now Hungarian Grands Prix to equal the second-longest winning run for an individual driver.
Only Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine straight wins in 2013 remains for him to chase – victory in the next two races would see him equal that mark in front of his adoring home fans at August 27’s Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
Alberto Ascari has a claim to matching Vettel. The Italian won the last six races of the 1952 season and the Argentine Grand Prix at the start of 1953 before not entering the Indianapolis 500, which at the time was part of the drivers’ championship. He went on to win the Dutch and Belgian GPs on his next two starts.
Michael Schumacher won seven in a row in 2004, as did Nico Rosberg at the end of 2015 and the start of his 2016 title-winning season.
Schumacher also had a run of six across the 2000 and 2001 seasons while Hamilton’s longest run is five wins, as was Verstappen’s before his current streak.
He is on track to be the first driver ever to win over 80 per cent of races in a season – beating Ascari’s 75 per cent in 1952, when there were only eight races in total – while he has won over 93 per cent of the maximum points available with 281 of a possible 302 so far.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen’s dominance of the sport is so one-sided that he is making the rest of the grid look like they are racing in a junior category.
Verstappen took his ninth win of the season, extending Red Bull’s unbeaten streak to 11 from 11 this year with just one race remaining before the summer break.
The Dutchman, now a staggering 110 points clear in the championship, finished more than half-a-minute clear of his rivals following another supreme showing in his supreme Red Bull machine.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was runner-up – scoring consecutive podium finishes for the first time in his career – with pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton only fourth and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell sixth.
“It was like a bunch of Formula Two cars against a Formula One car,” said Wolff.
“In the F2 gang, our car was quick. The F1 car won by 33 seconds.
“We had the second quickest car today, and obviously we can talk it up and say we could have been second, but that’s irrelevant because you have a car that finished 39 seconds ahead [of Hamilton], and was probably cruising a lot of the time.
“We are going to fight back and win races and championships, but we saw the pace Max had, and that’s the bitter reality.
“But it’s a meritocracy, and as long as you’re moving within the regulations, then we need to acknowledge Red Bull has just done a better job.”
Hamilton has now gone 34 appearances without a victory – the longest streak of his career – while Verstappen has triumphed 24 times during the same period, moving him to 44 career wins.
Verstappen’s Red Bull set a new record of 12 consecutive wins on Sunday, with Mercedes’ unprecedented 19 victories in a single campaign under threat.
At the midway stage of this 22-round campaign, the world champions also remain on course to become the first team to complete the perfect season.
However, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – which includes a sprint race and the possibility of rain – Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was keen to guard against complacency.
Horner said: “How long can we keep this winning run going? Who knows?
“We’ve got another challenge next weekend, a sprint race, with the variable conditions of Spa. Anything can happen, so we’re really just taking it pretty much one event at a time.”
There will be a continental flavour to the Qatar Sussex Stakes next week as French raider Facteur Cheval is set to take his chance in the red-hot Goodwood contest.
It will be a long journey to the Sussex Downs for the four-year-old, with trainer Jerome Reynier based near Marseille in the south of France.
However, having produced a career best when denied by a head in the Prix d’Ispahan in May, connections are keen to pick up a share of the £1million prize-fund on offer, en-route to their main objective for the second half of the campaign, the Woodbine Mile on September 16.
“Our main goal for the fall is the Woodbine Mile and we needed something to tick him over,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the gelding in partnership with Gary Barber.
“We know this is going to be an insurmountable task, but the timing is right and he is improving, so we are going to send him and see what happens.”
Facteur Cheval has won five of his 10 career stars with his biggest victory coming in the Prix Perth on his final outing last year.
Although he has failed to add to his tally this season, the son of Ribchester has held his own in three high-class events and connections retain plenty of faith in Facteur Cheval, who will be partnered for the first time by Maxime Guyon in the Qatar Goodwood Festival contest.
“Obviously we’re probably going to be running against Paddington and you can’t go into it thinking we’re going to win,” added Irwin.
“But we’ve got a lot of faith in this horse, he’s had a lot of bad luck and we’re hoping we’re going to get a better go of it this race.
“He’s going to be ridden by Maxime Guyon and he has a lot of ability. He just needs the space to run in, once he gets going he’s pretty good.”
Irwin hopes Facteur Cheval will fare better than Star Of Cozzene, who was sent to the Sussex Stakes in the early 1990s in search of testing ground and found the undulations of Goodwood too hot to handle.
“I ran a horse there in the same race in 1992 called Star Of Cozzene,” he added. “He was one of the best horses we have ever had.
“He was fantastic over here in America and I got the bright idea to send him to Europe because he loved heavy ground. He never won a race there, he placed a couple of times but it just never happened.
“When we ran him at Goodwood, he had never run without toe wraps before and he just slid down the hill, he must have been 25 lengths off the lead at one stage and ran sixth. So I know what a difficult place Goodwood is.”
Open champion Brian Harman says making his Ryder Cup debut would “mean the world” to him following his dominant victory at Royal Liverpool.
Yet when he recovers from the after-effects of drinking a celebratory Guinness or two from the Claret Jug, Harman will be able to ponder the welcome prospect of a longed-for debut in the biennial event in Rome.
Harman’s six-shot victory lifted him from 20th in the standings into the top six automatic qualifying places and effectively ends the two-time Walker Cup winner’s long wait for a Ryder Cup debut.
“I’ve spent I don’t know how many years chasing,” Harman said following the second round of 65 which provided the springboard for his first major title.
“It always seems it’s right there at the end and I end up in between 13th and 18th on the list and I’m hoping for a pick. It would mean the world to me to play on the Ryder Cup team. I think I would do very well.”
Speaking after lifting the Claret Jug, the 36-year-old left-hander added: “I enjoy match play. I’ve done well in all the match play tournaments I’ve played in.
“I had a really good junior record and amateur record in match play. I enjoy the head-to-head competition.
“I had a lot of success as a junior golfer. I won the US Junior and then as an amateur I was the number one ranked amateur in the world for a good while, was the youngest American to get picked for the Walker Cup.
“I had success. Like I had the pedigree. Then I got to college and it just kind of sputtered a little bit. I just didn’t keep up the progression.
“My pro career has been really good at times and not good at times. Last year felt like I kind of found something a little bit, and yeah, man, it’s been great.”
Harman’s performance at Hoylake means he will not be needing to rely on a wild card to make the trip to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, although his chances may have been better than imagined given the identity of the US captain.
“He’s a really good friend of mine,” Zach Johnson said after carding a closing 74 on Sunday.
“We live on St. Simons Island. I’ve known him for years. Great family, great wife, great kids. The Harmans are dear friends of mine.
“What is transpiring the last couple tournaments he’s played in does not surprise me in the least. He is a very formidable competitor, number one.
“Number two, hey, what does Brian Harman do really well? Well, he does everything quite well. He’s a very good driver of the golf ball and a very, very, very good putter.
“Then if everything else is good, then it can be pretty lethal. Our games are very similar except for the fact that he stands on the wrong side of the golf ball.
“He hits it a little further. He’s gritty. He’s got a great ensemble of coaches and a team.
“He’s still young enough and competitive enough that I think there’s still room for improvement in his game, which is pretty scary because I think he’s really, really good.”
Andy Murray will leave a lasting legacy on British tennis after his "historic" Wimbledon exploits when retirement eventually comes, according to Marion Bartoli.
Murray and Bartoli both triumphed at Wimbledon in 2013, the Scot defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets and the Frenchwomen overcoming Sabine Lisicki.
A troublesome hip injury and subsequent surgery has caused issues in recent years for Murray, who also lifted the Wimbledon title in 2016 – adding to his US Open crown four years earlier.
The 36-year-old confirmed before the Queen's Championship last month that he has a period in mind for ending his professional career, leading Bartoli to hail Murray's impact on the sport.
"It's more for British tennis because the buzz when he won Wimbledon in 2013 for the first time was just insane – basically the whole country tuning in to watch that match," she told Stats Perform.
"Even the whole press, who are normally quite harsh with the players, especially the tabloids, were just cheering on for him because it was so historic.
"I can just remember the dinner we had at the Champions' Ball with Andy and his mother and my father and myself and it just felt like dinner with a mother and son, father and daughter, just being on the top of the world and just winning.
"Judy could say 'My son just won Wimbledon' and my dad could say 'My daughter just won Wimbledon' – it was very much that feeling. It was so special."
Murray, who has won two ATP Challenger titles this season, only made it as far as the second round at Wimbledon this month, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a battling display on Centre Court.
His appearance at the British major represented another major milestone nevertheless, given injuries seemed set to curtail his playing days after the 2023 Australian Open.
Bartoli added: "For Andy, after all his surgeries and everything, it's about how much he can still enjoy his tennis.
"When he feels that's it, that every day on the practice court is not as enjoyable as usual, and he's dragging himself to practice, that’s when the passion is vanishing and you know it's time [to retire].
"It's not that difficult of a decision when that happens. When you still have that passion and fire but your body doesn't follow anymore, then it's slightly more difficult.
"In many ways, Andy had a second chance. He'd sort of announced his retirement when he lost in the Australian Open and everyone was crying.
"Then he decided to come back and he had those successes and those great matches and epics, so maybe he already feels like he had his second chance.
"He'll walk away with a beautiful family, a business – a hotel, I think, in Scotland where he grew up – so he has so many things to look forward to. I think he'll be a very happy man."
Murray's diminishing influence on the upper echelons of tennis marks a downturn in British fortunes, with Cameron Norrie seemingly the next in line.
"For the British side of tennis – you have Cameron Norrie – but you feel that especially with [Carlos] Alcaraz coming in and all those players it's going to be more difficult to win a slam," Bartoli continued.
"But he's going to have his chance as well. He's close to being top 10."
Open champion Brian Harman has revealed how being heckled by a spectator helped inspire him to a dominant victory at Royal Liverpool.
Harman held a five-shot lead after a stunning second round of 65 but got off to a slow start on Saturday with two dropped shots in the first four holes.
“After I made the second bogey a guy, when I was passing him, he said, ‘Harman, you don’t have the stones for this’,” Harman said in his post-championship press conference.
“It helped snap me back into (thinking) ‘I’m good enough to do this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to go through my process, and the next shot is going to be good’.
“I figured at some point, just with the weather and the scenario, you’re going to hit bad shots. I knew that the way I responded to that would determine whether I’d be sitting here or not.”
Harman carded a third round of 69 to maintain his five-shot lead and a closing 70 in miserable conditions to finish six shots clear of Masters champion Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Sepp Straka and Tom Kim.
“It’s pretty surreal. It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Harman said. “I’m not going to let it (the Claret Jug) out of my sight for the time being. To win what I consider the greatest prize in golf is as good as it gets. I’m over the moon.
“It was a tough last three days, it really was. Being able to get some sleep was big last night. Sleeping on a lead like that is really difficult, so I’m proud of the way I hung in there the last couple days.”
Shot of the day
For the second time in the day Harman’s lead was briefly down to three shots before he holed from 40 feet for birdie on the 14th.
Round of the day
Three players shot 67 on the final day, but Harman’s 70 was even more impressive given the circumstances as he recovered from two early bogeys to card four birdies in a closing 70.
Quote of the day
“First I’m going to have me a couple pints out of this here trophy, I believe” – Harman said he was keen to get back home to see his family, but not before enjoying his triumph.
Toughest hole
With the pin close to the out of bounds to the right of the green, the par-four third hole played the toughest for the first time, with just four players making birdie, three carding a double bogey and three taking triple-bogey sevens.
Easiest hole
The par-five fifth was the easiest hole for the fourth day in succession, with one eagle and 34 birdies contributing to a scoring average of 4.618. Champion Harman made one of just five bogeys there on Sunday.
When is the next major?
The 88th Masters will take place at Augusta National from April 11-14, 2024.
The Baltimore Orioles extended their lead to two games over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East with a 5-3 victory in Sunday's finale of an important four-game series between the division rivals.
Ryan O'Hearn snapped a 3-3 tie with a solo homer in the sixth inning to back another strong performance by the Baltimore bullpen as the Orioles took three of four from the still-sputtering Rays.
Tampa Bay entered July with a 6 1/2-game lead atop the division but has gone 4-14 thus far for the month. The Orioles, on the other hand, have won 12 of 15 since July 5.
Baltimore sealed its latest win with a combined 4 2/3 scoreless innings from three relievers. Mike Baumann (7-0) did not allow a hit in 2 2/3 innings and All-Star Felix Bautista struck out three in the ninth to record his 28th save.
Gunnar Henderson had a two-run homer in the second inning for the Orioles and finished 2 for 4 along with O'Hearn.
Yandy Diaz went 2 for 5 for Tampa Bay and tied the contest in the fifth inning with a two-run homer off Orioles starter Tyler Wells.
Rangers overcome early deficit to avoid sweep by Dodgers
The Texas Rangers rallied from an early four-run deficit to hand the Los Angeles Dodgers an 8-4 loss in the finale of a three-game interleague series between division leaders.
After Max Muncy's first-inning grand slam put Texas in a 4-0 hole, the Rangers blasted rookie Emmett Sheahan for eight runs over 3 2/3 innings to bounce back from two lopsided losses at the hands of the National League West leaders.
Jonah Heim cut the deficit in half with a two-run double in the bottom of the first before Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung each delivered RBI singles off Sheahan in the second to put Texas up 5-4.
Leody Tavares added a two-run double in the third to stretch the lead, while Martin Perez overcame a shaky start to last six innings and improve to 8-3 on the season.
The Dodgers scored 27 runs in winning the series' first two games and kept the offence going when Muncy blasted his 24th homer of the season to stake Los Angeles to a quick 4-0 lead.
Perez settled down thereafter and held the Dodgers to just three hits and a walk over the next five innings.
The win put the AL West-leading Rangers at 59-41, tying the franchise's best record after 100 games in a season set three times previously, most recently in 2012.
Albies' late home run lifts Braves over Brewers
In another clash of division leaders, Ozzie Albies' clutch three-run homer in the eighth inning staked the Atlanta Braves to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Down 2-1 entering the eighth, the Braves put two on against a usually dominant Milwaukee bullpen before Albies homered on the first pitch he saw from Elvis Peguero. The All-Star second baseman's 23rd homer of the season snapped a streak of 28 2/3 scoreless innings by Brewers relievers.
After Ben Heller worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Raisel Iglesias struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth as the NL East-leading Braves took two of three games from the NL Central-best Brewers.
Travis d'Arnaud added a solo homer and finished 2 for 4 for Atlanta, though star third baseman Austin Riley went 0 for 4 and had a streak of five consecutive games with a home run end.
Brice Turang had a solo home run for Milwaukee, which had its lead in the NL Central cut to a half-game over second-place Cincinnati after the Reds defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-3, on Sunday. The Brewers will host a three-game series against Cincinnati starting Monday.
Former Brave Julio Teheran allowed one run and just three hits over six innings for Milwaukee, while Atlanta starter Bryce Elder yielded two runs on four hits over six innings.
Nathan Aspinall produced one of the best displays of his career to become Betfred World Matchplay champion for the first time after thrashing Jonny Clayton 18-6.
Aspinall won 13 of the last 14 legs, including 11 on the spin from 5-5 on his way to lifting the Phil Taylor Trophy at Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Welshman Clayton, 48, who beat Luke Humphries 17-15 in a thrilling semi-final, had made a 141-checkout to level it up at 5-5, but from there on was a virtual bystander as Aspinall raced away to victory.
While being celebrated by his fans to the tune of ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers, he told Sky Sports: “I’ve got no words. I don’t know what it was but I found it.
“I scored brilliant all game. I knew I had to get rid of my darts quicker. The people who come to Blackpool are die hard darts fans.”
The 32-year-old from Stockport produced a 170-finish on the bull to extend his lead to 11-5 and made his fifth 100-plus finish (115) to move 13-5 clear, having averaged 110 over eight legs.
World number seven Clayton stopped the rot to trail 16-6, but there was no halting Aspinall, who clinched the biggest win of his career with double five as he led 17-6.
Aspinall, who lost both the Grand Slam and Grand Prix finals last year, climbed up to fifth in the PDC rankings with his victory, collected the £200,000 winner’s prize and became the 12th player to lift the title.
Earlier on Sunday, teenager Beau Greaves won the Women’s World Matchplay at the first attempt.
The 19-year-old top seed, making her debut in the competition, cruised to a 6-1 victory against Japan’s second seed Mikuru Suzuki.
Jamaica's horse racing enthusiasts can rejoice as the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) have successfully resolved their impasse. This means that race meets will return to full race cards, as opposed to the short six-race programme that was run on Saturday.
That six-race card marked the return of live racing after a one-week break, when horsemen opted not to nominate as a show of their discontent to a $27 million purse increase offer put forward by SVREL.
However, following a productive meeting and constant dialogue, both parties have reached a mutual agreement, paving the way for the resumption of full race cards, as TOBA encouraged its members to support nominations for the meet scheduled on Saturday, July 29, starting on Tuesday, July 25. This will be followed by an action-packed first week of August, featuring three race days in seven days, including the much-anticipated Jamaica Oaks and Jamaica Derby.
In a statement released on Sunday, July 23, TOBA said that having met with SVREL on Monday, July 17, following the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission's (BGLC) prior confirmation of the promoting company's 2022 sales figures of $5.32 billion on local racing, TOBA has agreed to continue working with SVREL and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) to implement major initiatives towards negating the annual wrangling over prize monies.
In its statement, TOBA said it hoped that these initiatives, if successfully negotiated and implemented, including returning monies derived from the local-racing industry, will lead to a substantial and sustainable purse- money environment, as exists in other international racing jurisdictions, historically bringing Jamaica in line with North America, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, jurisdictions which all access and thrive on purses supplemented by other consistent income streams.
This positive development will not only attract horse owners but also boost the excitement and engagement of racing enthusiasts across the country.
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