Category: Sports News

Frankie Dettori is back into the winning groove at Kempton

Frankie Dettori is a winner… and so is his wife! Jockey celebrates victory on his first ride after the resumption of racing at Kempton

  • The jockey was in no doubt who was most pleased to see him back in action
  • After 11 weeks at home during lockdown, Frankie Dettori eased to the victory
  • He will now ride John Gosden-trained Shimmering in Sunday’s 1,000 Guineas

Frankie Dettori got back in the winning groove on his first ride after the resumption of racing at Kempton on Galsworthy and the 49-year-old jockey was in no doubt who was most pleased to see him back in action – wife Catherine!

After 11 weeks at home during lockdown, Dettori quipped: ‘It’s good. I’m away from home. 

‘I think my wife is more pleased than me, I’ll be honest with you.’

Frankie Dettori raised both arms as he saw John Gosden-trained Galsworthy to victory

After Dettori (left) won the race, he joked the most delighted person will have been his wife

There was no flying dismount as Dettori slid off the easy John Gosden-trained winner of the mile and a half maiden on Wednesday.

Dettori will now ride Gosden-trained Shimmering in Sunday’s 1,000 Guineas rather than Mark Johnston’s Raffle Prize.

Most impressive winner of the day at Kempton was The Queen’s Sir Michael Stoute-trained First Receiver.




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Liam Plunkett: Surrey and England bowler open to playing for USA

England fast bowler Liam Plunkett says he would be open to playing for the United States in the future.

The 35-year-old, whose wife is American, has not played for England since winning the World Cup last summer and was not one of the 55 players asked to return to training last week.

“It would be nice be involved in some sort of cricket over there,” he said.

“My kids might be American, so it would be quite cool to say to them that I played for England and the US.”

The USA earned one-day international status at the beginning of 2019 and can already call upon former West Indies batsman Xavier Marshall, Hampshire all-rounder Ian Holland and ex-South Africa pace bowler Rusty Theron.

Plunkett, who says he is likely to settle in the US, would have to serve a three-year residency period in order to be eligible to play.

“I’m English and I’ll always be an Englishman, but if I’m still fit and there’s an opportunity to play at the highest level, why would I not take it?” the Surrey bowler told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Tuffers and Vaughan Show.

“If I go over there and end up being a US citizen, or have a green card, I can help the development, especially being someone who has just finished with England. It would be nice to get involved in that.”

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Swann is the best slip catcher I know… but Stokes took the best one

Graeme Swann is the best slip catcher I know… but Ben Stokes took the best one in the 2015 Ashes

  • Swann was brilliant at second slip and Stokes takes wonderful catches regularly 
  • Trent Bridge is home. I love the place, the people and the feeling it creates
  • I’m not a huge TV watcher. I’m more likely to be chipping golf balls in the garden!

Another brilliant selection of questions have been emailed in, by you, over the past weeks. Sadly we can’t publish every single one but I have enjoyed reading them all and was very impressed again by the range of topics covered. Keep them coming!

Q What is your favourite Test match lunch?

Charlie, Widdington, Essex

A It seems too predictable to say Lord’s but it’s a very special experience to eat there — even climbing the pavilion stairs to get to the lunch room is awesome.

So it’s right up there but I have to mention Edgbaston too for all-round variety and quality.

Graeme Swann is the best natural catcher I’ve played with and was brilliant at second slip

The best dish worldwide? The plum chicken at the Adelaide Oval. You want that served on a batting day!

Q I heard you say on the Sky Sports cricket podcast how one thing that annoys you about bowlers is when they don’t set their own field. Regarding this, how do you learn all of the field settings and tactics, let alone put them into practice in the Test arena? I feel like if I became professional and turned up to bowl I would have no idea!

Rowan, Honiton, Somerset

A It seems funny to say but even as a kid in the garden I’d set my fields. I’d move a plant pot to third slip or a catching net to short extra cover. I’ve always been a thinker about the game.

Ben Stokes took the best catch off my bowling at Trent Bridge during the 2015 Ashes

The higher up you go in the game, the more you learn about what fields suit you as a bowler.

If I’m bowling bad balls, I get an attacking fielder in to try to sharpen me up, switch my mind on. A lot of the time the pitch dictates the field too.

Q What is your favourite domestic ground — and your favourite overseas?

Howard, Christchurch, Dorset

A Trent Bridge is home. I love the place, the people, the feeling it creates.

Cape Town has now sneaked up to my number one away from home. Memories built there this winter, with that fantastic Test match win, set against a backdrop of such incredible scenery make it extra special.

Q Can you recall all of your Test dismissals, or have some slipped from your memory?

Frank, Hull

A Good question — if you asked me how I claimed my 187th Test wicket, I couldn’t tell you. Ask me about the feelings of taking key wickets and that’s different. I’d be able to name them. One thing is for sure, every Test wicket takes hard work so I’m very grateful for every single one!

Trent Bridge, Nottingham is home. I love the place, the people and the feeling it creates

Q Catches win matches, they say. If you could take a slip fielder around with you, who would it be? And what is the best catch ever taken off your bowling?

Stuart, Paisley, Scotland

A Graeme Swann is the best natural catcher I’ve played with. He was brilliant at second slip. Not overly sure what made him so good, maybe just because he stayed so relaxed and never got tense when the nick came.

The best catch? Easy: Ben Stokes at Trent Bridge during the 2015 Ashes. He is a cricketer who takes wonderful catches regularly. Think back to a year ago yesterday and that one he took against South Africa in the World Cup.

Q Who’s the best county pro never to have played for England?

Arnold Poole, Lincoln

A I know theoretically he did get capped, as he won a single ODI cap against Ireland, but I just don’t know how Lancashire’s Glen Chapple did not feature more.

He had good pace, brilliant skills, a solid injury record, and was a useful batter.

There are many players who haven’t been capped and probably know deep down they would have struggled to make the step up, as it really is massive, but I wonder how Glen feels? I think he could have been a real success if given a proper opportunity.

Q I see you took part in the Virtual Formula One recently. Are you a big gamer? Who’s the best in the England dressing room?

Ben, Cumbria

A I do really enjoy gaming, particularly on tour. We have a lot of fun playing different games like F1, FIFA and more recently Call Of Duty.

Jofra plays the most, so I’m going to give him the crown. I’m being slightly generous but if I don’t I will definitely get a moody text asking why I didn’t.

Jofra Archer takes the crown for the most prolific gamer in the England dressing room

Q What’s the favourite piece of memorabilia that you have kept from your career so far?

Walter, Cannock

A I like the medals I’ve kept — the World Twenty20 winner’s medal from 2010 and my Ashes-winning medals. They bring back nice memories.

I also collect No 8 shirts from different sports. I won’t be someone who has loads of memorabilia on display around the house when I finish playing.

I think I will keep it somewhere private where I can have a look if I feel the need.

Q Hello Stuart. Being an avid reader of The Mail On Sunday I was amazed to find your email address because as a former landlord and owner of the Black Horse Inn in Grimston near Melton Mowbray, I vividly remember you coming to our pub with your father Chris and mother Carol when you were young.

My late wife cooked lovely food, which we had a good reputation for, but in the main it was full of cricket memorabilia and to top it all we had a couple of visits from the great Sir Garfield Sobers.

I remember your dad, when on tour to Australia, calling in to see Harold Larwood and buying a blazer he’d worn. I hope you get the chance to read this. With kind regards,

Bert Pooler

A Thanks Bert, I read the email and I remember the Black Horse Inn. My mum still talks about going to see Harold Larwood and what a gentleman he was, so I forwarded your email to her. This is what she said in reply: ‘Yes, Bert, we brought the blazer back. Spending the day with Harold Larwood was one of the best off-field cricket experiences of my time.

‘We had to go back the next day because Gemma left ‘Lots of Legs’, her stuffed centipede! Harold Larwood was a sheer delight. I held the inscribed silver tray given to him by Douglas Jardine. It was on his mantelpiece, he adored it.

‘Michael Parkinson once wrote that Harold Larwood was someone he desperately wanted to interview but never did — so, Gem, we’ve got one up on Parky!’

Q What are you watching on Netflix during lockdown?

Daniel, Leicester (supports Leicestershire)

A A lot! I love the sporting documentaries, I started watching Mad Men, which is about advertising in the 60s. I’ve enjoyed it so far.

I love cooking shows and programmes on wine. I’m not a huge TV watcher though. You’ll more likely catch me trying to chip golf balls in the garden!

Keep sending me your cricket questions

Email your questions to [email protected] 

Please include your name, town and who you support 




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Will England play this summer? And what next for women’s cricket?

In February, 90,000 people crammed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch the Women’s T20 World Cup final. This summer was about building on that success.

The hopes in England were that The Hundred would take the game to a new audience, alongside a £20m investment to fund 40 new professional contracts.

That money – described as “unprecedented” at the time – was part of a huge £50m funding plan aiming to close the gap between England and Australia, at international and domestic level.

England had a full international summer planned before they set about defending the 50-over World Cup in February 2021.

But the coronavirus pandemic has prevented any cricket until at least July.

So what happens now? What cricket will we see this summer? And what next for the women’s game?

Will England play this summer?

England were due to host India from 25 June to 9 July, with South Africa arriving in September.

The series against India – consisting of four one-day internationals and two Twenty20s – has been postponed, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hold it later in the summer.

As it stands, the South Africa series from 1-16 September is still going ahead, although it could be held without fans. England women’s managing director Clare Connor has floated the idea of a tri-series also featuring India.

In the men’s game, the Test players returned to training this month, while the women will resume on 22 June.

There would need to be about 250 players, staff and employees – the same as the men – for a behind-closed-doors game to take place, but Connor says she would understand if, for one summer, the men’s game took precedence.

Finances aside, England women need to play. They have not stepped on the field since February and are set to begin the defence of their World Cup title in nine months. If there is no cricket at all this summer yet other countries manage to play, England could be heading into a global tournament undercooked and underprepared.

What about The Hundred?

Whether you love, hate or are indifferent to The Hundred, the competition was important for women’s cricket.

Not only would it have given the women’s game a higher profile – some matches would have been on free-to-air TV and would have featured younger players competing alongside established international cricketers – but the winning side would have received equal prize money to the men, from a pool of £600,000.

As it is, everything must wait until next summer.

With the contracts – worth £15,000 for the highest-paid stars – cancelled, many players will be without money they had factored in for the year.

While the men had been drafted to teams, the women’s selection was done differently, and there were still some contracts to be filled.

Talks are ongoing with the Professional Cricketers’ Association about financial remuneration for those who have lost contracts.

  • What postponing The Hundred means for players and counties

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Will there be any domestic cricket this year?

If all goes to plan, then yes.

A 50-over competition, based around eight new regional hubs, is set to take place in September. The regional hubs have replaced the previous county system, cutting the number of teams from 34.

The Kia Super League (KSL) was a success but made way for The Hundred, and the concern was there was a fall-off in the standard of cricket played below that.

In theory, the new competition, with fewer teams and a higher concentration of the best players, should make matches more competitive.

But there are concerns about ensuring the £50m investment finds its way throughout all the levels of the game.

What are the financial implications?

The ECB still intends to introduce the new full-time professional contracts, which would have created a bigger pool of financially secure players. It would have strengthened the domestic scene and, crucially, stopped players from walking away from the game because of money concerns.

They have awarded 24 regional retainers, understood to be worth £1,000 per month, to tide players over until the 40 contracts are awarded. These will be allocated by the hubs on 1 June.

Left-arm spinner Alex Hartley, who lost her England contract in 2019, said she “might be stacking toilet roll in Tesco” by the end of the summer if there was no cricket.

“I don’t think it’s too difficult to believe that some girls will get into careers and having families, or even have a summer off and think ‘I didn’t miss cricket all that much’,” Yorkshire leg-spinner Katie Levick told BBC Sport.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if girls had to take a full-time job and step away from cricket.”

What next for the women’s game?

At international level, the World Cup is still scheduled for February in New Zealand.

There was momentum with women’s cricket following the T20 World Cup final, and ex-England captain Charlotte Edwards says she worries that could be lost with The Hundred’s postponement.

The regional retainers from the ECB is a positive move. There were worries among players about the lack of communication after The Hundred was cancelled, but the retainers show the governing body is aware of the dangers of losing women from the game.

Participation has increased steadily since England’s World Cup win in 2017, but if no international cricket is played – or there is but it is not visible to a wider audience – that could have a knock-on effect at grassroots level.

Connor told BBC Sport that this period would be looked back on as a “test of leadership in sport”.

“We are as serious now as we were when we built the plans two years ago,” she said.

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Champion jockey Oisin Murphy can't wait to get back in the saddle

Fed up with cycling and Netflix, champion jockey Oisin Murphy can’t wait to get back in the saddle next week and says: ‘I’m buzzing!’

  • Murphy rode 220 winners from 1,106 rides in Britain to secure his first title
  • The 24-year-old has been passing the time during the shutdown by keeping fit
  • BHA are confident the Government will give go-ahead for racing to resume 
  • Life for a jockey will be different face masks, temperature tests and no showers

Excellent balance is essential for any jockey. Fortunately for Oisin Murphy it’s a trait he demonstrates in and out of the saddle.

The rider crowned champion for the first time in 2019 is excited to be back in action on Monday after the frustration of kicking his heels during the shutdown but he’s realistic in his expectations as the sport takes baby steps to get back up and running.

Murphy, 24, has a massive chance of landing a first Classic when he rides third-favourite Kameko in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas six days into the sport’s behind-closed-doors restart but experience has taught him not to let expectations run too free.

Oisin Murphy rode 220 winners from 1,106 rides in Britain to secure his first title

The Irishman, who rode 220 winners from 1,106 rides in Britain to secure his first title, said: ‘I think Frankie Dettori will miss the crowds but some of us will be absolutely fine.

‘We are looking forward to riding really good horses and buzzing off the thought of that. The racing instinct will kick in.’

Life for a jockey will be different:face masks, temperature tests and no showers or saunas. ‘The jockeys are going to split in specific groups and then we will have our area when we change,’ Murphy said. ‘It’s for the peace of mind of everyone that we are taking every measure necessary.

‘I’ll be at Newcastle on Monday and Kempton on Tuesday. Although I am normally Britain’s busiest jockey, during this period I will be as busy as I can be but I won’t be having 10 rides a day.

The 24-year-old has been passing the time during the shutdown by keeping fit 

‘To start with, it will be limited to 12-horse fields and trainers will have their loyalties with certain jockeys, which is perfectly understandable.

‘I imagine I will be going racing most days for five or six rides but I still think I ride for enough people to hopefully pick up enough rides to give the championship my best shot again.’

Murphy admits he is champing at the bit to get back in action. ‘I have been completely unemployed for two months. Netflix wore off after a few weeks and I have been passing the time walking and trying to keep on top of my fitness.’

He tried socially-distanced cycling with colleague Tom Marquand and a couple of other jockeys but their relentless pedalling soon made it a long- distance, socially-distanced exercise. ‘They cycle for miles and miles and I couldn’t keep up so I threw in the towel pretty quickly.

Murphy is realistic in his expectations as the sport takes baby steps to get back up and running

‘I have been doing loads of cooking but I don’t think I have improved too much. Salmon and mashed potatoes have been the staple diet.

‘For the first six weeks of lockdown I could hardly ride out but in the last fortnight I have been able to go into different stables to give me a feel of some horses and that gives me a focus to my day.’

Most observers reckoned it was when, not if, Murphy became champion jockey since he arrived at the Hampshire stable of Kameko’s trainer Andrew Balding. A whirlwind first professional season in Britain in 2013 included a memorable 9,260-1 four-timer on Ayr Gold Cup day, including victory on Balding’s Highland Colori in the feature race.

A year later, Murphy, nephew of three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Jim Culloty, was champion apprentice and by 2016 he had been appointed first jockey to the powerful Qatar Racing operation of Sheik Fahad Al Thani and his brothers.

Life for a jockey will be different face masks, temperature tests and no showers and saunas

But being champion does not mean Murphy looks in the mirror and sees a different person.

He said: ‘Confidence in jockeys is completely controlled by how they believe they are riding at that minute and that is controlled by results.

‘Anyone knows that sometimes you get out of bed in the morning and feel on top of the world, other days you don’t. But you have a duty to do the best you can for every owner and trainer. That’s the type of mantra I try to maintain but we are all human at the end of the day. You don’t feel you are riding brilliantly every single day, particularly if you have been beaten on horses you thought you should be winning on.’

Classic victory on Kameko would be special for Murphy given Balding and Sheik Fahad have been two of the most influential figures in his career. Unbeaten favourite Pinatubo stands in his way but Kameko garnered a sizeable fan club when he swept to a three-and-a- quarter-length win in the Group One Vertem Futurity Stakes at Newcastle in November.

The rider crowned champion for the first time in 2019 is excited to be back in action next week

Murphy, who has also picked up the ride on Jessica Harrington’s 2019 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Millisle in the 1,000 Guineas a week tomorrow, said: ‘We have massive respect for Pinatubo but Kameko is very exciting.

‘He has a lovely turn of foot but also relaxes which gives you plenty of options. He was incredible at Newcastle. It’s a stiff track and I could not pull him up after the line.

‘It would be massive to win but I’ve had these dreams before and been disappointed so I won’t get too excited just yet.

Murphy, 24, has a massive chance of landing a first Classic in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas

‘I know I am only 24 but I have ridden in group races since I was 18 so I am well able to cope with disappointments when it doesn’t go how you had dreamt.’

Coping with all that is thrown at them will have to be the motto for all sportsmen this disrupted year.

Well-balanced Murphy will be better equipped than most.




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FRENCH RACING TIPS: All the best bets for Saturday's racing

FRENCH RACING TIPS: All the best bets for Saturday’s racing at Clairefontaine with Via Maresca seeking to build on comeback win in the Prix Trinidad

  • Clairefontaine host a bumper programme with €418,000 on offer in prize money
  • Via Maresca looks to be the pick of the bunch in the €80,000 Prix Trinidad  
  • She was an impressive winner last time out in a solid handicap at Compiegne

National Hunt fans are well catered for in France on Saturday when Clairefontaine host a bumper 10-race programme with a staggering €418,000 on offer in prize money.

The Prix Trinidad is the most valuable race on the programme and VIA MARESCA (2.15) is likely to prove popular on the Pari Mutuel following her emphatic comeback victory at Compiegne earlier this month.

Ridden by conditional Florent Bayle, who is closing on a half century of career winners, the Poliglote mare travelled well in the first half dozen throughout, but appeared booked for a place at best once the main protagonists swung for home.

National Hunt fans are well catered when Clairefontaine host a bumper 10-race programme

However, she gained good momentum from a good jump at the second last before producing a terrific finishing kick to lengthen away from runner-up Raster with another of Saturday’s rivals, Famille Formidable, left trailing in fourth, beaten 12 lengths.

The conditions of the Prix Quomodo and a truly-run affair certainly seemed to suit Via Maresca given she finished so powerfully and the prospect of tackling another big field with some cut in the ground should hold no terrors as she looks to land a third career success for trainer Marc Rolland.

Connections of Famille Formidable will be hopeful their five-year-old can narrow the gap with Via Maresca, but she will have to step forward considerably fitness wise given the way her old adversary ran away from her after the last.

Heaven’s Knight could perhaps pose more of a threat to the selection as she has finished runner-up and third in two 18-runner hurdles at this venue so the requirements of this race should suit ideally.

The Mickael Suror-trained mare finished an honourable sixth in an Auteuil Listed event (Katy Love 9th) on her first start in more than four months earlier in May and, given she looked a little ring-rusty that day, there could be more to come now she returns to handicap company. 




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England name 55-man training squad as plans for summer pick up pace

Alex Hales has been given the clearest indication yet that his card is still marked after failing to make it into a bumper squad of 55 men’s players the ECB are preparing for the project of behind-closed-doors cricket.

An additional 37 players were added to the list of 18 bowlers and all-rounders who began training last week. All in all, 14 are yet to be capped by England in any format. Most damning for Hales, the inclusions are skewed towards limited overs cricket.

On Thursday England’s limited overs captain Eoin Morgan said he had spoken to Hales but suggested more time may be needed to forgive the opening batsman for failing a second recreational drugs Test at the start of last summer. It cost the 31-year old his place in the World Cup squad and, from Morgan’s perspective, could have “derailed” their successful campaign. There is also return for David Willey who lost his place in that same squad on selection grounds, to Jofra Archer.

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The ECB have not specified who will be aligned to red and white ball formats, with the prospect of two separate squads to fulfil Tests against West Indies and Pakistan along with limited overs matches against Pakistan, Australia and Ireland. Confirmation on those squads will come in due course, though some of the 55 picked were told they were selected specifically for certain formats.

However The Independent understands players who represent England in multiple formats could still do so this summer should government guidelines ease around group interactions and self-isolation.

From a domestic point of view, there is a clear focus on limited overs cricket, with the likes of left-arm seamer Reece Topley back after a four year absence through injury. That is reflected in the uncapped cartel of Jamie Overton, Dan Lawrence, James Bracey, Phil Salt, Henry Brookes, Brydon Carse, Amar Virdi, Laurie Evans, Will Jacks, Ollie Robinson, Richard Gleeson, Sam Hain, Tom Helm and Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Lawrence, of Essex, and Sussex’s Robinson are the only two players with more immediate Test prospects.

The likes of Jamie Porter and Hampshire’s Sam Northeast will be particularly irked at not making the cut. No one has many as Porter’s 236 wickets over the last four complete seasons, and Northeast’s tally of 3,774 Championship runs (12 hundreds in that time) is only bettered by current England opener Rory Burns – also part of the 55 squad after recovering from an ankle injury picked up on the tour of South Africa – and Gloucestershire’s Chris Dent.

ECB performance director Mo Bobat said: “It’s really pleasing to be in a position to have players returning to training and a huge amount of work has been done by many to get us this far. The pool of players will give selectors strong options when it comes to selecting squads across formats further down the line, as we move closer to our aim of playing international cricket this summer.”

“We will need to continue to work closely with our medical team and government to ensure that our return to training and play activities are in line with best-practice guidelines. We’re also really grateful for the positive and collaborative response from our county colleagues who are doing a great job at facilitating coaching and support for the players. The fact that we can call on our network to support the national effort shows the strength of our system.”

Full list

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow(Yorkshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Dom Bess (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Pat Brown(Worcestershire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane(Hampshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Sussex), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), James Vince (Hampshire), Amar Virdi (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)

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Born With Pride stars in Kempton entries for Wednesday

Born With Pride is among a number of promising types entered for the Classic Trial at Kempton on Wednesday.

The daughter of Born To Sea has only Quadrilateral ahead of her with most firms in the ante-post market on the Investec-sponsored Oaks, after a 20-1 success in the Listed Montrose Fillies’ Stakes on her only juvenile start in November.

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ITV Racing schedule 2020: 21 live races for sport’s return

A bumper programme of 21 races headlined by the first Classic races of the Flat season are to be broadcast by ITV.

Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani will lead the coverage from June 5 to June 7, featuring the Qipco 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas.

Seven races each day will be shown on the channel on its return after 11 weeks.

The card at Thurles was the last fixture shown before the sport was halted due to coronavirus.

The action restarts on ITV on the Friday, with four live races from Newmarket including the rerouted Coronation Cup, plus Lingfield's Oaks and Derby Trials.

Saturday's Newmarket coverage features the Qipco 2,000 Guineas as well as three contests from Newcastle.

On Sunday, the big race is the Qipco 1,000 Guineas, one of four races live from Newmarket, while The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is part of the selection from Haydock.

Chamberlin, Cumani and their colleague Jason Weaver will guide viewers from home, with commentator Richard Hoiles based off site in a booth.

The direction and production team are set to use innovative technology in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

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