Juddmonte juggling pack with leading milers
'I think they just went far too slow, they crawled for four furlongs and then sprinted and Lead Artist is a horse we know stays beyond a mile,' said Juddmonte's European racing manager, Barry Mahon.
'It just didn't pan out for us on the day, but he's a better horse than that, we know that, and we'll get him back on track and see the best of him again.'
LEAD ARTIST storms home to win the @BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes! 🏆@oismurphy | @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/dpiJ0hbjmN
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 17, 2025
Where and when Lead Artist will bid to redeem himself is uncertain, with Juddmonte possessing an enviable hand in the mile division, with the Irish Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes hero Field Of Gold the undoubted top dog.
Lead Artist holds an entry in Goodwood's Sussex Stakes, but is unlikely to head that way if that is the chosen target for his illustrious stablemate, while Harry Charlton's Irish Guineas runner-up Cosmic Year must also be thrown into the mix.
Mahon added: 'I don't know where we'll go with Lead Artist yet. There's going to be a bit of juggling there with him and Field Of Gold and Cosmic Year and Jonquil as well.
'We haven't quite worked it out yet, but we will as we go.'
Andrew Balding's Jonquil is another looking to bounce back from an underwhelming performance at Royal Ascot, having seemingly found the six furlongs of the Commonwealth Cup too sharp.
He was one of two Juddmonte-owned runners who failed to run up to expectations in that Group One contest, with the Ger Lyons-trained Babouche also well held.
'Babouche was disappointing, she was just too keen and you don't get away with being that keen in a Group One in Ascot,' said Mahon.
'It was her second time in England and her second time doing that, so we'll have to go back to the drawing board. We'll probably keep her in Ireland for the rest of the year and see if we can get her back on track.
'Jonquil was just a bit of a square peg in a round hole – six furlongs was too short for him. Christophe (Soumillon) felt he came home great in the last half-furlong, but he said he needs a mile and we'll try and find an opportunity.'
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Scotsman
3 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers facing unforeseen pressure in Athens as reward of success and cost of failure laid bare
Panathinaikos tie remains in balance but two-goal advantage puts onus on Rangers to qualify Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers find themselves unexpectedly burdened by expectation on their travels to Athens this midweek. Manager Russell Martin had previously tried to temper optimism ahead of the first leg of this Champions League second qualifying round tie by insisting it wouldn't be 'season-defining', regardless of the scoreline. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Still in the early stages of a substantial squad refurbishment job, Martin had instead placed the emphasis on the longer term, giving plenty of indication that this work-in-progress he has inherited was not yet ready for a competitive challenge of this nature, even if it has been a while since Panathinaikos belonged among the upper echelons of the European elite. Rangers head coach Russell Martin during a training session ahead of the flight to Greece on Tuesday. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group Had this unsettled Rangers side struggled at Ibrox in the first leg before collapsing in the red-hot furnace of the Olympic Stadium in the return to bow out of the Champions League at the first hurdle, frustration would likely have been fleeting. Rangers have not appeared in the group stage of the competition since 2022 and only the most impatient or blinkered of their supporters would have expected this current crop to have the wherewithal to make it through three demanding qualifying rounds to end that absence. An aggregate defeat to Panathinaikos would allow the Light Blues to drop back to their natural habitat of the Europa League qualifiers and give further ammunition to Martin in his ongoing quest to shake more funds out of the club's new ownership to improve the product on the pitch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Instead, an exit at this juncture will now be considered far more ignominious than would have been the case when the draw was made. Rangers did toil in the first half of their opening competitive match of the campaign, having cause to thank goalkeeper Jack Butland for shutting out Panathinaikos when the concession of at least one goal looked almost inevitable given the steady flow of traffic towards the Rangers goal. Fortified by that show of resistance and the red card flashed to the visitors' Giorgos Vagiannidis, Rangers belatedly presented themselves as an attacking force and goals from Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama delivered a two-goal victory that few would have predicted at the half-time recess. It has changed the dynamic of the tie and placed unforeseen pressure on Rangers to match their defensive fortitude – and good fortune – of the opening period at Ibrox if they are to withstand what will almost certainly be a full-scale Panathinaikos assault in stiflingly hot and uncomfortable conditions. 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Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Even a loss in the third qualifying round will guarantee a berth in the Europa League group stage which ought to have been the realistic target from the very start. Danilo is likely to lead the Rangers attack again in Athens on Wednesday night. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group It says much about the fluid nature of Continental football in the modern era that the challenge that awaits Rangers should they lose to Panathinaikos looks tougher than what awaits them in the top-tier competition. Neither Besiktas nor Shakhtar Donetsk (who won 4-2 in Turkey last week) in the Europa League third qualifying round will be straightforward, with a defeat at that point dropping Rangers into the Conference League play-off round and a third attempt at trying to nail down group stage football in some shape or form. 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Scottish Sun
3 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Mohamed Diomande opens up on his Rangers future amid transfer talk as he admits ‘Ibrox is not an easy place'
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North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
European champions England given a hero's welcome outside Buckingham Palace
Less than 48 hours on from the nerve-shredding penalty shootout in Basel that saw Sarina Wiegman's side retain their European crown, throngs of supporters took over the approach to Buckingham Palace as the team paraded the trophy along the famous route from an open-top bus and revelled in an achievement unique in English football. For the first time since England teams began competing at major international tournaments in 1950, a side bearing the three lions returned home victorious as Chloe Kelly's winning kick capped a stunning fightback against the world champions, making Wiegman's players the first to win a tournament outside of England. Proud 🥹 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 29, 2025 It was a fitting intervention that, as the bus arrived from the Mall to a specially-erected stage in front of the palace at around 12:20, an overcast sky over London parted for the first time and bathed the European champions in sunshine. Some supporters had waited for 12 hours for captain Leah Williamson and her team. The earliest devotees reportedly set up camp just after midnight in anticipation of the players' arrival on the Mall just past noon, to be joined by fans who had travelled from all over the country and who represented a cross-section of ages and backgrounds. A carnival atmosphere had been heightened at around 11am when footage was shown on a big screen of England's remarkable route through the tournament. From the disappointment of the loss to France with which they began the defence of their title, to the escapology acts of the knockout stages that saw them fight back from the brink of elimination against Sweden and Italy. The England supporters' band – the soundtrack to so many tournament disappointments throughout decades of England teams returning home empty-handed – were in attendance, underscoring the significance to English football of the Lionesses' back-to-back tournament triumphs. Later, the Central Band of the Royal Air Force took over to serenade the players onto stage with a rendition of 'Sweet Caroline'. Addressing the crowd, a visibly emotional Williamson said: 'Special people, we love each other, we've got each other's back on and off the pitch. 'Everything we do, we do for us and the team but we do it for the country and young girls. This job never existed thirty years ago. This story's not done yet.' The duo you didn't know you needed 😁😁 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 29, 2025 Wiegman, who was coaxed into dancing by an on-stage appearance from Afrobeat star Burna Boy, said: 'We just kept hope and belief and (the players) showed up when it was really necessary and urgent. 'There's a huge talent pool in this team. The bonding in this team in this tournament, that made the difference. Everyone was willing to step up and support each other.' Kelly, whose goal in the final moment of extra-time put England through against Italy – before hitting the winning penalty in the final – said: 'Pressure? What pressure? It feels so good to stand side by side with these girls. Thank you to everyone who got out to support us. It's so f*****g special.' Goalkeeper and penalty hero Hannah Hampton said: 'Don't let people tell you what you can and can't do. If it makes you happy go and follow that smile.' Young player of the tournament Michelle Agyemang, whose equalising goals in the quarter-final and semi-final, said: 'It's still surreal. It doesn't even seem real.' The biggest cheer of the day was reserved for when Williamson lifted the European Championship trophy high as Buckingham Palace disappeared behind plumes of red and white smoke and 'Sweet Caroline' echoed again over London.
