Willmount made the perfect start to life over obstacles with an effortless win in the Agetur UK Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.

Trained by Neil Mulholland last season to win two bumpers, he moved to Nicky Henderson over the summer and the change of scenery has certainly not done him any harm.

Nico de Boinville found himself in front aboard Oli Harris’ £340,000 purchase after half a mile due to the speed at which his mount was jumping and from then on it was a solo affair.

Only Beny Nahar Road and Onewayortother attempted to keep pace but when De Boinville kicked clear on the turn for home and pinged the third last, the race was over and he cruised to a 13-length success.

“He gave me a lovely feel actually. There wasn’t much pace on so I was happy to just roll away down the back, he pricked his ears nicely and quickened away into the straight,” De Boinville told Racing TV.

“He jumped very nicely, was slick when he needed to be and he could fiddle away as well, which is great.

“He’s very uncomplicated, these pedigrees are showing more and more with their temperament and everything.”

Following in the footsteps of her more celebrated compatriot Julien Alfred, rising St Lucian sprinter Naomi London, has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 2024. The Longhorns made the announcement on Instagram and has been independently confirmed by Sportsmax.TV.

London, who is from Vieux-Fort in St Lucia, ran 11.72 to win the silver in the 100m at the 2023 Carifta Games in the Bahamas in April to become her country’s first ever sprint medalist at the Caribbean junior showcase.

She then followed up by running 23.72 in the 200m for her second silver medal of the games.

At Texas, London, who turned 16 in March, will be hoping to emulate the successes achieved by Alfred, who Coach Eldrick Floreal characterized as “the greatest sprinter in NCAA history” after she won the 100m and 200m and leading the Longhorns to an impressive victory in the 4x100m relay to lead Texas to the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships title for the first time in 18 years.

Aintree will hold an inspection at 9am on Friday on the Grand National course to see if Saturday’s BoyleSports Grand Sefton Handicap Chase can take place.

While the races on the Mildmay and hurdle course are unaffected, parts of the Grand National course are currently waterlogged.

The £100,000 race is the first time this season the iconic course is scheduled to be in use.

Ground staff are to continue their remedial work throughout Thursday but another band of heavy rain is due on Thursday evening.

Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said: “We are soft, heavy in places, on the Mildmay, chase and hurdle courses.

“We’re currently heavy, soft in places, on the Grand National course, with a couple of areas of concern that we are working on through today.

“We hope the remedial work will be done by the end of the day and that the course should be fit for racing, but the fly in the ointment for us is that we potentially have heavy rain tonight.

“Depending on which forecast you look at, it’s anything from 5mm to 10mm or more, so we’re just going to have to see what state we’re in in the morning as to whether we can go ahead with the Grand Sefton, but the rest of the races are not affected.”

The fixture at Fontwell on Friday has already been abandoned.

Reigning Ben Francis champions Glenmuir High had a positive start in the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup quarterfinals, as they blanked Manchester High 2-0 in a lively Group A encounter at their May Pen base on Wednesday.

Glenmuir, who are contesting the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2017, got their goals four minutes apart through Ja-son Whyte (51st) and Orane Watson (55th), and are now poised for a semi-final berth, provided they see off defending champions Clarendon College and Christiana High in their next two fixtures.

Clarendon College, who are heavily favoured to retain their title, also started positively with a 4-0 beating of Christiana High to grab an early lead in the group. They enjoy a two-goal difference over Glenmuir, heading into Saturday’s second round of games.

At May Pen, Glenmuir came out more purposeful, as Kyle Gordon paraded his nippy footwork in breaking down Manchester defence, while DeAndre Johnson forced a save from Jevanni Bennett with a stinging right-footer from about 20 yards out, in the early exchanges.

In fact, Manchester’s first real show of quality in attack came in the 14th minute when they got in behind Glenmuir’s defence, but were unable to find the go-ahead goal.

Both teams continued to assert their attacking prowess in the probe to break the deadlock. Glenmuir again went close in the 36th when Gordon found Watson at the top of the 18-yard box, but the latter’s effort was kept out by Bennett diving away to his left.

Manchester responded shortly after and it took a tidy save from Antwone Gooden in goal for Glenmuir to deny Michael Reid on the stroke of the break to ensure the score remained goalless.

However, Glenmuir again came out spiritedly on the resumption and inevitable found the breakthrough six minutes in when Whyte’s well-struck freekick from about 30 yards out, beat Bennett all ends up. It was a goal befitting of his first for the season.

And before Manchester could contemplate a comeback, they suffered a second blow when Watson outpaced a defender and drove a right-footed effort past the hapless Bennett for his sixth of the season.

The tempo of the game fell from there and it wasn’t until the later stages of the contest that both teams again showed some life in attack, albeit, failing to capitalise on the opportunities.

Glenmuir’s Head coach Andrew Peart said the win is just what the doctor ordered.

“It is important because we wanted to start the group very well. At the half we weren’t so pleased with the intensity at which we played, we gave Manchester High a little bit too much room, especially in the middle of the field.

“But second half, we got a brilliant goal by Jason Whyte and then it was about pressing high up the field again that led to the second goal. So I am very pleased in terms of the reaction in the second half and in the end, the result,” Peart said in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Patrick Graham believe his team was lacking in parts.

“First, let me congratulate the Glenmuir team. I believe they showed a bit more fight than us, we surrendered some crucial areas on the pitch when they were in possession and it cost us the game.

“The positive is that after going two-nil down, we showed a little bit more fight and more composure and it shows that we can play whenever we decide to play. So, we just have to prepare for the next two games,” Graham noted.

Meanwhile, over in Group two, Garvey Maceo High and Dinthill Technical registered 4-0 and 2-0 victories over BB Coke and Cornwall College respectively. Much like it is in Group A, Garvey Maceo hold a two-goal difference over Dinthill Technical.

Wednesday’s results

Group A

Clarendon College 4, Christiana High 0

Glenmuir High 2, Manchester High 0

Group B

BB Coke 0, Garvey Maceo 4

Dinthill Technical 2, Cornwall College 0

Saturday’s fixtures

Group A

Manchester vs Clarendon College @ Manchester

Christiana vs Glenmuir @ Glenmuir

Group B

Cornwall College vs BB Coke @ Jarrett Park

Dinthill Technical vs Garvey Maceo @ Ewarton Sports Complex

Last year’s beaten finalist Trinidad and Tobago Red Force will take their unbeaten record into the CG United Super50 Cup final, following a convincing six-wicket victory over Guyana Harpy Eagles in a lopsided semi-final encounter at Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Wednesday.

Darren Bravo won the toss and sent Harpy Eagles in to bat, a decision which proved fruitful, as Red Force restricted the opponents to a paltry 105 inside 35 overs, and the captain later added an unbeaten 53 to easily surpass the target at 107-4 well inside 30 overs.

Bravo’s patient 70-ball 53, included eight boundaries.

Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 105 all out (34.3 overs); Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 107-4 (27.4 overs)

Despite the many talents in Harpy Eagles’s batting line up, they have really failed to spark throughout the campaign, and this crucial semi-final encounter again served up a dismal display.

With the exception of Sherfane Rutherford (30) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (22), no other batsman got into double figures, as Terrance Hinds ran through the top order, and they never recovered.

The 31-year-old right-arm medium pacer snared 4-15 in a mere four overs, while spinner Yannic Cariah had 2-14 in 2.3 overs.

With very little runs on the board, Red Force’s chase started steadily, but Harpy Eagles sensed a glimmer of hope when Veerasammy Permaul had Tion Webster (10) trapped in front with the score at 25-1.

Kjorn Ottley and Bravo added 58 for the second wicket to balance things out, before the former went leg-before-wicket to Gudakesh Motie. Ottley’s innings of 35 of 59 balls, included five boundaries.

Though Nicholas Pooran (three) and Jason Mohammed (zero) fell in quick succession to Motie leaving the score at 89-4, Bravo remained steady, and with Cariah, unbeaten on five, holding the other end, saw Red Force to a second-consecutive final.

Motie ended with 3-20 in seven overs.

The second semi-final between Leeward Island Hurricanes and Barbados Pride will be contested at the same venue on Thursday.

Former Portmore United striker Maalique Foster and Tyreek Magee make a long-awaited return to international football, as they join newcomer Jonathan Bell in the senior Reggae Boyz squad to face Guatemala on Saturday.

The friendly international is scheduled to take place at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

Foster, who currently represents Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the USL, last represented Jamaica in 2019 in Concacaf Nations League B action when he scored twice in their 6-0 beating of Aruba in Willemstad, Curacao.

Prior to that, the now 24-year-old Foster scored a late equalizer in the Boyz 2-2 stalemate with South Korea in a friendly contest in Turkey.

Now back, the nippy attacker, who is also known for his pace up front, will be hoping to impress Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson and company, especially with the Nations League quarterfinals against Canada, and possibly an appearance in next year’s Copa America, to come.

Magee, 24, who also plies his trade in the USL with the Switchbacks, made a solitary appearance for the Boyz last year, and like Foster, will be aiming to make this opportunity count.

Bell, 26, is an American-born defender, who currently represents Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit St Louis City.

Meanwhile, Lamonth Rochester is making his transition from the national youth setup, while Shaneil Thomas and Shaqeil Bradford, would have been called up to the senior setup at some point or another without making the final cut.

Squad: Amal Knight, Jahmali Waite, Richard King, Kyle Ming, Jamoi Topey, Lamonth Rochester, Damani Osei, Jonathan Bell,  Javain Brown, Shaneil Thomas, Lamonth Rochester, Trayvone Reid, Shaqeil Bradford, Devon Williams, Demario Phillips, Ramone Howell, Romario Williams, Deshane Beckford, Maalique Foster

Enqarde has a date with Haydock’s Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase after getting back to winning ways at Warwick on Wednesday.

Trained by Dr Richard Newland, the nine-year-old gave David Pipe’s Remastered a 10-length beating in the well-known staying handicap in 2021 but has struggled to hit the same heights since.

However, he booked a return to the Merseyside contest on December 23 when making a long-awaited return to the winner’s enclosure in the Ignite Incentives Handicap Chase – with the 10-1 shot showing plenty of guts to get the better of Docpickedme in a pulsating finish.

Charlie Skinner, member of joint owners Off The Clock Partners, said: “He had a wind operation over the summer and he has come right again. He had not been right since winning the Tommy Whittle, so that is why he had his third wind operation. 

“First time out he is not normally so good, so we didn’t have thousands on him! Jumping the last we thought at least he has got third, but he is a really tough horse and he was given a peach of a ride (by Charlie Hammond). 

“Haydock Park suits him, and I think the plan will be to go back to the Tommy Whittle after that.”

The future could be bright for Alan King’s Helnwein (10-11 favourite), who put his bumper experience to good use to oblige favourite backers in the Watch On Racing TV Novices’ Hurdle.

King said: “He is a horse that we like and he has done everything so easily at home. He does everything on the bridle at home and it would have been no surprise if he got beat today as a lot of mine have needed a run.

“He has done a lot of strengthening through the summer and the boys did a great job last season in only letting me run him in bumpers.

“There is a lot more to come from him and he is very much a work in progress. Hopefully he will build on that.

“I think we will stick at two miles for the time being, but he will get further in time. We could look to see if we can find one of those valuable introductory hurdles, but he will need between three and four weeks between his races.

“I needed to find some good horses, but last season’s bumper horses are the best I’ve had for a long time and he is one of the nicer ones.”

Johnny Burke enjoyed a double on the card, steering Henry Daly’s Rockinastorm (4-1) to victory in the Visit racingtv.com Novices’ Handicap Chase before adding to his tally aboard Ben Case’s Annie Day (7-1) in the Visit racingtv.com Novices’ Handicap Chase.

There was also a sighting of the Grand National-winning colours of Earth Summit as Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Supasunrise (4-1) claimed the 100% Racing TV Profits Back To Racing Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase in the hands of Finn Lambert.

“That was good as he really kept on plugging away,” said Twiston-Davies.

“The last day at Southwell everything just went wrong and he was jumping out to the right. We gave him a bit of physiotherapy and here we are. 

“I think we could step him up to three miles back on better ground, so we have options with him going forward.”

Ado McGuinness thoroughly enjoyed his Breeders’ Cup experience despite Tiger Belle finding it tough going in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

The Cotai Glory filly stepped up to the highest level in California following Group Three and Listed victories but after taking up a handy position, she dropped away in the closing stages to be beaten seven lengths by impressive winner Big Evs.

Tiger Belle’s next engagement will be at Tattersalls’ December Mares Sale, with McGuinness anticipating a healthy return for connections from their £70,000 breeze-up buy.

The trainer said: “She ran well to a point. I suppose we had a nice draw and we went to try to win the race. I think if we had ridden her a little bit differently, and took our time with her, she may have been placed.

“You make these decisions and you have to live by them.

“I didn’t realise Big Evs is the horse he is, he is a phenomenal horse. He actually burnt off the Queen Mary winner (Crimson Advocate), she struggled three-quarters of the way through the race.

“That just goes to show you the calibre of horse that is in it.

“She (Tiger Belle) will go to the mares’ sale in Newmarket next month. The syndicate that Stephen (Thorne, assistant trainer) set up is an investment syndicate and it was always the plan to move them on and reinvest again.

“We should have an awful lot more money than what we started off with, and she has been brilliant. We will be better off financially when we go shopping next spring.”

Reflecting on his Santa Anita trip, McGuinness added: “What an experience for everybody that was there and all my guys. I met Davy Russell who was over there just to experience it. It is just a different world, you have to go down there to really experience it.

“It is like the Olympics every year, and it is the best horses with the best jockeys and the best trainers there.”

Knickerbockerglory has the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle in his sights following his commanding victory at Ascot on Saturday.

Making his seasonal return just 1lb higher than when a brave second in the Imperial Cup in the spring, Knickerbockerglory thrived in his favoured soft ground, coming home with real authority and over four lengths clear of his nearest pursuer Altobelli.

It was the gelding’s first victory since switching back to hurdles from the larger obstacles and Mark Speelman, who purchased the horse in January 2021 and remains an integral part of the Knickerbockerglory team, is hoping there is more to come from their progressive operator.

“It was a great performance in ground that he loved,” he said.

“He ran some very promising races last year. We started over fences but just felt the opportunities for him were better over hurdles and he ran a hell of a race in the Imperial Cup at Sandown where he was second. He led up until the last and was just caught up the run-in.

“He was entitled to win a race of this nature but it was great to see him do it.”

Knickerbockerglory is now set to take his chance at Cheltenham on November 19 providing he recovers sufficiently from his Ascot exertions.

The seven-year-old is a 10-1 chance with sponsors Unibet for the prestigious handicap in which trainer Dan Skelton has a stellar record and connections are dreaming of once again seeing soft appear in the going description for their mud-loving contender.

“They have won it with North Hill Harvey and then again with West Cork a couple of years ago, so they know what it takes to win the race,” added Speelman.

“We’re just seeing how he is and how he comes out of Ascot, but all being well that is the plan.

“It’s very exciting. He will carry a 5lb penalty and went up 7lb, so he will be a couple of pounds well in and hopefully he can back up his Ascot performance with another good one at Cheltenham. We will let him take his chance if he comes out of Ascot as well as we hope he does.

“The softer the ground, the better for him. He’s one of those horses who we will only ever run on ground that is very soft as that is where he thrives – he just seems to get through it a little bit easier than some of the others.”

 Cricket commentator and SportsMax analyst Nikhil Uttamchandani believes the innovation of the bonus-points system implemented in this year’s CG United Insurance Super 50 Cup competition, has been a positive one.

Speaking on a recent edition of the Sportsmax Zone, Uttamchandani, while reviewing the group stages of the tournament stated, “I credit CWI, Miles Bascombe and his team for the innovation. There was no point coming into this tournament doing the same things over and over again. It is about now building towards the 2027 World Cup.” 

Commenting on specific improvements seen during the group stage, Uttamchandani highlighted two key areas.

“Coming into this, I looked closely to see where the West Indies have fallen behind in ODIs in the last few years, and it’s in the middle overs. It is no secret that we have struggled.” 

Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, the West Indies have ranked 12th  of the 19 teams in the world between overs 11 and 40, only scoring at 4.69 runs per over. “It was refreshing to see the two youngest teams being the only two teams above five runs per over in overs 11-40 during the group stages. It shows that while the bowling will not be the same at the international level, there is added impetus being shown in the middle overs.” 

The Combined Campuses and Colleges team was the best middle-over team of the preliminary stages, scoring at 5.58 runs per over, while the West Indies Academy was second best at 5.04. He also accentuated the increased intensity in the first 10 overs of the innings, where five teams had scored better than five runs per over in this year’s competition, a significant improvement over last season. 

From a bowling perspective, Uttamchandani revealed that he was impressed by new Leeward Islands sensation Daniel Doram, the tall left-arm spinner who took 13 wickets in six matches, including a 7-29 against Jamaica.  However, while he was impressed with his uniqueness, Uttamchandani wants to see Doram perform well in two to three more tournaments before being considered for play internationally. 

“He is different to Motie and Hosein. He has been impressive, but if he can go into the four-day championship, CPL, if selected, or even the next Super 50 and put out good performances, it will create a better environment for West Indies cricket and offer more for the selectors to choose from. In bouncy conditions, Doram provides an alternative option. I’m excited for the future of his career.” 

The analyst believes the impact of the bonus points system and this year’s Super 50 Cup will be further reflected in the England and Australia series bowling off in the next few months. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a tradition spanning nine years, the MVP Track & Field Club is once again making a significant impact on Jamaica's budding athletic talents through its Island-wide Grassroots Athletics Training Camps. The club has extended invitations to secondary schools across the nation, urging them to nominate student-athletes aged 12 to 18 for participation in one of the three Advanced Level Training Camps. These camps are set to take place in each of Jamaica's counties throughout the month of November.

MVP President, Bruce James, expressed his delight at the overwhelming response, saying, "Over 100 schools, from all 14 Parishes in Jamaica have been invited, and we have almost exceeded the targeted number of participants."

Head Coach of the MVP Track & Field Club, Paul Francis, emphasized the importance of sharing their knowledge and training methods following their exceptional results in Budapest at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. He recalled, "A highlight in Budapest was when a participant in our 2016 MVP Grassroots Training Camps won Gold in the 400m. This athlete is Antonio Watson."

The journey of nurturing young talent begins with the Cornwall Advanced Level Training Camp, scheduled for Saturday, November 11th at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St. James. The Middlesex Advanced Level Training Camp will follow on Saturday, November 18th, to be hosted at the GC Foster College in St. Catherine. The third and final Advanced Level Training Camp, dedicated to Surrey, will be conducted within the National Stadium, Kingston, on Saturday, November 25th, 2023.

These training camps will be supervised by a team of distinguished Jamaican coaches, led by MVP Head Coach Paul Francis, all of whom boast extensive international experience. The young athletes, numbering over 120 per training camp, will be guided through six track and field disciplines, including Hurdling, Sprinting, Throwing, Jumping, Distance Running, and Relays. It's worth noting that MVP Track & Field Club athletes frequently make appearances at these camps to interact with the aspiring young talents.

The training experience is further enriched as PUMA, one of the world's largest sports apparel companies, provides the athletes with top-quality gear. WATA and Powerade ensure that the young athletes remain well-hydrated, while NCB and the NCB Foundation offer financial literacy solutions. Best Dressed Chicken lends support for the nutritional needs of the student athletes, and the Sports Development Foundation continues its dedication to high-quality development programs throughout Jamaica. Digicel serves as the telecommunications partner for these camps.

The all-day training camps commence at 8:30 am and are strictly by invitation only, emphasizing the importance of fostering the future stars of Jamaican athletics.

 

 

 

Jumps fans are served up a midweek treat in Ireland on Thursday as one of the sport’s superstars makes his long-awaited return in the Clonmel Oil Chase.

Willie Mullins has landed seven of the last 10 editions of the Grade Two feature at Powerstown Park, with Champagne Fever (2014), Kemboy (2018) and Douvan (2019) among those on the roll of honour.

This year the champion trainer saddles two of the of declared runners, with Janidil joined by his long-absent and esteemed stablemate Allaho.

The Cheveley Park Stud-owned gelding was spectacular in winning back-to-back renewals of the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, pummelling his rivals by 12 and 14 lengths respectively, before successfully stepping up to three miles with a 14-length demolition job in the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup.

He has not been seen in competitive action since the latter of those triumphs 19 months ago, but will nevertheless be a short price to dispatch of his three rivals in the hands of Paul Townend.

“Allaho has been fantastic for us, winning a couple of Ryanairs, a Punchestown Gold Cup and a John Durkan. It’s great to see him back and hopefully he can show us that he’s back to his best,” said Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson.

“He’s nine turning 10 in January, he’s been one of the stalwarts from the bunch of jumps horses we bought and hopefully we’ll still have some good days with him.

“He’s been off the track since April 2022, a good year and a half, so it will be fascinating to see him back and we’ll see how he gets on.

“Before he got injured last season we hoped he might be a three-time winner of the Ryanair and hopefully still can be.”

The biggest threat to the Mullins pair is French Dynamite, who bids to provide Mouse Morris with another big-race win following Gentlemansgame’s victory in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby on Saturday.

Morris said: “He’ll probably take the run and it would be hard to think we’ll beat Allaho, but it’s a good place to start and it will put him right for wherever we want to go afterwards.”

John Ryan’s outsider Grange Walk completes the quartet.

Gold Cup hero Subjectivist will stand at the Skelton family’s Alne Park Stud next year.

The six-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Royal Ascot showpiece in 2021, adding to his previous big-race victories in the Prix Royal-Oak and Dubai Gold Cup.

A career-threatening tendon injury sidelined Subjectivist for the best part of two years following his Gold Cup heroics, but he did finish an honourable third in his bid for a second victory in the two-and-a-half-mile contest this summer before being retired.

He will now be readied for a stallion career in Warwickshire in 2024 with a stud fee of £4,000.

Alne Park Stud director Grace Skelton, wife of leading National Hunt trainer Dan, said: “The addition of Subjectivist to our stallion roster is a huge leap forward for Alne Park Stud. To stand a stallion of this calibre is an immense honour.

“He will stand at an introductory fee of £4,000. We firmly believe that keeping this exceptional stallion in the UK is a real boost to British breeders and we hope that he will see plenty of support in his debut season.”

Subjectivist was initially trained by Mark Johnston, before his son Charlie took over the licence, and he added: “I always say that, when placing horses, the opposition trumps all other factors. But, very rarely, you come across a horse where the opposition isn’t a factor at all. Subjectivist was such a horse.

“In 2021, I truly believed that there wasn’t a horse in the world that could beat him at two miles or more, in any ground.

“There is less and less need for British NH (National Hunt) breeders to travel to Ireland and, with the incentives on offer in the UK, perhaps the Irish breeders will be thinking of coming over here!”

Porta Fortuna could be aimed at a Guineas trial in the spring following her narrow defeat at the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday.

The daughter of Caravaggio has enjoyed an excellent campaign for trainer Donnacha O’Brien, highlighted by her big-race wins in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Cheveley Park at Newmarket.

Stepping up to a mile for the first time for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Porta Fortuna was beaten just half a length into second by Hard To Justify and will now be given a well-earned break.

O’Brien said: “She ran very well and we were delighted with her. Obviously she’s had a long season, for her to be holding her form this late in the year shows how brave a filly she is.

“I think she got the trip well, it wasn’t an issue, and we’re going to give her a good break now.

“I’m not sure exactly when she’ll be back out, but we might look at a Guineas trial over seven furlongs to try to get a read on her and see whether we go back sprinting or go back to a mile.

“That would be the thinking for now, but obviously it’s a long way away.”

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