Dettori delight as he brings up Royal Ascot 50 June 17, 2015 THREE-TIME Champion Jockey Frankie Dettori thanked Qatari racing supremo Sheikh Joaan Al Thani after becoming only the fourth man to ride 50 winners at Royal Ascot. Dettori piloted Richard Hannon-trained 13-2 shot Osaila to victory by a nose in the Sandringham Handicap to join a select group that includes Lester Piggot, Pat Eddery and Willie [...]
McDowell reveals he considered retirement June 17, 2015 FORMER US Open champion Graeme McDowell has admitted wrestling with thoughts of premature retirement as he prepares to begin his tilt at winning the Major for a second time today. McDowell, 35, who triumphed at Pebble Beach five years ago, revealed he has considered his golfing future amid wavering form – no top-25 finishes in [...]
Saracens drawn against Toulouse and old enemy Ulster in Europe June 17, 2015 SARACENS boss Mark McCall has welcomed another showdown with Ulster after the teams were drawn together in the pool stage of the European Rugby Champions Cup. The two teams, who met at the quarter-final stage in 2013 and 2014, are joined in Pool 1 by four-time winners Toulouse and fellow French Top 14 side Oyonnax. [...]
Expect even Moore magic from Ryan on Dissolution June 17, 2015 RYAN Moore couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Royal meeting after landing a hat-trick on day one and another two wins yesterday. Tuesday’s ride on Clondaw Warrior was one of the finest you will ever see in the Ascot Stakes. It helps when you have an embarrassment of riches with whom few [...]
You couldn’t Make It Up if Capel Path wins Britannia June 17, 2015 THE Britannia Handicap (5.00pm) is always one of the toughest battles of the entire week and the bookies have had the better of the argument recently. Fast Or Free was a winning favourite for William Haggas and Ryan Moore in 2012, but there have been four winners priced 20/1 or bigger in the past eight [...]
Royal Ascot 2015: Anyone else fancy a Trip To Paris? June 17, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE GOLD CUP AND TERCENTENARY STAKES Trainer Dermot Weld will walk the course this morning to decide whether the ground is safe enough to allow favourite Forgotten Rules to take his chance in this afternoon’s Gold Cup (4.20pm). The lightly-raced five-year-old son of Nayef has had well-documented problems with his [...]
Keep the winnings ticking over with Time Test June 17, 2015 HER Majesty The Queen fields Peacock in this afternoon’s Tercentenary Stakes (3.05pm) and it would be lovely to see a royal winner at Ascot this year. The son of 2009 Queen Anne Stakes victor Paco Boy finished only 1½ lengths behind Investec Derby hero Golden Horn in Newmarket’s Feilden Stakes. He then followed that up [...]
Chelsea and Manchester City asked to assist in Neymar fraud case June 17, 2015 A Spanish high court has allowed a fraud case to be brought against Barcelona star Neymar and asked Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to assist in the inquiry. Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40 per cent of the Neymar's transfer rights prior to his Barcelona move, filed a complaint which accuses [...]
Fifa crisis: Swiss banks told authorities of “suspicious” activity connected to Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup bidding June 17, 2015 The heat has intensified on the future Russia and Qatar World Cups after Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber revealed he had evidence of over 50 "suspicious" banking relations connected to Fifa. Lauber, the head of the Swiss investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, declared he was not afraid if [...]
Shock defeat to motivate, insists Nadal June 16, 2015 FORMER world No1 Rafael Nadal has vowed to use his shock first-round exit to unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club yesterday as motivation for a tilt at Wimbledon redemption. Fifth seed Nadal failed to convert a break in the final set and succumbed 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, as Dolgopolov claimed a [...]