As City Of Troy dazzles in the Dewhurst and Steve Borthwick’s England march on to the semi-finals, I discuss the weekend’s biggest talking points.
1. Frankel 2.0
There have been many would-be heirs to the great Frankel and a few worthy contenders. Baaeed, Kingman, Pinatubo to name a few. There have also been a great many pretenders to that throne. But what stood out on the Rowley Mile on Saturday, was the devastating ease with which City of Troy decimated the best and brightest of his peers to cement his reputation as this season’s leading juvenile.
His victory by a margin of three-and-a-half lengths, a wider margin than Frankel managed in this contest, has set tongues wagging. None more so than the esteemed Michael Tabor, who commented “he really is our Frankel”, while the Master of Ballydoyle declared him the best two-year-old he has ever trained.
Whether this son of Justify, or any other horse, can live up to the extraordinary standards set by Frankel is up for debate. But what is very clear, is how much Flat racing is craving a superstar. With Dettori (probably) off across the pond this summer, there will be a yawning void that can only be filled by a star that transcends the sport. Could it be City Of Troy?
City Of Troy to win the 2,000 Guineas @ Evs
2. Marching on
After the humiliation of defeat against Fiji at Twickenham in August, the mood around the England camp could not have been lower. Indeed, performances until the quarter-final on Sunday had done little to convince that this team could go far into the tournament. However, the length and breadth of the side there are world-class players and against Fiji in Marseille those players stood up and produced their best performance in recent memory.
They find themselves in the last four with the formidable challenge of the Springboks on the horizon. But they have relished the underdog tag so far and will believe they have the tools to cause South Africa problems. Underestimate them at your peril.
England to win the Rugby World Cup @ 12/1
3. Germany bound
“We’re the famous Tartan Army and we’re going to Germany” was the chant that rang out across Scotland on Sunday night. Last time it was a dramatic play-off that sealed their place in the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 — this time around it couldn’t have been more different.
After the emotional exertion of securing a first appearance in a major tournament for 23 years coupled with the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup, Scotland entered this qualification process liberated from the pressures that seemed to weigh so heavily on those navy-blue shirts.
Five wins from their opening five qualifying games put them in a strong position — and it was largely down to refereeing shenanigans that they didn’t secure their trip to Germany on Thursday night. Steve Clarke has got his team playing with much greater authority than the 2021 vintage and the goals are flowing — albeit from an unlikely sauce.
Scott McTominay (or McSauce) has emerged as an unlikely hero — with his five goals in six matches providing the impetus for Scotland’s successful qualifying campaign.
4. Worse for wear
This wasn’t in the script. As England fell to a deserved defeat against the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament in Afghanistan the pitchforks were being brandished for an England team that has fallen far below the sum of its parts in this World Cup campaign to date.
Old heroes Bairstow, Root, Malan, Butler and co. have underwhelmed with the bat, while all the sharpness and danger of Wood and Woakes’ bowling appears to have been blunted in India. To be comprehensively outplayed by a team who were registering just their second win ever at a 50-over World Cup, is simply not good enough.
Australia too have been lacklustre, with their tried and tested formula beginning to look a little jaded. They head into a must-win game against Sri Lanka to keep their hopes alive of escaping the group stages. Memories of that heady Ashes summer are still fresh — could it be that both teams are suffering from a post-Ashes hangover?
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Lola Katz Roberts is a Content Executive at Fitzdares.
