Horse racing will resume in September at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, the racetrack said Monday, after safety changes following the deaths of 12 horses within...

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has admitted Champions League qualification was not even in his thoughts as he embarked upon the new Premier League campaign. The Magpies secured a top-four finish and a return to the big stage for the first time since the 2002-03 season with a 0-0 draw against Leicester on Monday evening to complete a remarkable turnaround. They were in severe danger of relegation when Howe took the helm in November 2021 but will now rub shoulders with the continent’s elite next season. A delighted Howe said: “This wasn’t in our sights at that moment. We had escaped relegation impressively, from the position we were in. “We were hopeful of improving and staying away from danger and growing the team to a position where maybe we could compete for Europe in a couple of seasons, so we’ve shot ahead of schedule. “With that comes big challenges for the future, but when you’re in these moments and there’s an opportunity of something like this, you have to take it.” The club’s Saudi-backed owners have ploughed in excess of £250million in the squad since buying out Mike Ashley, but have received an earlier than anticipated return on their investment. It’s an amazing achievement, an amazing thing in terms of where we’ve come from in such a short space of time Eddie Howe Newcastle reached the Carabao Cup final in February only to lose to Manchester United at Wembley, but were not to be denied a place at Europe’s top table. Howe said: “The difficulty is there’s no trophy. It’s an amazing achievement, an amazing thing in terms of where we’ve come from in such a short space of time. “But it feels difficult to celebrate it like you’ve won a league or something like that. It’s right up there, of course it is. It’s an amazing thing at a very special club. Asked how he would celebrate, Howe added with a smile: “I don’t know how I’ll celebrate. I’ll wait and see. I hope it’s not with a tea and a biscuit.” St James’ Park was bouncing at the final whistle and Howe, his staff and players performed a lap of honour, although the mood in the Leicester camp was very different. The Foxes remain two points adrift of safety, although victory over West Ham on Saturday coupled with a draw for Everton at home to Bournemouth would keep them up on goal difference. They did not muster a shot until stoppage time, when Magpies goalkeeper Nick Pope kept out Timothy Castagne’s volley to deny them a priceless victory, but boss Dean Smith was defiant over his safety-first approach. Smith said: “I make no apologies for the way we set up today. We haven’t kept a clean sheet for too long and the reason we are where we are is because of that in my opinion. “My mind was made up when I watched Newcastle play Brighton on Thursday, one of the best footballing teams in the Premier League this year, Brighton, and in that first 20, 25 minutes, they steamrollered them. “We had to keep a clean sheet and hope, because we had to make sacrifices with our team sheet today and hope then we were still in the game. “It almost worked exactly to plan, but the goalkeeper made a really good save in the 90th minute, which was our only shot, I think. “If it’s too little, too late, who knows? But we’ve taken it to Sunday now.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fun the priority of new coaching campaign to boost activity among young people Ilkay Gundogan urges Manchester City to keep standards high in quest for treble Real Madrid file hate crime complaint after Vinicius targeted by racist abuse

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Manchester United host Arsenal in an early meeting of two Women’s Super League title challengers. United finished second to Chelsea in the WSL title race last season with Arsenal third, and both clubs will be looking to stop the Blues from winning a fifth consecutive title this campaign. Marc Skinner’s side found an injury-time winner to defeat Aston Villa away from home in their opening fixture last weekend, while Arsenal were stunned by Liverpool in front of a record WSL crowd at the Emirates. The Gunners will therefore need to respond and a second consecutive defeat to start the season would be another early setback to their WSL title hopes. United, who won both meetings against Arsenal last season, will also come up against former striker Alessia Russo, after the England star switched to the Gunners at the end of her contract this summer. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Women’s Super League clash and get all the latest football odds and tips here. What time is Manchester United vs Arsenal? The match will kick off at 7:30pm BST on Friday 6 October and will be played at Leigh Sports Village. How can I watch it? The WSL clash will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with build-up starting on the latter at 7pm on Friday night. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Manchester United lost Scotland international Emma Watson to an ACL injury before the start of the season but have reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of facing Arsenal. The new signing and Brazil international Geyse had her first start of the campaign against Villa and is set to stay in Skinner’s line-up. Arsenal striker Alessia Russo should start against her former club. Beth Mead is close to a return but remains out for his one, as are Leah Williamson and Vivianne Miedema. Predicted line-ups Manchester United: Earps; Blundell, Le Tissier, Turner, George; Ladd, Zelem; Garcia, Toone, Galton; Geyse Arsenal: Zinsberger; Lacasse. Wubben-Moy, Ilestedt, Catley; Walti, Little, Maanum; McCabe, Foord; Russo Prediction Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal Read More Arsenal break Women’s Super League record – but suffer shock Liverpool defeat Alessia Russo to Mary Fowler – five Women’s Super League players to look out for Can anyone stop dominant Chelsea? – WSL talking points ahead of new season Football rumours: Manchester City moving to extend Erling Haaland deal Jonas Eidevall: Alessia Russo won’t put herself under pressure on Man Utd return Man United and Tottenham eye move for Atletico Madrid’s transfer guru