Aidan O'Brien thought Savethelastdance's eye-popping 22-length Chester romp might have been an optical illusion before sectional times revealed it was anything but, and now the master trainer cannot wait to see what she can do in the Betfred Oaks (4.30).

 

A field of 11 have been declared for Friday's Classic and Savethelastdance is a best price 11-8 with Sky Bet to hand O'Brien his seventh Oaks in nine years and 11th overall as she takes on the John and Thady Gosden-trained pair Soul Sister and Running Lion.

Eric Wheeler, a "master" trainer who won 25 races with the sprinter Dancing Mystery, has died at the age of 85.

 

He sent out around 150 winners and spent all of his life in racing, serving as head lad to Stan Mellor and working for Jack Colling and Dick Hern before taking out his licence.

 

Initially based in Stoke, Wheeler sent out his first winner in 1986 when Burley Hill Lass won a selling hurdle at Southwell before spells in Lambourn (twice), Whitchurch-on-Thames and Burbage.

 

His biggest success came in the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon in 1992 with Green Dollar but Wheeler's most notable horse was probably Dancing Mystery, who raced an astonishing 198 times. Besides his 25 wins, he was placed at Group level and in Dubai.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has opened an investigation into the 12 horse deaths at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, in recent weeks.

 

The sport Stateside been shrouded in controversy after the number of fatalities within the last month.

Al Riffa is set to return to action on Irish Derby day but not in the Classic, with Joseph O'Brien pencilling in the Group 3 International Stakes for the one-time favourite for the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

 

Last year's National Stakes winner was ruled out of the Guineas in the days leading up to the race after a setback but the strapping son of Wootton Bassett is on the road to recovery and has an entry in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot for which he is as short as 6-1.

 

A clash with Guineas winners Chaldean and Paddington remains an option at the royal meeting but O'Brien favours a tilt at the 1m2f Group 3 on July 2 at the Curragh, a race he won with Buckhurst in 2019.

Paul and Oliver Cole will wait until Monday to decide the big-race target for Royal Scotsman, who is back on track for Royal Ascot after suffering from bruised feet in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

 

The son of Gleneagles finished third in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket but failed to fire when supplemented for another Classic bid at the Curragh, trailing in ninth as the 6-4 favourite.

Ascot will not be applying for a high court injunction to protect the track against the threat of trespass and disruption at this year's royal meeting.

 

Last month, the Jockey Club was granted an injunction against protesters attempting to disrupt the Derby. One protester from the group Animal Rising made it on to the course before being removed by security and the police.

 

After consulting Thames Valley Police, officials at Ascot are confident the current legal framework is sufficient to protect the fixture, which will begin with the Queen Anne Stakes on June 20.

An administrative error by the BHA and Weatherbys meant four runners from a field of six were withdrawn from a handicap at Brighton on Friday after they were discovered to be ineligible to run shortly before the race was due off.

 

Spirit Warning, Kondratiev Wave, Vitesse Du Son and Rivas Rob Roy were officially announced as non-runners at 3.47pm, just under 45 minutes before the 1m4f handicap (4.30) was due to start.

 

The handicap was for horses rated between 46 and 65 and for those who had not won more than two races. The four runners had all won at least three races, including Rivas Rob Roy, who is a nine-time winner. Roscioli, the lesser-fancied 3-1 chance, beat 1-4 favourite Girl In The Picture in a match race.

Frankie Dettori, gearing up for his final Royal Ascot, will have a cracking chance of signing off with victory in one of the meeting's main events following the news he will replace Richard Kingscote on Desert Crown, who this week produced a piece of work that left gallop watchers drooling.

 

That leg stretch on the gallops in Newmarket on Wednesday resulted in the Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old being shortened to clear 2-1 favourite for the Prince of Wales's Stakes (4.20), a race Dettori – set to retire at the end of 2023 – has won four times.

Desert Crown, who was set to give Frankie Dettori a plum ride at his final Royal Ascot, has been ruled out of the meeting.

 

Owner Saeed Suhail had lined up the retiring 52-year-old, to replace Richard Kingscote in the Prince of Wales's Stakes on 21 June.

 

Desert Crown was the 2-1 favourite and expected to provide another major win for Dettori.

 

But the horse will no longer run after suffering a setback.

Bay Bridge and Adayar, first and second in an epic Champion Stakes last season, are on course to meet again at Ascot after featuring among eight confirmations for Wednesday's Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes (4.20).

 

Bay Bridge came out on top by half a length last October, but the majority of bookmakers make Adayar and Luxembourg 2-1 joint favourites for the Prince of Wales's, with Champion Stakes third My Prospero next at 7-2 and Bay Bridge a general 4-1 chance.

One of the jockeys banned by the BHA’s disciplinary panel on Thursday for being a repeat offender under the new whip rules has labelled their punishment as “soul destroying”.

 

Four riders were hit with a combined total of 123 days for contravening the rules. Established jockeys Jonjo O'Neill Jr and Marco Ghiani and apprentice Paula Muir received 21, 25 and 35 days respectively for their third breaches under the new guidelines, while Kielan Woods, who has committed five offences since the enhanced punishments were introduced earlier this year, received a staggering 42-day ban.

Frankie Dettori claimed a winner at his final Royal Ascot meeting as he took the Queen's Vase aboard Gregory.

 

The 52-year-old Italian, who retires later this year, guided the evens favourite trained by John and Thady Gosden home from Saint George.

 

"I couldn't be happier. I thought the winner was never going to come his year," said Dettori, who finished second three times on Tuesday.

 

Earlier, Mostahdaf sprang a surprise to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes.

Khaadem wins the Jubillee at 80/1.

Classic-winning jockey Martin Dwyer has ridden for the final time after being told he would be unable to continue to compete professionally due to a significant knee injury.

 

Dwyer, 48, has not ridden since March last year after snapping the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a fall when riding out for trainer Brian Meehan.

 

After undergoing surgery with the intention of returning to the saddle, primarily to partner Pyledriver for his father-in-law, trainer William Muir, Dwyer said on Sunday the injury would prevent him from making a comeback.

Shadwell supremo Sheikha Hissa picked a great day to be in attendance as her Israr lit up ladies' day on the July course with a scintillating display in the Princess of Wales's Stakes to stun the favourite Adayar.

 

Adayar, winner of the Derby and King George in 2021, had enjoyed a racecourse gallop at the track before finishing third at Royal Ascot and this 1m4f contest was supposed to be another judging by the market, which sent him off at 1-3 to beat just three lower-rated rivals.

 

Sat second off the pace set by stablemate Global Storm, Adayar was sent for home three furlongs out by William Buick but was unable to shake off the attention of Israr.

Nostrum was halved in price to 6-1 by Coral for a potential clash with Paddington in the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes next month after a blistering return to action in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes.

 

An injury meant the son of Kingman had not raced since finishing third to subsequent 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean in the Dewhurst last October.

 

He impressed in a racecourse gallop at the track a fortnight ago and was backed into 11-10 favourite from 9-4 in the morning. And he marked himself out as one of the more exciting three-year-olds around when making all to beat the previously unbeaten Embesto, with some quality performers further in arrears.

Jockey Dylan Kitts has had his license suspended with immediate effect following his controversial ride on Hillsin at Worcester.

 

Stewards noted the horse, who was third on 5 July, "travelled strongly" in the home straight "without appearing to ever be asked for a finishing effort".

 

They referred Kitts to the British Horseracing Authority and he has been suspended by a judicial panel.

 

He is banned from attending British racecourses until further notice.

 

Kitts voluntarily stood down on 7 July when it was announced there would be an investigation into his ride on the Chris Honour-trained Hillsin.

 

The horse, who finished a length-and-a-quarter third in a handicap hurdle, was banned from running for 40 days.

Last year's champion juvenile Little Big Bear has been retired by Coolmore due to suffering a condylar fracture on the right front fetlock.

 

The son of No Nay Never was a brilliant juvenile, breaking his maiden at the second attempt before going on to strike in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.

 

He went on to land the Anglesey Stakes by four and three-quarter lengths before a stunning seven-length success in the Phoenix Stakes, earning an official rating of 124, enough to see him crowned European champion juvenile.

Dragon Leader, who produced a slick display at York's Ebor meeting on Thursday, will follow the Wootton Bassett route at Doncaster next month before connections dare to dream of bigger targets.

 

Racing in the familiar silks of Kennet Valley Syndicates, the Clive Cox-trained colt, who was partnered by Ryan Moore, was completing a hat-trick in York's Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes after two successes at Salisbury

Connections of the promising Passenger, regarded as a live Derby hope until disappointing at Epsom, were delighted to watch him get back on track at Windsor on Saturday.

 

A Niarchos family homebred, Passenger is trained by Sir Michael Stoute and was ridden by Richard Kingscote to land Windsor's Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes from the talented West Wind Blows.

 

Slowly away, the three-year-old made headway two out and held on from his rallying rival.