NNBABA | Page 3 FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 8 Butler and Mane and Jones free agents keep Liverpool approach in hunt moment of truth for record Monday, July 6, 2020 GOLF Dhul-Qa’da 15, 1441 AH Wolff fi res a 64 GULF TIMES to lead Rocket Mortgage Classic SPORT Page 5 FOOTBALL Sheikh Abdullah’s Mayyatello Xavi puts to rest Barca talk, wins Prix Husse in Nantes extends Al Sadd contract AFP mestic and Asian competitions.” Doha The relationship between Bar- celona’s board, led by president Josep Maria Bartomeu, and the ormer Barcelona star players has proved tense, with Xavi Hernandez signed Lionel Messi’s public criticism Fon as head coach of Qa- of technical secretary Eric Abi- tari club Al Sadd for one dal among a number of off -fi eld more year yesterday, putting to controversies. bed rumours of an imminent “I am clear that I want to re- move back to the Spanish side. turn to Barca, I am very excited,” There had been media specu- Xavi said in March when asked if lation in recent days that World a change of board would be need- Cup winner Xavi, 40, was being ed for it to happen. “In the dress- lined up to replace Quique Set- ing room there can’t be a negative ien at Barcelona at the end of the or toxic atmosphere.” season. Xavi came through the Bar- Xavi turned down an approach celona academy before breaking in January after Barca sacked Er- the record for most appearances nesto Valverde, which led to the for the senior side, winning four Soufiane Saadi (foreground) rides Mayyatello to Prix Husse victory at Nantes, France, on surprise appointment of Setien. Champions League trophies and Saturday. (Jean Charles Briens) “I am happy to continue with eight La Liga titles. Al Sadd, and the team’s goal will the club’s website which added “(My) complete focus in this He joined Al Sadd as a player Agencies her and, under a positive ride from jockey Sou- always be to compete for all ti- that his contract had been re- current period is to fully equip in 2015 before being appointed Nantes, France fi ane Saadi, she secured a neat win by a quarter tles,” he said in a statement on newed for a second season. the players for the upcoming do- coach last July. of a length. D. Guillemin-trained Ippling also a winner ayyatello, who is bred and owned on her previous start, was the runner-up under FORMULA 1 by His Highness Sheikh Abdul- Ioritz Mendizabal. Mlah bin Khalifa al-Thani, followed P.de Chevigny-trained Rougegarde was a up on her convincing victory at Le further short-head behind in third under Tony Mans, France, last month with a Prix Husse Piccone. Class 2 win at Nantes on Saturday evening. Mayyatello is by Intello and was bred by His Trained by Henri-Alex Pantall, the three- Highness Sheikh Abdullah at Haras de Victot. year-old bay fi lly was running over a mile here She is out of the Invincible Spirit mare Mayy- for the fi rst time, having run over 2,000m pre- adah, who was a Listed winner and Group Bottas draws viously. The drop back in trip seemed to suit placed for the same colours. SPOTLIGHT fi rst blood with Qatar Racing’s Afraid Of Nothing adds third win to tally Agencies and made short work of her op- der David Probert, while Rich- Chelmsford, United Kingdom position the seven-furlong run ard Spencer-trained Odyssey for three-year-olds and older Girl was a further short-head horses rated 0-90. behind in third under Angus win in Austria rained by Ralph Beck- The three-year-old fi lly Villiers. ett for Qatar Racing, broke smartly and was straight Off an offi cial rating of 90 Leclerc second for Ferrari, Hamilton fourth, Verstappen retires TAfraid Of Nothing up on the lead where she set a coming into this race, Afraid Of gave an impressive good pace. She was relaxed out Nothing carried a top weight. Reuters There was drama even before performance to win the Brit- in front on her own and never Afraid Of Nothing is by Charm Spielberg, Austria the race when stewards per- ish EBF Fillies’ handicap on the looked in danger that jockey Spirit, a Qatar Racing stallion formed a U-turn after a Red Bull all-weather track at Chelms- Rob Hornby let her ease down at Tweenhills. She was the fi rst challenge and dropped Hamilton ford, UK, on Saturday evening. to cross the line by a length and foal out of the Galileo mare Lady altteri Bottas won an from the front row to fi fth on the A dual winner at two, the bay three quarters. Dragon, who was a three-time action-packed Aus- grid for a breach in Saturday’s fi lly had fi nished second on her Amy Murphy-trained Breath winner and Stakes placed in Vtrian Grand Prix for qualifying. seasonal bow three weeks ago Of Joy was the runner-up un- France for Qatar Racing. champions Mercedes That also promoted Red Bull’s on Sunday as Formula One Max Verstappen to the front started its delayed season with row alongside Bottas on pole plenty of drama, if no specta- position. Any hopes the Dutch tors, in a race with only 11 fi nish- youngster had of completing a ers. Charles Leclerc fi nished a hat-trick of Austrian wins, af- surprise second for Ferrari with ter 2018 and 2019, disappeared McLaren’s Lando Norris cel- when he suff ered an early tech- ebrating a fi rst podium after a nical problem and became the time penalty dropped Mercedes’ season’s fi rst retirement. six times world champion Lewis In a race with three safety car Hamilton to fourth. periods, Bottas soon had Ham- “I managed to keep it together ilton in his mirrors but the Brit- and control the race from my on’s challenge vanished when he side and it’s a good start to the was handed a fi ve-second time season,” said Finn Bottas, who penalty for causing a collision had to keep his cool through with Red Bull’s Alex Albon while three safety car periods. defending second place. Norris, at 20 the youngest The Thai spun off into the driver in the race and now the gravel, his podium hopes shat- youngest Briton to stand on an F1 tered. Leclerc, whose team had podium, also set the fastest lap. struggled in qualifying with The race, on a sunny after- Sebastian Vettel failing even to noon at the scenic Red Bull make the top 10, moved up to Ring was held in front of empty third against all expectations — grandstands and no fans for the which became second after the fi rst time due to the Covid-19 chequered fl ag. pandemic. “I did not expect it.A huge Spaniard Carlos Sainz made it surprise, but a good one,” said a double points haul for McLaren the Monegasque. “It feels like a in fi fth, with Sergio Perez sixth victory today.” for Racing Point and Pierre Gasly Racing Point’s Mexican Pe- seventh for AlphaTauri. rez, who had run as high as third Esteban Ocon, who last raced Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas celebrates with the trophy in the 2019 Mercedes looka- Rob Hornby rides Afraid Of in 2018, took eighth for Renault on the podium after winning the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix like, lost fourth place to Norris Nothing to British EBF Fillies’ on his return while Antonio Gio- yesterday in Spielberg, Austria. two laps from the end but was Handicap victory at Chelmsford, vinazzi bagged ninth for Alfa already carrying a time penalty United Kingdom, on Saturday. Romeo and Sebastian Vettel, completed the top 10 for Ferrari. the last car running with 11th for for exceeding the pit lane speed (Megan Rose Photography) who had another nightmare, Canadian Nicholas Latifi was Williams. limit. Gulf Times 2 Monday, July 6, 2020 SPORT SPOTLIGHT RACING Hattal triumphs in QREC-sponsored Hamilton leads Qatar Derby for Arabians in France Agencies good pace. However, he was una- Chantilly, France ble to maintain his lead under the majority of drivers attacks of Hattal and Artemis, also owned by His Highness he Group 1 Qatar Derby Sheikh Mohamed. for four-year-old Pure- Artemis, trained by Mrs JF Tbred Arabians is one of Bernard, fi nished second under the major races in Eu- Cristian Demuro three quarters ropean Arabian racing calendar, of a length behind the winner. and Hattal emerged victorious Al Shaqab Racing’s home- in taking knee in the 2020 edition of the con- bred Snan, was further two- test, which is sponsored by the and-a-half lengths behind as he Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club snatched third place from Amyr Hamilton, the sport’s only black race winner and champion, has been (QREC), at Chantilly yesterday. Du Soleil in the fi nal strides. Trained by Xavier Thomas- The event, in a normal year, outspoken in his support for the anti-racism movement Black Lives Matter Demeaulte and ridden by Iortiz would have taken place over the Mendizabel, Hattal lined up for third weekend of June. The ex- only the third time in his career, ceptional circumstances of 2020 coming off a win at Toulouse vefi meant that it was moved to the weeks ago and fi nishing second fi rst Sunday of July, joining as al- on his debut in March. ways the Prix de Diane Longines.