Daria Kasatkina expects the popping of champagne corks to be the most unsettling noise at Wimbledon as she prepares for her first grand slam action since being booed at the French Open.

The world number 11 is among a number of Russian and Belarusian players set to return to the All England Club next week following last year’s ban due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Kasatkina, who first faces Saturday’s Eastbourne final against Madison Keys, left Roland Garros in early June with a “very bitter feeling” having being jeered by the crowd after her defeat to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

She is enjoying being back in front of “very respectful” spectators in Britain for the first time in two years and looking forward to competing at SW19.

“I have always liked playing in the UK,” she said following her 6-2 7-5 semi-final win over Camila Giorgi at the Rothesay International. “I had good results here and good memories.

“I’m really happy to be back and to have this opportunity again.

“It feels great because the people here, we can see that they have got the culture of the game, they know when they have to support, when it’s the tight moment of the match.

“They are very respectful to the players. People are super nice to me. I really appreciate the support.”

Knowing Svitolina would stick to her policy of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players, Kasatkina gave her opponent a thumbs-up in Paris but still received boos.

The 26-year-old Russian has been drawn to play American Caroline Dolehide in the first round at Wimbledon.

Asked if she thinks the welcoming atmosphere will continue in south-west London, she replied: “Oh, even more. The tournament is the most classic tournament we have.

“The only disturbing fact on the matches is the popping of the champagne! I’m really happy to be back there.”

Kasatkina, who has spoken against the war in Ukraine, dug in to see off Giorgi on Friday at Devonshire Park.

She breezed through the opening set in just over half-an-hour but was forced to hold off a fightback in a tight second after her Italian opponent battled back from 4-1 down to level at 5-5.

World number 25 Keys awaits her in Saturday’s showpiece after she overcame an injury scare to progress to her second Eastbourne final by upsetting fellow American Coco Gauff.

The 2014 champion, who suffered a painful fall in the middle of the second set, triumphed 6-3 6-3 against the world number seven on a blustery afternoon in Sussex.

“I just took a slip and my hip went in the direction it shouldn’t have gone in,” said the 28-year-old, who has been draw against British wildcard Sonay Kartal at Wimbledon. “Hopefully it’s fine for tomorrow.

“I’ve had a little bit of a not great year so far, so being able to make a final here where I won my first title is amazing.

“It’s definitely 10 times more difficult when you have to play Coco and then you throw in hurricane winds on top of it.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from June 30.

James Maddison was looking forward to his new challenge.

Spot the Robbie Fowler cameo as Liverpool went back to the 90s to launch their new away kit.

Erling Haaland was grateful.

Kai Havertz was taking a break.

Green was a theme of the day’s away kit announcements.

Fulham launched their new home look.

Ange Postecoglou enjoyed Australian success in his new home city.

Bournemouth’s new boss arrived in the building.

A bouncy castle tribute to Marcus Rashford.

Not sure about Dwight McNeil’s future in modelling.

Aaron Mooy retired.

James Tarkowski looked to a future in coaching.

England looked back at day two of the Lord’s Test before the start of day three.

Which was hit by the weather after Australia had dominated.

The NFL got the better of the NBA in ‘The Match’.

Leading tennis players should speak out against "appalling" human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia as the Public Investment Fund (PIF) targets a partnership with the ATP Tour.

That is the view of Amnesty International's regional campaigner Reina Wehbi, who sees the prospective link as a way of distracting from the country's "crackdown" on basic rights. 

Earlier this week, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told The Financial Times that talks had been held over a partnership between the PIF and the men's tour. 

Saudi Arabia's numerous sports investments – including the PIF's majority ownership of Newcastle United and the controversial LIV Golf circuit – have been denounced by critics as efforts to improve the country's reputation through 'sportswashing'. 

Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Wehbi said tennis stars should not shy away from criticism of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights.

"Saudi Arabia is promoting its colossal investment in sporting events and entertainment as progress and reform. This is a far cry from its appalling human rights record," Wehbi said.

"Saudi Arabia's interest in the ATP fits into a wider pattern of sportswashing that the country has been using to divert attention from its escalated human rights violations.

"Authorities continue their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Almost every single human rights defender has been unlawfully detained in Saudi Arabia. 

"Last year, Amnesty recorded the highest number of executions in 30 years in Saudi Arabia. Human rights should be a primary consideration when choosing where to host international sporting events and sporting bodies have the responsibility to undertake due diligence to identify and mitigate human rights violations directly linked to their events.

"Tennis players and all other celebrities should make sure to use their celebrity status and their popular platforms to speak up against abuses and be the voice of those put behind bars for exercising their rights.

"They should make sure not to offer Saudi Arabia uncritical praise and not to help it avoid scrutiny for its continued human rights violations behind the scenes. 

"All players should advocate for the respect and protection of human rights wherever they are."

Max Verstappen’s crushing dominance of Formula One continued at the Austrian Grand Prix after he put his Red Bull on pole position.

The world champion, a winner at six of the first eight races, saw off his rivals at the Red Bull Ring to seal his fourth pole on the spin for Sunday’s 71-lap grand prix.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc provided Verstappen with a late scare, but the Monegasque had to settle for second place, crossing the line 0.048 seconds shy of the Dutchman.

Carlos Sainz took third in the other scarlet car, while Lando Norris impressed in his revamped McLaren to take fourth spot. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, 0.428 sec adrift.

Sergio Perez’s torrid time continued after all three of his laps in Q2 were deleted for track limits. He lines up a lowly 15th on Sunday.

The increasingly under-pressure Mexican looked to have sealed his spot in Q3 in the closing seconds only for the stewards to scrap his lap after he drove all four wheels on his Red Bull beyond the white line at the final bend.

“Can we go again?” asked Perez over the radio. “No, that is the chequered flag,” said his race engineer, Hugh Bird. “What a f****** joke,” replied a furious Perez.

George Russell was also subjected to an early bath after he failed to make it out of Q2. The Englishman, who retired at the last round in Canada after he crashed into the wall, missed out on progressing to the final phase by just 0.041 sec and qualified 11th.

For Verstappen there were no such concerns, and the Dutchman is on course to extend his 69-point lead at the summit of the standings following another commanding performance.

His qualifying triumph was greeted with a number of his travelling Dutch fanbase lighting orange flares.

“It was very difficult because of all the track limits,” said Verstappen. “We don’t do this on purpose, but with these speeds and the high-speed corners it is so hard to judge the white line and that is why a lot of people got caught out.

“It was about surviving. My first lap in Q3 was just a banker lap which takes out the joy but we still did a good enough lap and I am happy to be on pole.”

Verstappen’s countryman Nyck de Vries’ place on the grid appears uncertain after Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko said Christian Horner was right to question whether he should have been signed.

The 28-year-old was brought into the Red Bull junior stable at the beginning of the year, but he has struggled to get up to speed at AlphaTauri, and he did little to help his cause here after he qualified last for Sunday’s race.

Earlier, qualifying was delayed by half-a-dozen minutes after Valtteri Bottas stopped in his Alfa Romeo.

Bottas spun on the exit of the opening corner and was left stranded on the track as he failed to engage neutral.

The red flags were deployed but Bottas was able to get going again and made his way back to the pits. The Finn made it through to Q2 and qualified 14th.

Spielberg is hosting the sport’s second sprint event of the year with a shortened race on Saturday to come before Sunday’s main event.

Not a name associated with big Saturday afternoon contests, Deborah Faulkner is targeting an “absolutely huge” JenningsBet Northumberland Plate success with the heavily-supported Golden Rules.

Faulkner is responsible for less than a dozen horses at her Monmouthshire yard and is pinching herself at the fact that she houses the market leader for the £150,000 Newcastle showpiece.

Bought out of John and Thady Gosden’s yard for bargain-basement price of 6,000 guineas in October 2021, Golden Rules did not make his debut for his new connections until appearing at Kempton in March of this year, when he proceeded to make every yard of the running under Oisin Murphy.

With the three-time champion jockey again in the saddle, and owner Gareth Cheshire bullish about his chances in a recent interview, the six-year-old has been backed into favouritism for the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’, which is only heightening Faulkner’s nerves.

She said: “I don’t know who is gambling on him, it’s not me because I don’t bet!

“He’s in good order, Oisin sat on him on Wednesday and he was more than happy with him.

“It’s all in the lap of the gods now and I just hope we don’t end up with egg on our face, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.”

While Golden Rules was out of competitive action for the best part of two years prior to his Kempton comeback, Faulkner revealed he has not suffered any major setbacks.

“We didn’t even attempt to get him on the track last year. For whatever reason they sold him, he had a few issues and we’ve just given him time,” Faulkner added.

“He does a lot of swimming and hopefully that’s sorted out his impatience in a race – he seems to have settled a lot better.

“We’ve just ticked along with him and when we thought he was ready, we had a little pop with him.

“We were originally going to run him over jumps, that’s why we bought him, but the ground wasn’t in his favour at all and we didn’t want to risk him, so we went for the Kempton race.

“He’s worked very well at home, so going to Kempton it was just a case of whether he still had the enthusiasm to race and luckily for us he did.”

Faulkner will not be making the trip to the north east herself, instead electing to watch on from her home in Wales.

She said: “It would be absolutely huge if he could win. We’ve only got 10 horses and I’m not going on Saturday because somebody has to stay in the yard and as three-quarters of our workforce has gone to Newcastle, it’s left to me to do the honours with the remaining horses!

“I will be very nervous, I just hope he lives up to expectations.”

Prior to the Golden Rules gamble, the ante-post favourite was the William Haggas-trained Post Impressionist.

The four-year-old finished second to subsequent St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov on his only previous visit to Gosforth Park and while he has been off the track since winning a lucrative prize at York in October, hopes are high, despite the fact a high draw in stall 19 of 20 is hardly ideal.

“He got a lovely draw in stall 19, that’s helpful! But he’s been training well and should run well,” said Haggas.

“He wants a bit of cut in the ground – he doesn’t really want summer firm – so we thought this would be the right sort of place to start.

“He was very slow to come to hand in the spring, but he’s coming now and has had a good preparation.”

The Newmarket handler has an interesting second string to his bow in Nathanael Greene, who like Post Impressionist will be tackling the two-mile distance for the first time.

Nathanael Greene was fifth at Ascot and fourth at Goodwood in May, most recently finishing just over five lengths behind Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami, and Haggas feels he could outrun his odds.

He added: “I thought Nathanael Greene wouldn’t be miles away. He’s got the headgear back on and he clearly needs that, so hopefully he’ll run a good race.

“He’s run two solid races this season and I think he’ll appreciate going up in trip as well.”

Hugo Palmer is also double-handed, with Zoffee and Rajinsky both bringing strong course form to the table .

Rajinsky has finished third and fourth in the last two renewals, while Zoffee plundered last year’s Northumberland Vase – the consolation race for the Plate.

“He’s getting better all the time, Rajinsky. He’s produced two career-bests from three runs this year and we were praying to be able to run him in the Queen Alexandra at Ascot last weekend,” said Palmer.

“I think he’d have been the top-rated horse in the race and I think he’d stay that far, but we are where we are and he’ll have no ground concerns at Newcastle.

“Zoffee is such a consistent horse – if they were all like him it would be an easier game.

“He found the line really well at Ascot (sixth in Ascot Stakes), for all he found it possibly just a furlong too far.

“He’s very well versed at two miles, he copes with that trip and he obviously won the consolation last year, so it’s always been the hope that he could try to follow up in the big one this year.”

The Alan King-trained Rainbow Dreamer is another Newcastle regular and has been kept fresh for this race since winner the Marathon over the course on All-Weather Championships Finals Day in April.

King said: “He’s a much better horse on the all-weather and he seems well when he’s lovely and fresh, so it was always the plan to give him a break and train him for this.

“It’s all gone very well – he seems to love it. He’s a bit higher than he was last year and it won’t be easy off that sort of rating, but he seems very well and this was the obvious place to come.

“Let’s hope he runs well.”

Gilles Simon believes Andy Murray's inferior trophy haul means he cannot be grouped with tennis' 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Murray has enjoyed a long and stellar career, reaching 11 major finals and claiming three grand slam titles, as well as spending 41 weeks ranked as the world number one.

But with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam successes respectively, Simon feels Murray is not quite on their level.

"He's not part of the Big Three," Simon told Stats Perform at the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas. 

"You don't have to compare him with the Big Three, because he played at the very same time and we have the result.

"Andy was a fantastic player, just under these three guys in terms of level. In the end, the gap is huge in terms of titles: 23, 22 and 20, compared to three, so he's not part of the Big Four.

"He played at the same time as everyone and he has three and they have 20 or more. That's how I see it."

Simon – who won three of his 19 meetings with Murray before retiring in 2022 – feels the Scot was unfortunate to have competed with the 'Big Three' and would have been remembered as one of the game's greats in another era.

"He could have won 17 slams without the Big Three," Simon explained. "What is hard for Andy is to compare him to other players from other generations, when other players maybe have more slams than he has.

"If he had played at that time, he could maybe have had 15 and been one of the greatest. You cannot compare him with the Big Three, we saw it already, we saw the results.

"Where I feel sad for Andy is that if you play in a different era, you have 10 [grand slam titles] and then if we take the all-time rankings, we go to [Pete] Sampras with 14 and you say maybe he's here.

"This is where I feel it's a bit of an injustice for him compared to his level, because he would be closer to something like this than to someone who has three slams. He would be much higher in the all-time rankings."

A decision on whether Paddington steps up in trip for the Coral-Eclipse is likely to be made over the weekend, according to Aidan O’Brien.

Since winning a handicap first time out this season, the son of Siyouni has won a Listed race, the Irish 2,000 Guineas and put up a dominant display in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

He beat English Guineas winner Chaldean there and has been the subject of strong market support for the 10-furlong Eclipse, from 6-1 into 7-2 with the sponsors, making him second-favourite behind Emily Upjohn.

“The lads haven’t quite decided yet, I think they are going to decide this weekend what they want to do with him,” said O’Brien when asked if the Eclipse was a possibility.

“He seems to be in good form, but we’ll talk over the weekend and we’ll hopefully have a plan by next week.

“He’s improved with every run and we’ve been very happy with him all the way.

“He’s always looked like he’d get 10 furlongs if they wanted to.”

O’Brien also had news on Statuette, who was unbeaten in two outings last year before injury intervened.

She was last seen winning the Airlie Stud Stakes at the Irish Derby meeting 12 months ago.

“She’s back on the go, she’s cantering but she’s a good bit away still as we’ve had to give her two or three breaks due to a few little setbacks and each time we’ve had to stop,” said O’Brien.

“She is back cantering again, though, so hopefully we’ll have her back for the autumn.”

Max Verstappen finished fastest in the sole practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix – as Mercedes were fined £86 after Lewis Hamilton was caught speeding in the pits.

Verstappen saw off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by 0.241 seconds at Red Bull’s home race, with Charles Leclerc third. Hamilton finished fourth.

Spielberg is hosting Formula One’s second sprint event of the year which will see two qualifying sessions – one to decide the order for Sunday’s grand prix which takes place at 5pm local time (4pm BST) – and the other determining the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint race.

Practice has been slashed from three hours to just one to create greater jeopardy with the teams unable to gather as much data as they would like.

Red Bull are undefeated at the opening eight rounds of the season with Verstappen taking six victories to head the championship standings by 69 points.

And the Dutchman, perhaps predictably, raced to top spot in the first running of the weekend without even posting a lap on the speedier soft tyre compound.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finished in fifth, half-a-second off the pace and one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Mercedes team were hit with a 100 Euro (£86) fine after the British driver breached the pit-lane limit.

Hamilton, who earns £40million-a-season, was adjudged to have broken the 50mph limit by just 0.12mph.

Aston Martin were also hit with a fine – this time worth 300 Euros (£258) – after Fernando Alonso and team-mate Stroll drove too quickly in the pits.

Elsewhere, Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell finished ninth for Mercedes, almost a second down on Verstappen, with Lando Norris bringing up the rear in his revamped McLaren machine.

George Boughey is optimistic Via Sistina can make a successful raid on Irish soil in the Yulong Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.

The Classic-winning trainer has not yet saddled a winner in Ireland and to break his duck in a Group One would be quite a way to do it.

Boughey nominated this 10-furlong contest as a likely target following her hugely impressive display in a soft-ground Dahlia Stakes on the Rowley Mile in early May – and the Newmarket handler’s confidence will grow with every drop of rain that falls ahead of Saturday’s feature.

Boughey said: “She goes there in very good form, the rain overnight will help and any more will certainly help her chance again.

“I’ve never seen her look so well and she’s been training super, so it’s all systems go as long we get a little bit more rain.

“She’s gone very good since she won at Newmarket. It’s been a dry spring and a dry early summer, but she’ll be busy whenever she gets her preferred ground and it looks like she might get it this weekend.

“She’s travelled over good and she’s ready to rock and roll. It’s been the plan for a while and we look forward to taking them on.”

Joseph O’Brien has saddled two of the last four winners of the Pretty Polly in Iridessa (2019) and Thundering Nights (2021) and is this year doubly represented.

The clear first string is Above The Curve, who was last seen landing a Group Two in France, while Goldana steps up in trip after finishing fourth in the in the Lanwades Stud Stakes last month.

“We are looking forward to running them. They are both in good shape,” said O’Brien.

“Above The Curve won nicely in France last time and this race will suit her well.

“Goldana shaped the last day as though she will enjoy the extra couple of furlongs. Any rain that falls will be a help to her. She stayed on well last time.”

Aidan O’Brien sends Never Ending Story back into battle just under a fortnight after finishing second to the brilliant Blue Rose Cen in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly.

“Never Ending Story ran really well in France, that was her first time over a mile and a quarter,” said O’Brien.

“She came out of that race very well so that is why we are going back early with her. Hopefully she will run well.”

Paddy Twomey’s Rosscarbery bids to follow up victory in the Munster Oaks at Cork, with Insinuendo (Willie McCreery), Stay Alert (Hughie Morrison), Comhra (Jim Bolger) and Trevaunance (Jessica Harrington) completing the line-up.

Madison Keys shrugged off an injury scare to progress to her second Eastbourne final by upsetting fellow American Coco Gauff with a straight-sets win at the Rothesay International.

The 2014 champion, who suffered a nasty slip in the middle of the second set, triumphed 6-3 6-3 against the world number seven at a blustery Devonshire Park.

Former USA Open runner-up Keys had earlier on Friday been drawn to face British wildcard Sonay Kartal in the first round of Wimbledon.

“I’ve had a little bit of a not great year so far, so being able to make a final here where I won my first title is amazing,” the 28-year-old world number 25 said in her on-court interview.

“It’s definitely 10 times more difficult when you have to play Coco and then you throw in hurricane winds on top of it.

“I’m very happy that I was able to have a not incredibly complicated match and get the win. I’m really looking forward to the final tomorrow.”

Gauff, who defeated doubles partner Jessica Pegula to reach the semi-final, looked poised to stage a comeback.

However, after breaking serve in the first game of the second set, the 19-year-old blew a 40-0 lead and then hit a remarkable three double faults in a row at advantage to allow her opponent to level at 2-2.

Unseeded Keys was left holding her hip following a painful fall in the next game but recovered sufficiently to progress in an hour and 21 minutes.

Ryan Moore is not taking anything for granted ahead of his bid for a first Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby success aboard red-hot favourite Auguste Rodin.

While trainer Aidan O’Brien is seeking a remarkable 15th victory in the Curragh Classic – and his 100th European Classic in total – it is one of the few top-level prizes that has so far eluded one of the world’s top riders.

Following victory at Epsom four weeks ago, Auguste Rodin is all the rage to complete the Derby double, a feat last achieved by Dermot Weld’s Harzand in 2016.

As usual, though, Moore is not getting carried away.

“His chance is obvious, as his price suggests, but there are few certainties in racing,” he told Betfair.

“I am sure the connections of the Epsom third and fourth, White Birch and Sprewell, will fancy their chances of at least getting closer to us on this more conventional track. And who is to say they won’t. Different day, different course, different result maybe.

“But everyone saw the real Auguste Rodin in the Derby, stepped up to a trip more in keeping with his superb pedigree, and everyone has seen how strong the form is with King Of Steel and Waipiro coming out and winning at Ascot

“If he runs up to the level of his form at Epsom, something is going to have improve markedly to beat him.”

O’Brien is responsible for more than half of the field, with Auguste Rodin joined by Epsom eighth Adelaide River, the 11th home San Antonio, last week’s Queen’s Vase seventh Peking Opera and Covent Garden completing his quintet.

The Ballydoyle handler’s two sons also saddle runners, with Up And Under out to provide Joseph O’Brien with his second Irish Derby as a trainer after striking gold with Latrobe in 2018, while his younger brother Donnacha is represented by Proud And Regal.

The field is completed by the aforementioned third and fourth from Epsom in John Joseph Murphy’s White Birch and the Jessica Harrington-trained Sprewell.

White Birch finished just over five lengths behind Auguste Rodin at Epsom, while Sprewell has seven lengths to find.

Ryan Peniston “almost crashed” his car after learning he would face Andy Murray in the first round at Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old will be only the second British player Murray has met in his many Wimbledon campaigns after beating Liam Broady in the opening match of his second title run in 2016.

Peniston was driving in Wandsworth on Friday morning when his coach told him the news, and the 27-year-old said: “I was literally just driving from my girlfriend’s.

“I had a text from my coach, Mark. He just said, ‘Andy!’. It’s pretty cool. I almost crashed. I was pretty pumped.

“I know Andy pretty well. We’ve become friends and we’ve practised quite a lot together. He’s a good guy.

“I grew up watching him, especially here. So it’s pretty special. I actually remember when he won it (in 2013), I was playing in Ilkley. They had it up on the big screen. I remember watching it and everyone was crowded around and it was a special moment.”

It would a big surprise if the clash is not scheduled on Centre Court on Tuesday, which would be the biggest occasion of Peniston’s career.

“I’ve got to try and prepare for it,” he said. “I’ve never gone through that before. I think going out on Queen’s centre court might be a little bit similar so I can take some things from that. I will just try and go out there, get ready for it and give it my all.”

Peniston’s only previous experience of Centre Court has been as a fan watching from the stands.

“I came and watched (Grigor) Dimitrov, I’m sure he played (Richard) Gasquet on Centre,” he said. “Then I watched Heather (Watson) in her epic match against Serena (Williams). I was there and screaming on the side.”

The left-hander, who overcame cancer as a very young child, earned a lot of home support last year with a breakthrough season on the grass, reaching quarter-finals at Queen’s Club and Eastbourne, beating Casper Ruud and Holger Rune, before securing a first victory at Wimbledon.

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This year has been more of a struggle but he had another good win at Queen’s, knocking out top-40 Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

“I think it’s going to be a pretty special experience to go out there onto Centre Court and play, against Andy as well,” said Peniston, who is an ambassador for Young Lives vs Cancer.

“For my family, I hope they enjoy it as well because they’ve sacrificed a lot for me to get here. Hopefully it will be a special day. I’m going to do my best to treat it like any other match.

“I’ve got to step out onto any court thinking there’s a chance I can win. I’m going to do that. I take into account that Andy’s an amazing tennis player, he’s won here twice. We know each other’s games pretty well from practising quite a lot. It’s going to be a good test.

“Hopefully the crowd is going to be loud, that would be pretty cool. But I’m not going to be surprised if the crowd are chanting Andy’s name.”

The exciting Al Riffa makes his eagerly-awaited return when he takes on four rivals in the Paddy Power International Stakes at the Curragh.

The son of Wootton Bassett stamped himself among the top juveniles in Ireland last season for Joseph O’Brien, winning the last two of his three starts, culminating in an authoritative success in the National Stakes at the Curragh.

That form was franked when Proud And Regal, trained by O’Brien’s brother Donnacha, subsequently took the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

A setback ruled out the long-time Irish 2,000 Guineas favourite from the first Irish Classic of the season, but now the Owning Mill handler hopes the colt can make up for lost time as he makes his three-year-old bow on his first run since September.

O’Brien said: “This is a nice race to start him back in. He has matured well from last year and we are looking forward to getting him started and hopefully it sets him up for a good season.”

He drops into Group Three company and steps up from seven furlongs to 10 for his first run, and O’Brien is not looking any further ahead than this weekend.

“We’ll take it one step at a time with him,” he added.

His opponents include Alfred Munnings, who has not run since finishing sixth in last season’s Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot for O’Brien’s father, Aidan, last-time-out Limerick winner Layfayette, trained by Noel Meade, and Johnny Murtagh’s Mashoor, who is on a hat-trick after taking a Listed 12-furlong prize at the Curragh when last seen.

Aidan O’Brien’s Albany Stakes runner-up Matrika will be a warm order to go one better in the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes.

The No Nay Never filly stuck to her task well when finding only Porta Fortuna too good in the 17-runner affair at Royal Ascot and Ryan Moore’s mount already has a verdict over Grand Job, whom she beat by three-quarters of a length on debut.

The pair lock horns again over the same six furlongs with just five other opponents to contend with.

Grand Job may lack for experience, but Joseph O’Brien is hopeful she can progress as he anticipates this summer.

He said: “She had a good run on debut over the course and distance and it would be great if we can get some black type with her. She is a nice Justify filly who is going the right way.”