Midak on a short break following Derby exertions
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, the Aga Khan Studs-owned three-year-old created a taking impression when going unbeaten in his first three starts, earning an ambitious shot at the Derby at Epsom last month.
A poignant runner on the Downs in a race named in honour of the late Aga Khan IV, he was sent off at 9-1 before weakening in the closing stages and connections are now minded to miss next weekend's Grand Prix de Paris to provide more time to recover from his Classic exertions.
'Physically he took his race fine at Epsom, but mentally he was quite fragile afterwards and it went to his head slightly,' explained Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs in France.
'There was thought in Francis' head that he could run in the Grand Prix de Paris after Epsom but we just felt mentally he wasn't going to be up to doing that on the back of the Derby. We've just had to back off him a bit as he's a very big horse.
'It was quite a big ask of him to go to the Derby after only three starts and he took it quite well on the day but afterwards it has taken its toll on him a little bit.'
Both George Scott and Charlie Appleby have mooted the Group Two Prix Guillaume d'Ornano on August 16 for Bay City Roller and 2000 Guineas hero Ruling Court respectively and Midak could form a strong home defence in a race won last year by William Haggas' Economics.
ParisLongchamp's Prix du Prince d'Orange on September 14 – won last year by John and Thady Gosden's Ombudsman – is another possibility, as the Aga Khan team look to a drop to 10 furlongs after trying a mile and a half at Epsom.
'There's the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano for him at Deauville or if he needs a little bit more time there's a couple of options in September like the Prix du Prince d'Orange, but the horse will guide us,' continued Routh.
'I don't think we would go straight back to a mile and a half with him. In the Derby he travelled very well and was in the right position looking like he was going to run a huge race and then didn't really quicken and the ground was probably a bit slow for him that day.
'Did he really get home, we're not quite sure, so I think we'll stick to a mile and a quarter race in France when the horse is ready.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
33 minutes ago
- Metro
Andy Murray slams 'ridiculous' Wimbledon decision during Jannik Sinner match
Andy Murray has slammed the 'ridiculous' decision to close the Centre Court roof during Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon win over Grigor Dimitrov. Sinner, 23, progressed to the quarter-finals on Monday after Dimitrov was dramatically forced to retire from the match with a pectoral muscle injury. Dimitrov had won the first two sets against Sinner – and was leading 6-3 7-5 2-2 – but it counted for nothing after he was unable to continue playing. British tennis legend Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was watching the clash from home and couldn't understand why the roof had been closed after the conclusion of the second set. 'So ridiculous to close the roof at this stage of the match,' Murray posted at 8.30pm BST when it was still light outside in south west London. 'At least an hour of light left….well over a set of tennis can still be played… it's an outdoor tournament!' Speaking on commentary duties for the BBC when the roof was closed, former British No.1 Tim Henman defended the decision, insisting that it was 'ideal conditions' for the two players. 'I always felt the players sweat more, and there is a little bit less air flow,' Henman said. 'It is absolutely ideal conditions, there is little wind with the roof open and none now.' Another former British No.1, Greg Rusedski, argued that closing the roof handed Italian world No.1 Sinner a boost. 'If I was Grigor Dimitrov, I would say to keep playing [with the roof open],' Rusedski said on BBC Radio 5 Live. 'These conditions are working brilliantly for him. 'When you close the roof, you do have perfect conditions and light but that is going to help Jannik Sinner because it is going to slow down the pace of play and his toss will be in the right place on top of that. More Trending 'So if I was Dimitrov, I would've said keep the roof open and let's try to play one more set even with the bad light. This actually favours Sinner.' Sinner, meanwhile, speaking on the court after his walkover win over 34-year-old 19th-seed Dimitrov, said: 'I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness. 'He has struggled in Grand Slams with injuries a lot so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. We all saw by his reaction how much he cares about the sport and he is one of the hardest working players on tour. 'Thank you for coming, but this is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad. We all wish him only the best – let's give an applause for him and his team.' MORE: Carlos Alcaraz makes huge Cameron Norrie admission ahead of Wimbledon quarter-final MORE: Wimbledon star leaves BBC presenter Annabel Croft red-faced in interview MORE: Marin Cilic hits out at Wimbledon over two decisions after 'bitter' exit
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Umpire given a rest while Wimbledon officials insist tech fail can't be repeated
The umpire at the centre of Wimbledon's embarrassing electronic line calling failure was left off the schedule on Monday – while organisers insisted the fiasco cannot happen again. Officials blamed human error for the incident at a crucial stage of the fourth-round match between Sonay Kartal and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, with the system inadvertently turned off and not flagging that a shot from the British player was out. Pavlyuchenkova, who would have moved 5-4 ahead, was furious with umpire Nico Helwerth for ordering the point to be replayed rather than making the call himself, accusing him of stealing the game and the tournament of home bias. German Helwerth, who had officiated at matches on each of the first seven days and is one of the sport's leading umpires, was notably absent on Monday, although organisers insisted it was a regular day off rather than a reaction to Sunday's events. Wimbledon officials apologised to both players, and chief executive Sally Bolton said: 'It was important for us to to explain as much as we could at that point in time what we believed had happened, and to apologise to the players for it happening in the first place. 'We're deeply disappointed that this has happened in the Championships. It was a human error. The ball-tracking technology is working effectively.' The system has replaced line judges for the first time this year and such a high-profile malfunction is hugely embarrassing for the All England Club. Bolton refused to go into the details of how the error had happened, or to explain what safeguards had been put in place during a briefing with reporters on Monday morning. 'They stole the game from me' 😠 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova wasn't happy when #Wimbledon 's electronic line-calling system failed ❌ — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2025 'I wasn't sat there, so I don't know what happened,' she said. 'It was clearly deactivated in error, because you wouldn't ordinarily deactivate a set of cameras mid-match intentionally. 'Once this happened, we did a full review of all of our systems and processes to check all of those kinds of things and to make sure that, both historically and moving forward, we have made the appropriate changes that we needed to make. So we're absolutely confident in the system.' Organisers later clarified the changes that have been made, with a spokesman saying: 'Following our review, we have removed the ability for Hawk-Eye operators to manually deactivate the ball tracking. This error cannot now be repeated.' Pavlyuchenkova, who went on to lose the game in question but won the match, was critical of Helwerth in her post-match press conference. 'I just thought also the chair umpire could take initiative,' said the Russian. 'That's why he's there sitting on the chair. He also saw it out, he told me after the match. He probably was scared to take such a big decision.' Bolton cited a breakdown in communication between the review official and the umpire, with Helwerth unaware the system had not been working previously during the game. Speaking about the incident after his victory over Alex De Minaur, Novak Djokovic said: 'It was really bad, a really bad mistake.' Marin Cilic, meanwhile, became the latest player to question the accuracy of the line calls, echoing Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie, although organisers continue to insist it is performing well. It is also a big week in a different type of court for the All England Club, with a judicial review into the decision to grant planning permission for its expansion into neighbouring Wimbledon Park taking place at the High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday. There has been vehement local opposition to the scheme, which will see 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat show court, built on the site of a former golf club. Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans will be at the High Court on Tuesday, and Bolton said: 'We remain really confident that we'll make the progress we need to make.'
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Football star reveals he has become a vegan after joining eco-friendly non-league club as manager
The former ace has given up eating meat and replaced dairy with oat milk GOING GREEN Football star reveals he has become a vegan after joining eco-friendly non-league club as manager Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TOUGH-tackling footballer Robbie Savage has become a vegan after joining a non-league team as manager. The ex-Wales midfielder, who once held the Premier League record for yellow cards, is the new boss of eco-friendly Forest Green Rovers. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Former football hardman Robbie Savage has gone vegan - aligning with the values of his new club, Forest Green Rovers Credit: Getty 2 Eco-warrior and green energy boss Dale Vince, is owner of the non-league club Credit: Getty The club serves only vegan food in the players' canteen and to fans on match days. And Robbie, 50, says he has aligned with the club's stance and has given up eating meat and replaced dairy with oat milk. The ex-Leicester City and Derby County star won his first pre-season game, beating Slimbridge 3-0, and is determined to get his team, based near Stroud, Gloucs, back to the football league. He added of the Cotswolds: 'It's a beautiful place, though I have a little French bulldog and I'm not sure her legs will get over the hills, I'll have to carry her.' Meanwhile, the club's owner, eco-warrior Dale Vince, has been told he needs permission to fly a giant Palestinian flag hoisted on his firm's HQ - as it is not recognised as a country. The Ecotricity boss was ordered to get planning consent for the banner, which has been hung from his offices in Stroud, Glos. Vince, who owns Forest Green Rovers, said: 'We are flying the flag out of solidarity with Palestinian people. "The council got in touch and said 'Oh, you can't actually fly that flag without planning permission because Palestine is not recognised by the British government'." What is up with you-' - Robbie Savage's harsh halftime dressing room team-talk that inspired Macclesfield to title win Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
