Royale Pagaille shone brightest at his favourite track when upsetting Bravemansgame to land the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
The nine-year-old was second in this race in 2021 and returned to the Grade One contest at a price of 5-1 under Charlie Deutsch, having never been out of the first two in four previous trips to the Merseyside venue.
Dan Skelton’s Protektorat was occasionally erratic in his jumping and Lucinda Russell’s Corach Rambler, the reigning Grand National hero, found the race happening at too quick a pace.
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It was left to Royale Pagaille and Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame, the 8-11 favourite, to share the lead in the battle for top honours.
And in the closing stages it was Venetia Williams’ charge who pushed on, jumping well over the final two fences to claim his biggest success to date by six and a half lengths. Corach Rambler was another nine lengths back in third.
Lewis Hamilton said there was something wrong with his Mercedes after he qualified only 11th for Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
As Max Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position for the final race of his all-conquering campaign – with Charles Leclerc second and Oscar Piastri third – Hamilton was left starting at another poor performance in his underperforming machinery.
The seven-time world champion, facing up to a second season without a victory, finished six tenths behind Verstappen and a third-of-a-second back from team-mate George Russell, who qualified fourth.
Hamilton’s failure to progress to Q3 – as he gloomily predicted here on Friday night – leaves the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship firmly in the balance.
The Silver Arrows head their Italian rivals by just four points ahead of Sunday’s finale in the desert. And Leclerc finished ahead of both Russell and Hamilton to hand Ferrari the initiative.
However, Mercedes were handed a minor boost after Carlos Sainz was a surprise eliminee in Q1.
A day after he crashed out in practice, Sainz bemoaned traffic for his lowly 16th grid slot.
It emerged earlier this week that Hamilton’s father and one-time manager Anthony had enquired about a seat for his son at Red Bull.
Hamilton has recorded just one podium in his last six appearances following Mercedes’ tumble down the grid, and he faces an uphill task to salvage a respectable result at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“There is something not right with this car, mate,” said the 38-year-old as he headed back to the pits shaking his head.
Hamilton is third in the standings, an extraordinary 317 points Verstappen, with the Dutchman starting Sunday’s 58-lap race as the overwhelming favourite to claim a remarkable 19th victory from the 22 rounds this year.
Verstappen finished 0.139 seconds ahead of Leclerc, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was a disappointing fifth. The British driver got out of shape on his final lap in the last sector, losing him considerable time.
“The whole weekend has been a struggle,” said Verstappen. “But we improved the car for qualifying so I am very happy to be on pole.”
Quizzed about Ferrari’s battle against Mercedes, Leclerc said: “I hope it is going to go well.
“The target is to beat them, so I hope Carlos get a good start and joins me in the fight.
“Let’s look to put both of our cars in front of Mercedes because finishing second in the constructors is all that matters to me.”
Elsewhere, Yuki Tsunoda impressed to take sixth spot for AlphaTauri, one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Sergio Perez’s final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him in ninth.
State Man made a pleasing return to action when retaining his title in the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown.
The chestnut took the contest last year before embarking on a brilliant season that saw him beaten only by Constitution Hill in five runs at Grade One level.
He was the 1-6 favourite for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend in a field of just four and after travelling well in mid-division, he accelerated when rounding the final bend and pulled clear to defeat stablemate Echoes In Rain by five lengths.
Blueking D’Oroux demonstrated his class with a taking victory in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot.
The four-year-old was sent off at 4-1 in a field of five, most of whom carried with them more experience and higher ratings than Paul Nicholls’ runner.
Harry Cobden bided his time, only asking the winner to throw down a challenge over the second-last and finding him comfortably able to go on and take the Grade Two by a length from Strong Leader.
Gordon Elliott’s Favori De Champdou impressed in winning the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown.
The eight-year-old was an 11-2 chance under Jack Kennedy in a field of seven, though the group was quickly diminished when Jonathan Sweeney’s Churchstonewarrior fell at the second.
The loose horse was a worry throughout the race and was particularly problematic for Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter, who was pestered by him when taking up the lead.
That lead was eventually assumed by Favori De Champdou, who kept on well to prevail by 14 lengths from Paul Nolan’s Sandor Clegane.
“He’d a good run the last day and we thought he’d come on from it but we thought it would be tough,” Elliott said.
“Jack said he stayed very well and jumped brilliant. I’d imagine he’ll go for something at Christmas.
“I liked the way he stayed galloping. He travelled the whole way and he could be a real National Hunt Chase horse for Cheltenham.”
Kennedy added: “The loose horse wasn’t doing Flooring Porter any favours, but it was sort of working out well for me.
“Very good, jumped great and galloped all the way to the line so I am very happy with him.
“He’s a very strong stayer and the further he goes, the better he gets. He could nearly have gone around there again.”
Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs gets the chance to gain revenge for his surprise defeat to Fastorslow at Punchestown in the spring when the two meet in the John Durkan Memorial Chase.
The Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs looked imperious at Cheltenham, proving his stamina over three and a quarter miles when that was the only real question mark.
When winning this corresponding race last season he had Fastorslow well behind him and it was difficult to see when he could be beaten.
However, he suffered a blip in the Punchestown Gold Cup, going down by two and a quarter lengths to Martin Brassil’s new star.
Sent on his way at 4-11 in April, Galopin Des Champs is yet again long odds-on with Fastorslow the only non Mullins-trained runner in the Grade One.
“Galopin Des Champs is in nice order going to Punchestown and I hope he runs a good race,” said the champion trainer.
“Galopin has won this race before – the race is a little earlier this year and the trip might suit some of the opposition more but Galopin comes here with his chance.”
Mullins also runs Stattler, second to Galopin Des Champs in the Irish Gold Cup in February, Blue Lord, Asterion Forlonge and Appreciate It.
Assistant trainer Patrick Mullins added: “Galopin Des Champs won this race last year and while it is two weeks earlier this year that shouldn’t be any problem.
“He was obviously knocked off his perch by Fastorslow at the Punchestown Festival so we have to try to level that up. I think probably coming back in trip will suit our horse more so hopefully that can help turn the tables.”
On the yard’s other runners he added: “Asterion Forlonge was second to Klassical Dream at the Punchestown Festival and was going very well in this race two years ago when he unseated so he is always a contender.
“I ride Appreciate It, who did disappoint us a little last season even though he ran well at the top level. I think he is better than his form and he has to have a squeak.
“Stattler will probably find the trip on the short side and Blue Lord is another Grade One winner who makes this race hugely competitive.”
The man who got the better of Galopin Des Champs in April was J J Slevin on Fastorslow and he reckons his mount could be even better this season, when he turns eight.
“He’s got loads of boot and that is a big asset to him,” Slevin told Punchestown Racecourse.
“That’s what sets the good horses apart, they need to be able to travel and he seems to have that in abundance.
“He’s always coasting along in his comfort zone when other horses might be out on their heads. That was his main attribute, I felt, last year.
“He picked them up the last day comfortably enough, he needed a bit of luck when he got to the front but he did it comfortably I felt.
“I think there’s more to come, he’s been lightly-campaigned all along and he could be hitting his peak this year.”
Brassil was always looking to start Fastorslow back in this race and said: “The John Durkan Chase back at Punchestown was the obvious place for Fastorslow to start off and we are really looking forward to it.
“It will be different ground and a shorter trip than the Punchestown Gold Cup but we are going there with a nice horse and hoping for a nice run.
“We are obviously facing the might of the Mullins battalion but it is great to have a horse like him and we’d be hoping he is still improving and getting better with age.”
Gordon Elliott may not be represented in the feature race but he has strong interests elsewhere, not least with Imagine in the BetVictor Craddockstown Novice Chase.
A useful hurdler, the way he won on his chasing debut at Fairyhouse suggested he will be taking much higher order over bigger obstacles.
He is owned by Caldwell Construction and their racing manager Joey Logan said: “We’re excited about him and he had a really nice first run in a beginners chase.
“He’s stepping up now at the weekend to a Graded race and we are just hopeful he will be able to progress.”
Mullins runs Uncle Phil while John Ryan’s Lucid Dreams sets a good standard having won twice over fences already.
Gaelic Warrior strolled to an easy success on his debut over fences in the Conway Piling Beginners Chase at Punchestown.
The five-year-old was an incredibly useful hurdler, never finishing out of the top two in six starts in Britain and Ireland.
He was most recently seen winning the Grade One Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle by 10 lengths at Punchestown on his final start last season.
For trainer Willie Mullins and under jockey Paul Townend, the Rich Ricci-owned 4-11 favourite took a fence or two to perfect his jumping but victory was never in doubt and he was completely unchallenged when crossing the line 15 lengths ahead.
“It was a very good performance, way better than I expected. I thought he was a bit novicey at one or two but never looked like falling and he ran very fresh today,” Mullins said.
“We all know he stays and he might go a longer trip, but maybe after that performance I need to have a rethink about him. He’d have no problem going two and a half miles and two miles would be no problem to him either the way he ran there.
“We thought there would be a lot more pace in the race, but it seemed to evaporate and Paul was happy enough to make it.
“He was just a bit gassy today on his first run and maybe he will settle later on in the season.”
The success followed an earlier win on the card for Mullins, with Predators Gold taking the CourtClinic.ie Chartered Physiotherapists Supporting Kilmacud Crokes GAA Maiden Hurdle by six lengths on his debut over obstacles.
“He was very impressive and there is a lot of improvement in him,” the Closutton trainer said of the 4-7 favourite.
“I thought it was a hell of a performance considering where he was at the third-last. He looks a really nice recruit.”
The opening contest was also won by a large margin as Gordon Elliott’s Mighty Bandit took the John Lynch Carpets 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle by nine and a half lengths at 3-1.
“I’d say he’s a nice horse. We gave him two bits of work and he worked well and then he got light so we’ve done nothing with him since,” Elliott said.
“We didn’t really know what to expect, but Jack (Kennedy) said you’d have to be impressed with what you saw there. He was happy with him.
“He’d plenty of schooling done at home and he should strengthen up as the season goes on.
“We’ll look at Christmas now with him.”
Shishkin stunned onlookers at Ascot when refusing to start in the Nirvana Spa 1965 Chase, which went the way of Pic D’Orhy.
Nicky Henderson’s top-class chaser was returning to action in the Grade Two contest, which only attracted four runners.
Nico de Boinville was partnering the gelding, who was the short-priced favourite, but at the tapes he did not budge and the race went ahead without him.
Chianti Classico was the toast of Ascot having successfully continued his chasing education in the Royal Ascot Racing Club Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
A winner of all but one of his outings as a novice hurdler, Kim Bailey’s six-year-old made a successful transition to the larger obstacles at Chepstow last month.
However, he faced a tough task when sent off the 4-5 favourite for this three-runner assignment, having to concede over a stone in weight on the quickest ground he has encountered so far.
Although not at his slickest over his obstacles at points in the three-mile event, his class came to the fore when it mattered as he pulled three-quarters of a length clear of Scrum Diddly after the last.
“That ground was probably quick enough for him and he was not enjoying the ground at all,” said Bailey.
“He has only run on softer ground so fingers crossed he is OK tomorrow.
“It’s a tough performance as he has given lumps of weight away on a day it hasn’t gone right for him. He can see he was landing and not very happy with it.
“His class got him through, definitely, he’s a decent animal. It was a big experience, last time we wanted to drop him right out and get his jumping right and today he couldn’t do it and couldn’t afford to get any further behind.
“He’s won well and at the end of the day he has won, that’s all that matters.”
Chianti Classico is part-owned by Sir Francis Brooke, His Majesty’s Representative and chairman of Ascot and a return to the track for the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase in the early part of next year could be the ideal opportunity for the gelding to test himself at Graded level.
“We’ll see how he is over the next week and he takes a lot out of himself in his races,” continued Bailey.
“He’s not a horse he can run in a hurry and it will be two months before he runs again whatever happens.
“That would be the ideal race for him and timewise that (the Reynoldstown) fits in very well.”
Another exciting prospect enhancing his reputation was Paul Nicholls’ Farnoge (4-1) who beat some smart opponents to win the Bet With Ascot Donation Box Scheme Novices’ Hurdle.
Second to Gordon Elliott’s Better Days Ahead in a point-to-point before switching to Ditcheat, he is now unbeaten in three starts under rules with his rider Harry Cobden expecting bigger and better things later in the year.
“I can see him being a Graded horse,” said Cobden after the two-and-a-quarter-length success.
“We will have to get home and speak to the boss and see what he thinks, but he’s very smart.
“He went to Newton Abbot when he was probably 75-80 per cent fit and had a nice canter round there and he’s done the same again here against some useful horses behind him, it’s exciting.
“He would be right up there in the top five (novices at Ditcheat). 100 per cent. He will definitely be in Graded races and he’s had a 5lb penalty today as well.”
Kamsinas built on the promise of his previous outing when landing the Betfair Racing Podcasts Newton Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock.
Trained by Fergal O’Brien, the six-year-old had gone close in Grade Two company at Cheltenham behind Neil King’s Lookaway and when the winner ran a big race in the Greatwood Hurdle afterwards, O’Brien knew he had a nice youngster on his hands.
He was taking on a couple of well-regarded types in Henry Daly’s Bowenspark and the Lucinda Russell-trained Primoz, but they could not live with Kamsinas (16-5) in the straight.
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Making Headway tried to make a race of it, but still went down by a length and a quarter behind Paddy Brennan on the winner.
O’Brien said: “We were very hopeful – I’m never confident – as he’d been working well and was very unlucky at Cheltenham when he got stopped in his run.
“That form was franked by the winner and what I loved about him there was he threw himself over the last showing a great will to win.
“I’m delighted with him, he’s a super little horse. We’ll all sit and have a chat about what next but we thought something like this was in him. We need these days.
“It’s a long road to Cheltenham in March and hopefully there’ll be a lot of races before then. I think he’ll get further and he’s already shown he handles Cheltenham.”
Dan Skelton hopes the handicapper does not get too carried away after Real Stone coasted to victory in the betting.betfair.com Handicap Chase.
When his two main market rivals, Cheddleton and Pay The Piper, dropped away, the 15-8 favourite coasted to a 20-length win under Harry Skelton.
Skelton said: “The first thing I have to say is that I hope the other two are OK because they clearly haven’t given their true running, they are good horses on their day.
“When you’ve been having a bit of a run like we have, when there’s nothing wrong with them but winners are not exactly flowing, it’s nice to enjoy one like that.
“We’ll go quietly with him, he’s not had loads of racing and he probably has to go left-handed which rules out those Ascot races, but we hope to end up in something like the Red Rum (at Aintree).”
Betfair have launched a charity fund which will see them donate £5,000 for every winner Rachael Blackmore rides between Betfair Chase day and the Randox Grand National.
The bookmaker has initiated the launch of the ‘Rachael Blackmore’s Serial Winners Fund’ by donating £100,000, and it is estimated that around £250,000 will be raised for the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Irish Injured Jockeys.
Blackmore, a Grand National and Gold Cup-winning jockey, has averaged around 30 winners in the period between the Betfair Chase meeting at Haydock and the Grand National, which this year takes place on April 13.
Blackmore, a Betfair ambassador, said: “This is a very generous initiative from Betfair and one that I am excited to be a part of over the coming season.
“The work of IIJ and IJF is vital in providing support services for jockeys past and present. It’s great to have Betfair supporting not only me, but two organisations that are so important to us as jockeys.”
Lisa Hancock, CEO of the Injured Jockeys Fund, said: “We are very grateful to Betfair who have been great supporters of the Injured Jockeys Fund for many years. Rachael of course is an inspiration to all aspiring jockeys, and we will be hoping she kicks home plenty of winners over the coming months.”
Michael Higgins of the Irish Injured Jockeys said: “We are very grateful to Betfair for this generous initiative and are delighted to be joint beneficiaries with our friends in the IJF.
“Rachael is a committed supporter of IIJ and a fantastic role model for our sport and hope her current run of success continues. We have major plans in 2024 and a project which will involve significant investment on our part which will transform facilities and services available to our riders. This, along with our existing support programs, will benefit hugely from the fund.”
Moritz Wagner delivered 27 points off the bench to lead the surging Orlando Magic to a 113-96 victory over the Boston Celtics in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Friday.
Paolo Banchero added 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists to help the Magic extend their winning streak to six games and improve to 11-5. Orlando has missed the playoffs in three straight seasons and last had a winning campaign in 2018-19.
The win also moved Orlando to the top of the Tournament's Group C standings at 3-1, a half-game ahead of the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.
The Magic trailed 30-19 after one quarter but outscored Boston by a 29-18 margin in the third to take a 77-74 lead into the fourth quarter. Wagner then scored the final eight points of a 10-0 run to begin the fourth as Orlando extended its advantage to double digits.
Jayson Tatum had 26 points to lead Boston, which shot a season-low 24.1 percent from 3-point range and lost for the second time in three games. Jaylen Brown finished with 18 points but went 6 of 22 from the field.
Booker has 40 to lead streaking Suns
Devin Booker poured in a season-high 40 points and the Phoenix Suns won their sixth straight game, 110-89 over the lowly Memphis Grizzlies in an In-Season Tournament game.
Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen scored 14 points apiece for the Suns, who stayed hot despite playing without leading scorer Kevin Durant, a late scratch due to right foot soreness.
Phoenix improved to 3-1 in the tournament but is still a game behind the Lakers, who won Group A with a 4-0 record. The Suns must now wait on how other teams in the West fare to see who qualifies for the wild-card spot.
Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 21 points and Derrik Rose added 17. Memphis lost its third straight overall and dropped to 0-7 at home this season.
Knicks erase huge deficit to beat Heat
Jalen Brunson scored 24 points and the New York Knicks mounted a furious rally in a 100-98 victory over the Miami Heat to stay alive in the In-Season Tournament.
Immanuel Quickley had 20 points off the bench and RJ Barrett added 18, including a key three-point play down the stretch.
Jimmy Butler had 23 points for Miami but missed a potential winning 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
New York tied Miami at 2-1 in the Eastern Conference’s Group B, with Milwaukee in first place at 3-0.
The Knicks, who trailed 83-62 with 3:40 left in the third quarter, scored 12 straight points in the fourth to take a 97-96 lead with 1:59 remaining. Brunson’s jumper made it 99-96 with 84 seconds to play.
Andrei Vasilevskiy received plenty of support in his season debut, as Brayden Point had a hat trick and two assists in an 8-2 drubbing of the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
Vasilevskiy, a winner of the Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy, appeared in his first game since April following offseason surgery. He stopped 22 shots and improved to 13-5-3 all-time against Carolina.
Nikita Kucherov had two goals and four assists and Brandon Hagel added a goal and two assists for the Lightning, who are 4-0-1 in their past five games.
Tampa Bay scored three power-play goals in the first six minutes of the second period for a 3-1 lead.
Carolina made it a one-goal game later in the frame, but the Lightning scored five times in the third period, two by Point.
Stefan Noesen and Michael Bunting had goals for the Hurricanes, who lost for just the second time in eight home games this season.
Surging Kings stay unbeaten on road
Kevin Fiala scored twice and Anze Kopitar added a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings remained perfect on the road with a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield also scored for the Kings, who won their fourth straight overall and improved to 9-0-0 on the road this season.
That’s the second-longest such streak in NHL history, trailing only the Buffalo Sabres’ 10 consecutive wins to open the 2006-07 season.
Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas had goals for Anaheim, which has lost five straight after winning eight of its previous 10.
Red Wings notch second win over NHL-best Bruins
Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher each scored one goal and set up another and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the NHL-leading Boston Bruins for the second time this season, 5-2.
Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen tallied for the Bruins, who had been 5-0-2 since losing at Detroit on Nov. 4.
Both of Boston’s regulation losses (14-2-3) have come against Detroit.
Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin and David Perron had the other goals as the Red Wings won their second straight following a 0-1-1 trip to Sweden.
Devon Holland’s 99-yard interception touchdown stole the show in one of the plays of the year as the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 34-13.
Holland’s stunning run came after Jets quarterback Tim Boyle launched a hail Mary pass on the stroke of half-time, the Dolphins safety snatching the ball on his own one-yard line.
There was barely a finger laid on Holland as he went went the length of the pitch, evading the Jets defence and giving the Dolphins an 11-point lead following a second quarter touchdown from Tyreek Hill.
The touchdown came just after Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted by Brandin Echols and the Dolphins pulled away in the second half.
Two fourth quarter touchdowns from running back Raheem Mostert, including a 34-yard run, gave the Dolphins an unassailable lead and back-to-back wins.
Tagovailoa threw for 243 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, moving the Dolphins to their eighth win in 11 games and a two-game cushion over the Buffalo Bills at the top of the AFC East.
Australia ended the surprise run of Finland to reach the Davis Cup final for the second year in a row.
Finland defeated Croatia and the USA in the group stage in September to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time and then upset defending champions Canada on Tuesday.
Backed by thousands of fans in Malaga thanks to a sizeable local population of ex-pats, they hoped to continue the fairytale but found Australia too strong.
Otto Virtanen, ranked 171, had been the unlikely star of their run but he was beaten 7-6 (5) 6-2 by Alexei Popyrin, a late call-up to the Australia team and picked ahead of Jordan Thompson, in the opening match.
It was a first victory in a live rubber for the 24-year-old, who said: “It’s nerves that I have never experienced before in my life.”
The Finns were boosted by the return of their number one Emil Ruusuvuori from a shoulder injury but he was unable to capitalise on a good start against world number 12 Alex De Minaur and went down 6-4 6-3.
Australia will now try to go one better than last year’s 2-0 loss to Canada when they take on either Serbia or Italy in the final.
It is a 49th Davis Cup final for Australia but they have not lifted the trophy since 2003.
Trainer Alford Brown believes the presence of Japanese-born jockey Daisuke Fukumoto in Jamaica for the Mouttet Mile could be a learning moment for young riders, in particular, provided they grasp the opportunity to engage the reinsman when he visits Caymanas Park.
Fukumoto, who migrated to Canada from Japan in 2015 and rides at the Woodbine racetrack in the North American country, is said to be a big fan of Jamaica’s racing, and by virtue of his close relationship with veteran Shane Ellis, decided to grace local horsemen with his presence at the lucrative Mouttet Mile Invitational scheduled for December 2.
For Brown, who has booked Fukumoto’s services for two rides on that day, the hope is that the jockey’s visit will go beyond entertainment purposes, given the experience and knowledge he could impart to local riders based on his journey so far.
“He was always eager to come here. So, the opportunity arose, and he jumped on it, purchased his own plane ticket and the promoters got involved by ensuring that he will be comfortable when he gets here,” Brown shared.
“It’s a very good thing for the punter's sake, for racing itself and the entertainment that it provides. More importantly, with the international jockeys being here, they could also teach some of our local riders a thing or two because you know, you learn every day and it doesn’t matter how good you think you are, there is always room for improvements, so it is just a matter of whether or not they are willing to learn,” he told SportsMax.TV.
For two years, Fukumoto studied English throughout the week and spent weekends hanging around at the track trying to catch a break. That break eventually came when trainer Reade Baker gave him a job as a groom.
From there, Fukumoto debuted as an apprentice rider in 2017 and rode his first winner on October 13 that year, his 20th birthday.
Though still fairly young, his career profile on Equibase shows Fukumoto boast a wealth of experience in the saddle with 2,586 starts, including 273 wins, 267 seconds, and 290 third-place finishes. He has career earnings of $10,949,852.
Last year, Fukumoto tallied 55 wins, with his best year in the saddle being 2020 when he rode 69 winners. His tally so far this year stands at 21 winners.
Fukumoto’s visit falls in line with Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) Executive Chairman Solomon Sharpe and team’s ambitions to expand Jamaica’s racing presence on the international market by having high profile overseas personalities grace the track.
Renowned Gulfstream Park race announcer Peter Aiello recently made an appearance on the Jamaica Cup race card.
Brown agreed that having international jockeys and commentators at the track serves as an endorsement of sorts and only augurs well for Jamaica’s racing product, especially with the Mouttet Mile set to be streamed live in the United States on Fox 5.
“I think with such a high calibre jockey coming down to ride on that day, and the fact that we are going to be televised internationally, is a good look for us and our racing. It will also draw the attention of other riders to maybe one day take up the offer to come to Jamaica and experience our racing, so it can only go forward from here,” Brown noted.
Neil Robertson is unconcerned by the prospect of plunging out of the world’s top 16 as he aims to resurrect a challenging campaign by clinching a fourth UK Snooker Championship title in York.
The 41-year-old Australian heads into the sport’s second biggest tournament – which starts on Saturday at the city’s Barbican Centre – having failed to get beyond the last 64 in any of his six ranking events so far this season.
In recent months, Robertson has spoken candidly about suffering from homesickness and will take a short break from the game when he jets home next month to spend the festive season with his family for the first time since prior to his solitary world title win in 2010.
Falling out of the sport’s elite is unthinkable for a player of Robertson’s calibre, but he remains upbeat about his prospects of turning his season around ahead of his return to one of his most profitable venues.
Robertson told the PA news agency: “I’ve been through similar things a couple of times before and it doesn’t really bother me.
“I’ve struggled to get up for some matches and my opponents have been on a roll and punished me for a few mistakes. I haven’t put in too many shocker performances. It’s just part of sport and you go through it now and again.
“I dropped out of the top 16 briefly before (in 2017), then I won the Scottish Open and went on to have quite a dominant spell for the next two years.
“When I dropped out, I remember it actually being a bit of a relief because you feel like you’ve experienced the worst of it. It wouldn’t bother me at all if I had to qualify for the Crucible, it’s not really in my thinking.”
Robertson had cut a forlorn figure when he lost to Jak Jones in the second round of this year’s World Championship, a defeat that stretched his winless streak at the Crucible to 13 years and shortly afterwards he realised it was time to take drastic action.
“When it really hit me was when I was watching my AFL team, Collingwood, win the Grand Final and all my family was watching it together back home and close friends I hadn’t really seen in the last 20-odd years,” added Robertson.
“I was Facetiming the people back home, they were having a barbecue on the day, there were my nephews who I hadn’t really seen much of and I thought, jeez it’s been 20 years of missing out on those moments. I found it really hard.”
Before his overdue return home, Robertson begins his quest to become only the fourth player to win four or more UK titles when he faces Zhou Yuelong – whom he beat in the semi-finals when he last triumphed three years ago – in the first round on Tuesday.
Defending champion Mark Allen gets the tournament under way on Saturday in a repeat of last year’s final against Ding Junhui, while Ronnie O’Sullivan – looking for a record eighth crown – also starts on Tuesday against Anthony McGill.
For Robertson, the return to a stand-alone last 32 event is a welcome development in the history of the prestigious tournament and one he believes will motivate the best players to bring out their best on the day.
“It’s a tournament that everyone gets up for,” added Robertson.
“It’s got a great history, it gets great coverage and it all adds up to the type of tournament that when you’re used to playing at the top of the game, you really want to win.”
Doddiethegreat has the Scottish Champion Hurdle on his radar after making a successful return from 746 days off the track at Ascot.
Named after the late Scottish Rugby Union star Doddie Weir, who died of motor neurone disease almost a year to the day, the Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old has been out of action since winning on hurdles debut at Kempton over two years ago.
Sent off at 5-4 in the hands of Nico de Boinville for the Give The Gift Of Ascot Membership “Introductory” Hurdle, he displayed all the class that had seen him impress in his previous three outings to take advantage of the odds-on favourite Inthewaterside’s below-par display and score by a keeping-on two lengths.
Owned by Kenny Alexander of Honeysuckle fame, prize-money earned by Doddiethegreat is donated to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which raises funds to aid research into MND, and having enhanced his unbeaten record he will now be fittingly aimed at Ayr next April for the big handicap hurdle on Scottish Grand National Day.
“He severed a tendon, it was the most horrible injury,” said Henderson.
“They had to rate him on one run. His target is the Scottish Champion Hurdle. The foundation are so enthusiastic, it’s all about going back to Scotland.”
Your Darling often saves his best for the Berkshire track and Ben Pauling’s eight-year-old made it back-to-back victories in the S.A.F.E. Handicap Chase after putting up a fine display to surge nine-lengths clear in the home straight.
The 11-4 favourite, who is owned by Lord Vesty, has not been the most consistent operator down the years and his handler now intends to keep his powder dry over the winter months ahead of a crack at the Grand National fences in the spring.
“He’s one of the most talented horses I’ve trained and when he’s in form he’s electric,” said Pauling.
“It’s just a bit frustrating that he doesn’t always turn up, so my instinct is to put him away and go straight for the Topham Chase.”
There was a double on the day for Harry Fry who saw his Beat The Bat (6-4 joint favourite) conjure up extra to deny the highly-touted Welcom To Cartries in the opening Ascot Partners “National Hunt” Maiden Hurdle, before Gin Coco (11-8 favourite) gained compensation for missing Cheltenham’s Greatwood Hurdle by taking the Garden For All Seasons Handicap Hurdle.
There was also plenty to cheer for jockey Charlie Deutsch who won the Racing To School Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase aboard Henry Daly’s outsider of four Supreme Gift (17-2) and then doubled up aboard Venetia Williams’ Hold That Thought (7-2) in the All Seasons Scaffolding Handicap Chase.
The concluding Not Forgotten Novices’ Handicap Hurdle went the way of Harry Derham’s Scamallach Liath, who pulled out extra in the closing stages under Paul O’Brien to oblige favourite backers at odds of 13-8.
Lewis Hamilton fears Mercedes could lose second spot to Ferrari in the constructors’ championship after he admitted it will be a scramble to qualify in the top 10 for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped practice at the Yas Marina Circuit, seeing off McLaren’s Lando Norris by just 0.043 seconds, with world champion Max Verstappen third.
But George Russell and Hamilton finished only sixth and eighth respectively for Mercedes, with the latter half a second behind Leclerc.
Mercedes, who are facing up to their first winless season since 2011, hold only a four-point lead over Ferrari heading into Sunday’s finale in the desert.
And Hamilton said: “It was not the greatest of days. We have had difficult qualifying sessions this year, and getting out of Q1 and into Q2 has always been a tough battle, and getting into Q3 is a challenge.
“The work tomorrow is to try and get into Q3. But it is going to be close.”
Hamilton completed only four timed laps on Friday. He made way for the team’s Danish junior driver Frederik Vesti in the opening running, before a combined 30-minute delay wiped out half of the one-hour second session after Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg both crashed out.
Russell fared better than Hamilton, but he still finished three tenths behind Leclerc.
However, it was not a day without incident for Ferrari following Sainz’s crash.
A week after a loose drain cover tore through his Ferrari in Las Vegas, Sainz was in the wars again, but on this occasion it was through driver error.
Sainz – who appeared to be put off by another car arriving from the pits – lost control of his machine through turn three and ended up in the barrier.
Although the Spaniard was unharmed in the high-speed smash after just eight and a half minutes, he sustained significant damage to his car, with the sidepods, floor, rear suspension and front wing of his Ferrari all destroyed.
Sainz’s impact also left the barrier in a mess, and a 22-minute delay ensued as the tyre wall was repaired.
But only moments after the running restarted, the red flag was out again – this time after Nico Hulkenberg crashed on the exit of turn one.
On cold tyres, the German was too hasty on the throttle, sliding into the barrier before pulling up in his wounded machine.
The stoppages arrived as a blow to half the grid who sat out the opening session as 10 rookie drivers – including three Britons – were earlier blooded at the Yas Marina Circuit.
British drivers Zak O’Sullivan, 18, and Jake Dennis, 28, made their Formula One weekend debuts for Williams and Red Bull respectively, while Ollie Bearman, 18, who in Mexico became the youngest debutant from Britain at a Grand Prix, was handed his second practice appearance by Haas.
Dennis, in Verstappen’s Red Bull machine which Hamilton has described as the fastest ever seen in F1, finished 16th of the 20 runners, 1.1 secs off the pace.
O’Sullivan was 18th – seven tenths behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant – with Bearman 20th and last, albeit only a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen in the other Haas.
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