Inquisitively showcased his sprinting potential to claim the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes in impressive fashion.
The youngster caught the eye when trained by Ollie Sangster in the early stages of his career, placing in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, but has taken his form to the next level since switching to Kevin Philippart De Foy in Newmarket.
An impressive winner of a Listed race at York during the Ebor Festival, he took the step up to Group Three company in his stride and the 100-30 second favourite displayed plenty of speed from the start as he made all in good style in the hands of William Buick.
It is the biggest success of Philippart De Foy’s training career so far and his exciting speedster is now a 16-1 chance from 20s with Coral for next year’s Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
The handler admitted the soft conditions were something of a question mark before the race.
He said: “I wasn’t that confident beforehand (because of the ground), but he’s a very tough horse and very professional. He took the lead and grabbed the race from the get-go.
“I think he’s a five-furlong horse. We’ll probably have to try him over six later down the line, but he’s got bags of speed and jumps so well. He relaxes very well in his races, but to me he is a five-furlong horse.
“We’ve had a couple of Listed winners, but I wanted a Group winner and I was very keen to do it with a two-year-old. It’s job done and the next step is to try to get a Group Two or a Group One winner.”
Inquisitively changed hands before his York win and Philippart De Foy is unsure on future plans.
He added: “For the time being he is staying here. He was sold to go to Hong Kong, but I asked if I could run him at York and we decided to go for one more today. I’ll have to speak to the owner, it’s a question mark, but I would love to keep him.
“We’ve got a question mark on the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf Sprint), but it’s a long way out and we’ll have to talk about it and see. We’ll discuss it, it’s not off the table.”
Paddy Power offer 8-1 about his chance in America.
League C of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League returned on Thursday with important encounters in Group A and Group C.
Bonaire vs. Anguilla
Bonaire earned their first win of this CNL campaign in Group A with a 2-0 triumph over Anguilla at the Stadion Antonio Trenidat in Rincon, Bonaire.
Bonaire are now back in the race for group honours with three points through two games, three points behind leaders St Martin. Anguilla are in third place with zero points.
Bonaire carved out their first goal of the night through Ginel Ronde in the 10th, as he polished off a counterattack spearheaded by Jonathan Libania for a 1-0 Bonaire advantage.
The lead was then doubled in the 36th, as Marschelon Pourier knocked in a shot from just a few yards out after Anguilla were unable to clear their lines.
With the two-goal cushion, Bonaire could play to their liking and confidently saw things out to pocket the victory.
Dominica vs. British Virgin Islands
The top two teams in Group C met and showed that there is little difference between them after a 1-1 draw between Dominica and British Virgin Islands at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia.
Each side now has four points after two games, with Dominica ahead on goal difference.
Luka Chalwell scored two goals in the September window and picked up where he left off by scoring the opening goal for British Virgin Islands in the 29th.
A long ball was hoofed upfield and Chalwell controlled it superbly, taking a touch and then firing a right-footed shot into net.
Dominica went to work on finding an equalizer and their efforts were finally rewarded in the latter stages, as Briel Thomas struck in the 82th to make it 1-1.
A free kick from the right flank was curled into the area by Troy Jules and Thomas met it with a soaring header to deliver the precious point to his side.
A defence of the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal could be next on the agenda for Envoi Allen following an underwhelming reappearance at Gowran Park last month.
A three-time Cheltenham Festival winner, having won the 2019 Champion Bumper, the 2020 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and last season’s Ryanair Chase, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned gelding is clearly a top-class operator, but has become increasingly difficult to predict over the past couple of years.
The nine-year-old made a successful start to last season at Down Royal, one of eight Grade One victories on his CV, but is set to return to Northern Ireland on another recovery mission having been beaten into third behind Easy Game in the PWC Champion Chase a couple of weeks ago.
“He was a bit rusty (at Gowran) and as we know with Envoi, he can occasionally throw in a disappointing run and then he comes back and shows us how good he is,” said Cheveley Park director Richard Thompson.
“He won two Grade Ones last season and you’d very much hope he’ll come on for that last run. It was a bit disappointing, but he’s given us eight Grade One wins and is a three-time Cheltenham Festival winner, so he’s been a marvellous horse to own and owes us nothing.
“I think that’s where he’ll probably go next (Down Royal), he seemed to enjoy that last year.”
Another Cheveley Park star with a point to prove this term is Envoi Allen’s stablemate A Plus Tard.
The nine-year-old was a sensational winner of the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup for Henry de Bromhead, but a listless display when bidding for back-to-back victories in last season’s Betfair Chase set the tone for a bitterly disappointing campaign.
He was pulled up again in the Gold Cup in March and while a third-placed finish behind Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl was a small step in the right direction, Thompson admits only time will tell whether he can return to his brilliant best.
He added: “He obviously had some issues last season and it didn’t go according to plan. He’s had some work done on him over the summer, I won’t go into specifics as I won’t be able to be technical about it.
“We’ll have to give him a run and see where he’s at, because although we had excuses in the Gold Cup, where he was impeded, and we had the issue before he was due to run in the Savills Chase and his bloods were wrong after the Betfair Chase, he was a tired horse after he ran at Aintree.
“We need to make sure he’s in good shape when he comes out for his first run and take it from there in terms of what sort of campaign he’ll have. We need to see how he runs first time out.”
Allaho, a dual winner of the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham for Willie Mullins, has been sidelined by injury since a dominant success in the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup – but appears to be on the comeback trail.
“All is good with him, as far as I’m aware,” said Thompson.
“I can’t give you any recent details because we’re waiting for Willie to give his view on the programme and I haven’t heard any word recently.”
Tiquanny Williams shined with a hat-trick to deliver a victory for St Kitts and Nevis, as the 2023–24 Concacaf Nations League resumed with two Group A matches in League B on Thursday.
St Lucia edged Guadeloupe as the top two teams in the group faced off. After three games, St Lucia maintains the pole position for promotion with Guadeloupe, St Kitts and Nevis and St Maarten rounding out the group in that order.
St Maarten vs. St Kitts and Nevis
St Kitts and Nevis won 3-2 against St Maarten at the Raymond E. Guishard Stadium in The Valley, Anguilla.
Tiquanny Williams opened the scoring in the 16th with a difficult strike off the edge of the left post.
Gerwin Lake responded for the hosts with a thunderous strike inside the box in the 19th. Centre back Sergio Hughes found Lake on the right flank with an accurate long ball and the striker did the rest.
Williams retook the lead for the visitors, 2-1, in the 48th after pouncing on a rebounding ball off the crossbar to hit a left-foot strike into the net.
St Maarten nearly equalized in the 67th but was denied on a goal-line clearance followed by a Chovanie Amatkarijo attempt bouncing off the right post.
Williams completed his hat-trick in the 68th as St Kitts and Nevis used a quick counter attack to extend its lead.
Imar Kort took one back for St Maarten in the 79th after goalkeeper Julani Archibald could not contain a potent shot from and Amatkarijo free kick.
The visitors withstood the late St Maarten rally to gain its first victory of the campaign. The two will meet again in three days as St Kitts and Nevis will look to repeat the result on its home turf.
St Lucia vs. Guadeloupe
St Lucia kept their perfect record with a 2-1 win over Guadeloupe at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia.
Jerome Roussillon put the visitors in the lead in the 29th after connecting on a long pass from Andreaw Gravillon. Roussillon brought the ball down inside the box with his left before striking with his right.
Caniggia Elva tied the encounter 1-1 in the 45th as St Lucia pushed for the equalizer prior to halftime. Janoi Donacien propelled the play forward before passing to Elva inside the box.
Gregson President was denied on a breakaway in the 55th as Davy Royard was there to block as the last line of defense. Rouyard had another save just one minute later to keep the score level.
Jevick Mac Farlane put the home side in front 2-1 in the 58th with right-footed shot into goal. Elva provided the through ball as St Lucia completed an attack through the left flank.
Second half substitutes Kilian Bevis and Vikash Tille nearly connected for the tying goal in the 89th, but goalkeeper Vino Barclett provided the safe hands to intercept Tille’s header.
While it was not the most polished performance, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz did enough to ease past Grenada 4-1 in their Concacaf Nations League Group B encounter and move one step closer to a League A quarterfinals berth.
Despite starting without a number of the regulars, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side raced to an early 2-0 lead courtesy of Kevon Lambert (13th) and Shamar Nicholson (23rd), before Demarai Gray (74th) and stand-in captain Bobby Reid (87th), made the three points safe.
Trevon Williams (30th) got Grenada’s consolation in the keenly contested encounter at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
With the win, their second of the tournament, the Jamaicans moved up to seven points, three ahead of second-placed Cuba (four points), who were scheduled to face third-placed Honduras (three points) in the group’s late kickoff.
Elsewhere, fourth-placed Haiti (three points) and fifth-placed Suriname (two points), played out a 1-1 stalemate in Paramaribo. Grenada remains at the foot of the standing with a solitary point.
It was a patient start by the Reggae Boyz in St George’s, as they took their time to breakdown Grenada’s defence and eventually found the go-ahead goal from a set play.
Gregory Leigh’s weighted corner kick was deflected towards goal by Romario Williams, but the effort was brilliantly kept out by Jason Belfon diving full stretch to his left. However, the custodian had no response to Lambert’s follow-up shot in a goalmouth melee.
The Boyz went close to doubling the lead three minutes later when Gray embarked on a darting run and played off a pass to Nicholson, whose effort was charged down by Darius Johnson, putting his body on the line.
Grenada belatedly came to life in attack a minute later with Josh Gabriel rifling a left-footed drive from a distance, but Jahmali Waite, who started in place of captain Andre Blake, proved equal to the task.
That was the start of a good, sustained attacking spell for Grenada, as they camped out in the Jamaicans half like a pack of hungry wolves, but their hunt for the equalizer proved fruitless.
They later paid for it when Nicholson extended the Jamaicans lead. The towering striker picked up a pass from Williams, slipped his marker and easily tucked a left-footed effort past Belfon.
Grenada pulled one back on the half-hour mark through Williams’s deflection on Johnson’s follow-up effort. The initial shot by Gabriel was kept out by Waite.
Both teams created chances at the backend of the half but failed to capitalise. While the Jamaicans went in 2-1 up, it was Grenada that enjoyed the momentum at the break.
Unlike they did at the start, the Boyz were more purposeful on the resumption and had opportunities to push further ahead. However, they were denied by faulty shooting and some good work by Belfon, at times.
On one of those occasions, Belfon did well to block Williams's shot from close range in the 58th minute.
Four minutes later, a good through pass from Reid found debutant Karoy Anderson and the 19-year-old dismissed his marker, but selfishly went for a shot from a tight angle.
Grenada almost pulled level in the 70th when Regan Charles-Cook got behind defenders, but Waite left his line well to avert the danger.
Jamaica asserted their authority in the latter stages of the contest and inevitably pushed further ahead through Gray. The former Everton man used his pace to good effect on the left channel, as he charged into the box and placed a right-footer past Belfon.
Reid added another three minutes from time. He got on the end of Daniel Johnson’s free kick and made no mistakes from close range.
Defending champions Jamaica College closed the gap between themselves and Group B leaders Tivoli High to one point thanks to a 7-0 win over Spanish Town High in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Thursday.
Kingston Technical made things even more interesting in the group with a 3-1 win over the leaders to also move within a point of top spot, trailing JC by 12 on goal difference.
The day’s other group game saw Cumberland beat Meadowbrook 4-0 for their first win of the season.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Grant hammered Greater Portmore 8-0 to move to second in Group C with 17 points, two points behind leaders Haile Selassie and two ahead of third placed Eltham.
While on paper it seems Jamaica has drawn perceived lesser opponents for the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 qualifiers, assistant coach John Wall insists that the young Reggae Boyz will not be grandstanding against anyone, as the main aim beyond qualification is to improve the quality of their play.
In fact, Wall is aware that teams such as Bermuda, Grenada and Martinique, who they will rub shoulders with in Group F, have all been on the upgrade which means the perception of easy games is now a thing of the past.
The 27-team tournament scheduled for February 23 to March 2, will be contested in six groups across five venues in Central America and the Caribbean.
After round-robin play, the group winners will progress to the 2024 Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship, joining the six top-ranked nations –United States, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic.
With this in mind, Wall pointed to the importance of ensuring the young Reggae Boyz are well prepared to give of their best.
"Obviously there is no simple game in Concacaf, I have learnt that firsthand and bearing in mind also that the trend overall in Concacaf is that the game has become more global, especially where the Diaspora comes in. So, Martinique when it comes to relationship with France and obviously Bermuda and Grenada with the United Kingdom predominantly.
“For us it is kind of a bigger scope, and we take it really seriously. We have been having camps from earlier this year and we are watching the players and identifying them as we go on. For me, it is really important to look at the next generation and the style of how Jamaica plays on a general basis,” Wall said.
“Also, qualifiers are a special kind of animal, you have to take certain things into account such as the number of games in a short space of time, you have players coming in as well as time zone differences. So, we are making all those external factors more internal per se and control the variables as much as we can,” he added.
Wall explained that his course of action has already be set in motion to identify character strengths he wants the young Reggae Boyz to exemplify and create an identity through purposeful planning.
“I have sent my preferred plan to the head of the Technical Committee because for us, it is obviously optimizing the time that we have. So, we want to use this upcoming Fifa window, we want to use December and January. What was done in the past is that players spent a lot of weeks in camps and accumulate too much fatigue heading into a tournament,” Wall reasoned.
“So, the good thing about what we are doing now by having these short camps since March is that it actually gives players time to adapt to the messaging and what we want and how I feel that we need to train and what we need to be. So given time, we can do a lot of things together and I am really looking forward to it myself,” he noted.
That said, the tactician who also works alongside Heimir Hallgrimsson with the senior Reggae Boyz team, expressed delight with how they have incorporated young players into that setup.
“The proof of it is in what we have been doing with the first team with guys like Dexter Lembikisa, Karoy Anderson and Whisper [Dujuan Richards]. So, the process is there and the pathway for the younger players should be there, and we need to have a really inclusive environment,” he stated.
“Jamaica for me is bold and likes to take on challenges and if there is anything I can add, I hope that I can, but I want to see that sense of desperation and urgency when Jamaica is playing football,” Wall ended.
Group A -Cuba, Nicaragua, Belize, British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla
(Venue: Estadio Nacional, Managua)
Group B -El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, Guyana, and Turks and Caicos Islands (Venue: ABFA Technical Centre, Piggotts)
Group C -Guatemala, Curacao, Aruba, Saint Martin, and Barbados
(Venue: Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City)
Group D -Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica (Venue: Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain)
Group E -Haiti, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Cayman Islands
(SKNFA Technical Center, Basseterre)
Group F -Jamaica, Bermuda, Grenada, and Martinique (Venue: SKNFA Technical Center, Basseterre)
After a three-year hiatus due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s Pocket Rocket Foundation is set to resume an inter-community six-a-side football tournament in Waterhouse.
The tournament dubbed the Fesco Six-A-Side Football Competition, will see 16 teams from Waterhouse and adjoining communities vying for cash and other prizes and even more importantly, harmony between communities that are occasionally in violent conflict with each other. Matches will be played on Saturdays beginning on October 14 until the grand finale on November 19.
For the opening weekend, matches will also be played on Monday, October 16, National Heroes Day in Jamaica.
The multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medallist told Sportsmax.TV that she is glad that she is able to resume the competition that for almost a decade engaged young men in the under-served communities.
“This is going to be our eighth staging and we were away for three years. For me, it’s about being able to engage young men coming together from different communities on the football field. Everybody knows what football does to the world and we want to offer young men an opportunity to relate to each other, to understand that we’re vying for something, that we can be competitive but we can have sportsmanship. We can understand that we are all fighting for the same thing, just to co-exist and having the football come back is a huge opportunity to see what the community has been doing, how we can engage them,” said Fraser-Pryce, whose Pocket Rocket Foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
The foundation has brought gasoline marketers and distributors, Fesco, on board as a title sponsor and Fraser-Pryce expressed her gratitude at having them on board, stating, “We are fortunate to have Fesco as one of our title sponsors. They have been such a pillar in the community because they are in the process of opening a gas station in my community so we are looking forward to the partnership and just to engage the young men.”
Teams will be outfitted by Nike and the iconic athlete promised that the tournament will be so much more than just about football. She expects it to be a fulfilling experience for the communities involved.
“We will have an ambulance on site. We will have entertainment and giveaways and a whole host of things. One of the things we want to do this year is to make sure that each Saturday we have an outreach, whether its inviting the cancer society or having blood pressure checks, different things that can engage the community as a whole.”
The football competition is among several initiatives that the Pocket Rocket Foundation is undertaking this year. There is a fundraising gala on November 4 at the AC Hotel in Kingston and its Christmas treat for the Waterhouse community later this year.
Unbeaten Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Ace Impact has been retired to stud.
Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, the three-year-old has enjoyed an exemplary campaign, rising through the ranks from a Cagnes-Sur-Mer all-weather win in January to an electrifying length-and-three-quarters victory in the ParisLongchamp showpiece at the start of this month.
After his initial win in January, Rouget bided his time until sending Ace Impact for a conditions win in April, with a Listed success coming the following month.
Upped to Group One level for the Prix du Jockey Club after that, the son of Cracksman showed his trademark turn of foot to win the French equivalent of the Derby by three and a half lengths from Big Rock.
A Group Two victor in the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville in August, Ace Impact was a short-priced Arc favourite and he justified that confidence with a stylish success under Cristian Demuro.
Owned in partnership by Serge Stempniak and the Chehboub family’s Gousserie Racing, connections had considered a possible Japan Cup bid or even campaigning on in 2024, but eventually opted to retire their star to stand at Haras de Beaumont stud in Normandy.
Ace Impact bows out the winner of each of his six career starts, boasting a rating of 128 which puts him just 1lb behind top Japanese runner Equinox.
“The way he races and his acceleration is very rare in a racehorse,” said Rouget.
“Very few racehorses are able to accelerate like that and for me (2008 Arc winner) Zarkava was a super champion and maybe had the superior acceleration, but he is not far from that.
“He gave me a great day when winning the Arc and also the Prix du Jockey Club and all the races were delicious. We started very slowly and then progressed to Listed, Group One and Group Two and then another Group One.
“We had very good days with Almanzor in the Prix du Jockey Club and Sottsass in the Jockey Club and the Arc and (they) were equally good champions. With Ace Impact his acceleration is stronger and with him, in three steps, the race is over.”
On his overriding memories of Ace Impact and the opportunity to train his progeny in the future, the handler added: “We have a few years to wait and we will try to find another one like him.
“We are champion trainer for the fifth time in France thanks to Ace Impact.
“My memory of him will be he is he is not impressive in the morning, but when racing, he is another horse with very strong acceleration.”
Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB), known for their longstanding support of Jamaican athletes and their commitment to the welfare of young talents, will be making a significant contribution to the safety and well-being of students and athletes in Jamaica.
Through their "Defibrillators in Schools" initiative, TJB is set to present 35 Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to various schools and sports associations on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. The presentation will take place at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium, situated on the campus of the University of Technology (UTech).
The event will commence at 9:00 am and will not only involve the formal presentation of the AED units but will also include an in-person training session on how to use the AED and its importance. In addition, the participants will receive training in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and be provided with a Sports First Aid Kit to enhance their readiness for emergencies.
The roots of the Team Jamaica Bickle "Defibrillator to Schools Program" can be traced back to 2014 when it was initiated after the tragic loss of St. Jago High School student, Cavahn McKenzie, at a cross-country meet in Tobago. This heartbreaking incident prompted TJB to take action, recognizing the urgent need for schools, especially at sporting events, to have access to emergency resources.
Since the launch of the program in 2014, TJB has donated over 100 AED units to schools and organizations while providing training to more than 400 staff and students. The training sessions are to be conducted by skilled nurses Delores McGregor, Sharon Thompson, and Winsome James, all of whom belong to the Diaspora Health Care Sector. They hold certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS) and are members of the New York-based Jamaican Nurses Association in the Northeast Diaspora.
Apart from schools, the initiative extends to various sporting associations, including Netball Jamaica, Jamaica Volleyball, and several tertiary institutions, such as UTech, GC Foster College of Sports and Recreation, Montego Bay Community College, and The Mico University College.
Irwine Clare, Sr., the Founder of Team Jamaica Bickle, expressed their commitment to the welfare and well-being of athletes as they strive to excel in their chosen disciplines.
This noble endeavor is made possible through the support of major sponsors, including the Second Round Foundation, represented by Jalen Brunson, an NBA Point Guard for the New York Knicks, and Adelina Bernard, an Olympic Sprinter who has represented Panama, Jamaica, and Venezuela. The Jamaica National (JN) Group has also played a significant role in enabling this critical initiative that aims to enhance safety and health awareness within the Jamaican sports community.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed the squads for seven of the eight teams that will compete in the CG United Super50 Cup.
The Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) squad will be named after their ongoing preparation and selection camp in Trinidad.
The 50-over tournament will officially bowl off in Trinidad on the morning of Tuesday 17 October with the opening match between home side Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and CCC at the Queen’s Park Oval (QPO) at 9am (8am Jamaica).
Also on Tuesday, the Guyana Harpy Eagles will face the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in the first televised match at 1pm (12 noon Jamaica).
The Tournament will feature 31 matches to be played at three venues: the BLCA, the QPO and the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Grounds of the University of the West Indies Sport and Physical Education Centre (UWI SPEC) at the St. Augustine Campus.
Additionally, there has been a change to the match schedule. On 4 November the fixture between CCC and Leeward Islands Hurricanes has been moved from the QPO to UWI SPEC at 9am (8am Jamaica).
The captains of the squads named are: Shai Hope (Barbados Pride), Veerasammy Permaul (Guyana Harpy Eagles), Rovman Powell (Jamaica Scorpions), Alzarri Joseph (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Darren Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago Red Force), Nyeem Young (West Indies Academy) and Andre Fletcher (Windward Islands Volcanoes).
Johnny Grave, CWI’s CEO said: “The countdown is on to the first ball of this year’s CG United Super50 Cup and we are delighted to announce all but one of the squads for the tournament. The teams have all had an intense period of preparation and we know this will lead to an action-packed and entertaining tournament for our fans – from the first ball on Tuesday to the last ball on the night of 11 November.”
Grave added: “As we look towards the future in West Indies cricket, we are again pleased to have our West Indies Academy players participate in this year’s edition, which will provide them with strong, quality competition along their pathway to hopefully future international cricket. We wish all the teams the best in their quest to glory and being crowned the champions of the CG United Super50 Cup in 2023.”
This year, the region’s premier List A 50-over tournament will run until Saturday 11 November with a new eight-team league format followed by Semi-Finals and Finals to determine the 2023 CG United Super50 Cup Champions.All 13 matches at the BLCA, including the Semi-Finals and Final, will be televised live on ESPN Caribbean, with 12 of those matches being day/night games.
CONFIRMED SQUADS
Barbados Pride: Shai Hope (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Akeem Jordan, Javed Leacock, Kyle Mayers, Jair McAllister, Zachary McCaskie, Roshon Primus, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Smith, Jomel Warrican; Vasbert Drakes (Head Coach)
Guyana Harpy Eagles: Veerasammy Permaul (captain), Tevin Imlach (vice-captain), Kevlon Anderson, Ronsford Beaton, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Kemol Savory, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith; Ryan Hercules (Head Coach)
Jamaica Scorpions: Rovman Powell (captain), Fabian Allen, Brad Barnes, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Dennis Bulli, Sheldon Cottrell, Nicholson Gordon, Andre McCarthy, Kirk McKenzie, Shalome Parnell, Jeavor Royal, Odean Smith, Chadwick Walton; Nikita Miller (Head Coach)
Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Alzarri Joseph (captain), Rahkeem Cornwall (vice-captain), Jewel Andrew, Keacy Carty, Terrence Warde, Daniel Doram, Karima Gore, Justin Greaves, Jahmar Hamilton, Kofi James, Jeremiah Louis, Kieran Powell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.; Stuart Williams (Head Coach)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force: Darren Bravo (captain), Joshua Da Silva (vice-captain), Yannic Cariah, Mark Deyal, Shannon Gabriel, Terrance Hinds, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kjorn Ottley, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Tion Webster; David Furlonge (Head Coach)
West Indies Academy: Nyeem Young (captain), Ackeem Auguste, Joshua Bishop, Teddy Bishop, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, McKenny Clarke, Matthew Forde, Leonardo Julien, Johann Layne, Kimani Melius, Matthew Nandu, Ashmead Nedd, Kelvin Pitman, Kevin Wickham; Andre Coley (Head Coach)
Windward Islands Volcanoes: Andre Fletcher (captain), Alick Athanaze (vice-captain), Sunil Ambris, Johnson Charles, Darel Cyrus, Kenneth Dember, Shadrack Descarte, Larry Edward, Kavem Hodge, Ryan John, Shermon Lewis, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Tevyn Walcott; Kenroy Peters (Head Coach)
CG United Super50 Match Schedule:
Venues: Queen’s Park Oval (QPO); Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA); UWI SPEC
Matches in bold are televised matches, exclusively live on ESPN Caribbean
All other matches are streamed live on the windiescricket YouTube channel
17 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs CCC at QPO – 9am
17 October: Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA – 1pm
18 October: Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Jamaica Scorpions at BLCA – 1pm
19 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at QPO – 9am
19 October: CCC vs West Indies Academy at BLCA – 1pm
20 October: Barbados Pride vs Jamaica Scorpions at UWI SPEC – 9am
21 October: Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs West Indies Academy at QPO – 9am
21 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA – 1pm
22 October: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs CCC at UWI SPEC – 9am
23 October: Guyana Harpy Eagles vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at QPO – 9am
23 October: Barbados Pride vs West Indies Academy at UWI SPEC – 9am
25 October: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Barbados Pride at BLCA - 9am
25 October: West Indies Academy vs Jamaica Scorpions at QPO – 9am
25 October: Guyana Harpy Eagles vs CCC at UWI SPEC – 9am
26 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at BLCA – 1pm
27 October: Jamaica Scorpions vs CCC at UWI SPEC – 9am
28 October: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs West Indies Academy at QPO – 9am
29 October: Barbados Pride vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at UWI SPEC – 9am
29 October: Jamaica Scorpions vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at BLCA – 1pm
31 October: Windward Islands Volcanoes vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at QPO – 9am
31 October: CCC vs Barbados Pride at UWI SPEC – 9am
1 November: West Indies Academy vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at UWI SPEC – 9am
2 November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Jamaica Scorpions at QPO – 9am
2 November: Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Barbados Pride at BLCA – 1pm
3 November: West Indies Academy vs Windward Islands Volcanoes at UWI SPEC – 9am
4 November: CCC vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes at UWI SPEC – 9am
4 November: Jamaica Scorpions vs Guyana Harpy Eagles at BLCA – 1pm
5 November: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force vs Barbados Pride at BLCA – 1pm
8 November: Semi-Final 1 at BLCA – 1pm
9 November: Semi-Final 2 at BLCA – 1pm
11 November: Final at BLCA – 1pm
Barry Connell’s Grade One winner Good Land has sustained a tendon injury and will miss the National Hunt season.
The seven-year-old was a bumper winner at beginning of last term and developed into a Grade One-winning hurdler, taking a Leopardstown maiden before returning to land the Nathaniel Lacy & Prtnrs Solicitors Novice Hurdle.
Subsequently the gelding lined up for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and finished a respectable fourth and was later found to have abnormalities in a blood test.
The bay was being prepared for his chasing debut at Limerick next weekend when he sustained the injury that will see him miss the new season but hopefully will not prevent him from returning next term.
“We were planning to run him in the beginners’ chase there at Limerick on Munster National Day, we just did a piece of work with him at the Curragh on Tuesday and he seemed to be fine,” Connell explained.
“Then this morning we felt we were in a bit of difficulty, so we got the leg scanned and unfortunately he’s got a tendon injury.
“It’s treatable but he will be out for the season, we’re fairly hopeful we’ll have him back for next year.
“The treatment nowadays would entail controlled exercise, he’ll have his treatment then he’ll spend time on the walker and probably go out after a little while.
“It’s just one of these things, it usually tends to happen to the better horses rather than the lesser ones because of the nature of the competitions they’re running in – Grade One races at all the top meetings.
“It’s unfortunate, it’s the first one of these we’ve had in quite some time. He had some issues in the past and we got him back successfully last year and he had a very good season and won his Grade One.
“He probably was a little under the weather at Cheltenham but we were delighted to have the season we had last year and with a bit of luck we’ll have him back.
“He’s seven now, eight next year, but he’s only very lightly raced so hopefully the prognosis is good and he can make a full recovery for next year.”
Bob Baffert is excited to see Frankie Dettori’s famous flying dismount again when the Italian returns to California following his retirement U-turn.
The American handler was a big supporter of Dettori when he headed to America last winter and Baffert has indicated he will be keen to provide the 52-year-old with plenty of ammunition when he relocates to be based out of Santa Anita following his Qipco British Champions Day swansong.
Baffert and Dettori have linked up to great effect in the past, claiming Dubai World Cup honours with Country Grammer in 2022, while that horse also kickstarted the jockey’s spell in America last winter when winning the San Antonio Stakes.
Baffert is now relishing Dettori’s return to California and the opportunity to enjoy many more victories together.
“I think it is terrific news for the sport and the fans of racing in California,” Baffert told the PA news agency.
“In particular I can’t wait to see some more of his flying dismounts from my horses in the Santa Anita winner’s circle, because that is really entertaining and the fans really come out to see him.
“He’s an icon in the sport of racing and probably the most notable jockey I know around the world.
“We’ve got some horses here and I’ll definitely use him. I don’t have anything for him for the Breeders’ Cup – if he would have been here a month or so ago I probably would have – but I will definitely put him on some good ones.”
Baffert’s support will be a boost for Dettori who has the aim of adding the Kentucky Derby to his illustrious CV during his overseas career extension.
Some of the duo’s biggest triumphs together have come on dirt and the Hall of Fame handler – who oversaw the careers of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify – believes the Italian’s ability to ride effectively on all surfaces is something he has rarely seen during his career.
“Not only is he a great athlete but he is really intelligent, has great hands and rides the dirt really well,” explained Baffert.
“I thought he was going to come over here and be a turf specialist, but he’s great on either surface and that is very rare and there has only been a dozen or so jockeys who are that kind of rider.
“He knows how to place a horse and how to get a horse to relax and his input is really important – he will get off and tell you how he felt about a horse, what he needs, the style and everything.
“Dirt racing is a different animal and you are going fast the whole way. It is not sitting there in those mile-and-a-half races reading a book down the back side and then everybody goes for home and he’s just incredible.
“He’s reacts really well in a tough situation and he’s used to riding heavy favourites. When he’s got a target on his back, he’s used to it, and he can handle the pressure.
“Unfortunately as a trainer, you can’t blame the jockey when you use Frankie Dettori – that is the only downfall.”
Bob Baffert is excited to see Frankie Dettori’s famous flying dismount again when the Italian returns to California following his retirement U-turn.
The American handler was a big supporter of Dettori when he headed to America last winter and Baffert has indicated he will be keen to provide the 52-year-old with plenty of ammunition when he relocates to be based out of Santa Anita following his Qipco British Champions Day swansong.
Baffert and Dettori have linked up to great effect in the past, claiming Dubai World Cup honours with Country Grammer in 2022, while that horse also kickstarted the jockey’s spell in America last winter when winning the San Antonio Stakes.
Baffert is now relishing Dettori’s return to California and the opportunity to enjoy many more victories together.
“I think it is terrific news for the sport and the fans of racing in California,” Baffert told the PA news agency.
“In particular I can’t wait to see some more of his flying dismounts from my horses in the Santa Anita winner’s circle, because that is really entertaining and the fans really come out to see him.
“He’s an icon in the sport of racing and probably the most notable jockey I know around the world.
“We’ve got some horses here and I’ll definitely use him. I don’t have anything for him for the Breeders’ Cup – if he would have been here a month or so ago I probably would have – but I will definitely put him on some good ones.”
Baffert’s support will be a boost for Dettori who has the aim of adding the Kentucky Derby to his illustrious CV during his overseas career extension.
Some of the duo’s biggest triumphs together have come on dirt and the Hall of Fame handler – who oversaw the careers of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify – believes the Italian’s ability to ride effectively on all surfaces is something he has rarely seen during his career.
“Not only is he a great athlete but he is really intelligent, has great hands and rides the dirt really well,” explained Baffert.
“I thought he was going to come over here and be a turf specialist, but he’s great on either surface and that is very rare and there has only been a dozen or so jockeys who are that kind of rider.
“He knows how to place a horse and how to get a horse to relax and his input is really important – he will get off and tell you how he felt about a horse, what he needs, the style and everything.
“Dirt racing is a different animal and you are going fast the whole way. It is not sitting there in those mile-and-a-half races reading a book down the back side and then everybody goes for home and he’s just incredible.
“He’s reacts really well in a tough situation and he’s used to riding heavy favourites. When he’s got a target on his back, he’s used to it, and he can handle the pressure.
“Unfortunately as a trainer, you can’t blame the jockey when you use Frankie Dettori – that is the only downfall.”
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