Azure Blue is on course for the Darley July Cup at Newmarket, as long as the ground is suitable for Michael Dods’ new sprinting star.
The four-year-old is on a steep upward curve, winning four of her last five races, the most recent of which was in the Group Two 1895 Duke of York Stakes.
She beat Highfield Princess there, albeit in receipt of 5lb, and with John Quinn’s mare performing with extreme credit in both the King’s Stand and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, the form looks strong.
“Azure Blue is in the July Cup and that is the plan as long as the ground doesn’t firm up,” said Dods.
“She is in good form and obviously it will be a tough race, but the plan is to go to Newmarket with her. She seems to love it at both tracks at Newmarket (three wins on the Rowley Mile and one on the July course to date).
“She didn’t go to Ascot and part of the reason for that was that the entries closed too soon so we came up with the plan of going for the July Cup.
“Had she had a run before the entries closed at Ascot then we would have probably entered her, but then it went pretty quick so whether she would have run is questionable.
“I think at the moment the speediest horse we had was Mecca’s Angel, but at this stage of her career I would put her up there with the best of them like Mabs Cross and Mecca’s Angel.”
Commonwealth Cup one-two Shaquille and Little Big Bear, older horses such as Kinross and Art Power and the likes of Lezoo and Meditate, remain in the mix.
A total of 19 stood their ground, although the American-trained Big Invasion was subsequently scratched, leaving 18.
British number one Katie Boulter insists successive first-round defeats have not dented her confidence ahead of Wimbledon following an early exit at Eastbourne.
Boulter was flying high after claiming her maiden WTA tour title at Nottingham on June 18 and expressed ambitions of one day becoming the world’s top-ranked player in an interview published on Monday.
But on Tuesday she failed to take her chances and was second best in a 6-4 7-5 defeat to world number 30 Petra Martic in the Rothesay International.
The 26-year-old’s loss in two hours and five minutes at a blustery Devonshire Park followed last week’s premature departure from the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham to limit her preparations for SW19.
“It wasn’t bad tennis – I’m playing someone ranked 30 in the world, I’m having a go at her,” said Boulter, who was initially drawn to face world number 10 Barbora Krejcikova before the withdrawal of reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina led to a reshuffle.
“Of course it was tough conditions and we could have that at any tournament, you could have that at Wimbledon, and I have to be ready for it and try and play the best I can on the day.
“Ultimately her experience showed today and she played better in the biggest moments.
“I feel like I’m playing some really good tennis. I’ve practised unbelievably well every single day this week. I’ve played seven matches going into the grass, I’m very happy with where I’m at.
“I don’t think I’ve lost any confidence this last couple of weeks just because I lost to higher-ranked players. I really don’t feel that at all.”
Heather Watson suffered elimination shortly after Boulter following defeat to Italian Camila Giorgi.
Watson, one of two lucky losers to benefit from the withdrawals of reigning champion Petra Kvitova (fatigue) and Anastasia Potapova (right shoulder), lost 6-3 6-4.
“I was prepared because yesterday I heard Kvitova wasn’t going to play,” said Watson. “I was very happy that I had another opportunity, but she was too good today.”
In the men’s draw, Liam Broady won the battle of the Britons by beating fellow Wimbledon wildcard Jan Choinski in straight sets.
The British number five, ranked 147 in the world, 20 places above Choinski, eased through 6-3 6-4 after breaking serve at the first opportunity in each set.
German-born Choinski briefly threatened a comeback following a break of his own in the sixth game of the second, but Broady immediately hit back before capitalising on his third match point.
The 29-year-old from Stockport will face Mikael Ymer of Sweden in the next round after he defeated Dutch ninth seed Botic van de Zandschulp 3-6 6-4 6-2.
Elsewhere, last year’s runner-up Jelena Ostapenko set up a last-16 clash with Britain’s Harriet Dart.
The Birmingham champion defeated lucky loser Barbora Strycova, who had replaced the absent Kvitova, 6-4 6-3.
World number seven Coco Gauff will play Britain’s Jodie Burrage in round two after she cruised past fellow American Bernarda Pera 6-3 6-2.
Also on Tuesday, former Wimbledon and US Open finalist Ons Jabeur overcame Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-2, second seed Caroline Garcia beat American Madison Brengle 6-1 7-5 and Beatriz Haddad Maia battled back to triumph 3-6 6-3 7-6 (3) against Marie Bouzkova.
Frankie Dettori’s hopes of winning the one particular race missing from his CV before he retires appear to be over after he was handed an eight-day whip ban for his ride on Inspiral at Royal Ascot.
The Darley July Cup, at his home course of Newmarket, is the one domestic Group One to have eluded the 52-year-old, who will retire at the end of 2023.
He was hoping to have a final crack at it aboard Ralph Beckett’s dual Group One winner Kinross, but was found by the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee to have used his whip seven times in the Queen Anne Stakes on John and Thady Gosden’s filly when second to Triple Time.
That is one over the allotted number of six on the Flat, which triggers a four-day ban – and as the race is a Group One that penalty is doubled.
With Dettori already due to be serving a nine-day ban due to run from July 4-12 inclusive for causing interference on Saga in the Wolferton Stakes – which he is appealing – his whip ban would begin after that suspension has been served, ruling him out of the July Cup on July 15. His dates of suspension for his whip ban are July 13-15 and 17-21.
Peeved by the fact that the sport has been underrated and the support minimal, Jamaica Lacrosse Association (JLA) president Calbert Hutchinson, is hoping the performances of the country's young prospects at the ongoing Men’s Lacrosse World Championship, will now attract the attention of the powers that be to throw their financial weight behind the sporting body.
Despite making significant strides over the years since the sport's introduction to the island in 2014, Hutchinson pointed out that continuous appeal for funding have mostly fell on deaf ears but says the men’s unbeaten run in San Diego so far, is another testament of their growth and development that should issue another clarion call to join the movement.
The Jamaicans drawn in Pool D, opened their campaign with a 5-3 victory over more illustrious opponents Germany, followed by 10-5 and 6-4 wins over Switzerland and Poland respectively. They then rewrote the history books by blowing away New Zealand 10-6 on Monday to enter the playoffs as one of five unbeaten teams, with their next assignment scheduled for Tuesday against Italy.
"I am extremely pleased with the overall performance of the team, considering the limited time they had to gel together. I know we had the talent and coaching abilities to demonstrate to the world that Lacrosse and Jamaica are the perfect match, so it may be a surprise to many but for me, this historic accomplishment is just another feat that I think, speaks volumes of our growth over the years," Hutchinson told SportsMax.tv.
"However, the lack of support from home has hit a new low. Financial and moral support from entities that would be quick to throw their names and money behind a traditional team or individual sport that is doing well in the moment has been slow in coming so we are still hoping that corporate Jamaica will throw some support behind the sport. I'll say again that your support is an investment in our youth because there are so many opportunities where lacrosse is concerned," he added.
Over the years, Hutchinson has stressed the importance of providing a platform for aspiring players to come to the fore, and this tournament is one such example behind the JLA's intentions to improve and expand the sport, particularly from a local perspective.
"A positive exposure on the international scene is always a major positive for local development which is why we ensure that we have local talents getting the well needed international experience to come back and transfer that knowledge. So, an outstanding Kingston College player Samuel Henry and KC's head coach Kenneth Subratie, are currently a part the Jamaican team and coaching staff making waves," Hutchinson shared.
"We want to establish more meaningful partnerships with selected stakeholders who are in a position to help us grow the sport for the youths of today and tomorrow. So, again, we are hoping that these performances among some of the best teams, will translate into more scholarships for our players coming out of the high school league, more sponsorship opportunities, and more meaningful partnership with local and international entities," he noted.
Given their remarkable performances so far, Hutchinson acknowledges that there are heightened expectations that the team can possibly snare an historic medal, but to do so, they have to maintain the high standard starting with the next assignment against Italy.
Should the Jamaicans come out on top, they will then meet another powerhouse in Canada for a chance to progress to the quarterfinals.
“I have always said that this sport is one that captures the spirit of the Jamaican people, the excitement, the intensity and the desire to succeed on every occasion. Every time you win the expectations are greater, and so we want to live up to those expectations, by continuing to execute efficiently and improving our opportunities to create problems for teams on defence," Hutchinson stated.
"But regardless of what happens, we are very proud of the grit and determination displayed by the team and hope we can build on this achievement going forward by getting the Government and Corporate Jamaica to pay a little more attention to non-traditional sports like ours that has the greatest growth potential when compared to the traditional sports and especially when we are out performing those sports with our world rankings," the president ended.
Jamaica's senior men's team is currently ranked 13th in the world and 28th among the women, while the Under-19 male team is ranked 9th and the women currently positioned at number 30.
Bluestocking showed enough in her performance at Royal Ascot last week to put herself in the picture for a tilt at the Juddmonte Irish Oaks later this month.
An impressive winner on her sole juvenile start at Salisbury, Ralph Beckett’s filly was being considered for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom prior to her narrow defeat by Warm Heart on her reappearance in a Listed contest at Newbury last month.
With the daughter of Camelot still showing signs of inexperience, the decision was made to bypass Epsom in favour of a tilt at the Ribblesdale Stakes – but while she again ran well in defeat, this time she was beaten almost four lengths into third place by the reopposing Warm Heart.
Barry Mahon, racing manager for owner-breeders Juddmonte, is of the opinion there should be more to come from Bluestocking and she could now head for the Curragh on July 22 in a bid for Classic glory.
“I was absolutely delighted with how Bluestocking ran,” he said.
“We saw how green she was in Newbury and Frankie (Dettori) said she was still a bit green the other day – he said it took her a bit of time to get used to the hustle and bustle of having horses around her.
“She then settled into a lovely rhythm and fell asleep under him. He tried to wake her up again coming round the bend and it just took her half a furlong too long to get into top gear. With a few horses coming back on top of her, she just couldn’t get competitive, but you’d love the way she hit the line.”
Considering future plans, Mahon added: “I think if she’s fit and well we’ll definitely consider the Irish Oaks. The fractions suggest they went very slowly at Ascot and I think a strongly-run mile and a half will be more her cup of tea.
“The Curragh would suit her and if we got a little bit of rain between now and then all the better.”
While Bluestocking and St James’s Palace Stakes runner-up Chaldean had to make do with minor honours, Juddmonte did get on the Royal Ascot winner’s board with Coppice in the Sandringham Stakes.
John and Thady Gosden’s filly was supplementing a comfortable victory at Newcastle, having previously failed to fire in the Nell Gwyn at Newmarket, and the success came as no surprise to Mahon.
He said: “It was a great performance. We started the year with high hopes – as Frankie alluded to after she won we thought she was a Guineas filly in the spring, but for obvious reasons she was just slow to come to hand.
“John and Thady went the patient route and it paid off. It was nice to get the winner on the board and she’s definitely an exciting filly for the remainder of the year.
“I don’t really know where she’ll go. The Falmouth would be a big step and if Laurel gets over her little setback in time that’s where she’ll go, all going well.
“For Coppice it would be nice to get black type with her, so we could look at a Listed race or a Group Three with her to get some black type in the bank.”
The Juddmonte team did suffer a couple of notable disappointments at the Royal meeting, with Arrest and Covey both performing below expectations.
Arrest was bidding to bouncing back from a Derby no-show in the King Edward VII Stakes, but finished fifth of sixth, while Covey was a well-beaten favourite in the Jersey.
“We were worried about the ground for Arrest, we took a chance and it didn’t pay off. We’ll freshen him up and bring him back for an autumn campaign when there’s a bit of juice in the ground,” Mahon added.
“I was a little disappointed with Covey, he ran a little too free, Frankie just said he ran with the choke out the whole way.
“I think he’s definitely a better horse than we saw the other day and what came out of it is that on a straight track he just tends to over-race a little bit.
“He can still be a nice horse, but maybe he needs to go around a bend.”
Jessica Harrington is well aware of the task facing Sprewell in this weekend’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.
Harrington is revered in the equine world, and having won the Gold Cup at Cheltenham and Classics on the Flat, she has mastered both of the racing codes.
She would, though, love nothing more than to win an Irish Derby. Sprewell has seven lengths to find with the odds-on favourite Auguste Rodin from the Betfred Derby, but back on a more conventional track and with less runners, Harrington hopes the Epsom fourth may be able to close the gap on Sunday.
“I’m very happy with his preparation. He came out of Epsom very well and we’ve just slowly built him up,” she said.
“He’s a very laid-back character and it’s quite easy to keep the preparation going.
“Auguste Rodin is going to be very difficult to beat. He’s proved himself to be an exceptional horse, to come back from what was a disaster really in the English 2000 Guineas.
“It was a great training feat for Aidan (O’Brien) to get him back and to win so easily, as he did in Epsom.
“He’s got to go out and do it again, but I’m presuming he’ll be in good order. He’s got it on the board and he beat us a fair way.
“You’re always hoping. You don’t go into those races thinking, ‘I’ll be grand being second’. I want to go in there thinking, ‘I’ll be grand if I can win’.”
When asked if she thought the Curragh would suit him better, the Moone handler added: “I’m hoping it will. He hasn’t run there, but he’s gone both ways around so I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. He’s been left-handed three times now and also right-handed at Gowran.
“It looks like it’s going to be lovely ground, perfect good ground which will be ideal – no extremes in any direction.”
Harrington reported herself in good form, having come through treatment for breast cancer in recent months, and has her sights set firmly on the future.
“We’ve got through it all and I’m feeling great now, really good. I think I’m nearly back to normal because I’ve got my energy back now,” she said.
“I’m lucky I’ve got through it all and that’s the main thing. I’m only looking forward, not back. Keep looking forward to what you are going to do and don’t be looking back.
“It’s very easy to look back and get negative so you want to keep looking forward. What motivates me is that I like succeeding, I like winning, doing well and I like to get better at what I do.
“Having had the cancer I’m probably more focused now and wanting to do things. In a way it raised the question that you could get ill and then the answer was that I’m going to beat this. That makes you want more because that keeps you going.
“I hoped that if I talked about it other people would too, instead of pushing it under the carpet and going about their treatment with their heads down.
“My attitude was to go about the treatment, and that I’m going to beat this.
“There are an awful lot of things left on my list to achieve. The Irish Derby is definitely one of them, that’s on the bucket list as it were.
“There are loads of international races I’d like to win and I’d like to win more races in Ireland, you always want to win more. When you get so far you like to keep your standards up.”
Ryan Moore hailed the “genius” of Aidan O’Brien, as he prepares to partner hot favourite Auguste Rodin in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday.
Despite O’Brien having won the Classic a record 14 times, Moore has never managed to find himself on the right one since linking up with the Ballydoyle trainer.
Idaho in 2016 was as close as he has come, being beaten half a length by Dermot Weld’s Harzand, who was completing the English-Irish Derby double that Auguste Rodin will be attempting at the weekend.
And the fact the Deep Impact colt was able to bounce back in the Betfred Derby at Epsom, after finishing 12th of the 14 runners in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, once again underlined O’Brien’s special talent, according to Moore.
“Aidan has shown for the last 30 years what an unbelievable talent he is,” said the rider, who was crowned leading jockey at Royal Ascot for 10th time last week.
“Genius gets bandied around an awful lot but how he prepares his horses and gets them to that day, to do it as many times as he has is a very special thing to do.
“I know the horse was disappointing at Newmarket, but there were reasons for that and Aidan always had complete belief in the horse.
“He is a horse that everyone always held in the highest regard from a very early stage.”
O’Brien could also run Adelaide River, Covent Garden, Peking Opera and San Antonio.
The third and fourth home from Epsom, White Birch and Sprewell, are both also on course with young jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle booked to partner the John Murphy-trained White Birch.
He Racing TV: “I’m delighted to get the leg-up, massive thanks to connections and Mr Murphy and all the gang down there. It is a great ride to pick up and I’m just blessed to get the leg over him.
“It’s my first ride in the race, so hopefully we will have a bit of luck. He has got good form coming into it. I think the Curragh will suit him well.
“He’s a bit awkward away from the gates, but I think if it happens again we won’t be worrying because in the Curragh you have got plenty of time to get into it. There’s a long straight there, so hopefully he has got a live chance and can run a big race.”
Dermot Weld’s once-raced Knight To King, Joseph O’Brien’s Up And Under, Donnacha O’Brien’s Proud And Regal and Salt Bay, the only UK-based entry left in by last year’s winning trainer Ralph Beckett, complete the list.
Auguste Rodin will face a maximum of 10 rivals if he is to complete a Derby double in the Dubai Duty Free-sponsored Irish version at the Curragh on Sunday.
Aidan O’Brien’s Deep Impact colt bounced back from a disappointing run in the 2000 Guineas to win at Epsom and confirm once again the undeniable skills of his trainer.
Three of the first four home from Epsom are still in the mix, with subsequent Royal Ascot winner King Of Steel, second at Epsom, the only one not heading to the Curragh. Auguste Rodin is set to go off the long odds-on favourite and will aim to give Ryan Moore a first win in the Classic.
O’Brien could also run Adelaide River, Covent Garden, Peking Opera and San Antonio.
The third and fourth home from Epsom, White Birch and Sprewell, are both also on course with young jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle booked to partner the John Murphy-trained White Birch.
He Racing TV: “I’m delighted to get the leg-up, massive thanks to connections and Mr Murphy and all the gang down there. It is a great ride to pick up and I’m just blessed to get the leg over him.
“It’s my first ride in the race, so hopefully we will have a bit of luck. He has got good form coming into it. I think the Curragh will suit him well.
“He’s a bit awkward away from the gates, but I think if it happens again we won’t be worrying because in the Curragh you have got plenty of time to get into it. There’s a long straight there, so hopefully he has got a live chance and can run a big race.”
Dermot Weld’s once-raced Knight To King, Joseph O’Brien’s Up And Under, Donnacha O’Brien’s Proud And Regal and Salt Bay, the only UK-based entry left in by last year’s winning trainer Ralph Beckett, complete the list.
The launch of Premiership Women’s Rugby has been hailed as a “new era” with the aim of making England home to the most “competitive, progressive and sustainable” domestic rugby competition in the world, says chief executive Belinda Moore.
PWR is replacing the Premier 15s and will manage the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby club competition, which kicks off in the autumn.
PWR has been established to deliver a 10-year strategy for women’s rugby in England, which includes starting a new 10-team league in partnership with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the clubs.
Women’s rugby is already seeing a steady rise in popularity with a record crowd of 9,668 watching Gloucester-Hartpury beat Exeter 34-19 in the Allianz Premier 15s final at ‘Queensholm’ – Kingsholm having been rebranded for the day – on Saturday.
Additionally, a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 watched England lift their fifth successive Six Nations crown after beating France at Twickenham in April, and PWR chief Moore has outlined the aims for the new competition.
She said: “Our ambition is to transform the league into the world’s most competitive, progressive, and sustainable domestic rugby competition.
“Elite women’s rugby in England has never been in a stronger place. We have just seen Gloucester-Hartpury win the Allianz Premier 15s with a thrilling victory over Exeter Chiefs, in front of a record crowd at the newly-named Queensholm.
“The final was the culmination of a season which has confirmed that we have strong player talent depth as the foundation to grow the league over the next decade.
“The new era starts today, and the competition’s new look and feel is designed to be powerful, dynamic, and eye-catching.
“It aims to capture the excitement and high energy of the league, the players, the fans, and the sport as a whole.”
Connections of Shaquille are keen to let the dust settle on his popular success at Royal Ascot, with a decision on his July Cup participation to be made closer to the time.
The three-year-old recovered from a tardy start to provide trainer Julie Camacho and her husband and assistant Steve Brown with a first taste of Group One success in Friday’s Commonwealth Cup.
There did not appear to be any fluke about the Charm Spirit colt’s defeat of hot favourite Little Big Bear in Berkshire and Brown admits the success has left the team in North Yorkshire on cloud nine.
“We’re back to reality, but obviously everyone is still on a high and there’s a great feel to the yard, which is wonderful. We’re looking forward to the next chapter, hopefully,” he said.
“We’ll plan to have a proper party at some stage. We had brunch on Monday morning for the staff and thanked them for their efforts and made them understand how important they are in all of this.
“It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s a lovely feeling and one we hope we can replicate again soon.”
Brown reports Shaquille to have taken his exertions well, although he will not return to work until later in the week.
He added: “He’s come back really well, he’s in good form. He’s incredibly straightforward, physically and mentally he’s a very strong horse.
“That’s the one thing I’ve said throughout – we’ve never seen this horse look tired. He came back and he’s enjoyed a few days turned out in his paddock for a couple of hours a day and he’ll probably start some cantering exercise towards the end of the week.
“We like our horses to have a good recovery after they’ve run and Wednesday is physio day so he’ll be checked over to make sure everything is A1 before we start again.”
Brown admits he thought Shaquille had blown his chances of Royal Ascot success after rearing up just as the stalls opened and feels the coolness of jockey Oisin Murphy played a huge part in his recovery.
He said: “Your natural reaction is ‘this isn’t going to work out’ when you see a horse concede that amount of ground, but Oisin was just perfect on him, wasn’t he?
“He showed a wise head, really didn’t rush him and the performance came from the fact that the jockey was eminently sensible and every move he made was the correct one. I think without that we wouldn’t have won the race, so great credit to Oisin.”
Shaquille will be campaigned exclusively at Group One level for the rest of the season, with Newmarket’s July Cup, the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August, the Sprint Cup at Haydock in September and the Qipco British Champions Sprint back at Ascot in October all in the melting pot.
“The July Cup is the next thing on the map. It comes around quite quickly and it’s one of those situations where you’ll know where you are in 10 days time as you’ll learn how looks and how he feels in himself. You can make a more informed decision closer to the time,” Brown went on.
“He’s obviously in it and he’s a leading fancy for the race. There’s three more domestic Group Ones and it might not be the worst thing in the world if you just concentrated on them, but obviously you’ve got the French race in early August as well.
“With any horse you need to be flexible with your thoughts, but those are the four races I think we’ll be looking at and we’ll just try to get him in the best possible shape for wherever he goes.
“I don’t think we’ll be going further afield at this moment in time. He’s still a young horse who is still maturing physically and mentally. I think we need to be sensible and recognise that.”
With Shaquille now a Group One-winning colt, there is bound to be interest from prospective buyers, but Brown revealed no firm offers have been made at this stage.
Brown said: “There’s been two or three expressions of interest in him, but no more than that at this moment in time that I’m aware of.
“I think that’s natural now we’ve moved into that sort of field. At the moment we’re just concentrating on his next race.”
Gavin Cromwell is eyeing a possible crack at the Debutante Stakes before bidding for Group One glory in the Moyglare Stud Stakes with his Royal Ascot winner Snellen.
The unbeaten filly just held on in a tight finish from Aidan O’Brien’s Pearls And Rubies in the Chesham over seven furlongs on Saturday.
Incredibly she was just Cromwell’s second Royal Ascot runner, with the first, Quick Suzy, winning the Queen Mary in 2021.
“It was great, pinch yourself kind of stuff really, to be honest. Very exciting and enjoyable, and a brilliant experience,” said Cromwell.
“She came home fine, 100 per cent. We’ll give a little break for a few weeks and we’ll make a plan.
“She’s entered in the Moyglare (September 10, Curragh) and has the Debutante (August 19, Curragh) as an option on the way as well. She’s home safe and sound and that’s the main thing.
“Ascot is a brilliant place and its very special to win there. Quick Suzy won there two years ago and there was only a small crowd after covid.
“There was a full house on Saturday and a massive atmosphere. It was a big occasion.
“We’re two from two there now so I’ll have to be very selective to keep up that strike-rate!”
Ebor-winning jockey Louis Steward has announced that he will retire from race-riding after an 11-year career in the saddle.
Steward, 27, started as an apprentice and achieved plenty of success, including winning the Cambridgeshire and the Balmoral Handicap with Bronze Angel in 2014 for Marcus Tregoning.
Steward amassed close to 200 winners in his career, with a season-best of 37 in 2014, the year he partnered Mutual Regard to a 20-1 success in the valuable Ebor Handicap at York for Johnny Murtagh.
Michael Bell, for whom he rode 42 winners, was a staunch ally, although fellow Newmarket trainer Sir Michael Stoute provided Steward with his first Listed-race success when Sextant took the Stand Cup Stakes at Chester in the royal colours in 2019.
He also earned another Pattern-race success earlier this month when White Moonlight took the Listed Queen Of Scots Fillies’ Stakes at Musselburgh for Saeed bin Suroor.
“After some long and careful thoughts I’ve decided my time in the saddle has come to an end,” Steward announced on Twitter.
“Thank you to everyone from my family, friends, owners, trainers and the stable staff that have given me some wonderful memories that I’ll never forget. Looking forward to the next chapter!”
Sport England funding is helping people with complex disabilities to get involved in tennis.
Research from the governing body has shown more than half of disabled people are physically inactive, and the funding means national disability charity Sense can expand its programme of sports across England and directly support an extra 5,000 people.
Lin Wallace, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and is blind, is a big tennis fan and has taken up sensory tennis, which uses special equipment, including balls that make a sound when they are hit.
The 64-year-old from Devon said: “Tennis is very important to me. When I’m being active, I feel calm. It’s part of how I support my physical and mental wellbeing.
“I’ve always wanted more opportunities to play. My vision loss has led me to find new ways of enjoying and playing the game and now, with sensory tennis, I can join in. Sensory tennis is designed for me and it makes me feel really happy. It’s my favourite sport.”
Paulette James, who is deafblind, non-verbal and has a learning disability, plays sensory tennis in Barnet, and her support worker has seen the difference the sport has made.
Nancy Williams said: “Paulette is very quiet but she knows what she wants. If we’re doing an activity she doesn’t enjoy, she’ll get up and stop, and since I’ve known her there’s not many things she likes to do. But then we found tennis.
“There is no day we have taken her there and she hasn’t enjoyed it. We’re so pleased she has something to look forward to.”
Mandy Burns, also from Barnet, was largely inactive before taking up sensory tennis.
Tracey Robson, who manages the sports sessions, said of the 60-year-old, who is deafblind: “Tennis is Mandy’s favourite thing.
“At first she was initially a bit confused about the concept, so we use hand-under-hand signing to help explain it to her. As the sessions have gone on, we’ve seen her smiling more and more.
“It’s amazing seeing the impact that sensory tennis has on Mandy and all the other participants. We have about 10-12 people that come every week and we’ve really seen the benefits. It helps build strength in the arms, which can help with other things like eating and signing.”
Louis Wickett-Padgham, head of sport and physical activity at Sense, believes playing tennis can help disabled people in different areas of their lives.
“Stories like Lin’s and Paulette’s show there’s no reason why people with more complex needs shouldn’t be able to enjoy sport – we just need to provide a more meaningful, appropriate way to do so,” he said.
“Tennis is a great example of a sport than brings really tangible benefits to players, as well as being a lot of fun.
“Playing tennis can improve motor skills, balance and co-ordination and, for people with complex disabilities, this can really help them to build up their independence and confidence both on and off the tennis court.
“With new Sport England funding, we hope to reach thousands more people through sports like sensory tennis, to help people with complex disabilities to lead more active, healthy lives, learn skills and make friends.”
Spencer Strider struck out 10 in seven innings and Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh for the red-hot Atlanta Braves, who recorded their 11th win in 12 games with a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.
Ozuna snapped a 1-1 tie with his third homer in five games, while Ronald Acuna Jr. added a two-run shot later in the seventh to help Atlanta take the opener of this three-game series between division leaders.
The Braves are now 18-3 since June 3 and own the National League's best record at 51-27.
Strider improved to 9-2 by holding the AL Central-leading Twins to one run and three hits while extending his MLB-leading strikeout total to 146. The right-hander's only blemish came when he allowed a solo homer to Joey Gallo in the second inning.
Minnesota starter Sonny Gray matched Strider for six innings before surrendering Ozuna's blast and a two-out single by Michael Harris that chased him from the game. He was charged with three runs and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings.
Ohtani's 26th home run helps Angels edge White Sox
Shohei Ohtani retook sole possession of the major league home run lead and Mike Trout scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Trout led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk against Reynaldo Lopez and Ohtani greeted reliever Aaron Bummer with a walk before the two stars executed a double steal to put two on with none out. After Bummer struck out Brandon Drury, the left-hander uncorked an errant pitch that allowed Trout to slide into home plate with the deciding run.
Ohtani tied the contest at 1-1 with his 26th homer of the season, a 446-foot blast into the right field seats off Dylan Cease in the fourth inning that snapped a tie with Atlanta's Matt Olson for the most in the majors.
Both Cease and the Angels' Reid Detmers engaged in a stellar pitching duel from that point on. Detmers yielded a run on just two hits and two walks while striking out 10 in seven innings. Cease also fanned 10 while allowing one run on five hits in six innings.
Luis Robert homered for the fourth time in three games in the first inning to account for Chicago's lone run.
Orioles withstand long delay to rout Reds
A rain delay of nearly two hours wasn't enough time to slow down the Baltimore Orioles' bats in a 10-3 win over the suddenly struggling Cincinnati Reds.
Five Baltimore players each collected two hits as the Orioles overcame a 1-hour, 44-minute stoppage in the second inning to earn their third consecutive win. Austin Hays gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead with a two-run single before the delay and finished with three RBIs, while Adley Rutschman drove in two runs in the rout.
Jordan Westburg, ranked the Orioles' No. 3 prospect by MLB.com, made his big league debut and recorded his first hit with a fifth-inning single. The second baseman also drove in a run on a fielder's choice.
The Reds were dealt a third straight loss following a 12-game winning streak that was the club's longest since 1957. Cincinnati dropped a half-game behind Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central after the Brewers defeated the New York Mets, 2-1, on Monday.
Spencer Steer homered and knocked in all three Cincinnati runs while finishing 3 for 3.
This year’s NHL Awards very well could have been called the Connor McDavid Show.
The Edmonton Oilers’ captain was announced as the runaway winner of the 2022-23 Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL’s most valuable player award, after receiving 195 of 196 first-place votes.
The Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak received the other first-place vote and finished second. Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers was voted third.
McDavid also won the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the most outstanding player as voted by his peers, and had already secured the Maurice Richard Trophy with his league-leading 64 goals and the Art Ross Trophy for his NHL-best 153 points.
McDavid received his honours at the annual NHL Awards ceremony Monday in Nashville, Tenn.
At just 26 years old, McDavid enters rarefied air by winning his third career Hart Trophy after being voted MVP in 2016-17 and 2020-21.
Only Wayne Gretzky (nine), Gordie Howe (six) and Eddie Shore have won the Hart Trophy more than three times. The last player to win his third MVP was Alex Ovechkin in 2012-13.
McDavid’s 153 points last season were the most by a player since Mario Lemieux’s 161-point campaign in 1995-96.
Playing in all 82 games, McDavid paced Edmonton to a 50-win season and fourth straight playoff appearance with his staggering offensive numbers.
McDavid’s scoring last season included 21 power-play goals and 50 power-play assists, as well as four goals while shorthanded. The six-time All-Star was held without a point in just seven games and had 10 games in which he had four or more points.
Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman after becoming the sixth blue-liner NHL history to have over 100 points in a season.
Karlsson’s 25 goals and 76 assists last season earned him his third Norris Trophy, previously winning in 2011-12 and 2014-15 as a member of the Ottawa Senators.
After a record-setting, 65-win season, the Bruins were well-represented Monday. Linus Ullmark claimed the Vezina Trophy as the season’s top goaltender, beating out Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin.
Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was honoured as the top defensive forward in hockey with the Selke Trophy, winning for the second year in a row and a record sixth time in his career.
The Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers took home the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. The second overall pick in the 2022 draft, Beniers led all rookies with 57 points (24 goals, 33 assists) while helping Seattle make its first playoff appearance.
The Chicago Blackhawks are adding a former No. 1 overall pick two days before this year’s draft.
The Blackhawks are acquiring winger Taylor Hall and the rights to Nick Foligno from the Boston Bruins for defenceman prospects Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell.
The teams announced the trade Monday.
The Bruins, coming off a historic 65-win season, were in a precarious salary cap situation this offseason and were able to unload Hall’s $6million cap hit, plus get a return for the rights to Foligno, an unrestricted free agent.
The Blackhawks will try to sign Foligno, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, as the rebuilding team adds experienced forwards to play alongside likely No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. The 2023 NHL Draft begins on Wednesday.
Hall, the top pick in the 2010 draft, won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 2017-18 but joins his sixth NHL team. Hall was a crucial trade-deadline acquisition by the Bruins in 2021 and had a strong 2021-22 season before seeing his numbers dip last season.
Hall, 31, had 16 goals and 20 assists in 61 games last season. He has 693 career points (264 goals, 429 assists) in 822 games.
Foligno, 35, tallied 10 goals and 16 assists in 60 games last season while carrying a cap hit of $3.8million.
The Bruins, meanwhile, add some much-needed youth along the blue line in Mitchell, 24, and 22-year-old Regula.
Mitchell was a second-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2017 and has tallied four goals and 12 assists in 82 career NHL games.
Regula, a third-round pick in 2018, has played just 22 NHL games but totalled five goals and 16 assists last season with the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
This offseason could be a busy one for the Bruins after a record-breaking season ended with a first-round playoff exit.
Defenceman Dmitry Orlov and forward Tyler Bertuzzi are unrestricted free agents this offseason, while the future remains uncertain for captain Patrice Bergeron, who will turn 38 in July.
The Utah Jazz are finalising a deal to acquire forward John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday.
Atlanta will receive veteran forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick in the NBA Draft as it sheds the remaining money owed to Collins - $78.5 million over the next three seasons.
The Hawks selected Collins with the 19th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and he earned second-team All-Rookie honours in 2017-18.
Collins signed a five-year, $125 million contract before the 2021-22 campaign.
The 6-foot-9 Collins averaged 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 55.1 percent from the field in 364 games, including 313 starts, over six seasons with Atlanta.
Gay, 36, appeared in 56 games for Utah in 2022-23, his 17th season in the NBA. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.
Daria Kasatkina branded the war in Ukraine “s***” following her first match in Britain for two years and revealed she is “very worried” about loved ones back home in Russia.
World number 11 Kasatkina, who was banned from competing in the UK last year due to the ongoing conflict, overcame Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-3 6-1 in a politically-tense first-round match at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.
The 26-year-old has been following the news on a daily basis since the outbreak of war and feared friends living in the Russian city of Voronezh could be caught up in the recent rebellion by the Wagner mercenary group.
Kasatkina, who is now based in Dubai, acknowledges Ukrainians are in a “way worse situation” and concedes she cannot see an imminent end to the fighting.
“My family, my parents are still in Russia,” she said. “As you can see, the last few days it’s been a big mess also there.
“I’m worried for my friends, because my best friends they actually live in Voronezh, where the guy with the private army (Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Wagner) entered.
“I was pretty worried about that because they were very scared.
“Obviously Ukrainians, they are experiencing a way worse situation but also I can feel the same. I’m very worried for the people I love.
“It’s been a tough year, and we don’t know how long it’s going to be. Honestly, so far I don’t see the end.
“(It) feels s***, honestly. I’m not gonna hide it. It’s tough to face the circumstances for such a long time already. I’m just trying to be a good human in this scenario. That’s all I can do.”
Kasatkina was booed off court earlier this month following her defeat by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina at the French Open.
Knowing Ukrainian players’ stance of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents at the end of matches, she gave Svitolina a thumbs up, which was reciprocated, before walking to her chair.
There was little reaction from the East Sussex crowd on Monday afternoon as Kalinina followed the stance of her compatriots before swiftly departing Centre Court.
Kasatkina, who respects the reasoning for the post-match snub, admits playing tennis is providing her only escape from the war.
“When I’m on the court, I’m not thinking about it,” she said.
“I am in the different state of mind, which actually helps me to turn off from all this.
“Since the beginning of the war, I was actually following everything every day. It’s a lot.
“I was overwhelmed in some moments, and I’m just trying to turn off my head at least on the tennis court. It helps me a lot.
“I’m really glad to be back and to have this opportunity to play the tournaments, Wimbledon included.”
Asadna, who disappointed when well supported for last week’s Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, has been switched to the care of Alice Haynes.
Previously trained by George Boughey, Asadna made quite a splash when winning by 12 lengths in a Ripon novice heat in May but could not follow that up when only ninth in the Coventry, beaten six lengths by River Tiber.
Owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah has subsequently decided to send the Mehmas colt to Haynes, who enjoyed notable juvenile success with Lady Hollywood last term and has sent out 26 winners so far in 2023.
She said: “I’m very fortunate, it’s lovely to be sent a horse who looks to have so much potential.
“It’s great to get the call up. Obviously it’s not too nice for George and trainers do like to stick together, but he was going to another yard and it’s great for the team that he is joining us.
“It’s a bit too early to say what we might do, we’ll just let him settle in at the yard and see from there.”
Haynes also confirmed the transfer of Danger Alert from Boughey’s yard, with the three-year-old having been withdrawn from the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes on veterinary advice at Ascot on Friday.
The three-times winner may not be in Haynes’ care too long though as he is entered at Tattersalls sales next month.
She added: “We also have Danger Alert who is entered in the July sale but will run before.”
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