A clearer picture of potential international contenders for this year’s Melbourne Spring Carnival features has emerged, with seven horses entering quarantine in the United Kingdom and Ireland late on Saturday.

The horses include Joseph O’Brien’s quartet – Kizlyar, Omni Man, Small Fry, and Starford – along with Roger Varian’s charge Enfjaar, who are in quarantine in Ireland. In England, the Harry Charlton-trained Wine Dark Sea and Ciaron Maher’s Point Of Law have also been isolated.

All these horses are nominated for both the $6 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) set for October 17 and the $10 million Melbourne Cup, which takes place 17 days later. They have all successfully navigated Racing Victoria’s necessary veterinary protocols up to this stage.

“The first seven international horses targeting the 2026 Spring Racing Carnival yesterday entered pre-export quarantine in the UK and Ireland where they will remain for two weeks prior to travelling to Melbourne,” stated RV head of racing Paul Bloodworth. “All seven hold nominations for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and have satisfied RV’s pre-travel veterinary protocols, passing a compulsory scan of their distal limbs and completing two physical veterinary examinations so far – they must undergo a final examination in PEQ.”

By being part of this initial shipment, which is scheduled to arrive in Melbourne during the final weekend of the current month, these horses will be eligible to compete in the Caulfield Cup.

Currently, Enfjaar, the winner of the Group 3 Glorious Stakes last start, and Wine Dark Sea, a victor of the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer, are the shortest-priced international entries for this year’s Caulfield Cup. Following them are O’Brien’s Omni Man and Starford, as well as Point Of Law, who has joined Maher’s stable after previously being trained by John and Thady Gosden.

Small Fry’s participation in the Caulfield Cup is not guaranteed, as O’Brien and owners OTI are also considering a start in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m). Furthermore, Varian has not committed Enfjaar to a Melbourne Cup start, with the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington being a potential alternative.

Over the weekend, there were also developments concerning the Melbourne Cup, as Highwayman saw its odds shorten significantly following its victory in the Group 1 English St Leger (2921m) at Doncaster on Saturday night, Australian time.

Additional notable entries are expected on Sunday night, with Trustyourinstinct set to compete against established stayers Scandinavia and Jan Brueghel in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m). Check out the latest racing odds at racing betting markets.

Ferran Torres was on target as champions Paris Saint-Germain finally got their Ligue 1 campaign up and running with a 1-0 win at Brest on Sunday. Prior to their trip to Brittany, Luis Enrique’s double Champions League-winning side had managed just two points from their opening three matches in an uncharacteristically sluggish start to the league season. They began their quest to win a third consecutive Champions League title by thrashing Slovan Bratislava 6-1 on Wednesday and four days later they are now off the mark domestically thanks to new signing Torres.

The close-season arrival from Barcelona, who scored the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final this summer, netted a hat-trick midweek and followed it up with a sumptuous early strike at Brest’s Stade Francis-Le Ble.

Torres now has six goals in five outings in all competitions for PSG.

“What matters to me is always helping the team, regardless of how much playing time the coach decides to give me, and doing my part. Whether that’s through goals, assists, or my work on the pitch,” the 26-year-old said.

The result sent the Parisians up to eighth in the league table, with an identical record to their hosts, who had been unbeaten heading into the encounter.

Ahead of kick-off, Brest paid tribute to their former coach Eric Roy, who died in June aged 58 after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

PSG got the crucial breakthrough in the fifth minute when Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele flicked a backheel into the path of the onrushing Torres.

The Spaniard strode onto the ball just outside the ‘D’ and caressed it into the bottom corner beyond the dive of goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then went close to doubling PSG’s lead in an entertaining first half.

It was not all good news for PSG in the opening period, however, as Morocco captain and right-back Achraf Hakimi limped off just before half-time to be replaced by midfielder Fabian Ruiz.

Brest came within a whisker of equalising five minutes after the interval when Nuno Mendes carelessly played the ball across for Kamory Doumbia, but the forward saw his effort rebound off the post when he had only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to beat.

The hosts then turned into their own net two minutes later but the goal was disallowed for a push by Warren Zaire-Emery, which forced the error.

Safonov was the hero for PSG late on as he got down quickly to fingertip a Pathe Mboup effort past his far post as Luis Enrique’s side held on for the victory.

Mbappe redemption

Earlier, Ethan Mbappe redeemed himself after his Champions League red card in midweek by scoring a late goal in a 2-0 win over Troyes which sent Lille top of Ligue 1.

Mbappe, the younger brother of France and Real Madrid star Kylian, was sent off in Wednesday’s 3-2 home loss to Real Betis in Europe for elbowing an opponent.

The 19-year-old put that incident behind him, though, as he came off the bench against Troyes to seal victory in stoppage time, after the hosts had taken a first-half lead through Portuguese full-back Tiago Santos.

Mbappe celebrated his first goal since December in subdued fashion by apologising to supporters for his red card, but the strike lifted Lille above Monaco and Rennes on goal difference at the top of the table.

“He came to his senses after his red card and showed maturity beyond his years; he took responsibility for his actions,” Lille boss Davide Ancelotti said.

“This week has been very important for him personally, helping him to grow as a player and as a person. As for his qualities, he certainly has them –- he showed that again today.”

Lille have taken 10 points from a possible 12 under new coach Davide Ancelotti, the son of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Last season’s surprise title challengers, Lens, have found the going tougher this season in Ligue 1.

A 3-2 Champions League win on Thursday at Slavia Prague and victory over PSG in the French Champions’ Trophy last month stand in juxtaposition to a difficult early domestic campaign.

They now have just four points from as many outings following a 2-2 draw away to newly-promoted Le Mans on Sunday, which leaves them in 10th.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Davey has primarily trained at scrum-half with Wales and faces competition from Keira Bevan and Seren Lockwood.

And contrary to the stereotype of the position, the nines get along with no animosity.

“We all really enjoy each other’s company. We want each other to do well, so there’s never that hatred towards each other,” said Davey, who has previously started at fly-half for Loughborough.

“Whoever goes out there and does the job first is the best pick for the team and you just need to back that completely.”

Wales open their WXV campaign against South Africa at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday, 18 September (19:15 BST), and any potential involvement would mean the world to Davey.

“Playing international rugby is such a privilege and I want to make everyone proud – my family, but also the coaches that have been behind me for the last 15 years of my journey,” she said.

“It’s just that final step, like ‘I made it’. I’m really excited and hopefully it comes at some point.”

With the WNBA season on hiatus due to the FIBA World Cup, Sophie Cunningham has been keeping busy during her downtime. On Sunday, the Fever guard visited the World Wide Technology Raceway for the Illinois 300 and appeared to greet Michael Jordan during the NASCAR event.

Steven Taranto shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting Cunningham’s linkup with Jordan in the pit lane.

“Sophie Cunningham saying what’s up to Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon before the green flag today,” Taranto wrote.

The post featured a couple of images of Cunningham at the event, where the guard appeared to shake hands with the Bulls legend and former racing driver Jeff Gordon. The images quickly went viral online, with fans going wild over the unexpected linkup.

“Sophie going for Jordan son,” a fan wrote.

“Sophie’s boyfriend better watch out!” another fan added.

While Cunningham’s NASCAR visit drew plenty of reactions from fans, the guard made the most of her appearance at the race. Apart from linking up with Jordan and Gordon, the Fever star made her way to the pit lane, where she appeared to interact with racers and engineers.

She also joined the pre-race stage, spent some time in the broadcast booth, and waved the green flag to start the race.

Cunningham has quickly become one of the biggest names in the WNBA, and her appearance at the race was another example of her growing popularity, as she was welcomed by the teams and even got the chance to meet the basketball GOAT.

Sophie Cunningham opens up on the mental side of the game during NASCAR visit

Sophie Cunningham had an eventful outing during her NASCAR visit on Sunday. While her link-up and appearance at the event turned heads, her interaction with fans also stood out as she kicked footballs and threw hats into the crowd while offering a candid interview with Kenny Wallace.

During the interview, Cunningham was asked about the mental side of sports and how she has “mastered” it through her antics during games.

“I think I’ve kind of mastered that art a little bit,” Cunningham said. “I get a little feisty, if you know what I’m saying. And you know, I do think it is part of the sport. And so, you got to have a one-up on people. And sometimes it’s not so physical, but it is the mental game. So, it’s fun.”

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Cunningham has earned a reputation as a feisty figure, with the guard often finding ways to rile up her opponents through simple gestures and on-court antics.